NASAAEP Symposium 2016 Biosecurity Considerations for Equine Emergency Sheltering Rebecca S. McConnico, DVM, PhD Diplomate ACVIM (LA) Professor of Equine Medicine School of Veterinary Medicine Louisiana State University Equine Branch Director - Louisiana State Animal Response Team
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NASAAEP Symposium2016
Biosecurity Considerations for Equine Emergency ShelteringRebecca S. McConnico, DVM, PhD
Diplomate ACVIM (LA)Professor of Equine MedicineSchool of Veterinary MedicineLouisiana State UniversityEquine Branch Director - Louisiana State Animal Response Team
Emergency ShelteringPerfect Storm for Disease Outbreak
• Comingling of horses of unknown health status
• Allowing for entry & movement of disease• Stabling in close proximity• Lack of Biosecurity
– Allowance of environmental spread of disease– No isolation area
• Stressed & susceptible horse population
Biosecurity
A set of preventative measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases• Biosecurity Principles - same
~1% to 2% of healthy horses are shedding Salmonella organisms
Glanders• Burkholderia mallei• Can be transmitted to Humans• Susceptibility to glanders has also been
demonstrated in camels, felines living in the wild, bears, wolves and dogs
Zoonotic
Brucellosis - bacteria
Brucella abortus• Can cause fistulous
withers in horses• Causes infectious
lymphadenitis in people– Transmitted by contact– Can cause intermittent
fever, flu-like symptoms– Results in sterility in
males• Problem in laboratory
workers
Zoonotic
Anthrax• High fever• Agitation• Severe colic• Loss of appetite• Depression• Neurologic signs• Labored breathing/suffocation• Exercise intolerance• Muscle weakness• Bloody diarrhea may be observed• Swelling of head/neck• Chest and lower abdomen
Foreign animal diseases• Emerging disease or foreign animal disease
– Required to contact at least 1 of these:1. State Veterinarian2. APHIS-VS Area Veterinarian3. Foreign animal disease diagnostician (Plum Island training)
(call early to discuss rather than waiting until it’s too late)
Eg.Oral lesionsCoronary band lesionsNeuro-invasive diseasesDiagnostic test results
Most Common and Important Infectious Diseases of Horses
Bacterial or Viral origin• Clinical signs
– Bacterial and viral diseases• Vague• Mimic signs of other conditions• Common signs
– Weakness, ataxia, vague neurologic deficits, fever, diarrhea, nasal discharge, enlarged lymph nodes, and coughing, with laboratory findings including anemia and leukopenia or leukocytosis
• Exceptions• Ringworm infection – fungal• Endoparasites and ectoparasites can be problematic in certain
circumstances
WEEStrep equi equi
The OIE Top 6 for HHP horsesHHP - High Health High Performance
OIE – World Organization for Animal health1. African Horse Sickness – Not in US2. Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis – Not in
the US - (can be Zoonotic)3. Piroplasmosis4. EIA (Coggins disease)
• Equine Infectious AnemiaEradicated from many parts of US
5. Glanders – Not in US (Zoonotic)6. Equine Influenza
Who is the official in charge of equine sheltering in a local community during disasters?
• State veterinarian or designee• Coordination of local, regional, state, &
national plan – ICS– Establishing a network of trained/credentialed
personnel– Emergency managers
Emergency Sheltering Issues -Lessons learned – H. Katrina
• Must use ICS system– 12 hr. shifts– Span of control for
leadership– Mostly husbandry – Veterinary input for triage,
biosecurity, health maintenance
– Safety & security issues– Communication
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Officials from the parish or county office of emergency preparedness (OEP) Officials from local office of homeland security Safety and control officer – designated Successful regional and community animal plan models for horses Those with repeated emergency responses in Florida, Southern California, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
Biosecurity Plan for an Equine Response Shelter
• Resource Management– Personnel– Facility Layout– Animal entry/exit– Stabling– Stall and environmental sanitation plan– Manure/bedding disposal– Water source & disposal– Feed/Hay storage– Horse to horse contact– Traffic – Record keeping
What needs to be considered for determining an appropriate equine shelter for emergency response? • Overall Goal
– Keep/move animals out of harm’s way without adding to the risk– i.e. gridlock traffic in summer heat– Shelter-in-place option
• Requires– Appropriate pre-storm or pre-event planning – Early evacuation
• Consider typical emergencies for different areas of the country
– Shelters to be far enough from harm if there is an impending disaster but in close enough proximity for practical purposes.
