Guidelines for the Management of Zoonotic Diseases

Chapter 7 Guidelines for the Management of Zoonotic Diseases



Donald L. Janssen


Most zoo clinicians have at one time or another encountered a case in which they diagnosed a zoonotic disease. For the purposes on this chapter, a zoonotic disease is defined as any infectious disease that may be readily transmitted between animals and humans. When a serious zoonotic disease is identified, there often is an urgent demand for action without having the time to think things through. In contrast, a subtle zoonotic disease incident may be completely overlooked, and no specific action may be taken. In either case, we may fail to handle the situation in the best interest of the health and safety of animals, employees, or visitors.


To focus our efforts, it may be useful to ask several key questions, including the following:


• What circumstances should trigger a zoonotic disease investigation and response?

• Who is responsible for making decisions about public health implications?

• Who should we notify and what do we say?

• Do we need to report to government regulators?

• What do the caretakers of the animal need to know?

• Do we need to isolate the animal and, if so, what procedures should we implement?

• How do we handle contaminated waste?

• How do we manage the medical care of the infected animal?

This chapter suggests how to answer these questions in a systematic way when dealing with zoonotic disease occurrences in a zoo setting.



Systematic Process


Without a plan in place for handling these situations properly, there is a real risk of mishandling them. The consequences of mishandling may be significant. The implications to the animal, its caretakers, the public, the institution, and our professional reputations may quickly become overwhelming.


Failure to respond properly may lead to unnecessary human and animal illness or, in contrast, an overreaction to perceived risks. Other animals in contact with the infected animal may be put at risk. Public health may be compromised through unnecessary contact and exposure of disease agents to employees and guests. A zoonotic disease outbreak could affect the reputation of the institution, leading to public concern and adverse economic consequences. Media attention may become misdirected. Even our professional reputation could be damaged by improperly handling the many issues that come up when a zoonotic disease is identified.


The risk of all these undesirable consequences occurring may be reduced by setting up a systematic process ahead of time (Box 7-1). As a first step, it is important to look for triggers to the process so that we do not overlook the occurrence of a zoonotic disease.



BOX 7-1 Steps in Managing a Zoonotic Disease Case



1 Trigger—zoonotic disease identified

2 Notifications—notify and educate stakeholders

3 Infection control
a Animal isolation

b Waste management

4 Regulatory reporting

5 Medical management


Identifying Triggers


The diagnosis or suspicion of a zoonotic disease in an animal or human contact should trigger the process to begin. Often, the specific trigger is a test result (e.g., a culture) reported from the laboratory. Another trigger may be the results of a postmortem examination that provide evidence of a zoonotic disease, either confirmed or suspected. A more unusual trigger could be an employee, volunteer, or guest who is diagnosed with an infectious disease that could have been acquired from contact with animals in the collection.


Once triggered, a systematic approach should be implemented. There are several ways in which this could be approached. In my practice, a zoonotic disease occurrence triggers each of the following steps: (1) notifying stakeholders; (2) isolating the animal from others; (3) managing the contaminated waste from the animals; (4) reporting to authorities, if appropriate; and (5) treating the animal or otherwise managing the clinical illness, if present. All these steps are important, but key steps that need emphasis may be different in each case.



Notify Stakeholders


Once the process is triggered, the most urgent step is to notify the appropriate internal stakeholders involved in the care of the animal and the occupational health care provider for the facility. It may seem desirable to keep the situation quiet and avoid overreaction and unnecessary attention to the situation. Approaching the problem that way, however, is almost always a mistake. It is critical that employees be informed so that they may take proper precautions and report signs and symptoms of disease that they may be experiencing. It is useful to provide a written disease fact sheet to all stakeholders to remind them of the signs and symptoms. Well-written fact sheets on many zoonotic diseases are readily available in books, pamphlets, and online.1,2

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Aug 27, 2016 | Posted by in EXOTIC, WILD, ZOO | Comments Off on Guidelines for the Management of Zoonotic Diseases

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