Bureau of Animal Health
Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program
The Division of Animal Health, Biosecurity and Dairy Services’ Bioterrorism
Preparedness and Response Program enhances Massachusetts’ agricultural
security, safeguarding our farms, protecting both livestock and family
pets. At the same time, in the event of a bioterrorist assault, the program
provides an essential sentinel service for Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Division of Animal
Health, Biosecurity and Dairy Services, funded by a cooperative agreement
with the MA Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, has launched a new initiative to improve the Commonwealth’s
preparedness and response capabilities relative to bioterrorism.
Bioterrorism is the use of microorganisms or toxins derived from living
organisms, to cause death or disease in humans, animals or plants in civilian
settings. Food-producing animals and foods derived from animals could be
targets of bioterrorist acts. A bioterrorist attack on the nation’s food
supply would have a devastating economic impact.
Many potential bioterrorism agents are zoonotic,
meaning that they are transmissible from animals to humans. Zoonoses may be found in nearly
every animal species. People may be exposed to zoonoses on the farm, in
the veterinary hospital, at the zoo, in the wild or at home. Companion animals, namely dogs and cats, are an essential component of the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program; they can serve a
sentinel function for the human population since, in some diseases,
clinical signs may manifest in animals prior to humans. Early detection in animals will
alert the Department of Public Health to potential human exposures, thus
enabling a more rapid response.
Program components include: epidemiology, biosecurity and risk assessment, field investigation and compliance, and biosecurity education.
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