Foreign disease response

Area officials listen to a presenter from Kirkwood Community College in Iowa during a Foreign Animal Disease Response workshop recently in McCook, sponsored by the Southwest Nebraska Public Health District and the Emergency Managers of the Southwest Region. Participants were educated on the importance of planning for these emergencies and how the private sector will be called upon to assist in incidents involving animal diseases such as swine flu, hoof and mouth or BSE. The training was conducted at McCook and Imperial in order to cover as many people as possible in the region. Participants came from agencies such as the USDA, State of Kansas State of Nebraska, University of Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and several Counties were represented. The disciplines that attended ranged from Veterinarians Livestock Producers, Environmental Quality Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, Emergency Management Public Health, School faculty and students.