Updated: Added the preliminary outbreak assessment for African swine fever in wild boar in Belgium.
We monitor any major, notifiable or new and emerging animal disease outbreaks worldwide. We do this as an early warning to assess the risk they may pose to the UK, in particular those diseases which impact on animal health and welfare, international trade, public health or wider society.
We assess the risk that diseases might come into the UK through trade in animals or animal products (legal or illegal), through movement of wildlife, or through movement of things such as insects which may carry a disease. We use these outbreak assessments to help us decide how to manage or reduce the risks.
We carry out a full qualitative risk assessment in certain cases, and in response to specific policy questions concerning a disease outbreak. This is based on the general principles of the OIE qualitative risk analysis framework.
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