What Are the Human Resources Required to Control a Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Austria?

Contingency planning allows veterinary authorities to prepare a rapid response in the event of a disease outbreak. A recently published foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) simulation study indicated concerns whether capacity was sufficient to control a potential FMD epidemic in Austria. The objectives of the study presented here were to estimate the human resources required to implement FMD control measures and to identify areas of the operational activities that could potentially delay successful control of the disease. The stochastic spatial simulation model EuFMDiS (The European Foot-and-Mouth Disease Spread Model) was used to simulate a potential FMD outbreak and its economic impact, including different control scenarios based on variations of culling, vaccination, and pre-emptive depopulation. In this context, the utilization of human resources was assessed based on the associated EuFMDiS output regarding the performance of operational activities. The assessments show that the number of personnel needed in an outbreak with a stamping-out policy would reach the peak at the end of the second week of control with a median of 540 (257-926) individuals, out of which 31% would be veterinarians. Approximately 58% of these human resources would be attributable to surveillance, followed by staff for cleaning and disinfection activities. Our analysis demonstrates that, of the operational activities, surveillance personnel were the largest factor influencing the magnitude of the outbreak. The aim of the assessment presented here is to assist veterinary authorities in the contingency planning of required human resources to respond effectively to an outbreak of animal diseases such as FMD.

Animal-related factors predicting fatal cases of blackleg and gas gangrene in cattle.

BACKGROUND: Blackleg and gas gangrene are acute clostridial infections primarily affecting cattle. The objectives of this study were to identify (i) animal-related factors influencing the occurrence and (ii) prognostic pathological findings supporting the differentiation of fatal blackleg and gas gangrene cases in the cattle population from 1998 to 2018 in Styria, Austria. METHODS: Two binomial logistic models were applied to analyse the research questions. Additionally, cross-validations were performed to estimate the accuracy of the predictive models. RESULTS: Model results show that animal-related factors (i.e., age, geographical discovery location of dead cattle, vaccination status) significantly influence the occurrence of blackleg when compared to gas gangrene. Pathological findings are similar for both diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Model results reveal that using animal-related factors has a better accuracy to predict the fatal cases caused by both pathogens. Thus, the authors recommend not relying on pathological findings as predictive factors in the differentiation between blackleg and gas gangrene in cattle.

Spatiotemporal cluster and incidence analysis of cattle mortality caused by bovine babesiosis in Styria, Austria, between 1998 and 2016.

Reported fatal cases of bovine babesiosis (syn.: piroplasmosis, red water fever) in cattle were analyzed to identify spatial and temporal clusters of their incidence in the Austrian province of Styria. Data were collected within a governmental babesiosis compensation program. Diagnosis was performed using a standardized necropsy protocol. Between 1998 and 2016, a total of 1257 cases of fatal babesiosis were registered and compensated. Within the study interval, annual numbers of fatal babesiosis differed significantly among municipalities. Spatiotemporal analysis covering the entire study period revealed one high-risk cluster in the western and central northern region of Styria and a low-risk cluster in the southeastern part of Styria. Annual temporal analysis demonstrated that cases accumulated in June. Annual spatial analysis revealed consistently that cases mainly occurred in the western and central northern regions, whereas they occurred rarely in the southeastern regions. These results should increase awareness and facilitate protective actions against ticks during certain time periods and geographic areas.

The Epidemiological and Economic Impact of a Potential Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Austria.

An outbreak of foot-and mouth disease (FMD) in an FMD-free country such as Austria would likely have serious consequences for the national livestock sector and economy. The objective of this study was to analyse the epidemiological and economic impact of an FMD outbreak in Austria in order to (i) evaluate the effectiveness of different control measures in two Austrian regions with different livestock structure and density, (ii) analyse the associated costs of the control measures and the losses resulting from trade restrictions on livestock and livestock products and (iii) assess the resources that would be required to control the FMD outbreak. The European Foot-and-Mouth Disease Spread Model (EuFMDiS) was used to simulate a potential FMD outbreak. Based on the epidemiological outputs of the model, the economic impact of the outbreak was assessed. The analysis of the simulations showed that the success of control strategies depends largely on the type of control measures, the geographical location, the availability of sufficient resources, and the speed of intervention. The comparison of different control strategies suggested that from an economic point of view the implementation of additional control measures, such as pre-emptive depopulation of susceptible herds, would be efficient if the epidemic started in an area with high livestock density. Depending on the chosen control measures and the affected region, the majority of the total costs would be attributable to export losses (e.g., each day of an FMD epidemic costs Austria € 9-16 million). Our analysis indicated that the currently estimated resources for surveillance, cleaning, and disinfection during an FMD outbreak in Austria would be insufficient, which would lead to an extended epidemic control duration. We have shown that the control of an FMD outbreak can be improved by implementing a contingency strategy adapted to the affected region and by placing particular focus on an optimal resource allocation and rapid detection of the disease in Austria. The model results can assist veterinary authorities in planning resources and implementing cost-effective control measures for future outbreaks of highly contagious viral diseases.

Spatial-temporal cluster analysis of fatal Clostridium chauvoei cases among cattle in Styria, Austria between 1986 and 2013.

Clostridium chauvoei is a gram positive, spore building bacterium that causes blackleg, a mostly fatal disease in cattle and other ruminants. Although the disease is common, little is known on the epidemiology of blackleg. As infection occurs through the environment, the risk of blackleg might be increased in areas with a specific climate or soil type. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to identify spatial and temporal clusters in the incidence of blackleg in the province of Styria, Austria. Data were collected within the governmentally delivered blackleg control program which includes vaccination of cattle with access to known blackleg pastures and compensation for fallen stock. Between 1986 and 2013, 1448 suspect blackleg cases were reported to official veterinarians; with blackleg confirmed through bacteriology in 266 cases (18%). The number of confirmed blackleg cases was highest in 2011 (25 cases) and lowest in 2004 (2 cases). Mean annual blackleg incidences varied considerably between different municipalities from 0 cases in most of the Southern parts of the province to 584 cases/1,000,000 cattle in some Northwestern municipalities. The spatio-temporal analysis identified one high risk cluster in the Northwest where cattle had 9.56 times the risk to develop blackleg compared to those in Northern and Northeastern parts of the province. Furthermore, a low-risk cluster was identified in the southeastern part of the province, where cattle had a relative risk of 0.015 to die of blackleg. No temporal or spatio-temporal clusters were identified. Results of the present study suggest that blackleg cases are clustered within certain geographic areas which might be due to soil type and water permeability. Results of this study should be used to motivate farmers to vaccinate cattle against Clostridium chauvoei in known areas with high risk.