Simulation exercise: Africa swine fever in the United States of America

Dr.Jack Shere, USA delegate to the OIE, US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services, informed the OIE that the National Training and Exercise Program has been conducting a series of exercises for the top 14 swine producing States (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas). These exercises are designed to improve the capacity of these States to effectively respond to and mitigate an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

Three exercises in this series were table top exercises that have already been completed and which have set the stage for the fourth exercise activity, which involves a series of functional exercises and drills to be conducted between September 23 and 26, 2019.

The September exercises will target key areas of ASF response and mitigation. Each of the 14 States will participate from their departmental operations centers, will initiate the appropriate scale of the Incident Command System, as designated in their response plans, and will deploy field personnel as needed. The general focus of the activities will be to:

• Conduct a foreign animal disease investigation and subsequent coordination and engagement of appropriate laboratories in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network;
• Implement movement standstills and managed movements;
• Implement the planning and resource coordination associated with depopulating and disposing of infected and exposed swine;
• Implement a system to allow continuity of business for non-infected operations within a Control Area.

The United States of America believes that continued awareness, education and effective preparation are the best means to avert a potential foreign animal disease incursion.

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World Animal Health Information and Analysis Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
[email protected]