What is the proactive approach to maintain the health of animals prior to hazard exposure?

• A. Disease prevention
• B. Surveillance
• C. Response planning
• D. Treatment after illness

Answer: (A)

A proactive approach to keeping animals healthy before any hazard exposure is disease prevention. This means putting in place measures that reduce the risk of illness before problems start—things like vaccination to build immunity, strong biosecurity to limit pathogen entry, good nutrition, clean housing and water, hygiene and sanitation, and regular parasite control. When animals are kept healthy and exposure sources are minimized, they’re better prepared to resist or cope with a hazard if it appears.

Surveillance, in contrast, is about watching for disease to detect problems early, which is a monitoring activity rather than prevention. Response planning focuses on having predefined actions ready to take during or after a hazard, not on pre-exposure health maintenance. Treatment after illness is reactive care provided once disease has developed, rather than steps taken to prevent it in the first place.