APHIS Veterinary Services (VS) updates the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Response Strategy and invites feedback from key stakeholders

January 3, 2024 — 

APHIS Veterinary Services (VS) is updating the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Response Strategy and invites feedback from key stakeholders.

View the draft HERE.

JE is not currently found in the United States. The primary purpose of this document is to provide strategic guidance to those government officials responding to an outbreak if it were to be introduced into the United States. This revision updates and expands the scope of the 2013 JE Disease Response Strategy. We have incorporated current science and research, shifted away from eradication as a response strategy, and updated considerations for control and vaccination. We also included more elements of the response than were previously addressed, such as a recognizing a one health approach, increasing collaboration with public health authorities, and enhancing communication plans.

Please provide feedback or comments, such as technical information, assessment of operational feasibility, and resource constraints, regarding the response strategy, using this form: https://forms.office.com/g/kwus5M8c5D. The form will be open until Wednesday, January 26, 2024.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the APHIS Veterinary Services Emerging Diseases Coordinator, Dr. Sarah Speth, at sarah.speth@usda.gov.

[Source: USDA 27 December 2023]

Please share your questions, concerns, or comments with AASV by e-mailing AASV Director of Public Health and Communications Dr. Abbey Canon