--- title: "APHIS mammal locations and confidentiality substitutions" description: "Keep APHIS county footnotes attached to a clinic briefing. Separate displayed locations, confidentiality substitutions, species, and unresolved geography." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/aphis-mammal-locations-confidentiality-clinic-briefing" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # APHIS mammal locations: preserve confidentiality substitutions in a clinic briefing The office is preparing a regional reading list for the lead veterinarian. A county label appears relevant to the clinic's service area. Before placing the row under that county, the researcher needs to check whether the publisher substituted the location for confidentiality. Keep that location qualification attached through selection, grouping, and the final handoff. A neatly sorted county list loses its purpose when it hides why a row appears under a particular place. The reader needs to know which geographic questions remain unanswered. This guide proposes an administrative source-review method. The [veterinary clinic office guide](/for/veterinary-clinics) explains the wider staff workflow. The reading list here does not identify premises, estimate infection risk, direct treatment, or assess an individual animal. ## Read the county footnote before selecting a regional record APHIS footnote 1 says that, for confidentiality, affected county and map locations stand for the approximate location of the state capitol. Those displayed locations are substitutions. [APHIS mammal detections, Table Notes, footnote 1, accessed 2026.10.28](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/mammals). Read that note alongside the county value before treating the row as a county-level observation. Retain the marker that connects the value to the note. If an export or worksheet drops the marker, preserve the unedited source beside the working version. Use a separate column labeled **location qualification**. For an affected row, write that APHIS substituted the displayed geography for confidentiality. Keep any unknown original geography unresolved. The source note provides a reason to limit interpretation, not an invitation to recover the protected location. Do not treat the substitute map point as a farm, household, clinic, or collection site. Do not calculate distance from that point to the clinic. Such a calculation would answer a question about the substitute location while appearing to describe the underlying detection. If the marker cannot be interpreted confidently, place the row in an unresolved section. Ask the reviewer to inspect the original value and current note. An uncertain row can remain on the reading list without receiving an invented county assignment. ## Separate the published county from the office's region Define the office's intended reading area before selecting rows. Use an approved list of states or counties, with a date and owner. That list describes the office's interests. It does not change the meaning of the public fields. Preserve the source's state and county values in separate fields. Put the office's selection decision in another field. A decision such as “retain for state-level reading” should never overwrite a substituted county value with the clinic's own county. For a county label without a confidentiality marker, use “publisher-listed county” in the working brief. Absence of that marker does not supply an address or premises. Keep the level of detail no more specific than the source supports. For an affected label, consider a separate state-level reading section. Mark that placement as the office's editorial choice. Do not imply that APHIS assigned the detection to the clinic's county, or that state-level inclusion establishes local relevance. If the reading area crosses a state boundary, retain each state's values as supplied. Do not move a substitute point into a neighboring service area because it falls within a chosen distance. The office's selection rule must respect the qualification before any geographic grouping. ## Worked example: two rows need different geographic treatment The following rows are entirely fictional. The place labels and office references are invented. “Exact county” means an unqualified county entry within this exercise, not a verified premises or a real APHIS observation. | Fictional office reference | Fictional state | Fictional county display | Location qualification | Proposed reading-list placement | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Example C | Example State | Meadow County | Exact-county row for this exercise; no substitution marker | Publisher-listed county section | | Example D | Example State | Capitol County, footnote 1 | Confidentiality substitution | State-level section with original county unknown | Assume the office's approved reading area includes Meadow County. Example C can enter the county section under this exercise's assumptions. Its evidence still supports no address, animal identity, or distance from the clinic. Example D requires different wording. Use: “Fictional state record retained for review. County display is a confidentiality substitution; original county is unresolved.” Keep the footnote reference beside the row, even if the reading list is printed. Do not place Example D in Meadow County to complete the county list. Do not describe it as a detection near the state capitol. The substitute display and the unknown underlying location must remain separate in the reader's view. The clinical lead can decide whether the state-level item belongs in the meeting. Record that editorial decision with its date. It changes the office's reading list, while the source qualification remains intact. ## Reject a proximity summary that hides the substitution Suppose a fictional coordinator proposes the headline “Two detections within thirty miles of our clinic.” One row has a publisher-listed county. The other has a substituted location. Neither fictional row supplies the premises needed to support that distance claim. Reject the headline before circulation. Replace it with the actual selection statement: “One county-listed example and one state-level example await review.” Attach the location qualifications and explain which fields supported each placement. Do not resolve the problem by finding a more detailed map. The missing fact is the original location, and the publisher has described a confidentiality substitution. Additional searches for households, farms, or facilities would change the task from briefing preparation to attempted identification. Keep the rejected sentence in the internal correction record with its reason. That example can help future staff recognize an unsupported proximity claim. Do not include a speculative address in the record, even as a rejected candidate. If someone asks for a county risk ranking instead, mark that as outside this worksheet's evidence. A reading-list selection is not a population comparison. Do not turn the number of retained rows into a recommendation about which county is safer. ## Keep species and source coverage beside geography The official CSV has separate State, County, and Species fields. Keep those fields distinct throughout the brief. A place grouping should not erase which species the source actually names. [APHIS mammal CSV, header, accessed 2026.10.28](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/hpai-mammals.csv). If