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7. CONFIRMATION OF DISEASE (RED ALERT)
Immediate steps on confirmation
7.1 As soon as disease is confirmed standard procedure requires that the following immediate steps be taken:
- a News Release will be issued confirming disease (see Appendix C for templates);
- the Scottish Government darksite will be activated to reflect the current situation;
- DSG will convene;
- a disease control stakeholders meeting will be held as soon as practicable.
Policy on naming of locations on confirmation
7.2 If a fast spreading exotic disease (such as FMD) is confirmed, the premises will be named. This reflects the disease control benefits that will be achieved through raising awareness of the disease situation and obtaining quick support in activities such as tracing possible contact animals. This policy does not extend to endemic diseases - such as Tuberculosis ( TB) - where the different nature of the disease makes such disease control benefits unlikely to arise, thereby making it difficult to justify breaching individual right to privacy.
Convening of stakeholder groups on confirmation
7.3 The initial stakeholder group meetings must take place at the earliest possible stage. The standing national disease control stakeholder groups are detailed in Appendix F while other stakeholders can be drawn in as appropriate to the discussion as the situation develops.
7.4 Stakeholder groups generally fall into three categories:
- Local Stakeholder Group chaired by the ROD;
- National Disease Control Stakeholders chaired by the Head of AHW Division;
- specialist sub groups brought together for their expertise e.g. ornithological experts;
Scottish Government website on confirmation
7.5 The Scottish Government website contains information on specific exotic animal diseases as standard. These webpages are updated on a regular basis throughout the year. Various disease outbreak scenarios have been considered and relevant material prepared for immediate inclusion on the Scottish Government website in the event of a disease outbreak as part of disease specific 'dark sites'. These webpages stand ready to be activated on confirmation of disease as appropriate.
National helpline
7.6 A national helpline led and staffed by Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate ( RPID), will be set up when DSG decides it to be appropriate. This will complement any local helpline service. This national helpline number will be advertised on the Scottish Government website and on News Releases and other publications. Both national and local helpline staff will refer to the same Key Brief document when dealing with queries.
The Communications Co-ordinator
7.7 A Communications Coordinator will be appointed to support the disease control response and will have responsibility for overseeing communications requirements and implementation. This role is central to the Communications Strategy so it will be important for the post-holder to be highly visible and known to all involved in the emergency response (see Appendix D for a full job description). The Communications Coordinator will be a senior manager from Scottish Government with:
- a good understanding of the contingency planning arrangements and the Communications Strategy;
- a good understanding of the structures in Scottish Government;
- a feel for the main processes and personalities involved in responding to a disease outbreak;
- a good understanding of the requirements and importance of Scottish stakeholders.
At the outset of an outbreak the Head of Strategy Unit will perform these functions, until a Communications Coordinator has been appointed.
Establishment of Media Disease Response Team ( MDRT) on confirmation
7.8 Communications Rural Affairs and Environment will be supported to provide a core MDRT. Consideration will be given to a National Communications Officer being embedded within the Disease Strategy Unit to act as a conduit for information flow with the MDRT (based in St Andrew's House, Edinburgh). The MDRT will be represented at DSG.
7.9 The MDRT will provide a 24/7 service and will consider whether and when it is appropriate to scale up its normal out-of-hours service. Duty Communications Officers will have access to the most up-to-date Key Brief document and access to key emergency contact details.
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