A particularly serious disease threat to the livestock and poultry industry in the U.S. and other developed countries is Foreign Animal diseases. Foreign Animal Diseases, also called Transboundary Diseases, are defined by the Office of International Epizootics (OIE), the World Health Organization for Animals as:

“Transmissible <animal> 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 and animal products.”

Freedom from Foreign Animal Diseases in a country is proven by the lack of clinical disease and the absence of vaccination against the disease. As a result, the United States does not vaccinate against most Foreign Animal Diseases.

Because Foreign Animal Diseases do still exist in other parts of the world, the introduction of one into the U.S. can be devastating because of the potential for rapid spreading among livestock.

Click on this link to view examples of Foreign Animal diseases of livestock (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/emergency_response/downloads/nahems/fad.pdf).