National Animal Health Surveillance System Outlook
Issue 16, November 2007
The NAHSS Outlook is an electronic communication with information about the National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS) that is distributed via email to all members of Veterinary Services. Contact the National Surveillance Unit to provide comments and suggestions for future topics.
Articles in This Issue:
- Partnerships Key to Effective Wildlife Surveillance
- Surveillance a Key Topic an USAHA / AAVLD Meeting
- New Developments Under Way in NAHRS
- CEAH Realignment Announced
Click here for updates on the APHIS Administrator's Award for Animal Health that was presented to Dr. Francois Elvinger at the 2007 USAHA / AAVLD meeting; CEAH's collaboration on a feral swine project, and NAHRS launches new reporting software.
Partnerships Key to Effective Wildlife Surveillance
Surveillance and monitoring for wildlife disease is becoming increasingly important for public and animal health. Many new and emerging livestock and human diseases may first appear in wildlife. And, wildlife health is important for conservation management and may serve as an indicator of environmental health. Partnerships and cooperation among various groups and agencies are critical to effective wildlife disease surveillance and monitoring. For some diseases, programs that include wildlife surveillance may support domestic animal health, increase international trade and consumer confidence in products, or protect public health. A number of national collaborative efforts for disease surveillance in wildlife are under way. Continue reading this article.
Surveillance a Key Topic an USAHA / AAVLD Meeting
Surveillance was a frequently discussed topic at the annual United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) meeting and American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) conference last month in Reno, Nevada. Surveillance-related presentations included comprehensive and integrated surveillance; surveillance for brucellosis, scrapie, vesicular disease, and emerging diseases; foot-and-mouth disease modeling; non-traditional data sources for surveillance, information technology systems in surveillance. In addition, disease reporting, and the state of the NAHSS. Read more.
New Developments Under Way in NAHRS
A number of new developments are under way in the National Animal Health Reporting System (NAHRS), including release of a new version of the online reporting application. The application enables State animal health officials to complete their monthly NAHRS reports via the Internet, with assurance of secure data transfer and information confidentiality. Among the enhancements of the online tool are new options for States to report equine infectious anemia. As of October, 46 States were participating in NAHRS, which is designed to collect data from States on the presence of confirmed World Organization for Health (OIE) reportable diseases. Expansion of NAHRS aquaculture reporting is also moving forward. More about NAHRS.
A realignment of the Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH) in Fort Collins, CO, has been announced by CEAH Director Larry Granger. The realignment proposal was based on recommendations from the CEAH management team as well as CEAH employees. The changes will include a renewed focus on shared priorities, projects, and multidisciplinary teams across the centers. A key component of the realignment is a new Office for Collaboration and International Coordination. The new office will focus on strengthening CEAH's collaborative efforts on on animal-health issues and projects with international and domestic groups and agencies as well as universities. Read more about the CEAH realignment.