Dr Les SIMS

Dr Sims is a veterinarian (BVSc (Hons) Melb 1977, MANZCVSc (Diagnostic Pathology 1987), MRCVS). From 1978 until 2002 he worked in a range of government positions in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Hong Kong SAR initially in veterinary diagnostic laboratories (20 years). He was involved in diagnosis of and developing solutions for diseases in farm animals including support for two outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Australia. From 1997, he shifted emphasis to management of animal diseases and veterinary programmes. He was an Assistant Director of the Agriculture Conservation and Fisheries Department overseeing all veterinary activities (the equivalent of the Chief Veterinary Officer in Hong Kong SAR). During his time in Hong Kong SAR, he led the team developing control and preventive measures for avian influenza, including the initial H5N1 zoonotic outbreak in 1997, and subsequent decisions on disease prevention. This included the decision to add vaccination to the suite of preventive measures. Since 2003, Dr Sims has managed his own veterinary consulting companies: Asia Pacific Veterinary Information Services Pty Ltd (established in 2003) and ANDI Ltd (established in 2009). He has also undertaken work as an individual consultant for a range of international organisations, companies, and the University of Melbourne. For the past 16 years, Dr Sims has been providing advice and services to FAO, and through FAO, to a range of other countries in Asia on avian influenza control/prevention. He has advised Agricultural Ministries and Departments in the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Viet Nam on avian influenza control and prevention, including appropriate control interventions and the use of vaccines. Through his work on avian influenza control and prevention Dr Sims has not only developed insights into the measures used for control and prevention of HPAI in Asia but has also shaped the direction of these programs through provision of unbiased, practical, scientific advice and information to key decision makers. He is prepared to question long-standing but outdated control practices.