Operational manuals (or standard operating procedures

10.7 Surveillance strategy to accompany vaccination (e.g. differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA)) 11. Public awareness 11.1 Establishment of a communications working group 11.2 Key public awareness messages to be used 11.3 Methods of communication to be used for public awareness 11.4 Materials produced and ready for distribution (or can be quickly produced) 11.5 Arrangements for coordination of messages with Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Environment (where appropriate) 12. Communication 12.1 Establishment of a report hotline 12.2 Identification and training of press officer(s) 12.3 Criteria for public announcement of outbreak 13. Establishing disease freedom 13.1 Active clinical surveillance around outbreak areas 13.2 Sero-surveillance around outbreak areas and countrywide 13.3 Publication of results of surveillance to confirm absence of disease 13.4 Inclusion of OIE standards for claiming freedom from disease 14. Recovery 14.1 Policy for lifting quarantine and movement controls 14.2 Restocking policy and protocols 14.3 Use of public awareness campaigns to support recovery of markets and consumer confidence 15. Other possible contingency plan chapters 15.1 Surveillance systems (may also be in the preparedness plan) 15.2 Detection of heightened risk 15.3 Increased activities in response to heightened risk (e.g. surveillance, border controls, public awareness) 15.4 Training of government veterinarians, private veterinarians and livestockkeepers to detect the disease (more properly part of the preparedness plan) 15.5 Decision matrix for use of different control methods in different out break situations (with advantages and disadvantages)

oPeratIonal manuals (or standard oPeratIng Procedures)

These are detailed sets of instructions for carrying out the key programmes and activities within the contingency plan.

SOPs may be prepared for programmes such as: • organization and operation of the NDCC; • organization and operation of LDCCs; • emergency disease reporting and information systems; • laboratory diagnosis and surveillance; • field diagnosis and surveillance; • zoning; • quarantine and movement controls;

• livestock destruction and disposal of carcasses; • biosecurity, including cleansing and disinfection; • planning and performance of vaccination programmes; • valuation and compensation; and • extension and public awareness campaigns.

The operations manual contains the detailed instructions for procedures to be carried out in the field. It is made up of a series of SOPs. In some countries, the operations manuals are separate documents, and in others, they are appended to the contingency plan. The second is perhaps more appropriate, but because many SOPs will be the same for many diseases (but not all), a separate series of documents is acceptable.

Suggested chapters for an operations manual include: 1. Actions before an outbreak is confirmed; 2. Actions after an outbreak is confirmed; 3. Laboratory procedures; 4. Health and safety; 5. Biosecurity; 6. Culling, disposal, cleansing and disinfection.

The following lists of SOPs detail suggestions for each chapter: 1. Actions before an outbreak is confirmed 1.1 Actions to take at heightened level of threat, including border posts 1.2 Protocol for investigation of suspect cases 1.3 Protocol for clinical inspection and examination of animals in the protection and surveillance zones 1.4 SOP for taking and submitting samples (sampling) from suspect cases 1.5 SOP for sampling from dead birds or animals 1.6 Actions on a confirmed outbreak site 1.7 Detailed methodology for outbreak investigation, including identifying tracings 1.8 Detailed methodology for tracing disease forwards and assessing dangerous contacts 1.9 Detailed methodology for tracing backwards to determine possible sources and spread from these 1.10 Detailed methodology for producing updates of the disease situation for policy-makers 1.11 Protocol for establishing geographical location of outbreaks (e.g. GPS and/ or physical maps) 2. Actions after an outbreak is confirmed 2.1 Protocols for disease reporting nationally and internationally 2.2 Actions to take at border controls, including land border crossings, seaports and airports 2.3 SOPs for active surveillance in the surveillance zone 2.4 Detailed methodology for establishing protection zones 3. Laboratory procedures 3.1 SOPs for all available laboratory 3.2 Lab submission forms