Transcript National Equine Health Plan:

Status of the Equine Disease
Communication Center
(EDCC)
Josie Traub-Dargatz
DVM, MS, DACVIM
Professor of Equine Medicine
Colorado State University
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
And
AAEP National Equine Health Plan Task Force Member
Reasons for Equine Disease
Communication Plan
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Timely provision of reliable information
 Living in a different time when social media
results in a rapid and wide distribution of
information that can impact the equine industry
during outbreak situations
 Equine practitioners and equine owners,
trainers and event organizers have indicated a
need for a communication plan to provide
factual information especially when multiple
states have exposed horses
Reasons for Equine Disease
Communication Plan
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Limit spread of
infectious disease
agents
Maintain as much
business continuity as
possible while applying
sound decision making
related to containment
of disease
AAEP Leadership Formed
Task Force—Fall 2011
The Task: as part of an initial
part of National Equine
Health Plan develop strategy
for equine infectious disease
outbreak communication and
present this to equine
industry leaders, State
Animal Health Officials
(SAHO’s) and USDA APHIS
VS
Task Force Members
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Dr. Nat White (chair)
Dr. Peter Timoney
Dr. Josie Traub-Dargatz
Dr. Rick Arthur
Dr. Jerry Black
Dr. Linda Mittel
American Horse Council at
hoc representation
Task Force Recommendations
To AAEP Board of Directors
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Communication would be facilitated through
creation of an Equine Disease Communication
Center (EDCC)
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Will require industry agreement and financial support
Will need to be staffed in order to provide timely accurate
information
Will need to develop a triage system for information
provided that would allow it to be sorted and routed
appropriately by type of disease and situational
categories
Will need to develop criteria for deciding who needs to
know, how, and when
Task Force Recommendations
To AAEP Board of Directors
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Create an EDCC website for posting of
outbreak information if deemed appropriate
once through the triage system
Provide educational information about
equine contagious diseases and
biosecurity measures related to specific
infectious diseases by posting information
on the website
Recommendations To AAEP
Board of Directors
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EDCC will need to network with all SAHO’s and USDAAPHIS-VS about equine infectious disease outbreaks
 Two way communication
Develop a protocol for communication with media and the
public
 This would be disease and situation dependent
Use flow charts to illustrate proposed communication plan:
4 flow charts were created for outbreak at 1) equine event,
2) farm, 3)sale and 4) race track by disease type
Communication Plan Activities in
2012
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In April 2012 draft plan approved by AAEP Board of
Directors (BOD) for presentation to American Horse
Council (AHC)
In June 2012, draft plan with simplified flow charts
was presented to American Horse Council Health
and Regulatory Committee by Dr. Nat White and
was adopted in concept by the American Horse
Council Board of Trustees
Dr. White presented the proposed plan in July,
2012 on National Equine Industry conference call
Next Steps for EDCC
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Conference calls were conducted
by AHC and Dr. White to facilitate
more in depth discussion among
industry leaders
Meeting held in December 2012
with equine association leaders,
President of National Assembly of
SAHO’s and Chair of USAHA
IDOHC
Continued Progress of EDCC
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June 2013 workshop conducted
as part of AHC meeting
 Equine industry stakeholders,
SAHO’s and USDA APHIS
VS agreed with concept of
communication center which
would involve all parts of the
industry and recommended
that we should move ahead
with creating the EDCC.
In Kind Support for EDCC
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September 2013: leadership of USEF
volunteered their call center to receive and direct
communications and to create and serve as the
home for the EDCC website
USAHA October 2013
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Dr. Nat White presented the EDCC
concept and progress to date to National
Assembly of SAHO’s
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SAHO’s unanimously supportive of concept
Resolution #15; USAHA urges USDA,
AHC, AAEP, other equine industry
representatives and NASAHO to
collaborate in establishment of EDCC
Further Progress
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Industry representatives including
leadership from AAEP met with the APHIS
Administrator and Deputy Administrator of
USDA APHIS VS on September 26, 2013
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December 2013, USDA-APHIS-VS provides
written response to stakeholders confirming
USDA’s support and role in completing NEHP
including the EDCC.
December 2013 Meeting
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Task force and invited guests have face to
face meeting
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Develop plan for website format and information to be
included
Develop disease list for the website
Develop communication protocol with scenarios
Determine needed links for the Website
Determine list of contacts for all horse industry groups
Need to examine other efforts at business continuity
plans
February 2014
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AAEP Board passes a plan for EDCC business
and operations
AAEP will house the EDCC office
AAEP will manage EDCC personnel
AAEP is working to have a foundation receive
donations and provide funds for EDCC
expenses
AHC working with equine industry to identify
funding for a three year implementation of
EDCC
March 2014
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Draft communication
protocols with
scenarios are
completed.
The protocols are
being reviewed by
the AAEP task force
and selected SAHO’s
Proposed Roles within EDCC
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EDCC CALL CENTER: The CALL CENTER (USEF)
answers the EDCC phone number (859-233-3322) and
records the date, time and all caller information.
EDCC Communications Tech (CTECH): The point of
contact for the CALL CENTER. Works as the
communication hub and maintains the EDCC office.
EDCC Administrator (ADMIN): The point of contact for
the CTECH, directs and facilitates transfer of information
from the CTECH to SAHO’s or veterinarians involved in
outbreaks or potential outbreaks.
Equine Stakeholders: All organizations and constituents
on the EDCC communication list.
Proposed Basic Communication
Protocols for EDCC
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The CALL CENTER only releases
information approved by the CTECH or
ADMIN
All calls or electronic communications are
recorded and archived.
Information about a reportable disease is not
released from the EDCC without the
approval of the SAHO.
Proposed Basic
Communication Protocols
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The ADMIN with the help of subject matter
experts provided by AAEP and other
resources determines what information is
released for non-reportable diseases.
Information about an ongoing disease
outbreak will be posted at a minimum of
once daily even if it reports no change.
Draft EDCC Scenario
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The EDCC communication technician observes
messages on social media suggesting there is a
case of EHM at an equine event in Colorado.
Posts have shown up on Twitter and Facebook.
Draft EDCC Scenario
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Response:
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The CTECH has SAHO’s 24/7 point of contact
information. They call seeking confirmation of a
neurologic form of herpesvirus infection.
The SAHO in Colorado contacts the show manager to
determine if a neurologic form of herpesvirus is present
or suspected.
The SAHO confirms that a suspect EHM case has
been identified and samples for testing have been
collected.
Draft EDCC Scenario
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The SAHO returns a call to the CTECH and relates
the current status e.g. there is a suspect case of
EHM and approves a statement to be posted on the
EDCC website and to be sent out by CTECH
through email blast to equine stakeholders.
To help prevent spread of possible infection an
email blast and website posting directs equine
stakeholders to links to credible information sources
on herpesvirus infection and biosecurity.
What do we know for
sure?
An
outbreak
will
happen
again!