BVI houses and administers the OIE Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Reference laboratory (SSARRL) for FMD since 1985. The core functions of the laboratory in accordance with the OIE mandate are to provide confirmatory laboratory diagnosis of FMD outbreaks to all Member States (MS) in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly countries in southern Africa; to provide services on FMD laboratory surveillance and post-vaccination monitoring to MS in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those in southern Africa; to provide bench training on FMD diagnostic techniques (virus isolation & typing; PCR & sequencing; antibody detection by ELISA and VNT) and harmonization’s of laboratory techniques and methods and to conduct research on FMD and disseminate findings in publications as well as provide annual reports for the activities to the OIE/FAO Reference Laboratory Network.