the office chooses a species-specific reading list, label that selection explicitly. Retain the original species value beside any office category. A broad label such as “companion animals” is an editorial grouping and needs its own documented membership rule. APHIS warns that the data may be incomplete. Its notes also describe a September 3, 2024 change in cat reporting coverage. Preserve those limits when selecting the material. [APHIS mammal detections, introductory notice and footnote 2, accessed 2026.10.28](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/mammals). Avoid headings such as “all local infections.” Use the source name, selected species, and selection scope instead. Keep “no selected row in this capture” separate from any statement about whether infection exists in an area. In the worksheet, give unknown geography its own status. Do not treat unknown geography as another species category or a zero-count county. Each describes a different limitation that a future reviewer may need to understand. ## Keep the geography check separate from the date check A correctly qualified location still needs a dated source reference. Record the retrieval timestamp and the date fields retained from the row. A county label alone cannot show when your office obtained the evidence. Use the companion guide to [APHIS mammal detection dates](/articles/aphis-mammal-detection-dates-veterinary-briefing) when a newly noticed row has an older detection date. Keep the chronology question separate from the location qualification. For a fictional example, assume an older state-level record first appears in the office's later capture. The briefing now has two facts to preserve. The office noticed a source difference, and the county remains substituted. Neither resolves the other. Avoid the compressed label “new local case.” That phrase collapses publication history, detection timing, geographic relevance, and clinical interpretation. Write the observed difference and the location limit in separate sentences. Let the lead decide what context belongs in the meeting. If the current source cannot be retrieved, label the capture you still have as historical. Preserve its original notes. A failed update cannot confirm that the location qualification or the public records have remained unchanged. ## Prepare a location worksheet the next reader can check The fields below are editorial recommendations for an internal briefing. They are not an APHIS form or a clinical checklist. Start with the minimum fields that let another staff member reconstruct the selection. | Worksheet field | What belongs in it | | --- | --- | | Reading question | Intended meeting, internal audience, and requested scope | | Office region | Approved state or county selection and its owner | | Source reference | Official page, publisher-linked data file, and capture reference | | Capture time | Retrieval timestamp and explicit time zone | | Original geography | Unedited state, county display, and any associated marker | | Publisher qualification | Applicable note and whether its connection is confirmed | | Geographic status | Publisher-listed county, substituted county, or unresolved value | | Species | Original label and any separate office selection category | | Dates | Original field labels and values, without an inferred event start | | Placement decision | County section, state-level section, or held for clarification | | Excluded inference | Unsupported distance, premises identity, or risk claim removed | | Review | Assigned lead, open question, decision status, and next check | Test the worksheet with one affected row before preparing the full reading list. Ask a second reader to locate the original footnote. Then ask whether the displayed county represents an established underlying county. The answer should follow directly from the qualification. Check the summary after exporting it to a document or email draft. Footnotes can disappear when a table is copied. Keep the qualification in the row itself when the final format cannot carry a reliable footnote reference. ## Keep the handoff useful without recovering protected detail The lead needs the selected records, the selection rule, and the questions left open. A substituted location can remain informative at its documented level. The briefing does not need a household, farm, or patient record to preserve that evidence. Keep accepted corrections in the office's written briefing instructions. The [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) explains how approved source rules can remain available when staff or tools change. Include a worked substitution example beside the rule. The [veterinary intelligence overview](/intelligence/veterinary-clinics) describes the broader public-source review idea. Scale With Search can scope a bounded reading-list workflow with source references, visible qualifications, and a review handoff. [Discuss the scope](/work) Continue the website review: [AI-native veterinary clinics: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-veterinary-clinic-first-functions); [Animal drug application numbers: match a supply notice before asking about clinic stock](/articles/animal-drug-application-number-supply-notice-product-match); [Animal drug supply records: distinguish a shortage, a resolved entry, and a discontinuation](/articles/animal-drug-shortage-resolved-discontinued-records); [APHIS mammal detection dates: prepare a veterinary briefing without inventing an outbreak start](/articles/aphis-mammal-detection-dates-veterinary-briefing); [Veterinarian Google profiles: clinic or practitioner](/articles/veterinarian-google-practitioner-profile); [Veterinary after-hours page: publish a clear handoff](/articles/veterinary-after-hours-website-page); [Veterinary boarding pages: explain the actual service](/articles/veterinary-boarding-website-page); [Veterinary clinic AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/veterinary-clinic-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [Veterinary blog content: name the author and reviewer](/articles/veterinary-clinic-blog-content-review); [Duplicate veterinary Google profiles: identify each one](/articles/veterinary-clinic-duplicate-google-profiles); [Veterinary Google reviews: ask without rating filters](/articles/veterinary-clinic-google-review-requests); [Veterinary clinic local SEO: fix your map presence](/articles/veterinary-clinic-local-seo-map-visibility); [Wrong veterinary booking link on Google: trace it](/articles/veterinary-google-appointment-link-wrong); [Veterinary new-client page: explain the first request](/articles/veterinary-new-client-website-page); [Veterinary service pages: explain which pets you see](/articles/veterinary-service-pages-species); [Veterinary pharmacy links: check the website handoff](/articles/veterinary-website-online-pharmacy-link). [veterinary clinics](/for/veterinary-clinics): website and search resources. ## Related: veterinary clinics - [Veterinarian Google profiles: clinic or practitioner](/articles/veterinarian-google-practitioner-profile) - [Veterinary after-hours page: publish a clear handoff](/articles/veterinary-after-hours-website-page) - [Veterinary boarding pages: explain the actual service](/articles/veterinary-boarding-website-page) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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