Scenario 3 Classical Swine Fever (CSF)

1. Risk Communicator Training for Foreign Animal & Zoonotic Disease Defense Scenario 3 Classical Swine Fever (CSF)

2. Developed by Susan Gale, DVM Center for Animal Health and Food Safety College of Veterinary Medicine University of Minnesota In cooperation with Risk Communication Project

3. Purpose of Scenario • Apply Risk Communication principles introduced in training module to a fictional event involving Classical Swine Fever. • Apply knowledge of zoonotic and foreign animal disease outbreaks to craft appropriate messages • Create risk and crisis communication response strategies from the perspective of key players

4. Scene 1 August 30, 2009 Swine Sale Barn Anytown, USA

5. Gilts Exposed to CSF Virus • Producer A brings 40 gilts to market at a sales barn • A worker at the sales barn has a pork sausage sandwich in his jacket pocket. He bought the sausage in a country with CSF and it was not found at customs on his return to the US • The worker moves animals around the sales barn pens. The sandwich falls into the pen with Producer A’s gilts and several gilts eat some of the sandwich.

6. Gilts Auctioned at Sales Barn • Ten gilts are bought by Farmer B • Thirty gilts are bought by Farmer C

7. Farmer B’s Gilts • Farmer B keeps ten gilts in an isolation area on his farm • Farmer B maintains strict bio-security measures

8. Farmer C’s Gilts • Farmer C puts fifteen of his purchased gilts in an open pen next to the hog finishing barn • Farmer C transports the other fifteen gilts to his cousin, Farmer D’s, farm

9. Farmer D’s Gilts • Generic pig picture • Farmer D put his gilts into a pen in a barn shared with some feeder steers • These gilts are the only swine on Farmer D’s premises

10. DVM Visits Farm D • Farmer D calls out DVM X the next day to look at a lame steer • DVM X has to cross through the gilt pen to get to the steer • DVM X calls on four other swine farms that day

11. Detection: Initial Signs of Disease • Two days later Farmer B notices the isolated gilts are not eating well and are huddling together • Several gilts have fevers. Farmer B calls DVM Y to examine the gilts

12. Detection: Initial Signs of Disease • DVM Y observes that one gilt has red skin blotches and is very ill, near death • DVM Y suspects Classical Swine Fever and calls the State Veterinarian http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz csf/photo.htm Photo credit: John MacKinnon

13. Diagnosis and Confirmation of CSF CSF DIAGNOSIS CSF Virus • The State Veterinarian arrives that same day and collects samples to test for CSF • Onsite testing is positive for CSF, samples are sent to the Federal Laboratory in Plum Island, NY for confirmation, results won’t be known for 24-48 hours

14. Key Facts about CSF • Classical Swine Fever does not cause illness in people • People can’t get sick from eating pork, but pigs can • A CSF outbreak may result in a shortage of pork and pork products • CSF can cause major economic losses to pork producers in the US if the disease becomes established again

15. Risk Communication Part 1 • Gilts bought at a sales barn are sick and initial testing is positive for CSF, confirmation tests are pending • What if this happened in your county? Are you a Risk Communicator? • Who is your audience? What sources of information do they have access to? • How do you address the unknown aspects of this situation

16. Risk Communicators

17. Outbreak Response • Federal veterinarian investigates CSF on Farm B and traces source of gilts back to Anytown Livestock Sale Barn and Producer A • Further review of the sales barn records locates the gilts sold to Farms C & D and the four swine farms visited by DVM X

18. Outbreak Response • Final test results are positive for CSF • To prevent further spread of the disease, all swine premises within a six mile radius of any of these locations, whether infected with CSF virus or not, are depopulated

19. Risk Communication Part 2 • Develop a message about this outbreak that you want to deliver to your audience • What potential consequences can you imagine might result from this outbreak and/or the outbreak response? • What questions might your audience ask? • How can you reduce the fear or outrage reaction of your audience?

20. Risk Communicators

21. Anticipating Questions Public: • Can I get sick from eating pork? Agriculture producers: • Are my animals safe? • How can insure that I’m not bringing the virus back to my farm? Media: • How soon will you have the outbreak contained?

22. Recovery • Eradication efforts contain the outbreak to a five county area. Time from detection to control is three months • Thousands of hogs are destroyed as a result of the CSF outbreak • Despite assurances that pork is safe to eat, consumption drops by 15%

23. Risk Communication Part 3 • What is your role as a Risk Communicator once the outbreak has been contained? • How would your message change? • How might you be better prepared for the next outbreak event?

24. 10 Best Practices in Risk Communication • Risk and crisis communication is an ongoing process • Conduct pre-event (pre-crisis) planning • Foster partnerships with public • Listen to public’s concern & understand audience • Demonstrate honesty, candor & openness • Collaborate and coordinate with credible sources • Meet the needs of the media and remain accessible • Communicate with compassion, concern & empathy • Accept uncertainty and ambiguity • Give people useful actions to do -- must do, should do, could do