Notifiable diseases in animals and how to report them

There are more than 100 diseases of livestock and animals classified as notifiable diseases in the Northern Territory (NT).

They are declared under the Livestock Act 2008 and are classified in one of 3 categories:

  • exotic diseases - not present in Australia (such as BVDV type 2)
  • emergency diseases - usually not present in Australia, but if detected, may have a nationally cost-shared response and compensation under the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) - read more on the Animal Health Australia website
  • endemic diseases - currently exist in Australia, which can cause significant economic losses to industry or with the potential to infect people (zoonosis), such as Hendra virus in horses.

NT veterinary officers and livestock biosecurity officers are trained to investigate and respond to outbreaks of emergency animal diseases.

To find out more about protecting industry from animal disease, go to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade website.

You should also read the responding to emergency animal diseases fact sheet.

Responding to emergency animal diseases PDF (146.5 KB)
Responding to emergency animal diseases DOCX (157.7 KB)

Check diseases

Find notifiable diseases for the NT below.

Endemic

  • Paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease)
  • Infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis)
  • Infection with Echinococcus granulosus

Emergency

  • Bluetongue (clinical disease)
  • Encephalitides (tick-borne)
  • Infection with Australian bat lyssavirus
  • Infection with Bacillis anthracis (Anthrax)
  • Infection with Borna disease virus
  • Infection with Ehrlichia ruminantium (Heartwater)
  • Infection with foot and mouth disease virus
  • Infection with Japanese encephalitis virus
  • Infection with Mycobacterium bovis
  • Infection with rabies virus
  • Infection with Rift Valley fever virus
  • Infection with rinderpest virus
  • Infection with Trichinella spp.
  • Infection with Trypanosoma evansi (Surra)
  • Infection with vesicular stomatitis virus
  • Infestation with Chrysomya bezziana (Old World Screwworm)
  • Infestation with Cochliomyia hominivorax (New World screwworm)
  • African horse sickness DOCX (724.4 KB)
  • Lumpy skin disease

Exotic

  • Epizootic haemorrhagic disease (clinical disease)
  • Infection with alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (malignant catarrhal fever, wildebeest-associated)
  • Infection with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus
  • Infection with Echinococcus multilocularis
  • Infection with Francisella tularensis (Tularaemia)
  • Infection with Leishmania spp.
  • Infection with Mycobacterium caprae
  • Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease)
  • Infestation with Warble-fly (warble-fly myiasis)
  • Trypanosomosis (tsetse fly associated)
  • West Nile Virus (clinical disease)

Endemic

  • Infection with Anaplasma marginale (bovine anaplasmosis) in tick free areas
  • Infection with Babesia bovis, B. bigemina or B. divergens (bovine babesiosis) in tick free areas
  • Infection with bovine leukaemia virus (enzootic bovine leucosis)
  • Infestation with Cysticerous bovis (Taenia saginata)
  • Cattle ticks (Parkhurst strain)
  • Cattle ticks (Rhicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus australis) in tick free areas
  • Cattle ticks (Ulam strain)
  • Cattle ticks (Ultimo strain)
  • Infection with Fasciola hepatica (liverfluke)

Emergency

  • Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
  • Haemorrhagic septicaemia (Infection with Pasteurella multocida serotypes 6:b and 6:e)
  • Infection with Brucella abortus
  • Infection with Jembrana disease virus
  • Infection with lumpy skin disease virus
  • Infection with Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC (contagious bovine pleuropneumonia)
  • Infection with Theileria parva (East Coast fever) or T.annulata (Mediterranean theileriosis)

Exotic

  • Infection with bovine virus diarrhoea virus (type 2)

Emergency

  • Infection with Brucella melitenisis
  • Infection with Nairobi sheep disease virus
  • Infection with peste des petits ruminants virus
  • Infection with sheep pox virus or goat pox virus
  • Infection with Wesselbron virus
  • Infestation with Psoroptes ovis (sheep scab)
  • Maedi-visna
  • Pulmonary adenomatosis (Jaagsiekte)
  • Scrapie

