Foreign Animal Diseases
A foreign animal disease, or exotic animal disease, is a disease that is not found in the United States. These diseases may have been in the United States at one point, but have been eradicated, or have never been present in this country. The foreign animal diseases of greatest concern could cause significant illness and/or death in animals or economic devastation.
Investigating Foreign Animal Disease
Minnesota has foreign animal disease diagnosticians (FADD) located throughout the state who are available 24 hours a day to investigate suspected cases of foreign animal disease. The FADD's are veterinarians with specialized, hands-on training in diagnosing foreign animal diseases
An investigation into a potential foreign animal disease is triggered when the State Veterinarian receives a report of animals with symptoms indicative of a foreign animal disease or a diagnostic laboratory identifies a suspicious test result. , the State Veterinarian assigns a first responder to investigate the case. The first responder is a trained federal or state veterinarian.
The FADD conducts an investigation and consults with the State Veterinarian, the USDA Area Veterinarian in Charge, and the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. If a foreign animal disease is considered "highly likely", an emergency response will be initiated immediately to contain and ultimately eradicate the disease.