Disease Surveillance 



In all the following surveillance activities, veterinary practitioners play a key role. 

 Veterinarians in the field are ofl:en the first line of defense against the incursion of a 

 disease. Because the veterinary practitioner is often the first contact person with the 

 owners of livestock or pets, it is imperative that he or she do all that is possible to 

 educate owners, to be aware of unusual clinical signs, to be aware of current disease 

 outbreaks or threats, and to report possible diseases of concern to State or Federal 

 animal health officials. 



The classic action plan for disease control and eradication is as follows: 



1. Find — surveillance; 



2. Contain — prevention of spread from infected herds; and 



3. Eradicate — elimination of the disease. 



In a disease eradication program, it is critically important to recognize that an 

 effective surveillance system is a critical first step that must be in place to be 

 successful. It is imperative to ( 1 ) be able to find the disease in order to eliminate 

 it, and (2) find the disease before it has had a chance to spread. If the disease can 

 be identified and eliminated before it has had a chance to spread, eradication can 

 be achieved. 



The mission of APHIS-VS is to protect and improve the health, quality, and 

 marketability of our Nation's animals, animal products, and veterinary biologies 

 by preventing, controlling, or eliminating animal diseases and monitoring and 

 promoting animal health and productivity. To accomplish this, it is critical to be able 

 to detect foreign animal diseases and emerging domestic diseases, monitor disease 

 trends and threats in the United States and other countries, detect risk, evaluate 

 disease control and eradication programs, and provide adequate animal health 

 information. Animal health surveillance plays a key role in accomplishing these goals. 



The National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS) is a comprehensive, 

 integrated, coordinated system created to detect events and trends related to animal 

 health for all stakeholders involved in public, animal, and environmental health. The 

 system provides a dynamic knowledge base for actions designed to reduce morbidity, 

 mortality, and economic losses while improving animal health, productivity, 

 marketability, and product safety. Such a system is the foundation for animal health, 

 public health, food safety, and environmental health. 



In addition to the obvious role surveillance plays in monitoring endemic diseases 

 and providing actionable information for disease eradication programs (e.g., for 



