Abstract Title
Giving Science a seat at the table – targeted learning modules for responders and the poultry industry on highly pathogenic avian influenza
Abstract
The poultry industry (and now other sectors of the agricultural industry in the United States) has undergone multiple highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks. The speed and severity at which these outbreaks are occurring require industry and response organizations to operate in a constant state of unpredictability. How quickly an industry responds to a multi-faceted HPAI outbreak and ensures bird, employee, and consumer safety, is a determining factor in the spread or elimination of that outbreak. During an HPAI outbreak, decisions that impact the trajectory of the outbreak, either positively or negatively, are made by privately-owned organizations, as well as state and federal employees. Privately-owned organizations are responsible for the day-to-day management of their flock’s health and well-being; however, daily decisions they make are also impacted by the guidelines set in place by federal and state organizations. Quick and seamless communication between state, federal, and privately-owned organizations is critical during a foreign animal disease outbreak. These targeted learning modules called Giving Science a Seat at the Table are a program that poultry (and other agricultural) organizations can use to proactively prepare their teams for unprecedented and frequently unique decisions that an HPAI outbreak requires. This project provides poultry industry employees at various levels in a company with fundamental knowledge on avian influenza prevention and control. We have created and pilot tested a course for poultry industry executives, which we have reviewed and are expanding to other levels of industry employees.
Co-Author(s)
Katherine Schaefbauer (University of Minnesota, USA), Marie Culhane (University of Minnesota, USA) and Carol Cardona (University of Minnesota, USA)
Abstract Category
Biosecurity, mitigation, control, and post-epidemic considerations in poultry