What needs to be considered for determining an appropriate equine shelter for emergency response?
Identify potential facilitiesInvolve these groups in planning & mitigation
1. State equine councils 2. Other state, regional, and local
community equine stakeholders 3. Shelter resource options
• Compiled by state animal response teams • Communicated with state veterinarian’s
office • Should be updated yearly
Shelter Considerations• Size of facility
– Large enough to provide for a separate area for sick animals
• Isolation– Maintain sick animals at 35
feet from presumed healthy animals (ie. EHM, Strangles)
• Memoranda of understanding/agreement with facility owner
• Examples – University livestock
exhibit/handling facilities– Stockyards– Sale barns– Feedlots– Private/public-owned
SheltersSafe animal handling/holding areas• Stalls, gates, and fences
– good working condition
• Water & other utilities –available
• Safe & secure • Enough space to separate
groups– isolation area– stallion area
Equine Shelter Facilities Need to be cleanable
• Cleanable surfaces– Cinderblock walls are used in construction
• Require painting with epoxy-type paints to maximize cleanability
• Most horse facilities – Wood– Concrete blocks– Asphalt– Metal– Rubber mats – Commercial flooring materials– Floors made of sand, dirt, compacted clay or other
organic materials cannot be adequately disinfected.
Animal Holding Areas• Unfamiliar horses
grouped together in paddocks or round pens– 6-8 animals per 50 ft.
Veterinarian’s Role• Biosecurity planning• Work with public health
veterinarian• ICS/ESF structure
• Credentialed?• Licensed?• Accredited?
What should be done to ensure that shelter horses’ medical needs and health maintenance are managed
appropriately?
Veterinarian’s responsibility– Overall health management of an equine
evacuation and/or response shelter– Daily nutritional management– Physical condition– Medical care of all sheltered horses– Shelter biosecurity– Work with public health officials regarding the
overall human safety issues associated with taking care of shelter horse
• protects the volunteers as well as well-intentioned but curious by-standers and others
Biosecurity/Isolation• If isolation procedures cannot be
followed for animals entering a shelter– Increase surveillance and health checks
at entry• Use Separate Equipment
– Grooms/care takers can sometimes be restricted to working only in specific barn and barns
• equine population at an event can be partitioned
Veterinarian’s Role with Emergency Sheltering
• All horses should be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible upon admission– Within at least within 12 hours
• Sick horses need to be separated as soon as possible
– Fever– Nasal discharge– Lethargy– Diarrhea– Maintain in individual stalls in a remote area (at least 35
feet) from the rest of the sheltered animals– Handled by separate, dedicated, trained shelter personnel
wearing appropriate barrier precautions (PPE)
Which patients need to be isolated?
