Knowledge That Works in the Background

The Knowledge Hub is not just a reference you look up when problems occur. It is integrated throughout Kora. It powers decisions automatically. It surfaces disease information where you need it. It transforms clinical diagnoses into actionable biosecurity protocols.

This section shows how the Knowledge Hub works seamlessly within your daily animal management tasks, making professional disease intelligence accessible without disrupting your workflow.

Disease Information During Observations

Recording Animal Observations

When you are documenting observations about individual animals or mobs, the Knowledge Hub is available contextually:

Scenario: Observing Unusual Symptoms

You are conducting daily health checks and notice several sheep showing signs of lameness and mouth lesions.

Traditional Workflow:

1. Record symptoms in notes
2. Leave the observation form
3. Search online for possible diseases
4. Return to observation form
5. Manually add your findings

Kora Workflow with Knowledge Hub:

1. While recording the observation, click "Search Knowledge Hub"
2. Enter symptoms: "lameness mouth lesions sheep"
3. Browse matching diseases (Bluetongue, FMD, Orf) without leaving the form
4. Review symptoms, transmission rates, zoonotic status
5. Link the observation to a disease if you find a match
6. Access emergency contacts immediately if notification required

The Knowledge Hub appears where you are already working. No context switching, no separate searches, no manual transcription.

Veterinary Observations with Disease Diagnosis

When veterinarians diagnose diseases using the Knowledge Hub, powerful automation activates throughout Kora.

Example: Veterinarian Diagnoses Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Dr. Sarah examines a cow showing fever, drooling, and blisters on mouth and feet. She records a veterinary observation and searches the Knowledge Hub for "blisters mouth feet cattle."

What Happens When She Selects FMD from Knowledge Hub:

1. Disease Profile Automatically Retrieved

• Disease Name: Foot-and-Mouth Disease
• Transmission Rate: 0.9 (very high)
• Incubation Period: 14 days
• Contagious Period: 7 days (before symptoms appear)
• Zoonotic: No
• Notifiable: Immediate emergency notification required

2. Veterinary Observation Records:

• Links to FMD disease profile (DiseaseId)
• Stores disease name (DiseaseName)
• Records zoonotic status (IsZoonotic: false)
• Timestamps diagnosis
• Logs Dr. Sarah's professional assessment

3. Automatic Biosecurity Response Triggered:

Quarantine Calculation:

• Total quarantine duration: 21 days (14-day incubation + 7-day contagious period)
• Calculated automatically from disease parameters
• No manual calculation needed
• Applied consistently across all FMD cases

Contact Tracing Initiated:

• Exposure window: Past 14 days (incubation period)
• System identifies all animals that shared locations with infected cow during exposure window
• Contact animals flagged for monitoring
• Risk scoring applied based on:
  • Duration of contact (longer contact = higher risk)
  • Transmission rate (0.9 = very high transmission)
  • Location type (confined spaces = higher risk)

Monitoring Protocols Recommended:

• Daily health checks for all contact animals
• Symptom monitoring for FMD-specific signs
• Temperature checks every 24 hours
• Alert if new symptoms appear

Emergency Contacts Displayed:

• Jurisdiction-specific FMD emergency hotline shown
• Immediate notification reminder (notifiable disease)
• One-click access to contact information

4. Ongoing Integration:

• If additional animals diagnosed with FMD, same disease profile applies
• Quarantine durations remain consistent
• Contact tracing expands to include new exposures
• Biosecurity protocols automatically recommended

What Dr. Sarah Sees: She completes the veterinary observation, selects FMD from the Knowledge Hub, and immediately sees:

• "This is a notifiable disease. Contact [Emergency Hotline] immediately."
• "21-day quarantine recommended for affected and contact animals."
• "15 animals identified as contacts based on location sharing during 14-day exposure window."
• "Daily monitoring recommended. See biosecurity recommendations."

What Happens Automatically in the Background:

• Disease parameters (incubation, contagious period, transmission rate) retrieved from Knowledge Hub
• Quarantine duration calculated (14 + 7 = 21 days)
• Contact tracing query identifies exposed animals (shared locations in past 14 days)
• Risk scores calculated for each contact animal (based on contact duration and 0.9 transmission rate)
• Monitoring frequency recommended based on disease-specific protocols

Dr. Sarah does not manually calculate anything. The Knowledge Hub's disease intelligence powers Kora's biosecurity features automatically.

