Any emergency animal disease (EAD) outbreak can pose a great risk to our agriculture and export industries, and native wildlife.

A fast and well-informed response is vital in any outbreak and veterinary experts are critical. They can help connect government, industry and producers in times of crisis. They are often well positioned to explain the purpose and impact of outbreak response actions to farmers and other supply chain stakeholders.

An outbreak response often needs a large veterinary workforce to mobilise at short notice.

Discover the important role veterinarians have played in past outbreak responses.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Australia

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a viral zoonotic disease spread by mosquitoes. It can cause reproductive losses and encephalitis in pigs and horses, and in rare cases cause disease in humans.

Early in 2022, JEV was detected in piggeries in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

By May, there had been JEV infections in more than 80 commercial piggeries, representing 60% of Australia's national breeding pig herd. This led to large production losses.

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Pigs

The national emergency response involved health and primary industry government agencies, and pork and equine industry stakeholders.

The outbreak impacted human health, pig health and welfare, pork producers, supply chains and other related businesses.

Scientist in laboratory looking at sample

The response to an emergency animal disease, such as JE, pulls together the efforts and expertise of government and industry.

Private veterinarians play a vital role in surveillance and detection of disease, sample collection, diagnosing and managing the disease, and supporting affected producers.

Dr Kirsty Richards

Kirsty represented the pork industry in technical and liaison roles during the 2022 JE response.

Vets like Kirsty have skills, knowledge and professional relationships with producers, processors, transporters and others in the supply chain who may be affected by a disease outbreak.

An EAD response can be a time of great uncertainty and distress for livestock owners and managers. Having trusted, independent, operationally sound, technically competent industry expertise contributing to the response goes a long way to supporting them. It also helps ensure best response outcomes and fosters confidence in the response.

Kirsty was a pork industry representative on the National Vector Management Group that was established as part of the response. This was a government-industry collaboration that included mosquito, pig and chemical experts. Kirsty provided important pig industry context. Its members worked together to develop Australia’s first Integrated Mosquito Management Principles for Piggeries.

Kirsty also worked directly with owners of infected properties, helping collect samples for surveillance and provide guidance on managing the disease.

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Sign on farm gate alerting visitors to biosecurity requirements
Vet working with staff to dissect pig

It is a privilege to be involved in Australian agriculture, so when the opportunity arose to support and represent Australian farmers during the Japanese encephalitis outbreak, I immediately said yes. Through the response, I consider myself very lucky to have established an extensive network of professional colleagues across a range of disciplines.

Meeting with Dr Kristy Richards

(0:0:0.0-0:0:5.750) Kirsty Richards: An emergency animal disease response can be a time of great uncertainty and distress for livestock owners and managers.

(0:0:6.80-0:0:21.490) Kirsty Richards: For me, it was really important to make myself available so that my technical and operational knowledge could help support these owners and managers through difficult times, knowing that these are the same people who supported me both as a veterinarian and as a person through my career.

(0:0:22.890-0:0:31.420) Kirsty Richards: Having trusted, independent, operationally sound, technically competent industry expertise contributing to the response, goes a long way to supporting them.

(0:0:31.910-0:0:38.750) Kirsty Richards: It also helps ensure best outcomes from the response and fosters confidence in the response.

(0:0:38.760-0:0:48.650) Kirsty Richards: Private veterinarians are uniquely positioned as not only being competent and expert in matters involving livestock, but as also having strong ties and personal investment in the Community.

(0:0:49.360-0:1:0.840) Kirsty Richards: I'd strongly encourage all veterinarians, particularly those who work with livestock species, to recognise how much you have to offer and to consider your potential role in an emergency animal disease response.

The threat of avian influenza

Avian influenza is a viral disease of birds found globally. Low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) is carried by wild birds such as waterfowl and it doesn’t generally cause serious disease.

If LPAI spreads to poultry it can evolve into a high pathogenicity (HPAI) strain and cause a serious disease outbreak, particularly in poultry farms. Wild birds can also carry HPAI that may spread directly to poultry.

In 2020 and early 2021 Agriculture Victoria worked with the poultry industry and the community to control and eradicate outbreaks of avian influenza.

This is the focus of this case study.

Chickens

Dr Jamie McNeil

Sometimes, being part of an outbreak response means learning new skills or taking a leap into an unexpected opportunity.

In 2020, Dr Jamie McNeil was an experienced vet working in the dairy industry, when an avian influenza outbreak occurred in Golden Plains Shire, Victoria. At first, Jamie had reservations about immersing himself in an avian influenza response as his expertise was in dairy cattle.

The local community was distressed by the outbreak. It was clear the response required the efforts of additional vets, regardless of their usual focus of work.

Jamie’s work on the outbreak response

Jamie formed part of the surveillance team, visiting farms and testing birds for the disease. He prepared samples for laboratory testing and worked with impacted communities, building trust and confidence in the disease response.

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Vet Dr Jamie McNeil holding a chicken

At times over this 4-month period Jamie was deployed to Ballarat for up to 5 days at a time.

This meant he could not have contact with any domestic poultry for 3 days following any farm visit.

Chickens

With a colleague, he undertook disease sampling methods in poultry that didn’t disturb the birds or the daily operation of a poultry farm.

Who said you can’t teach a dairy cattle vet new tricks?

It is true that some days the weight of what you are required to do can affect you greatly. But, there is an end to each day and every day is different.

Discovering a new perspective

Being part of the outbreak response gave Jamie visibility of governments’ moving parts and how the response to large and complex animal disease emergencies roll out.

As a private vet, he hadn’t previously seen so many industry and individual stakeholders called to action. Everyone from the earthwork machinery operators to the catering staff that fed the workers.

Jamie saw that success was the result of clear paths of responsibility, regular and clear communication, review, reflection and above all adaptation.

The valuable role of private vets

Government and industry follow well-practiced processes to respond to EADs, but private vets also play an important role.

Private vets bring a wealth of skills and expertise, along with valuable connections with government, local producers and their community.

It is these connections that can help build trust and hope in often desperate situations.

Two vets working on a farm

Get involved

Taking part in a response can reinforce your knowledge and experience and can give you the chance to learn new skills.

During a response, you’re on the journey with producers and communities on the front line, from disease detection to management and recovery. You can make a significant contribution to positive outcomes for animal health and your community.

If you’re a vet, and the government is seeking your help with an outbreak response, please consider getting involved.

You may well be one of the heroes guiding a distressed community to a new beginning.

If you're a private vet, sign up now to get involved in a future emergency animal disease response.

Register your interest in your state or territory