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Newcastle Disease (ND) Response

Ready Reference Guide—

Overview of the Response Plan: The Red Book 

USDA APHIS Veterinary Services • Preparedness and Incident Coordination (PIC)

4700 River Road Unit 41 • Riverdale, MD 20737

Goals of a ND Response

Three Epidemiological Principles of Response

This document provides a brief overview of the ND Response Plan: The Red Book. It is intended to be an easy to use reference for 

responders at all levels. Please see the ND Response Plan for details on any aspect of this guide. 

Three basic epidemiological principles form the foundation to contain, control, and eradicate ND in the U.S. poultry population:

1. Prevent contact between the ND virus and susceptible poultry.

This is accomplished through quarantine of infected poultry and movement controls in the Infected Zone(s) and Buffer Zone(s) 

(Control Areas), along with biosecurity procedures to protect non-infected poultry.

Certain circumstances may warrant accelerating the depopulation or slaughter of poultry at risk for exposure to ND to 

decrease the population density of susceptible poultry.

There is a serious transmission risk posed by people, material, conveyances, 

and animals that may have been in contact with ND and serve as mechanical 

vectors. Contact between poultry and these items should be prevented, and 

transmission risk mitigated through stringent biosecurity and cleaning and 

disinfection measures.

2. Stop the production of ND virus by infected or exposed animals.

This is accomplished by rapid mass depopulation (and disposal) of infected 

and potentially infected poultry.

3. Increase the disease resistance of susceptible poultry to the ND virus or reduce 

the shedding of ND in infected poultry. 

This may be accomplished by strategic emergency vaccination if a suitable 

vaccine is available and can be administered in a timely manner. 

The goals of an ND response are to

1. detect, control, and contain ND in poultry as quickly as possible; 

2. eradicate ND using strategies that seek to protect public health and the environment, and stabilize animal agriculture, the food 

supply, and the economy; and 

3. provide science- and risk-based approaches and systems to facilitate continuity of business for non-infected animals and noncontaminated animal products. 

Achieving these three goals will allow individual poultry facilities, States, Tribes, regions, and industries to resume normal 

production as rapidly as possible. The objective is to allow the United States to regain disease-free status without the response 

effort causing more disruption and damage than the disease outbreak itself.

January 2016

Factors Influencing ND Response Strategies

Detection of ND may result in emergency intervention by Federal, State, Tribal, and/or local authorities; the scope of regulatory 

intervention depends on the following factors:

consequences of the ND outbreak,

acceptance of outbreak,

scale of outbreak,

rate of outbreak spread,

veterinary countermeasures available, and

resources available to implement response strategies.

The United States’ primary control and eradication strategy for ND in poultry is stamping-out. If the spread of ND outpaces the 

resources for stamping-out, or if other factors direct the response away from a stamping-out strategy alone, emergency vaccination 

strategies might be considered. 

Primary Response Strategy
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ND Response

Ready Reference Guide—

Overview of the Response Plan: The Red Book 

USDA APHIS Veterinary Services • Preparedness and Incident Coordination (PIC)

4700 River Road Unit 41 • Riverdale, MD 20737 January 2016

What Else Will Occur During an ND Response?

Critical activities and tools must be implemented to execute any 

response strategy. These activities and tools support a scienceand risk-based approach that protects public health, animal 

health, the environment, and stabilizes animal agriculture and 

the economy. Some of the critical activities that will be 

employed are as follows:

swift imposition of effective quarantine and movement 

controls;

stringent and effective biosecurity measures;

rapid diagnosis and reporting;

epidemiological investigation and tracing;

increased surveillance;

continuity of business measures for non-infected premises 

and non-contaminated animal products (Secure Food 

Supply Plans);

rapid mass depopulation and euthanasia, potentially 

including preemptive depopulation;

effective and appropriate disposal procedures;

cleaning and disinfection measures;

emergency vaccination (as the response strategy indicates).

Coordinated Public Awareness Campaign

Regardless of the response strategy or strategies selected, a 

public awareness campaign will be coordinated. This will 

support the response strategy by widely disseminating key 

communication messages and

engaging and leveraging Federal, State, Tribal, local, and 

stakeholder relationships to provide unified public 

messages for all audiences;

addressing the issues/concerns relating to food safety, 

public health, the environment, and animal welfare; and

addressing issues and concerns related to interstate 

commerce, continuity of business, and international trade.

Cleaning and Disinfection (Virus Elimination)

Because of ND’s high survival rate on both organic and inorganic materials, aggressive cleaning and disinfection practices (also

known as virus elimination) are required for control and eradication of ND. If available personnel or materials are insufficientfor 

cleaning and disinfection in an ND outbreak, the Incident Commander can request emergency contractors support from the 

National Veterinary Stockpile.

Cleaning is the removal of gross contamination, organic material, and debris from the premises. This can be mechanical, like 

sweeping (dry cleaning) and/or the use of water and a soap or detergent (wet cleaning). Disinfection refers to the methods that 

are used on surfaces to destroy or inactivate ND virus. This can be physical (e.g., heat) or chemical (e.g., disinfectant). Cleaning and 

disinfection activities should focus on eliminating the virus in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Mass Depopulation and Euthanasia 

State and APHIS officials approve depopulation prior to its occurrence. 

Indemnity is a key component of APHIS’s disease control programs in that the promise of fair compensation for losses helps to

ensure cooperation from the owners of affected poultry. 

Such cooperation is important for rapid disease control and eradication.

Appraisal 

Due to the risk of virus amplification in infected poultry, authorized depopulation activities should be completed as quicklyas

possible; depending on the incident, there may be a goal to depopulate within 24 hours. Carbon dioxide and water-based foam 

concentrate have most commonly been used to depopulate poultry flocks. Euthanasia or mass depopulation should be provided to 

affected poultry as safely, quickly, efficiently, and humanely as possible. The emotion and psychological impact on animal owners, 

caretakers, their families, and other personnel should be minimized.

Authorization for Response Activities 

When the criteria for a presumptive positive ND case have been met (per the ND Case Definition), the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator or Veterinary Services Deputy Administrator can authorize APHIS personnel—in 

conjunction with State, Tribal, and Incident Command personnel—to initiate depopulation. Depopulation of poultry on Contact 

Premises or those meeting the suspect case definition may also be warranted and conducted depending on the epidemiological 

information; this action will be authorized by APHIS and State/Tribal officials.