Require only mild barrier precautions & stall signage
• Minor barrier precautions -gloves or disposable boots– Brucellosis– Ringworm infection– Leptospirosis– Infection with methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus
– Staphylococcosis
Which patients need to be isolated?Higher Level
• Understanding a suspected disease is critical to ensuring effective control
• Understanding the route of transmission is important for determining the risk factor
• Route of transmission may not require patient isolation– Venereal diseases (e.g., equine
• Protocols – Hardest to control– Improvised – necessary
• Required to control spread and introduction of infection– Veterinarian actions– Authorization for movement of animals– Stall and other environmental cleaning
» specific and generic protocols
Horse Management• Notify veterinarians
– responsibility to report• Health requirements for access to shelter and
make necessary notifications:– Health Certificate +/- disease specific disclaimer– Coggins Test
• Vaccinations (requirements vs. recommendations)
• Horse tracking system:– Origin and date/time of arrival– Location of horse while present at shelter– Contact info for individual responsible for horse– Contact info for attending veterinarian– Destination and date/time of departure– Mode of transport
Environmental Harboring of Organisms Organic Material
Environmental presence can render some disinfectants useless
ManureUrineBloodDischargesDirt
Disinfectants• Many bacteria can be killed using several
disinfectants– Enveloped viruses
• most easily killed• detergent breaks apart the envelope
• Rotavirus is non-enveloped – Can withstand freezing temperatures– Can remain alive for > 9 months at room
temperature– Even when dried on a surface, rotavirus
can be infective to foals for several hours– Disinfectants which can kill rotavirus can
kill the other known equine pathogens
Soap, Scrub, Rinse, Dry, Disinfect, Dry
• Organisms - organic Matter– Manure
• Rotavirus, Salmonella spp. and R. equi– Urine
• Leptospira spp. – Nasal secretions
• Streptococcus equi var equi• Influenza virus • Herpesvirus
• The importance of disinfectant efficacy in the presence of organic matter cannot be overemphasized
Disinfectants• Choice of disinfectants is critical, and many
factors must be considered– Ability of the chemical to be germicidal:
• on the surface • germicidal - relevant pathogens
– Efficacy in the presence • organic matter• hard water
– Cost?– Biodegradability?– Safety for animals and humans
Disinfectants
• Quaternary ammoniums – less expensive• Peroxygen disinfectants and accelerated
hydrogen peroxide• Bleach
– One of the most common household & workplace disinfectants
• Oxidizers– Quick kill & better than bleach in the presence
of organic debris• Phenolics• Biguanides
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
• Barrier nursing precautions – Sick or high-risk animals
• Barriers– Disposable plastic gowns– Gloves– Plastic or rubber over boots– Footbaths for each patient
• Smocks• Laboratory coats or coveralls• Closed-toe footwear - easily cleanable such as
rubber over-boots
Decontamination
• Dawn dishwashing liquid• Thorough rinsing• Proper disposal of effluent • Barrier precautions for ‘bathers’
– Water repellent– Water resistant
• Requires medical monitoring of personnel for over-heating
Good Hygiene Is Critical• Between animals in a high risk situation
– wash hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer• sanitizer works only if no gross debris or dirt is present
• Always wash your hands thoroughly with an antibacterial soap before eating or drinking
• Hand-washing stations – the more the better!• Many who work in equine health care have pets
or other animals to care for– Important to change clothing and shoes – If possible, shower after working with ill animals to
reduce the risk of disease spread.
Biosecurity Kit• AAEP.org – additional information• Part of shelter supply list
– Examination gloves (1 pr/horse)– Dedicated coveralls/animal examination (or group of
‘like’ animals)• Impervious to upper body toward secretions - nasal
discharge– Plastic shoe covers– Head covering (for isolation cases)– Spray container of disinfectant
• Soles of shoes or boots • Hand sanitizer• Hand soap with water source would be
HORSE(Colonize – Infected)
ENVIRONMENTPEOPLE(Hands – Feet)
horse-journal.com
thehorse.com
Slide courtesy of L. Pantaleon
Vaccinations• Manure, soil & dust harbor many organisms• Can’t disinfect everything• Appropriate vaccination and management can
be used to control many of these disease agents
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Vaccination is a good biosecurity practice and paramount. However by itself cannot fully protect the horse and or the population. This is highlighted by the EHV1 outbreaks in transient horse populations. So besides vaccination other biosecurity practices must be implemented.
respiratory and encephalitis vaccines may not be necessary and may even contribute to adverse reactions
– If it is determined that the horses will remain in a shelter for a prolonged period of time, then mass vaccination for contagious equine respiratory viruses may be indicated (influenza & EHV 1 & 4).
