Risk management of international trade: emergency preparedness.

Emergency preparedness and management are among the most important and critical issues facing animal health in the world today. The goals of a country for an animal health emergency management (AHEM) system should include the following: --being prepared to detect and manage an outbreak of a foreign animal disease --preventing the introduction of foreign and emerging animal pathogens --having an appropriate response system for control and eradication of the disease --having a system for recovery from animal health emergencies, including natural disasters. An AHEM system can no longer be limited to a single organisation within a country. In the event of a serious threat to the animal agriculture of a country, broader and more comprehensive participation is required. If not properly planned for, animal health emergencies can rapidly become national disasters. Therefore, it is essential that the central government of a country work towards these goals through partnerships with other Federal and State/Provincial/District organisations, academic institutions and national animal industries.