Contact Tracing Powered by Disease Intelligence

How It Works

When a disease is diagnosed using the Knowledge Hub, contact tracing does not rely on guesswork. It uses science-based parameters.

Disease Parameters Drive Contact Tracing:

Incubation Period determines how far back to look when identifying exposed animals.

Example: Tuberculosis (TB) in Cattle

• Incubation Period: 30 days
• Contact Tracing Window: 30 days before diagnosis
• System identifies: All cattle that shared locations with infected animal in past 30 days

Contagious Period determines total quarantine duration.

Example: Avian Influenza in Poultry

• Incubation Period: 7 days
• Contagious Period: 3 days (before symptoms)
• Total Quarantine: 10 days (7 + 3)

Transmission Rate determines risk scoring for contact animals.

Example: Comparing Two Diseases

Disease A: Low Transmission (0.3)

• Contact animal shared location for 5 days during exposure window
• Risk Score: 35/100 (moderate concern, standard monitoring)

Disease B: Very High Transmission (0.9)

• Contact animal shared location for 5 days during exposure window
• Risk Score: 85/100 (high concern, intensive monitoring, possible quarantine)

Same contact duration, vastly different risk. The transmission rate from the Knowledge Hub informs the assessment.

Real-World Contact Tracing Example

Scenario: Brucellosis Detected in Dairy Herd

Disease Profile from Knowledge Hub:

• Transmission Rate: 0.4 (moderate)
• Incubation Period: 21 days
• Contagious Period: Variable (chronic shedding)
• Zoonotic: Yes (1.4 multiplier: enhanced precautions)

Diagnosis Date: March 15

Automatic Contact Tracing:

Step 1: Exposure Window Determined

• 21 days before diagnosis (incubation period)
• Exposure window: February 22 - March 15

Step 2: Contact Animals Identified System queries location history:

• 12 cattle shared milking parlor with infected cow (daily contact)
• 35 cattle shared pasture intermittently (occasional contact)
• 2 cattle moved to different property March 5 (now off-site but exposed)

Step 3: Risk Scoring Applied

High-Risk Contacts (Milking Parlor: Daily Contact):

• 12 cattle
• Risk Score: 75/100 (daily contact + moderate transmission + zoonotic concern)
• Recommended Action: Immediate testing, enhanced monitoring, quarantine pending test results

Moderate-Risk Contacts (Pasture: Intermittent Contact):

• 35 cattle
• Risk Score: 45/100 (intermittent contact + moderate transmission)
• Recommended Action: Testing within 7 days, standard monitoring

Off-Site Contacts:

• 2 cattle
• Risk Score: 60/100 (sufficient contact during exposure window)
• Recommended Action: Notify new property owner, coordinate testing, movement restrictions

Step 4: Human Health Alert (Zoonotic Disease)

• Zoonotic multiplier (1.4) triggers additional protocols
• Farm workers who handled infected cow flagged
• PPE recommendations displayed
• Public health notification guidance provided

What the Farmer Sees: "Brucellosis diagnosis detected. This disease is transmissible to humans. 47 cattle identified as contacts based on location sharing during 21-day exposure window. High-risk contacts (12) require immediate testing and quarantine. See detailed contact list and recommendations."

What Happened Automatically:

• 21-day exposure window calculated from incubation period
• Location history queried for all animals
• Contact duration and frequency analyzed
• Risk scores calculated using transmission rate and contact patterns
• Zoonotic status triggered human health protocols
• Movement restrictions recommended for off-site animals

Quarantine Management with Disease-Specific Durations

Moving Beyond "Guess How Long"

Before the Knowledge Hub, quarantine durations were often guesses:

• "Keep them separated for two weeks and see what happens"
• "The vet said at least 10 days, maybe longer"
• "I think this disease requires 30 days quarantine, but I am not sure"

The Knowledge Hub provides science-based quarantine durations automatically.

