Biosecurity

Introduction to Biosecurity

Biosecurity is a set of practices designed to reduce the risk of spreading infectious disease from sick animals or humans to healthy ones. Disease prevention steps vary between diseases and species. Special care must be taken to determine what methods are right for protecting your animals. Biosecurity practices are the best way to keep your animals healthy by taking measures to keep disease away. Disease causing agents can be brought onto a premises by human activity, fly and tick vectors, new animals, shared equipment, flooding, birds, vermin, and other sources. It is important to practice biosecurity to protect yourself and animals from disease transmission, including zoonotic disease that can be transmissible between humans and animals.

Biosecurity Basics

• Keep your distance: Isolate your animals as much as possible from visitors and other animals. Restrict access. Isolate new animals.
• Keep it clean: Keep pens clean. Clean and disinfect equipment and tools.
• Don't haul it home: Don't share equipment, tools, or other supplies. Use rigorous cleaning and disinfecting if you must share. Isolate livestock that have been to shows, fairs, or other gathering activities for 4 weeks.
• Know the warning signs of disease: Signs might include increased mortality/morbidity, respiratory or gastrointestinal signs, poor appetite, or production drop. Early detection and reporting of disease is very important to prevent further spread of disease.