Glossary

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Aquatic Animal Health Committee A committee comprising representatives of the Australian Government; state and territory governments; the majoraquaculture, wild capture, aquarium and recreational fishing industries; and CSIRO. The committee provides advice to Primary Industries Ministerial Council on aquatic animal health matters, focusing on technical issues and regulatory policy. See also Primary Industries Ministerial Council
Australian Chief Veterinary Officer The nominated senior veterinarian in the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry who manages international animal health commitments and the Australian Government’s response to an animal disease outbreak. See also Chief veterinary officer
AQUAVETPLAN Australian Aquatic Veterinary Emergency Plan. A series of technical response plans that describe the proposed Australian approach to an emergency aquatic animal disease incident. See also AUSVETPLAN
AUSVETPLAN Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan. A series of technical response plans that describe the proposed Australian approach to an emergency animal disease incident. The documents provide guidance based on sound analysis, linking policy, strategies, implementation, coordination and emergency-management plans.
Chief veterinary officer(CVO) The senior veterinarian of the animal health authority in each jurisdiction (national, state or territory) who has responsibility for animal disease control in that jurisdiction. See also Australian Chief Veterinary Officer
Control area A buffer between the restricted area and areas free from disease. Restrictions on this area will reduce the likelihood of the disease spreading further afield. As the extent of the outbreak is confirmed, the control area may reduce in size. The shape of the area may be modified according to circumstances, eg water flows, catchment limits etc. In  most cases, permits will be required to move animals andspecified product out of the control area into the free area.
Covert infection Clinically inapparent infection that is transmissible and that may eventually lead to clinical disease.
Dangerous contact premises or area That which has had a direct, and possibly infectious, contact with an infected premises or area. The type of contact will depend on the agent involved in the outbreak but, for example, may involve animal movements or net/equipment movements.
Declared area A defined tract of land or water that is subjected to disease control restrictions under emergency animal disease legislation. Types of declared areas include restricted area, control area, infected premises, dangerous contact premises and suspect premises.
Decontamination Includes all stages of cleaning and disinfection.
Disease agent A general term for a transmissible organism or other factor that causes an infectious disease.
Disinfectant A chemical used to destroy disease agents outside a living animal.
Disinfection The application, after thorough cleansing, of procedures intended to destroy the infectious or parasitic agents of animal diseases, including zoonoses; applies to premises, vehicles and other objects that may have been directly or indirectly contaminated.
Disposal Sanitary removal of fish carcases and things by burial, burning or some other process so as to prevent the spreadof disease.
Emergency animal disease A disease that is (a) exotic to Australia or (b) a variant of an endemic disease or (c) a serious infectious disease of unknown or uncertain cause or (d) a severe outbreak of a known endemic disease, and that is considered to be of national significance with serious social or trade implications. See also Endemic animal disease, Exotic animal disease
Endemic animal disease A disease affecting animals (which may include humans) that is known to occur in Australia. See also Emergency animal disease, Exotic animal disease
Enterprise See Risk enterprise
Epidemiological investigation An investigation to identify and qualify the risk factors associated with the disease.
Exotic animal disease A disease affecting animals (which may include humans) that does not normally occur in Australia. See also Emergency animal disease, Endemic animal disease
Free area An area known to be free from the disease agent.
Infected premises or area The area in which the disease has been confirmed. Definition of an ‘infected area’ is more likely to apply to an open system, such as an oceanic lease.
Local disease control centre An emergency operations centre responsible for the command and control of field operations in a defined area.
Monitoring Routine collection of data for assessing the health status of a population. See also Surveillance
Movement control Restrictions placed on the movement of fish, people and other things to prevent the spread of disease.
OIE Aquatic Code OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (OIE 2006a). Published on the internet at:http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/fcode/en_sommaire.htm(Accessed 7 September 2006) See Appendix 1 for further details
OIE Aquatic Code OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (OIE 2006a). Published on the internet at: http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/fcode/en_sommaire.htm(Accessed 7 September 2006) See Appendix 1 for further details
Operational procedures Detailed instructions for carrying out specific disease control activities, such as disposal, destruction, decontamination and valuation.
Polymerase chain
reaction (PCR)		 A method of amplifying and analysing DNA sequences that can be used to detect the presence of DNA from a disease agent.
Premises or area A production site, which may range from an aquarium to an aquaculture lease in the open ocean.
Primary Industries Ministerial Council The council of Australian national, state and territory and New Zealand ministers of agriculture that sets Australian and New Zealand agricultural policy (formerly the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand).
Quarantine Legal restrictions imposed on a place, fish, vehicles, or other things, limiting movement.
Restricted area The area around an infected premises (or area), likely to be subject to intense surveillance and movement controls. It is likely to be relatively small. It may include some dangerous contact premises (or area) and some suspect premises (or area), as well as enterprises that are not infected or under suspicion. Movement of potential vectors of disease out of the area will, in general, be  prohibited. Movement into the restricted area would only be by permit. Multiple restricted areas may exist within one control area.
Risk enterprise A defined livestock or related enterprise, which is potentially a major source of infection for many other premises. Includes hatcheries, aquaculture farms, processing plants, packing sheds, fish markets, tourist angling premises, veterinary laboratories, road and rail freight depots and garbage depots.
State or territory disease control headquarters The emergency operations centre that directs the disease control operations to be undertaken in that state or territory.
Surveillance A systematic series of investigations of a given population of fish to detect the occurrence of disease for control purposes, and which may involve testing samples of a population.
Susceptible animal Animal that can be infected with a particular disease.
Tracing The process of locating animals, persons or other items that may be implicated in the spread of disease, so that appropriate action can be taken.
Vector A living organism that transmits an infectious agent from one host to another. A biological vector is one in which the infectious agent must develop or multiply before becoming infective to a recipient host. A mechanical vector is one that transmits an infectious agent from one host to another but is not essential to the lifecycle of the agent.
Zoning The process of defining disease-free and infected areas.




Last reviewed:
25 Oct 2009
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