In memoriam Otto J.B. Hübschle, Chief Veterinary Officer, Namibia

Otto J.B. Hübschle passed away in Paris on 16 July 2008.Born on 9 October 1945 in Radolfzell, Germany, Otto qualified as a veterinarian from the universities of Munich and Zurich. In 1970, he received a scholarship from the German student exchange programme to study at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute where he was awarded the degree of M Med Vet having majored in virology.Otto Hübschle worked in the Virology section at Onderstepoort for several years. In 1976, he joined the Federal Research Institute for Virus Animal Diseases in Tübingen where he worked on foot and mouth disease and other airborne viral diseases. During this period he obtained the Dr Med Vet and Fachtierarzt qualifications (specialist microbiology/ serology). He also worked on different developmental projects in Madagascar and Kenya as was a consultant to the European Union.In 1983, he was appointed Deputy Director responsible for the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in Windhoek. Under his guidance, the laboratory was entirely renovated and new sections were introduced, such as the rabies diagnostic and molecular biology sections. He was a prolific researcher who authored or co-authored over 60 scientific papers.In 2006, Otto Hübschle was appointed Chief Veterinary Officer, a position he held until his untimely death. During this time, he strived to achieve freedom for the communal areas of Namibia from foot and mouth disease and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia to provide farmers with greater access to local, regional and international markets for animals and animal products. Otto Hübschle was a man of science who faithfully served his country of adoption and its livestock industry for many years. As Head of the CVL in Windhoek and then Chief Veterinary Officer, he succeeded in elevating the Namibian Veterinary Services to the status of an internationally recognised institution. He will be missed not only by his family, his Namibian colleagues and friends but also by all those abroad, with whom he worked during his professional life.Through the work of Otto Hübschle, the Italian veterinary services and the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’ established a long-lasting scientific relationship with the Namibian Department of Veterinary Services.Otto was a valued member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Veterinaria Italiana.We shall miss and remember a dear friend.He is survived by his wife, Michaela, and two children, Annette and Tim.