Animal Health

When is it a real emergency?

By Dr Gemma Chuck

Sep 30, 2022

There are many different diseases and conditions that affect cattle around the world.

Between countries and regions there is variation in the presence of established diseases and the introduction of a new disease can have profound animal welfare and economic impacts.

Endemic diseases are ones that are consistently present within a specific country or region. The patterns of spread for endemic disease and the rates at which they occur are often predictable.

What are emergency animal diseases?

According to the Australian EAD Response Agreement (EADRA), an Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) has to meet one or more of the following criteria:

– A disease that does not currently occur in Australia and for which it is in Australia’s national interest to be free from.

– A variation of an endemic disease which, if it became widespread, would have national impact.

– A serious infectious disease of unknown cause that may be entirely new.

– A severe outbreak of a known endemic disease, which requires an emergency response to help prevent an epidemic or serious loss of market access.

At present Australia is fortunate to be free from many different diseases. But changing weather patterns, increased travel habits and importation of materials and produce from EAD-infected countries can increase the risk of an incursion.

For cattle, the current EAD threats are foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease. Neither of these diseases are currently present in Australia but they are both present in Indonesia.

FMD is one of the most contagious animal diseases and is caused by the FMD virus. This is not the same as hand-foot-and-mouth disease in humans.

FMD affects domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, some camelids and water buffalo. Horses and Australian feral camels (dromedaries) are not susceptible.

The virus is not a threat to human health.

In cattle, FMD is primarily spread by direct contact and inhalation of infected aerosols with movement of infected animals being the most important route by which FMD spreads between herds and farms.

FMD is the most significant biosecurity threat to Australia’s livestock industries. An outbreak could have devastating consequences for our community through lost production, trade and tourism.

Lumpy skin disease is a highly infectious disease that affects all breeds of cattle and water buffalo and is caused by LSD virus.

It does not affect other types of livestock or humans.

LSD is primarily spread by biting insects (mosquitoes, biting flies and possibly ticks). Direct contact, contaminated feed, water, milk, semen and equipment can also spread the disease.

An incursion of LSD would have severe negative animal welfare and economic implications along with substantial trade impacts.

How can I reduce the risk of an EAD?

The Federal Government has stringent biosecurity measures offshore, at the border and onshore to help reduce the risk of an EAD occurring in Australia.

Good biosecurity at the individual farm level is also a critical layer of defence in the event of an incursion.

All dairy farmers should know how to protect their livestock and properties from disease, the signs and symptoms of our current EAD threats, as well as how to report them.

Every visitor to your farm has the potential to inadvertently breach your biosecurity and introduce unwanted disease to the herd.

If you have concerns or suspect an EAD on your property, immediately call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 (free call within Australia).