Formula (Applied Automatically):

Quarantine Duration = Incubation Period + Contagious Period

Why This Matters:

Incubation Period: Time from exposure to when animal becomes contagious

• Tells you how long to monitor for symptom development
• Defines exposure window for contact tracing

Contagious Period: Time before symptoms when animal can spread disease

• Some diseases are contagious before symptoms appear
• Critical for preventing spread

Total Quarantine: Ensures animal passes through both periods without showing symptoms

• If animal remains healthy for full quarantine duration, risk is significantly reduced
• Release from quarantine is science-based, not guesswork

Disease-Specific Quarantine Examples

Example 1: Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)

• Incubation: 14 days
• Contagious Period: 7 days
• Total Quarantine: 21 days
• Monitoring: Daily health checks throughout quarantine
• Release: Only after 21 days symptom-free

Example 2: Avian Influenza (Poultry)

• Incubation: 7 days
• Contagious Period: 3 days
• Total Quarantine: 10 days
• Monitoring: Twice-daily health checks (rapid progression)
• Release: After 10 days with no symptoms or mortality

Example 3: Tuberculosis (Cattle)

• Incubation: 30 days
• Contagious Period: Variable (chronic disease)
• Total Quarantine: 30+ days (often 60 days for testing protocols)
• Monitoring: Testing at 30 and 60 days
• Release: Requires negative test results, not just symptom absence

Example 4: Rabies (Wildlife)

• Incubation: 21-60 days (variable)
• Contagious Period: 10 days before symptoms
• Total Quarantine: 60+ days (maximum incubation) + 10 days = 70 days
• Monitoring: Neurological symptom observation
• Zoonotic: Critical (human exposure requires immediate medical attention)

Consistency Across Cases: Every time FMD is diagnosed from the Knowledge Hub, quarantine duration is 21 days. Every avian influenza case triggers 10-day quarantine. Consistency ensures:

• Best practice application
• Regulatory compliance
• Staff clarity (no guessing)
• Defensible decision-making (science-based)

Biosecurity Protocol Recommendations

Context-Aware Biosecurity Guidance

When diseases are diagnosed using the Knowledge Hub, biosecurity recommendations adapt to the specific disease.

Scenario: Comparing Biosecurity Needs for Two Diseases

Disease 1: Johne's Disease (Cattle)

• Transmission Rate: 0.3 (low: requires direct contact, contaminated environment)
• Zoonotic: No

Recommended Biosecurity:

• Separate infected animal from herd
• Dedicated feeding/watering equipment
• Clean boots between animal areas
• Standard hygiene protocols

Disease 2: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

• Transmission Rate: 0.9 (very high: airborne, fomites, wild bird vectors)
• Zoonotic: Yes (1.5 multiplier: high-risk zoonotic)

Recommended Biosecurity:

• Total isolation of affected flock
• Ban all farm visits (visitors, delivery vehicles)
• Maximum PPE (respirators, disposable coveralls, gloves, boot covers)
• Disinfection stations at all entry/exit points
• Wild bird exclusion (netting, deterrents)
• Vehicle disinfection protocols
• Staff movement restrictions (no contact with other poultry operations)
• Public health notification

Same general biosecurity principles, but intensity and specific measures scale with transmission rate and zoonotic risk.

Zoonotic Disease Protocols

When a disease is zoonotic, additional protocols activate:

Example: Leptospirosis Diagnosed in Cattle

Disease Profile:

• Zoonotic: Yes
• Zoonotic Multiplier: 1.3 (elevated human health risk)
• Human Impact: Flu-like illness, can progress to kidney/liver damage

Automatic Zoonotic Protocols:

• Staff Safety Alert: "This disease can affect humans. Use PPE when handling affected animals."
• PPE Requirements: Gloves, handwashing stations, protective clothing
• Exposure Tracking: Record which staff members handled infected animals
• Symptom Monitoring: Alert staff to watch for fever, headache, muscle pain
• Public Health Guidance: Consider notifying public health authorities if staff exposed

Example: Rabies Suspect Wildlife

Disease Profile:

• Zoonotic: Yes
• Zoonotic Multiplier: 2.0 (maximum: critical human health risk)
• Human Impact: Fatal if untreated

Automatic Zoonotic Protocols:

• Emergency Alert: "RABIES SUSPECT: Zoonotic disease with fatal human risk."
• No Direct Contact: Do not handle without rabies vaccination and maximum PPE
• Exposure Protocol: Any bite/scratch = immediate medical attention for post-exposure prophylaxis
• Public Health Notification: Mandatory reporting to public health authorities
• Quarantine: 10-day observation period for suspect animals (or immediate euthanasia and testing)

The Knowledge Hub's zoonotic status and multiplier do not just flag a disease as "can affect humans". They trigger specific, graduated protocols based on the severity of human health risk.

Treatment Planning with Disease Context

Understanding Disease Before Treating

Treatment decisions are more informed when disease intelligence is available.

