Disease risk analysis – A tool for policy making when evidence is lacking: Import of rabies-susceptible zoo mammals as a model.

Abstract

Disease control management relies on the development of policy supported by an evidence base. The evidence base for disease in zoo animals is often absent or incomplete. Resources for disease research in these species are limited and so in order to develop effective policies, novel approaches to extrapolating knowledge and dealing with uncertainty need to be developed. This paper demonstrates how qualitative risk analysis techniques can be used to aide decision-making in circumstances where there is a lack of specific evidence using the import of rabies susceptible zoo mammals into the United Kingdom as a model