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5. SUSPECT STAGE (AMBER ALERT)
Definition of a suspect case
5.1 A suspect case is taken to be the situation in which susceptible animals have been inspected by a Veterinary Officer who cannot rule out disease on clinical grounds and samples have been sent for laboratory testing to confirm the presence, or otherwise, of virus.
Early warning
5.2 If, on the grounds of risk assessment, the suspect case is considered to be a cause for concern emergency contacts will be notified. This includes Scottish Government officials on the policy and veterinary side.
Communications coordination at suspect stage
5.3 Coordination of communications will be important from the outset. The Disease Strategy Unit will have a number of immediate actions and decisions to make designed to ensure that early warning is disseminated appropriately so that relevant groups and individuals are properly briefed from the outset.
Wider government notification
5.4 The first step upon notification of a suspect case of disease in Scotland, or anywhere in GB, will be for the (designated) Head of Disease Strategy Unit to brief key internal contacts (full list available at Appendix B) to ensure arrangements are in place in the event of confirmation of disease. The key individuals who are likely to need early notification are:
- Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment;
- Head of the Communications Team for Rural Affairs and Environment;
- Civil Contingencies Unit ( CCU) Duty Officer
- Senior management with an interest, including all DSG members.
Strategic Coordinating Groups ( SCGs) notification
5.5 Consideration will also be given to contacting SCGs via Scottish Resilience. This will allow for operational partners to be briefed so they can begin gearing up in anticipation of possible confirmation of disease. This decision will be based on factors including:
- type and location of suspect disease;
- likelihood of disease confirmation based on risk assessment;
- potential requirement for consequence management should disease be confirmed.
News Release confirming suspect case
5.6 An informed decision based on risk assessment will be taken as to whether to issue a News Release to alert people to the existence of the suspect case. A number of factors will have to be taken into consideration such as:
- is there a need to publicise the imposition of restrictions e.g. has a Temporary Control Zone been imposed around the suspect premises?
- is there a need to exert some control over the story e.g. were there a number of people present at the suspect premises?
5.7 Any News Release at the suspect stage will contain minimal information setting out that a routine investigation is underway into a suspect case of notifiable disease (see Appendix C for Template News Releases).
Stakeholder notification
5.8 Where the decision is taken not to issue a News Release at suspicion stage, consideration will be given to contacting disease control stakeholders (see Appendix F) primarily via e-mail. This decision will be based on factors such as:
- type and location of suspect disease;
- potential for some details reaching the public domain;
- likelihood of disease confirmation based on risk assessment;
- potential impact of disease confirmation on industry.
5.9 If circumstances mean that alerting stakeholders at the suspect stage will be beneficial, the Disease Strategy Unit will contact those on the relevant disease control stakeholders contact list (see Appendix F) via e-mail and/or telephone to:
- provide a brief overview of the current situation;
- allow stakeholders to prepare for potential disease confirmation;
- request stakeholders stand ready to attend a disease control stakeholder group meeting should disease be confirmed.
Policy on naming of locations at suspect stage
5.10 Should a News Release be issued at the suspect stage it will not name suspect locations unless there are specific disease control reasons for doing so. Scottish Government has a duty of care which requires that everything reasonably practicable is done to protect the interests and wellbeing of people in Scotland. This position also reflects concerns that immediate disclosure of the location of a suspect case will impact on the reporting of future suspect cases, potentially making animal keepers less likely to report suspicion of a notifiable disease to Animal Health agency. Although the exact location of the suspect case will not be identified, a map showing any area placed under movement restrictions will be issued. Operational partners, such as local authorities, receiving media calls on this subject should refer them to the Media Disease Response Team ( MDRT).
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