Dealing with the MediaGulf Oil Spill 2010
What if something goes wrongAuthority – do you have it?
• What are your responsibilities?
• What are your options?
• Beware of being the default scapegoat if things go wrong A good scapegoat is just about as
good as a solution to the problem
What kinds of supplies are needed for stocking an equine shelter?
• Water buckets• Halters• Lead ropes• Louisiana State Animal
Response Team– Stockpiled
• 100 each water buckets, halters, lead ropes
Pre-planning Owners Responsibility
Medical Triage
Done rapidly and involves examining individual animals
– One approach is to use the following four physiological criteria (RPPN):
• Respiration/minute• Pulse rate/minute• Pulse pressure (although subjective, pulse pressure has a
linear relationship to stroke volume. Therefore, if the pulse pressure is decreased (as you might see in shock) the stroke volume is also likely decreased) – mucous membrane color and character; limb temperature
• Neurological status
Triage• Triage for suspected infectious disease• Animals requiring hospital level care in an equine
shelter should be transported to an equipped veterinary hospital
• MOU with local or regional veterinary hospitals
EIA – Coggins testing• Coggins test status
– should be determined prior to their admission• Don’t turn horses away without Coggins testing
– Plan to test– A specific animal identification team headed by a
veterinarian is helpful with organizing EIAV testing– Animal data sheets can be created for individual
horses• Information stored secure location• Animal release form may be used to document
owner retrieval of the horse from the shelter
Resource Management
• Personnel– Establish 'chain of command'– Verify contact information for:
• State Department of Agriculture Veterinarian• USDA Area-Veterinarian-In-Charge• Area practicing veterinarians• Assess personnel resources and skill level:
– Assess communications needs and designate specific individuals for communications tasks
Shelter WorkersVolunteers or Owners or Both
• Owners– Horse owners (consider limiting
the number per family) • day-to-day care
– daily feeding– watering – hand walking for exercise
– Decreases risk of human injury associated with working with unfamiliar horses
– Limits the number of volunteers needed to run the shelter
Volunteers or Owners or Both• Volunteers
– Credentialed– ICS– Trained– Work within the system– MOU with NGO– Work with trained groups!
• NGO’s• Military• Local livestock groups
• Memoranda of Understanding (MOU or MOA)– Outline a specific understanding of parameters of
deployment, chain of command and the requests that will be made of the national organization
– As local capabilities mature, these MOA’s should evolve– Defining specific needs, eg ICS command team, shelter
management expertise, financial organization– Local planners need to be aware of all of the MOU’s in
place for each organization within their region
Utilizing these resources on a local level
• Highly trained Disaster Response Teams • ICS training and special skills • Global understanding of Disaster Response • Maintain expertise in communications, safety,
logistics, administration, finance, public relations• Rapid mobilization of volunteers with training
and experience • Expertise on management of emergent
volunteers• Shelter set-up and management expertise.
What the Big Humane Groups Can Do
• Search and Rescue expertise –required for coordination with human SAR.
• Training courses -- local and state-wide• Resource development and willingness to commit
financial resources; help with donations management• Some maintain distributed disaster response mobile
units, safety and support equipment• Working with FEMA/USDA and each other toward
national animal response plan. Formation of National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC)
• Working with governments and Red Cross to encourage set-up of Pet-Friendly Shelters
What the Big Humane Groups Can Do
Pet Identification
• Coggins database– Identification of all horses testing negative for
Equine Infectious Anemia (federally regulated disease)– Required in Louisiana
– Brand– Tattoo– Microchip
Animal Identification
Encourage owners to identify their petsPermanent
– Brand (large animal)– Microchip
• Microchips require a ‘chip’ reader
• Can’t see from a distance– Lip/ear tattoo
Temporary– Needs to have owner contact
info if possible– Luggage tag– Metal collar tag– Tab bands– Ear tags