Originally from: Burkie
                        
Ok you kids! Here is some enlightening news regarding disease I.D and pin-point locations.

I just came from my local veterinarians' place of business.

My former classmate is a veterinarian who was chosen to be the Alpha tester of a new system to establish a database of animal health information.

I asked him to show me how it works.

Here are the basics:

1. He carries a cell phone PDA.
2. He makes the initial diagnoses of the disease problems
3. The PDA gives him a menu to punch in answers to questions
    regarding the herd health
4. This is broken down by symptoms he observes, to which he punches in his answers 5. Owner confidentiality is paramount, although it is recorded
    as he makes his response
6. GPS location is not available at this time
7. As he observes the symptoms and inputs them into his cell
    phone PDA...this information it up-linked to animal disease
    control facilities in New Mexico
8. This information is then relayed to facilities at
    Kansas State University
9. Should his observations and diagnoses suggest the presence
    of a Foreign Animal Disease...this facility will notify
    our State Veterinarian
9. The diagnosing vet is consulted for substantiation
10. The second team (State Veterinarian) then takes the role of
     of immediate dispatch of a team of epidemiologists and diagnosticians

This system is still being developed. My friend is an Alpha
tester.

More software is now in the process of being developed.

The role of the primary vet is automatically superceded by the State Veterinarian, should a FAD be diagnosed.

His role is to observe and report what he sees. That's the extent of his involvement, other than to treat the animals at the time of his visit. From that point on, if it were an actual FAD, his role is over-seen by the State Vet.

Finally, a Beta system for this Early Animal Disease Warning System is in the works.

Hope you all find this useful.

Burkie in Kansas.....Home on the Range!