Scenario: Mastitis in Dairy Cow

Without Knowledge Hub:

• Veterinarian prescribes antibiotic
• Farmer administers treatment
• Hope it works

With Knowledge Hub:

• Disease profile shows mastitis is often caused by multiple bacterial species
• Antibiotic resistance common in some pathogens
• Treatment success depends on identifying specific causative bacteria
• Milk withholding periods critical (regulatory compliance)

Informed Treatment Planning:

• Veterinarian recommends bacterial culture before treatment
• Targeted antibiotic selection based on culture results
• Milk withheld during treatment and withdrawal period
• Treatment effectiveness monitored with somatic cell counts

Scenario: Avian Influenza Diagnosed in Poultry

Disease Profile:

• No treatment available (viral disease, no effective antibiotic)
• High mortality
• Rapid spread
• Emergency depopulation typically required in disease-free countries

Treatment Plan:

• Not: Attempt antibiotic treatment (ineffective)
• Instead: Immediate biosecurity lockdown, emergency notification, await regulatory response (often depopulation order)

The Knowledge Hub prevents futile treatment attempts and guides appropriate response based on disease characteristics.

Real-World Integration Examples

Example 1: Wildlife Rescue Centre: Rabies Protocol

User Type: Wildlife Management

Situation: A member of the public brings in an injured bat showing neurological symptoms.

Knowledge Hub Integration:

Step 1: Initial Observation

• Wildlife manager records observation: "Bat, neurological signs, unable to fly, brought by public."
• While recording, searches Knowledge Hub: "bat neurological symptoms"
• Top result: Rabies

Step 2: Disease Profile Review (30 seconds)

• Zoonotic: Yes (2.0 multiplier: maximum risk)
• Human Impact: Fatal without treatment
• Transmission: Bite, scratch, saliva contact
• Incubation: Highly variable (weeks to months)
• Response: Immediate isolation, testing, public health notification

Step 3: Immediate Actions Triggered

• Isolation: Bat isolated in secure container
• Exposure Assessment: Was the person who brought the bat bitten or scratched?
• Public Health Notification: Contact public health authority immediately
• Emergency Contacts: Wildlife disease hotline and zoonotic disease unit contacts displayed
• Staff Safety: All staff handling bat must use maximum PPE, rabies-vaccinated only

Step 4: Follow-Up Coordination

• Public who brought bat referred to emergency medical care for rabies risk assessment
• Bat submitted for rabies testing (euthanasia and brain tissue analysis)
• All contact animals reviewed (any other animals in rescue centre exposed?)
• Rabies protocols implemented throughout facility pending test results

Outcome: Within 5 minutes of the bat arriving, the wildlife manager:

• Identified rabies as primary suspect
• Understood zoonotic risk (maximum concern)
• Isolated the animal
• Initiated public health notification
• Protected staff from exposure
• Coordinated testing

Without the Knowledge Hub, this might have taken hours of research and phone calls. During this time, staff and public could have been exposed.

Example 2: Dairy Farm: Bluetongue Outbreak

User Type: Farmer

Situation: Several cows showing swelling around mouth, drooling, some lameness.

Knowledge Hub Integration:

Step 1: Symptom Research

• Farmer searches Knowledge Hub: "swelling mouth drooling cattle"
• Top results: Bluetongue, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Vesicular Stomatitis

Step 2: Compare Diseases

• Bluetongue: Swelling of face/tongue, mouth lesions, transmitted by midges (vector-borne), notifiable
• FMD: Blisters on mouth AND feet, extremely contagious, immediate emergency notification
• Vesicular Stomatitis: Blisters in mouth, usually horses/cattle together affected

Farmer's cattle show face swelling but no foot blisters. Bluetongue most likely.

Step 3: Emergency Notification

• Bluetongue is notifiable (requires reporting)
• Emergency contact for jurisdiction displayed
• Farmer calls emergency hotline: "I have cattle with symptoms consistent with Bluetongue. Swelling around mouth, drooling, some lameness. No foot blisters observed."

