NATIONAL SANITARY VETERINARY AND FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY OF ROMANIA

International simulation exercise for Foot and Mouth Disease “Red Alert” AGR 33243, organized in cooperation with TAIEX

07-10-th of September 2009

Gura Humorului, Suceava County

The importance of contingency planning. Presentation of the Contingency Plan and of the Operational Manual for Foot and Mouth Disease of

Romania

Dr. Maria MIHAIŢĂ - ANSVSA

CONTENT

- Why it is necessary the quickly intervention for the control of Foot and Mouth

Disease?

- Which facts impose the rapid intervention?

- Legislative provisions with reference to the control of Foot and Mouth Disease

- The elements which need to lead to rapid decision taking

- What means the eradication of a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak?

- The compulsory steps in eradication of a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak

- Conclusions for the success of the disease control

- How can be prepared for intervention?

- The contingency plan as an instrument of advanced planning of combating

events generated by FMD outbreaks; structure and importance

- Operational/procedures Manual

Why it is necessary the quickly intervention for the control of Foot and Mouth Disease?

- Because the disease is spreading extremely quickly, being highly contagious;

- Because has a high impact on the sensitive species and evolves with high morbidity;

- Because presumes drastic restrictions on the animal movement having repercussive on the

economy and animals trade, products and by-products originated from sensitive species;

- Because this implies efforts and very high costs for eradication;

What fact imposes the quickly intervention?

- The harmonization of the national legislation with the Community one;

- The obligation to notify the diseases assumed by Romania when accessed to EU and to

OIE;

- Limitation of the damages by liquidating as soon as possible of the outbreaks; the

spreading of the disease meaning bigger expenses for eradication;

Legislative provisions in respect of FMD control

- Community legislation: Council Directive 2003/85/CE, transposed into national

legislation through Order 113/2007;

- In 1992 was banned the prophylaxis vaccination against FMD allover community space;

- Was adopted the non-vaccination policy and were harden the requests for trade asked

from the states which need to practice vaccination following to an outbreak of FMD;

The elements which need to lead to a rapidly decision taking

- The high density of sensitive species at FMD;

- The household rearing system specific to Eastern Europe countries;

- The high risk for virus spreading

- The harmonized minimum control measures imposed in MS for the disease on the former

list of OIE;

What actions presumes the eradication of an FMD outbreaks?

- Precocious identification and diagnostic;

- Quickly intervention presumes advanced logistical preparing for increasing the

operability; - The existence of a clear policy for eradication;

- The existence of the contingency plans which need to establish the Chain of command and

the management structures;

- Available functioning procedures in place;

- Previous agreements with the stakeholders in view of increasing the promptness in

applying the control measures;

- Lists including resources of equipments, materials, operators and pers

- Full and efficient access to rendering capacity.

Compulsory steps to be done in eradicating a FMD outbreaks

1. Problem identification;

2. Issuing the eradication policies;

3. Decision taking;

4. Implementing the policies;

5. Evaluating control disease activities;

Activities presumed by control disease activities implies different institutions and persons, which need to work together in an efficient manner.

During the period in which the control measures are applied, need to take into account element “time”, the most important element for the success of eradication.

The most suited attitude in eradication of FMD is: find out the virus, isolate and destroy it!

Conclusions for the control disease success

Request for the control disease success :- To be proper prepared (contingency plan and procedures, logistic, training and

verification);- To be anytime prepared for acting;;- To think strategically;- To evaluate and to learn from such events;

Which elements need to answer a good procedure? a. Who and what does? b. When does? c. Why does it? d. How does? Procedures need to be renewed following to outbreak’s evolution, following to

simulation exercises, or anytime important changes appears in the Chain of Command, having regard the recent experience.

The functionality of procedures could be verified if they represents key control for the following procedures: they plan the activity, explain the execution, establish deadlines.

How can be prepared for the intervention to control outbreaks?

- By preparing in peace time the intervention plan for crisis period;

- By issuing the Contingency Plan and the procedures Manual which to contain

all necessary procedures and the personal resources in order to help the

operators in outbreaks as a guide;

- Testing in peace time their practicability in the field and the efficacy;

- Preparing reserves of equipments, materials, personal resources, contracts

with operators and other operational partners;

- Having prepared, or, at least, identified the killing and rendering middles

(conventional or alternative) necessary in crisis time.

The Contingency Plan - an instrument for anticipated planning of the events generated by the FMD outbreaks; structure and importance (I)

What is a Contingency Plan? - An important instrument in preparing for the intervention in the disease control; - A comprehensive document, clear and well structured for all participative implied in

intervention, in view of increasing efficacy in crisis situations; - A guide which bring out, step by step, what, how and when need to control the

disease;- The Contingency plan establishes the legislative framework in which the intervention

for control and eradication of FMD will take place in our country;

- It describes the strategic, tactical and command structures which develops the intervention in FMD suspicion and when disease is confirmed in sensitive animals;

- The criteria and requests for establishing the Contingency plan are those provided in the 13-th sections (art. 74-78) and the annex no. 17 of the Council Directive 2003/85/CE, concerning the community measures for the control of foot and mouth disease which repeal the Directive 85/511/CEE and decisions 89/531/CEE and 91/665/CEE and amend the Directive 92/46/CEE published in Official Journal of the European Communities (JOCE) no. L 306 from 22-th of November 2003, so how was modified last time by Commission 2005/615/CE which amend the annex no. XI of Council Directive la 2003/85/CE, referring to national laboratories in certain member states, published in Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) no. L 213 since 18-th of August 2005, transposed in the Romanian legislation by NSVFSA President Order no. 113/2007;

The Contingency Plan - an instrument for anticipated planning of the events generated by the FMD outbreaks; structure and importance (II)

The FMD Contingency Plan of Romania establishes: a. Legislative and financial provisions; b. Chain of Command; c. The structure and attributions of NDEC, LDEC and the National Group of Experts;d. Personnel resources; e. Staff training programs and for informing the citizens; f. Provisions concerning the emergency vaccination.

- Each CSVFSD shall to personalize and to maintain their own contingency plan and to identify local resources since peace time, to be able to quickly in suspicion and, then, in confirmation of the disease;

- On the basis of Low no. 1/2008, each county shall actualize the contingency plans with data specific to their county and to modify these data, whenever changes appears;

- So far, NSVFSA issued contingency plans for more majors disease of animals, but intend to present at the ending of 2009 a Generic Contingency Plan for all major diseases, with a common Chain of Command, being different only procedures and legislation, depending of each disease.

Operational/procedures Manual

The Operational Manual represent a guide comprising procedures which help to rapid and correct application of control measures, in accordance with the European legislation for FMD control.

The procedures are applied in two phases: in suspicion phase and in confirmation phase;

The section referring to suspicion phase contains:

- activities planed at orange alert;

- notification procedure;

- animal isolation procedure;

- initial epidemiological enquire;

- information procedure of citizens concerning evolution and measures;

- sampling, packaging and transport of samples procedure;

Operational/procedures Manual

Section referring to FMD confirmation phase contains:

- Evaluation procedure;

- Killing procedure;

- Procedure for issuing the final epidemiological enquire;

- Rendering procedure;

- Cleaning and disinfection procedure;

- Procedure for establishing the protection and the surveillance zones;

- Procedure for organizing the emergency vaccination;

- Rules for lifting outbreaks;

- Procedure when the FMD is discovered to appears in other places than farms (fair, markets,

means of transport);

- Publicity and citizen advertising during evolution of outbreaks;

Thank you for your attention!