Response Systems
The accidental introduction of disease or illness has historically resulted in incidents limited in scope, number of individuals affected and geographic area involved. The intentional introduction of disease has the potential to extend impacts over a wide area and involve a much larger population—either directly or indirectly through fear and other social disruption.
Systems designed to respond to incidents today need to be flexible and scalable—able to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances and expanding scope. NASDA urges all partners to join in the development of systems that seamlessly augment prevention and surveillance resources. Response will also require the coordinated communications systems in place to enhance overall preparedness. Response efforts for all agricultural emergencies are now addressed through the Incident Command System (ICS). It is imperative that standardized training and exercises be provided for all state and local officials that would be expected to participate in response activities.
Once a response has been initiated, NASDA further urges all partners to develop mechanisms for ensuring that placement and release of control measures are targeted as specifically as possible.. The ongoing viability of the food and agriculture industry will depend on its ability to restore operations to near normalcy as soon as possible. The release of quarantined product or animals for example should take place as soon as possible to aid in the recovery phase.