FAQs

How can I submit cases?

• If you are a veterinarian, you can register, then login and submit cases. You can also submit cases by email to jsweese@uoguelph.ca. That should include the disease, method of diagnosis, species and postal code or zip code.

Is there any cost?

• No.

How do I get the required password to register?

• If you are a veterinarian or veterinary technician and have not already been given the password, you can request it from Dr. Weese by email at jsweese@uoguelph.ca . Please provide your clinic name and province/state. You will then be able to register and start submitting cases.

I’m not a veterinarian or veterinary technician. Can I submit cases?

• Yes, but these are not automatically plotted. The data are collected but the need to make sure cases fit the specific definitions means that submissions from veterinarians are the target.

What happens to the data?

• All data are confidential and will not be forwarded to anyone else. No identifying information will be released?

Why does the flag not appear directly over where the disease occurred?

• Diseases are plotted to the first three digits of the postal or zip code. This allows us to give a good general representation of the location without being so precise that you can figure out where the animal is from. That’s important for privacy reasons. So, be aware that the flag is not at the exact location of the disease occurrence, so don’t try to read too much into the location.

There are a lot of reports of a disease in my area. Does that mean we’re at high risk?

•  Not necessarily. It may indicate that more people are reporting diseases in your area rather than more diseases occurring in your area.

What do you mean when you say this site deals with ‘incidents, not incidence’?           

•  This means that we post disease occurrences (incidents) that are reported. This does not necessarily indicate the incidence of disease (how common the disease is) since not all cases will be reported.

I had to enter my email address. Am I going to get emails from you?

• This is very unlikely. You would only receive an email if there was a need to confirm information or if there may be an opportunity or need for further investigation. In rare situations we might contact you to see if you are able and willing to collect samples for further testing if there is a strange disease occurrence or potential outbreak, but this is voluntary.

Why isn’t [insert your favourite disease here] on the list?

• We chose a selection of diseases but obviously many diseases have not been included. Tracking common and widely disseminated diseases is of limited use. However, we are always open to suggestions.

Who paid for this site?

•  The site was developed using funds from Dr. Weese’s Canada Research Chair in Zoonotic Diseases and is maintained by the University of Guelph's Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses.