Dr. Nat White
Director of Equine Disease Communication Center
Dr. Tracy Turner
President-Elect of the American Association of Equine Practitioners
Dr. Lisa Kostandoff
Equine Franchise Manager, Global Strategic Marketing Unit of Boehringer Ingelheim
Leslie Easterwood
Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University and member of the AAEP Board of Directors
Dr. Ed Boldt
Owner of Performance Horse Complementary Medical Services
Dr. Stephanie Brault
Veterinary Medical Officer (Epidemiology) Equine Health Team at the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS)
Natalie Voss
Editor, Paulick Report
I rely on the Equine Disease Communication Center for the Paulick Report's communication of equine infectious disease outbreaks. Before the EDCC, we'd get messages from readers who were trying to run down rumors of outbreaks and depending upon which state was involved, it wasn't always easy for us to get details on what was going on. Now, I feel I can rely on the information we're receiving, and the EDCC's educational resources give me a good basis to tell readers what to watch for if they need to monitor their horses for illness.
Dr. Krista Estell
Clinical Assistant Professor, Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, VMCVM, Virginia Tech
As a practitioner, I value the ease and understand the necessity of reporting cases. I have made it a habit that once I receive the diagnostic results, I go to the EDCC website and report the case. I’ve heard from several of my clients that they appreciate the alerts and up to date information that the EDCC publishes with each alert.
Dr. Stephen Schmacher
Chief Administrator, Equine Drugs and Medication Program, US Equestrian
The EDCC is an important tool for horse show organizers, competitors and veterinarians working in the horse show environment. Prior to the development and deployment of the EDCC, there was no central clearinghouse for information regarding potential disease outbreaks. Any information competitors got was from word of mouth and social media platforms, and most of the ‘details’ were inaccurate. Decisions were not being made based upon accurate facts but upon fear. The EDCC helps anyone and everyone become informed about the status of disease outbreaks, and allows for informed decision making as to whether to ship to a competition or not, and the relative risks to their horses.
Under USEF rules, organizers prior to their competition, are required to develop an isolation plan for horses that exhibit signs of infectious disease. These plans must include the identification of the nearest state diagnostic laboratory, the reportable equine diseases in their state, the contact information for the state veterinarian, and general biosecurity measures. All of these resources are available on the EDCC website. For USEF organizers, the EDCC website is an essential tool in providing a safe environment for horses at our competitions. The EDCC is an invaluable tool to the horse show industry as it truly provides an independent resource essential to keeping horses safe and the industry informed.
Jim Gagliano
President and CEO, The Jockey Club
The EDCC filled a vital need in the equine industry to be the clearinghouse of information in real-time whenever the risk of a disease outbreak emerges. It assists local, state and federal health officials in coordinating responses to disease threats that pose substantial health and ultimately economic risks to any activity involving horses.
Michael Short
State Veterinarian/Director, Division of Animal Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
I am writing today in support of the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC). From its founding, the EDCC has been invaluable to the U.S. equine industry by providing a comprehensive site for equine disease information including, timely reporting of diseases by state and county, accurate and specific disease information and science-based biosecurity material. This comprehensive approach allows the U.S. horse industry to better prepare and prevent equine diseases and gives regulatory authorities confidence in what disease threats are present, minimizing movement regulations and other regulatory actions.
Of the many services the EDCC provides, biosecurity outreach and education is one of the most important. Empowering owners, veterinarians and equine venues with the knowledge and understanding of how to practically and effectively prevent transmission of equine diseases is invaluable. I applaud and support the EDCC’s effort to continue to develop and enhance the biosecurity informational program to improve horse health and welfare.
Glenn Petty
CEO, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, Virginia
To the NC Horse Council:
I have been affiliated with the EDCC from its inception. It fills a vital communications link from incident or breakout to the greater industry at large. Initially we enjoyed grants from the US Department of Agriculture but when those grants ended, the EDCC was forced to reach out to the greater industry at large for support in a larger way. Thus, it is my hope as a past president and life member of the Council that the NC Horse Council will chose to assist in the support needed for the EDCC.
Dr. Kathy Anderson
Equine Veterinary Care at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland
Having timely and reliable information allows unaffected racetracks and other horse facilities to assess risk before moving horses. Knowing that a track or farm has successfully contained the disease by quarantine helps surrounding horse activity to continue uninterrupted.
Dr. Katie Flynn
USEF Senior Staff Veterinarian-Equine Health & Biosecurity
The development of the EDCC has provided the horse industry a reliable source of disease outbreak information. Before the EDCC, rumors of disease outbreaks severely impacted the equine industry due to cancellation of events and horse owners unwilling to travel to events. As a state veterinarian, I am able to refer horse owners to one website for disease outbreak information as well as biosecurity guidance. The EDCC is an essential resource in protecting and promoting equine health in the United States.
Bailey McCallum
Assistant Professor of Equestrian Studies, School of Equestrian Studies, William Woods University
The EDCC is an invaluable resource for me both as a professional equestrian and as a professor of Equestrian Science. I use EDCC alerts to make informed decisions when it comes to traveling to train, teach, and show and I feel that the real-time information is vital to making conscientious decisions while maintaining business with my clients. Additionally, we use EDCC educational resources to teach about biosecurity and equine infectious diseases in several of our equine science practicum and lecture courses. The information is highly accessible to students which makes the EDCC website an excellent educational tool.
David D. Frisbie
DVM, PH.D., DACVS, DACVSMR, 2020 AAEP President, Professor, Colorado State University
I am writing this letter is support of the grant application for the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC), a program of vital importance to the equine veterinary community.
As we know, during times like we are in right now with COVID-19, communication with correct and proper information is vital. The EDCC manages and provides such information, working in collaboration with National and State Animal Health Officials, to help keep horses moving safely. Safe movement is an economic driver for the use of equines in the United States.
In addition to serving as a vital communication system, biosecurity and disease information are updated regularly in conjunction with members of the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s (AAEP) Infectious Disease Committee. These resources provide caretakers, regulators, equine facility operators and horse owners with important information to keep horses safe and healthy at events and in their own backyards.
In addition, the EDCC saves states and the USDA/APHIS both time and funds in helping to mitigate and manage outbreaks in the equine species.
We look forward to favorable consideration to this grant proposal and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about the importance of the EDCC to the AAEP and its nearly 10,000 equine veterinary members and the equine industry as a whole.
Deborah Spike-Pierce
President/CEO, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky
We find the EDCC to be a valuable resource. Communication regarding infectious diseases and possible outbreaks throughout North America is imperative to the equine community. Having one central source for disease outbreak information and the ability to efficiently disseminate information is a key factor in disease prevention and control.