Disease outbreaks in animal shelters can be devastating.
When an outbreak does occur, employ a step-wise approach — this will go a long way in managing the stress of these situations. While there are multiple resources and variations on outbreak management, the following is a synopsis especially for multi-animal facilities; this is not just a sequence of steps to follow and complete. Outbreak management is best accomplished through a cycle of these steps: one is wise to review, revise, and repeat.
The 6 Steps of Outbreak Management
| Step | Elements |
| 1. Recognition and case definition | · define clinical signs of disease in question
· define population at risk |
| 2. Identification and management of affected and at risk animals | · perform a risk assessment of animals in the facility
· categorize animals into affected, at risk (but not affected), and not at risk (immune, by species, by location) · create a management plan for each category · define staff to care for each category |
| 3. Limit intake of new animals or new exposures of additional animals | · close to new intakes, or
· create new locations for incoming animals · eliminate new exposures in order to create a clean break between the sick and the healthy |
| 4. Environmental decontamination | · identify efficacious products
· review cleaning and handling protocols · provide appropriate personal protective equipment · remember mechanical decontamination is as important as the products used |
| 5. Communication (staff, public, stakeholders, other organizations) | · strategic, but open and transparent
· inclusive |
| 6. Review and revisions to current methods and protocols | · documentation, data collection, data analysis
· review, revise, repeat · lessons learned are as important as anything else |
Although disease outbreaks are stressful, dramatic, and sometimes unavoidable occurrences in multi-animal settings, many potentially catastrophic outbreaks can be curtailed by effective planning and prevention. Additionally, communication is critical to prevention of animal suffering, quick recovery, and mitigation of further damage.
Contact us for outbreak response assistance
If you are experiencing what appears to be a disease outbreak in your shelter, email our team at sheltermedicine@cornell.edu. Include a summary of your shelter and the situation along with your contact information (name, organization, email, phone, etc.). A member of our veterinary team will respond to you within 24 hours.
Related Resources for Your Library
Prevention
Developing Infectious Disease Policies and Protocols in an Animal Shelter, UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. https://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/resources/?r=developing-infectious-disease-policies-and-protocols-in-an-animal-shelter
Disease Prevention and Treatment, ASPCA. https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/disease-prevention-and-treatment
Cleaning & Sanitation, ASPCApro. https://www.aspcapro.org/animal-health/cleaning-sanitation
The Importance of Isolation, Animal Sheltering Magazine (HSUS). https://www.animalsheltering.org/magazine/articles/importance-isolation
Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff, 2nd Edition. https://www.amazon.com/Infectious-Disease-Management-Animal-Shelters/dp/0813813794.
Management
Top 5 Strategies for Managing Shelter Infectious Disease Outbreaks, Clinician’s Brief. https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/top-5-strategies-managing-shelter-infectious-disease-outbreaks
Management of Disease Outbreaks in Animal Shelters, University of Florida. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/files/2017/01/Management-of-disease-outbreaks-in-shelters.2018.pdf
Infectious Diseases in Shelter Situations and Their Management (cat specific), European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD). http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/infectious-diseases-in-shelter-situations-and-their-management/
