Study Programmes 2015-2016
VETE2059-1  
Veterinary Epidemiology, risk analysis, biosecurity and good veterinary practice
  • Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
  • Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
Duration :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques : 14h Th, 4h Mon. WS
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires : 2h Th, 30h Mon. WS
Number of credits :
Bachelor in veterinary medicine3
Bachelor in veterinary medicine3
Lecturer :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques : Claude Saegerman
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires : Claude Saegerman
Coordinator :
N...
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
Epidemiology is a science that studies the distribution of diseases and health indicators within populations as well as the factors influencing this distribution.
Risk Analysis is a way to organize information available on a given potential event, to traduce them in probabilities considering hypothesis, variability and uncertainty, and to logically make decisions.
Both disciplines are closely related in veterinary sciences. They essentially differ, for the first one, by the population aspect, and for the second one, by its interdisciplinary aspect.
Their importance for veterinarians is crucial as confirmed by their utilization in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Aquatic Animal Health Code of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
The chapters of the course are:
  • Chapter 1. Basics in Epidemiology
  • Chapter 2. The detection of animal infectious diseases
  • Chapter 3. The types of investigations in veterinary epidemiology
  • Chapter 4. Habitat and transmission of pathogens
  • Chapter 5. The cause-effect relationship
  • Chapter 6. The sampling techniques
  • Chapter 7. Random errors and bias
  • Chapter 8. Epidemiological surveillance and vigilance
  • Chapter 9. The tools available including biosecurity
  • Chapter 10. Conception and organization of the collective fight
  • Chapter 11. Basics in Risk Analysis
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
Veterinarians play an important role in animal welfare, animal and public health, environment protection, and provide a wide range of services. To properly fulfil these roles, vets must be aware of and capitalize new skills, know-how and proper behaviour in the fields of biosecurity, good veterinary practices and livestock farming.
There is a growing interest in the general public for the prevention and control of emerging diseases and pathogens. Prevention of such outbreaks requires higher biosafety levels and implies adaptation of the university veterinary education. The international definition of biosecurity in the field of animal health is very wide (Saegerman et al., 2012): "Biosecurity is the execution of the measures that reduce the risk of introduction (bioexclusion), to limit the spread of the pathogen within the same facility (bio-compartimentation), to limit the spread of the disease agent outside the facility (inter-herd transmission) (bio-containment), to prevent the risk of human (bioprevention) and to prevent any environmental and persistence of the pathogen (biocontamination).
It demands the adoption of a set of attitudes and behaviours by people in a way to reduce the risk in any activity involving domestic animals, exotic and wild birds maintained in captivity and their products."
The fundamental principles of biosecurity are the following: (i) biosecurity tends to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of infection; (ii) people's actions are essential in the application of biosecurity and (iii) biosecurity is made up of three main steps (isolation, cleaning and disinfection); isolation being the most efficient action and disinfection the least efficient one. Information, awareness and training should be implemented in every single university involved in veterinary education.
Furthermore, a Good Veterinary Practice Guide was published by the European Veterinaries Federation. It consists in a standard specifying the principles related to the ethic and European veterinary deontology, as well as the requirements related to quality management in a veterinary structure. As an adviser, every vet should also be informed of the content of the WOAH-FAO Good Farming Practice guide, aiming to control the dangers that could threat animal health and food sanitary security at the farm level. Every single vet student should be aware of such information.
Learning outcomes of the course :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
Epidemiology and risk analysis applied to veterinary sciences are invaluable tools for each veterinarian involved in the control, prevention and sanitary management of farms. Basics taught in this course allow the student to understand the different facets of veterinary epidemiology and risk analysis, especially the steps specific to both disciplines.
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
At the end of the course, the learner will be able to: 
· Understand didactic materials made available, in English
· Know the biosecurity and Good Veterinary and Farming Practices codes issues
· Know and apply wisely practices of biosecurity in the faculty
· Know, understand and apply the main measures required to minimize the risk of introducing pathogens in individual production units (bioexclusion),the risk of transmission inside (biocompartimentaiton) or outside (bioconfinement), and the spread of pathogens throughout the food chain, with regards to zoonotic aspects
· Know and enforce good practices aiming at minimizing the risks for animal health and food safety that can occur at a farm level
· Explain the authority alert procedure in case of detection of a notifiable disease
· Improve his ability to provide services in accordance with customers' requests (breeders, competent authority)
· Know the means to demonstrate his ability to provide regular services complying customers' requests and legal requirements.
· Be aware of the veterinarian's role in matter of environment protection (responsible use of veterinary products, recycling of consummables)
Students will also be aware of the importance of biosecurity in veterinary practice, as well as of the major role of the vet in public health.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
Co-required courses in infectious diseases are provided by other colleagues.
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
General training in veterinary sciences (beginning of bachelor's degree).
The understanding in the reading of the English language in the veterinary scientific literature.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
  • The interactive lectures are widely illustrated by a computer- assisted presentation
  • Interactions between teacher and students occur during the course.
  • The teacher is at the disposal of the students to answer questions at the end of the lecture 
  • 4 hours of directed works.
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
The course is comprised of a theoretical introduction (2h) and a practical part as e-learning (30h).
The practical class: based on the student's personal work online (on E-campus) which consists in studying each chapter of the course successively.
 
