What diseases should I report to Animal Health?
Certain animal diseases are termed 'notifiable' as they must be reported to us if a case is suspected. We then take all possible steps to control any confirmed outbreak.
All notifiable diseases must be reported to Animal Health if they are suspected.
Reports must be made to the Animal Health Divisional Office , normally after prior discussion with a private Veterinary Surgeon.
Some notifiable diseases are continually present, or 'endemic' to the Great Britain , such as tuberculosis and BSE in cattle and Scrapie in sheep. Others that may enter Britain from abroad are called 'exotics' because they are not normally present here. These include foot and mouth disease, swine fever, avian influenza and rabies.
We operate surveillance programmes to detect reportable diseases, and investigate all suspected cases. When notifiable diseases are confirmed we organise the slaughter and disposal of infected animals and test any other stock that might have had contact with the disease. If required, movement restrictions are imposed and surveillance zones then established to prevent further spread until the disease has been controlled. If the disease is exotic we may implement our contingency plan to manage the outbreak.
We also act as disease detectives, undertaking epidemiological investigations to identify the source of disease and how it is spreading.
Page last modified: 2 April 2007
Page published: 2 April 2007