Health and disease - surveillance

Question 1

What is surveillance?

Answer 1

• the systematic, ongoing or repeated measurement, collection, collation, analysis, interpretation and timely dissemination
• of animal health related data
• essential for describing hazard occurence and for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of risk mitigation measures

Question 2

What is the purpose of surveillance?

Answer 2

• scanning (passive) surveillance - detect new diseases
• demonstrate freedom from disease
• describe the level and distribution of specified diseases (including surveys, active surveillance)
• describe changes in the health of the pop or changes that threaten the pop
• detect threats to human health
• provide evidence in support of international trade
• detect cases to facilitate control

Question 3

How do you deal with NRT - new and emerging threats?

Answer 3

• aim to detect early -> prevelance low
• passive surveillance
  
  • NRT has clinical impact on livestock
  • viligance by keepers
  • vet advice sought
  • NRT is distinct to endemic conditions
  • vet seeks advice from lab
  • lab has knowledge, experience, resources and motivation
  • evidence is effectively collated and communicated

Question 4

What is a sporadic event?

Answer 4

• unpredictable, haphazard occurence of disease that cannot be linked to other incidents

Question 5

What is endemic?

Answer 5

• constant presence/ usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geopgraphical area

Question 6

What is an epidemic?

Answer 6

• an increase, often sudden, of the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area
• need not affect many individuals nor be widespread

Question 7

What is an outbreak?

Answer 7

• the occurence of cases of disease in excess of what would be norally expected in a defined community, geographical area or season
• an outbreak may occur in a restricted geographical area, or may extend over several countries
• may last for a few days, weeks or several years

Question 8

What is a pandemic?

Answer 8

• an epidemic occuring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting a large number of individuals or holdings

Question 9

What would these be?

Answer 9

Question 10

What was the Scottish governments 4 stage plan to eradicate BVD?

Answer 10

• 1 - subsidised screening
• 2 - annual mandatory screening
• 3 - control measures
  
  • ban on moving BVD +ve animals
  • BVD status declared before sale
  • restrictions on untested herds
• 4 - enhanced testing, movement restrictions (2015)
  
  • movement restrictions on not -ve animals
  • a reduction in number of testing options
  • test replacement animals

Question 11

Give examples of notifiable diseases

Answer 11

• anthraz
• Aujeszkys Disease
• BTV
• Brucella
• Crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever
• echinococcosis
• equine enchephalomyeltis
• FMD
• Newworld screw worm
• paratubeculosis
• Q fever
• rabies
• rift valley fever
• rinderpest
• surra
• tichinellosis
• tularaemia
• vesicular stomitis
• west nile

Question 12

What is the OIE?

Answer 12

• World Organisation for Animal Health - Office International des Epizooties
• need to fight animal health on a global scale - 1924
• May 2003 - officially named
• reference for WHO
• 180 Member countries - give info which is disseminated to others

Question 13

What does freedom from disease allow?

Answer 13

• trade and transport
• consider surveillance system sensitivity
  
  • probability of detectiion
  • test sensitvity
  • coverage
  • representativeness
• use of formal surveys - confident

Question 14

What are the factors influencing disease reporting?

Answer 14

• disease factors - severity, animal type
• farm factors - type, farmer experience, attitude
• vet factors - practise type, experience, attitude
• relationships - vet/ lab/ farmer
• economics/ logistics - animal value, consequences, disease cost

Question 15

In the surveillance of avian influenza in wild birds what do you target spp according to?

Answer 15

• predominant risk species spp
• size of wild bird pop
• seasonality of migration
• migratory flyways
• co-location of wild spp and domestic poultry
• passive surveillance of dead/diseased birds - observed increased mortality
• active - clinically healrthy birds - focused on migratory spp of Orders Anseriformed and Charadriiformes