Which disease is a foreign animal disease?

Which disease is a foreign animal disease?

• A. Screwworm
• B. Rabies
• C. Leptospirosis
• D. Chronic Wasting Disease

Answer: (A)

Foreign animal disease is a disease not normally present in a country, for which an incursion would threaten animal health and commerce and would trigger strict regulatory controls and rapid response. Screwworm fits this idea because it is a myiasis-causing parasite that historically was not established in the continental United States, making it a classic foreign animal disease that required targeted eradication efforts (such as the sterile insect technique). This kind of disease prompts heightened surveillance and emergency measures to prevent entry or spread. Rabies, leptospirosis, and chronic wasting disease are diseases that are already present or established in many regions, including the country in question, so they are not considered foreign in this regulatory sense.

Foreign animal disease is a disease not normally present in a country, for which an incursion would threaten animal health and commerce and would trigger strict regulatory controls and rapid response. Screwworm fits this idea because it is a myiasis-causing parasite that historically was not established in the continental United States, making it a classic foreign animal disease that required targeted eradication efforts (such as the sterile insect technique). This kind of disease prompts heightened surveillance and emergency measures to prevent entry or spread.

Rabies, leptospirosis, and chronic wasting disease are diseases that are already present or established in many regions, including the country in question, so they are not considered foreign in this regulatory sense.