2008: Protector of Australian livestock

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Tags: centenary-edition, veterinary science

Amy Burroughs, BVSc (hons)

Working on the frontline of Australia’s exotic disease control is all part of a day’s work for veterinary science graduate Amy Burroughs.

Amy Burroughs

Based in Rockhampton, Dr Burroughs is a graduate veterinary officer with Biosecurity Queensland where she is employed to protect Australian herds from diseases such as foot-and-mouth and mad-cow disease, Equine and Avian Influenza and Hendra Virus.

Dr Burroughs initially studied veterinary science with a view to pursuing small animal practice, however in the last two years of her degree she developed a keen interest in public health and emerging infectious zoonotic diseases.

“My role so far has involved going out to properties in central Queensland experiencing significant losses in production or a significant number of deaths in their animals,” Dr Burroughs said.

“By responding to such disease outbreaks, we can make sure that if a significant exotic disease were to enter Australia, it would be detected sooner rather than later.

“The most exciting aspect of this job is the opportunity I have to be amongst the first response to incursions of exotic diseases which could have a negative impact on animal health, the productivity of Australian animal herds and human health.”

Dr Burroughs knows too well the industry implications of a disease outbreak and is always on the lookout for likely points of entry into the country, a skill she learned through her degree at UQ.

“The outbreak of disease could threaten our ability to export and thus would affect the income of many producers,” she said.

“On a domestic level, the Australian public may lose confidence in the safety of our food; again producers would lose income. There would be a great cost to industry, the government and to individuals in the control of such diseases.

“The degree at UQ provided me with the knowledge of diseases, how to obtain a thorough history from clients, how to go out and perform a post-mortem and how to investigate the outbreak of a disease – all very important in enabling me to perform my current role satisfactorily.”

By Eliza Plant

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