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
Face-to-face.
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
· Lecture in French (2 hours): presentation of speakers, of the whole course and the different parts, of issues and global context, of pedagogic objectives to reach and of ways of functioning.
· Practical class (30 hours): based on the student's personal work online via E-campus, which consists in studying each chapter of the course successively. Each chapter includes written notes (Biosecurity manual of the Faculty and Good Veterinary or Farming Practice codes) and multimedia data (a video or powerpoint presentation illustrating the main points to be memorised ). After studying each chapter, the student has to answer an on-line questionnaire in order to test his or her knowledge (max. 5 questions).
Chapters are divided as follows:
o Chapter 1. Procedures and general biosecurity rules (C. Saegerman and M.-F. Humblet)
o Chapter 2. Biosecurity applied to horses (H. Amory)
o Chapter 3. Biosecurity applied to large animals (F. Rollin, M. Laitat et H. Guyot regarding ambulatory clinic)
o Chapter 4. Biosecurity applied to pets (K. Gommeren)
o Chapter 5. Biosecurity applied to poultry, rodents and exotic pets (D. Marlier)
o Chapter 6. Biosecurity applied to slaughterhouses, cutting-plants and other agro-alimentary industries (M.A. de Schaetzen, N. Korsak and A.L. Rodrigues)

o Chapter 7. Experimental farm (I. Dufrasne)
o Chapter 8. Anatomy (A. Gabriel)
o Chapter 9. Biosecurity in veterinary diagnosis laboratories (D. Cassart)
o Chapter 10. Good Veterinary Practice code (C. Saegerman)
o Chapter 11. Good Farming Practice code (C. Saegerman)
A part of the didactic material will be available in English, in order to stimulate its learning. Time periods will be settled to allow students to meet a referent person if tutoring is necessary.
One referent person by chapter will also be identified to answer students' questions on matters related to biosecurity, Good Veterinary and Farming Practices code.
Recommended or required readings :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
  • Available on line (eCampus)
 
  • Books or booklets of reference  :
  • Epidémiologie appliquée à la lutte collective contre les maladies animales transmissibles majeures (3ème édition), par B. Toma, B. Dufour, J.J. Bénet, M. Sanaa, A. Shaw, F. Moutou. AEEMA, Paris, 2010.
  • Terminologie en matière d'analyse des dangers et des risques selon le Codex alimentarius, booklet edited by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005 (free).
  • Application de l'évaluation des risques dans la chaîne alimentaire, booklet edited by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, Brussels, Belgium, 2007 (free).
  • Applications of microbiological risk assessment in the food chain, booklet edited by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, Brussels, Belgium, 2011 (free).
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
Documents available on:
. the e-Campus plateform of the University of Liège
. the Faculty Web site concerning the biosecurity
· Powerpoint slides from the theoretical course, available on eCampus
 
Assessment methods and criteria :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
Exam concerning veterinary pidemiology, risk analysis, biosecurity and veterinary good practices:
- The part dedicated to the veterinary epidemiology and risk analysis counts for 2/3 of the finale note of the course
- The written examination comprises questions and sub-questions related to the course (the number of points per question is specified)
- The student will bring a scientific calculator.
- However, any deficiency noted in one of the two parts of the course automatically results in a final deficiency. The final rating cannot exceed the weighted average of two parts.
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
Exam concerning veterinary pidemiology, risk analysis, biosecurity and veterinary good practices:
- The part dedicated to biosecurity and veterinary good practices: a final written exam consisting in "short answers open questions" (SAOQ) counting for 1/3 of the finale note and including questions related to lectures with 80% of questions in French (knowledge of the topic) and 20% of questions in English (English understanding and knowledge of the topic)
- However, any deficiency noted in one of the two parts of the course automatically results in a final deficiency. The final rating cannot exceed the weighted average of two parts.
  
Work placement(s) :
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
Non applicable
Organizational remarks :
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
Non applicable
Contacts :
Epidémiologie vétérinaire et analyse de risques
Prof. C. Saegerman: claude.saegerman@ulg.ac.be
Secretariat : ' 04/366-42-63
Biosécurité et bonnes pratiques vétérinaires
C. Saegerman, Lecturer : claude.saegerman@ulg.ac.be
Secretariat : ' 04/366-42-63