Illinois Veterinarians Trained As Emergency First Responders

If an avian flu pandemic strikes, will veterinarians actually be able to perform any emergency first response? That’s what the Illinois Department of Agriculture hopes. Will it help in response to a pandemic?

According to an article in the Chester, Illinois Sun-Times, more than 100 vets in the state are volunteering for the training as part of the government’s IVERT (Illinois Veterinary Emergency Response Team) initiative.

The article says the effort, the fourth state-wide, will help establish a unified response to animal health emergencies by increasing intergovernmental cooperation and building a partnership between public animal health officials and private veterinary practitioners.

The paper says the IVERT veterinarians have already worked on foreign animal diseases, potential bioterrorist agents, the Incident Command System (ICS) that state and federal emergency management agencies use when responding to disasters and hands-on exercises that allow veterinarians to apply the lessons they have learned in a simulated animal disease outbreak.

This year’s seminar will include an explanation of the newest technologies to detect foreign animal diseases, an update on Illinois’ avian flu response plan and a review of the ICS.