Step 4: Veterinary Investigation

• Veterinarian arrives, confirms symptoms consistent with Bluetongue
• Diagnoses Bluetongue using Knowledge Hub during observation
• Automatic response:
  • Transmission rate: 0.6 (moderate: vector-borne, seasonal)
  • Incubation: 7 days
  • Quarantine: 14 days (7-day incubation + 7-day contagious period)
  • Zoonotic: No
  • Notifiable: Yes (already reported)

Step 5: Biosecurity Implementation

• 14-day quarantine for affected and contact cattle
• Movement restrictions (no animals on/off farm)
• Vector control measures (midge repellents, housed animals at dusk when midges active)
• Daily monitoring for new cases
• Contact tracing: Identify cattle that shared locations during 7-day exposure window

Step 6: Regulatory Coordination

• Regulatory authority implements movement restrictions
• Outbreak tracked in Knowledge Hub (updates farmer's local outbreak alerts)
• Neighboring farms notified to implement preventive vector control

Outcome: The farmer went from "something's wrong with my cows" to:

• Researching possible diseases (Bluetongue identified as likely)
• Reporting to authorities (regulatory compliance)
• Veterinary confirmation (diagnosis using Knowledge Hub)
• Science-based quarantine (14 days, not guesswork)
• Biosecurity implementation (vector control measures)
• Contact tracing (exposed animals identified)

All within 24 hours, guided by Knowledge Hub disease intelligence.

Example 3: Zoo: Multi-Species Disease Risk Assessment

User Type: Conservation & NGO

Situation: Avian influenza outbreak detected 50km from zoo with large avian collection.

Knowledge Hub Integration:

Step 1: Outbreak Alert

• Zoo curator sees outbreak alert in Knowledge Hub: "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1: 50km from your location"
• Clicks for details

Step 2: Disease Profile Review

• Transmission Rate: 0.9 (very high: wild bird vector, fomite transmission)
• Zoonotic: Yes (1.5 multiplier: elevated human health risk)
• Mortality: Up to 90% in susceptible species
• Incubation: 3-7 days
• Human Impact: Severe respiratory illness, rare but documented human cases

Step 3: Proactive Risk Assessment

• Disease has not arrived at zoo yet, but risk is high (close proximity, wild bird vectors)
• Curator reviews "Response Recommendations" in disease profile

Step 4: Preventive Biosecurity Implementation Based on Knowledge Hub recommendations:

• Wild Bird Exclusion: Net all open-air aviaries to prevent wild bird contact
• Staff Biosecurity: Enhanced PPE for all bird keepers (masks, gloves, dedicated clothing)
• Visitor Management: Restrict visitors from avian enclosures (reduce fomite transmission)
• Enhanced Monitoring: Twice-daily health checks for all birds (early symptom detection)
• Emergency Preparedness: Review HPAI emergency response plan, ensure emergency contacts available

Step 5: Staff Training

• Curator accesses HPAI explainers from Knowledge Hub
• Shares with all bird keepers: "Recognizing HPAI Symptoms," "Zoonotic Precautions," "Emergency Notification Procedures"
• Staff trained on what symptoms to watch for, when to escalate, who to contact

Step 6: Ongoing Monitoring

• Daily checks of outbreak tracking (has HPAI spread closer?)
• Coordination with regional wildlife authorities (wild bird mortality surveillance)
• Preparedness for potential depopulation if HPAI detected (regulatory requirement in many jurisdictions)

Outcome: The zoo moved from reactive (wait for disease to arrive) to proactive (implement prevention before outbreak reaches facility). Knowledge Hub outbreak tracking and disease intelligence enabled:

• Early warning (outbreak 50km away)
• Risk assessment (very high transmission, zoonotic, deadly)
• Preventive biosecurity (before disease arrival)
• Staff preparedness (training, protocols)
• Emergency readiness (contacts, response plans)

If HPAI reaches the zoo despite preventive measures, response will be immediate and science-based because protocols are already in place.

Integration Across User Types

The Knowledge Hub serves everyone. How it integrates varies by role:

Farmers:

• Research symptoms before calling veterinarian
• Understand diseases veterinarian diagnoses
• Implement recommended biosecurity
• Know when emergency notification required

Veterinarians:

• Access disease profiles during clinical consultations
• Diagnose diseases from Knowledge Hub (triggers automatic integration)
• Provide clients with disease information
• Ensure regulatory compliance (notifiable disease reporting)

Wildlife Managers:

• Identify zoonotic risks when handling wild animals
• Coordinate disease surveillance
• Report wildlife disease outbreaks
• Protect staff from zoonotic exposure

Conservation NGOs:

• Assess disease threats to endangered species
• Coordinate international disease monitoring
• Implement evidence-based conservation health protocols
• Access disease information across multiple countries

Regulatory Authorities:

• Track outbreaks in their jurisdiction
• Provide accurate emergency contacts
• Ensure consistent disease information available to regulated industries
• Monitor disease trends

Educators:

• Teach students about animal diseases using real disease profiles
• Demonstrate biosecurity principles
• Show practical disease management workflows