International simulation exercise for Foot and Mouth Disease “Red Alert” AGR 33243, organized in cooperation with TAIEX 07-10-th of September 2009 Gura Humorului, Suceava County Establishing of the protection and surveillance zones in foot and mouth disease outbreak dr. Cristian SIPOSEAN, ANSVSA

In case of appearance of a foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, will be established the surveillance and protection zones, by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, by their projection on an epidemiological GIS (Geographical Information System) map. The GIS map will embrace a real delimitation and position of those zones, by projection of all geographical major elements which exist in these two zones (localities, roads, rivers, lakes, backwoods), as well as the geographical position of commercial farms of animals which are receptive to FMD.

The geographical delimitation of those two zones must take into account the administrative borders and natural barriers, where will be taken the surveillance and control measures that can stop FMD virus spreading. Protection zone will have a radius of a minimum 3 kilometres, having the centre into outbreak, and the surveillance zone will have a radius of a minimum 10 kilometres, having the same centre.

Projection of an FMD outbreak on a GIS map will be accomplished by achievement of longitude (X axis) and latitude (Y axis) geographical coordinates by the GPS unit, after that will be done the real projection on the GIS map. These two zones will be at least of 3 and 10 kilometres, but they might be enlarged, not necessary as a circle, but as any other geometrical form, varying with natural barriers and the administrative borders.

If in the neighbourhood area of surveillance and protection zones there are close or tangent localities to the circles which delimitated the outbreaks zones, will be included in these zones and will suffer the same safety measures. If in the neighbourhood area of surveillance and protection zones there are localities or settlements with big population of animals receptive to FMD, these will be included also into the protection or surveillance zone. And if these zones of protection and surveillance are crossed by natural barriers (mountains with high altitude, rivers or fast streams, unpopulated zones of animals and humans), they can be shortened, being unjustified the keeping such highly of these 2 zones.

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