Notifiable Diseases

Question 1

What is a notifiable disease?

Answer 1

Any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities

Question 2

What is the point of making a disease notifiable?

Answer 2

Collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease and provides early warning of an outbreak

Question 3

How are notifiable diseases reported?

Answer 3

Immediately notify the APHA by phoning them

Question 4

Who makes a disease notifiable?

Answer 4

OIE set lists

National Animal Health Offices (Defra/APHA)

Question 5

What factors are considered when making a disease notifiable?

Answer 5

Suitable disease surveillance structure
Ability to identify it clinically
Ability to test for it in reference laboratories
Have some idea of how to control it

Question 6

What is the role of the APHA?

Answer 6

Give advice on the phone
Visit farm
Request samples
Restiction orders
Reference laboratories

Question 7

Why are some diseases notifiable?

Answer 7

Serious welfare/potentially life threatening
Serious economic/trade importance
New and emerging disease
May be absent in a population/eradication plan
Pathogens acquiring resistance
Zoonoses - including wildlife diseases
Trans-boundary animal diseases
Spreads rapidly
Can't be treated easily or cured

Question 8

Why make a disease notifiable?

Answer 8

To monitor the development of community outbreaks or the success of immunisation programmes
Collect statistics on communicable diseases
Identify and prevent the spread of infectious diseases

Question 9

What are some examples of viral notifiable diseases?

Answer 9

FMD, CSF, AI

Question 10

What are some examples of prion notifiable diseases?

Answer 10

BSE, Scrapie

Question 11

What are some examples of bacterial notifiable diseases?

Answer 11

TB, Anthrax, CEM, Brucellosis

Question 12

What are the main diseases Defra is concerned about at the moment?

Answer 12

African horse sickness, African swine fever, Avian influenza, BSE, Bovine TB, Bluetongue, Classical swine fever, Contagious equine metritis, EIA, EVA, FMDV, Newcastle disease, rabies

Question 13

What are the characteristics of Clasical Swine Fever?

Answer 13

Pestivirus
Highly contagious
High morbidity and high mortality

Question 14

How is Classical Swine Fever spread?

Answer 14

Eating infected pork products
Movement of animals
Virus on vehicles/clothes - can exist in the environment for a long time

Question 15

What are the clinical signs of Classical Swine Fever?

Answer 15

Pyrexia, dullness, anorexia
Constipation followed by diarrhoea
Gummed-up eyes
Coughing
Blotchy discolouration of the skin
Abortion, still births and weak litters
Weakness of hindquarters
Nervous signs - convulsions/tremors

Question 16

What are the post mortem findings of Classical Swine Fever?

Answer 16

Generalised haemorrhagic lesions

Question 17

What are the DDx for Classical Swine Fever?

Answer 17

African swine fever, infection with BVDV, salmonellosis, erysipelas, acute pasteurellosis, other viral encephalomyelitis, streptococcosis, leptospirosis, courmarin poisoning, porcine dermatitis and neopathy syndrome

Question 18

How is Classical Swine Fever controlled?

Answer 18

Slaughter of affected animals - dispose of bodies
Movement restrictions
Surveillance zone
Trace contacts, slaughter if risk
No challenge tested vaccine
Close footpaths
Exports stopped
Cleaning and disinfection with 30 day down time