NAHSS Activity Update, June 2005
The NAHSS Steering Committee has developed a strategic plan emphasizing the transition from current surveillance activities to a comprehensive, coordinated and integrated NAHSS. The plan outlines objectives for each of the four NAHSS goals-early detection and global risk surveillance of foreign animal diseases and emerging diseases; enhanced surveillance for current program diseases; and monitoring and surveillance for diseases of major impact on production and marketing.
Classical Swine Fever (CSF) Surveillance Plan
The final details for the first installment of the CSF surveillance plan have been made, which cover two surveillance programs (population-based passive reporting of suspicious CSF cases, and laboratory-based surveillance of serum and tissue submitted from sick pigs). Recent work has centered on developing a third surveillance program (slaughter-based active surveillance of samples collected from swine in TX, FL, and PR). Implementation of these components of the plan will be accomplished in FY06 via State cooperative agreements and contracts and NAHLN funding.
Development of Surveillance Standards
The Surveillance Standards work group is developing a National Surveillance Standards manual that describes standards for (1) key components of animal health surveillance systems, (2) data elements used in surveillance, and (3) database systems, quality assurance, and confidentiality for surveillance data applications. These standards, which are being developed to parallel and support existing guidance whenever possible, will be a powerful tool in the development of new and existing surveillance and facilitate the integration and coordination of surveillance systems.
The CEAH GIS staff is pleased to announce that the VS Atlas Spatial Data Library and VS Atlas Extension for ArcGIS are now available. The VS Atlas is a geographic data library that serves VS' mission in providing a mechanism to distribute spatial data in a standard, easy-to-use format. A key purpose of the VS Atlas is to provide APHIS staff with frequently needed geographic data layers for immediate use in maps and spatial analyses. The VS Atlas Extension is a custom tool that connects directly to the VS Atlas Library and allows users to preview and download spatial data from the VS Atlas Library. The VS Atlas extension, installation guide, and related documents are available at: http://inside.aphis.usda.gov/gis/vs/vs_atlas_home.htm