The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Illinois State University is charged with approving all research and teaching activities involving live vertebrate animals and responding to animal welfare issues or concerns that may result from using animals in research or teaching. The IACUC is responsible for ensuring that personnel working with animals are made aware of Health and Safety concerns related to their work.
Personnel working with animals must complete Zoonosis and Working Safety with Animals training in Comevo. Completing this training is crucial as it educates individuals who work with animals on how to prevent injury and the transmission of diseases that can spread between animals and humans, known as zoonotic diseases, protecting both the workers and the animals they handle. General safety information includes asthma and allergies associated with animal handling and exposure, physical injury and accident reporting, personal protective equipment, tetanus, Chemical Hygiene Plan, and Biosafety Manual. Species-specific zoonosis training for birds, dogs, fish, reptiles-amphibians, rodents, ruminants, and swine must be completed as applicable. Each section provides helpful information of zoonosis, signs and symptoms, and prevention.