Veterinarians look for diseases in nature

By JULIET BRISKIN | Country World Central Texas

June 7, 2001 -- For the last 51 years health and animal officials have been meeting in various locations throughout Texas to discuss diseases in nature transmissible to humans. The conference, sponsored by the Texas Department of Health (TDH), was held in Austin, May 31-June 2.

Conference attendees included veterinarians, physicians, registered veterinary technicians, animal control officers and sanitarians. The three-day conference discussed public health threats and methods to minimize infection and even death in animal and human populations.

It also served as a forum for health professionals to meet one another and learn about the resources available to help in their practice and diagnosis of these sometimes rare diseases.

"One of the problems with public health is that new things come out all the time," said Jim Schuermann, an epidemiologist with the TDH zoonosis control division and the state coordinator for the conference. "The job of this conference is to make physicians and veterinarians aware of new treatments, diagnostic techniques and diseases so if they see something unusual in their practices they know they have a resource that they can come to for assistance in making a diagnosis or breaking the chain of infection."

Dr. Tom Sidwa of the Meat Safety Assurance Division of the TDH discussed E. coli and the role of meat inspection in preventing outbreaks. The problem of E. coli came to the the forefront of public attention in 1994.

According to Sidwa, the prevalence of this bacteria is greater than originally thought, especially in warmer months of the year. The TDH does test for E. coli, but only in cooked or irradiated products. The USDA tests both raw and cooked products.

"The impact of E. coli is felt by humans in the form of illness and even death," said Sidwa. "An additional impact to consider is economical. Over 34 million pounds of product has been recalled over the last 10 years. When a company has a recall, frankly their survival is in question."

According to Sidwa, TDH regulations require meat processing plants to meet basic compliance guidelines. Plants must have a plan that stipulates what they are going to do pre-operationally and during operations to prevent the adulteration of products with E. coli.

Additional requirements include having a Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure that outlines day-to-day implementation of that plan and following a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point program.

"Each plant must do a hazard analysis on each process they perform and identify where a hazard is likely to occur. Steps must then be taken to eliminate that hazard," said Sidwa.

A report on a recent simulated Foot and Mouth Disease incursion in Texas was delivered by Dr. Walter Riggs of the USDA. The exercise was a joint project with Canada and Mexico that simulated an outbreak of foot and mouth from its initial stages to eradication.

"One of the things we were concerned about," said Riggs "was a foreign animal disease occuring in North America and how the three countries would communicate and work together." The purpose of the exercise was to activate the Texas Emergency Response Team, and evaluate the response capabilities of the team and the communication between state, local and national officials.

According to Riggs the exercise helped educate officials on response preparedness and where work still needs to be done to prevent an incursion from happening. Another exercise is planned for this month in Brazos County.

Other topics at the event included bioterrorism and the need to educate the public while neutralizing panic, rabies exposure from bats to humans, and Q-fever. The speakers included members of the U.S. Department of Health, World Health Organization Council, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Health Department officials from all over the U.S.

This event impacts the public "by making the people they go to aware of these health problems," said Schuermann. "Our job is not to scare the public, but what's to stop some of these diseases from entering the U.S.? We are trying to be prepared to minimize the damage if some of these diseases do come to this country."