The Royal Society - Inquiry into Infectious diseases

Royal Society Inquiry commissioned by the UK Government into Infectious Diseases in Livestock

A: Terms of reference

To review scientific questions relating to the transmission, prevention and control of epidemic outbreaks of infectious disease* in livestock in Great Britain, and to make recommendations by Summer 2002.

The inquiry should take close account of related inquiries, notably the administrative inquiry into the handling of the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak and the policy commission on the future of agriculture. It should cover:

a. Transmission/prevention

	the research base for identifying present and future risks of disease - what we know about risks to Great Britain posed by animal diseases world wide; whether we know enough; and whether early warning/horizon scanning arrangements are scientifically and logistically adequate;
	the availability, scientific efficacy and adequacy of preventive measures (including vaccination) in the light of assessment of the risks, including the risks associated with current and future livestock practices.

b. Controls

	the availability, scientific efficacy and safety of current technology (including vaccines) and methods for the surveillance, control and eradication of infectious livestock diseases in Great Britain;
	the potential for enhanced use of quantitative epidemiological models in understanding and predicting the spread of disease and the impact of policy options.

The review should:

	pay particular regard to any hazards to human health;
	identify any actual or potential constraints such as ethics, costs and benefits, economic incentives and social concerns.

* “transmissible diseases that have the potential for very serious and rapid spread, irrespective of national borders, that are of serious socio-economic or public health consequence and that are of major importance in the international trade of animals or animal products.“ [This is the definition of animal infectious diseases included in List A of the Office International des Epizooties’s (OIE)]

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