Exotic

  • Contagious agalactia (clinical disease)
  • Infection with Chlamydophila abortus (enzootic abortion of ewes, ovine chlamydiosis)
  • Infection with louping ill virus
  • Infection with Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (contagious caprine pleuropneumonia)
  • Infection with Salmonella abortus-ovis (salmonellosis)

Endemic

  • Infection with equine arteritis virus
  • Infection with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1)
  • Infection with equine infectious anaemia virus

Emergency

  • Infection with African horse sickness virus
  • Infection with Babesia caballi, Babesia equi, or Theileria equi (Equine piroplasmosis)
  • Infection with Burkholderia mallei (Glanders)
  • Infection with Eastern, Western or Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis viruses
  • Infection with equine encephalosis virus
  • Infection with equine influenza virus
  • Infection with Getah virus
  • Infection with Hendra virus
  • Infection with Histoplasma farciminosum (epizootic lymphangitis)
  • Infection with Neorickettsia risticii (Potomac fever)
  • Infection with Taylorella equigenitalis (contagious equine metritis)
  • Infection with Trypanosoma equiperdum (dourine)

Exotic

  • Infection with Salmonella abortus-equi

Endemic

  • Infection with Brucella suis
  • Infection with Bungowannah virus (porcine myocarditis virus or atypical porcine pestivirus)

Emergency

  • Infection with African swine fever virus
  • Infection with Aujeszky’s disease virus (pseudorabies virus)
  • Infection with classical swine fever virus
  • Infection with Influenza A viruses in swine
  • Infection with Menangle virus
  • Infection with Nipah virus
  • Infection with porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus
  • Infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
  • Infection with swine vesicular disease virus
  • Infection with Teschovirus A (porcine enteroviral encephalomyelitis)
  • Infection with transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus
  • Infection with vesicular exanthema of swine virus

Exotic

  • Infection with Seneca Valley virus (Senecavirus A)
  • Infection with Cysticercus cellulosae (Porcine cysticercosis)
  • Post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome

Endemic

  • Infection with Mycobacterium avium (avian tuberculosis) in birds
  • Infection with Salmonella enteritidis in poultry
  • Infection with Salmonella Pullorum (Pullorum disease)
  • Avian paramyxovirus (type 1)
  • Infection with Chlamydophila psittaci (psittacosis)

Emergency

  • Infection with infectious bursal disease virus (very virulent and exotic antigenic variant forms)
  • Infection with avian influenza
  • Infection with Newcastle disease virus (virulent)

Exotic

  • Duck virus hepatitis
  • Infection with avian metapneumovirus (Turkey rhinotracheitis)
  • Infection with duck herpesvirus 1 (duck viral enteritis/duck plague)
  • Infection with Mycoplasma iowae
  • Infection with Salmonella Gallinarum (fowl typhoid)

There are many harmful bees and bee pests which could seriously damage the NT honey bee industry. Read more about bee pests and diseases.

Endemic

  • Devil Facial Tumour Disease

Exotic

  • Infection with Brucella canis
  • Infection with Camelpox virus
  • Infection with Ehrlichia canis (Ehrlichiosis)
  • Infection with Pseudogymnoascus destructans in bats (White Nose Syndrome)
  • Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (chronic wasting disease of deer and feline spongiform encephalopathy)

How to report

If you’re an animal owner, property manager, livestock agent or veterinarian, you must notify the chief veterinary officer (CVO) if you suspect or know an animal that has a notifiable disease. This ensures these diseases are controlled in the event they are detected.

Emergency diseases must be reported within 24 hours. There is a penalty for failing to report a notifiable disease.

If you suspect or confirm an emergency or exotic bee or animal disease, call the 24-hour animal biosecurity hotline on 1800 675 888 or your local veterinary or livestock biosecurity officer.

More information

To find out more about emergency animal diseases, go to the Animal Health Australia website.

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