About the National Surveillance Unit
The National Surveillance Unit (NSU) was established by Veterinary Services in 2003 to coordinate activities related to U.S. animal health surveillance; to focus on surveillance evaluation, integration, and enhancement; and to address the recommendations regarding surveillance in the 2001 Animal Health Safeguarding Review. The NSU is the first unit within VS with personnel devoted solely to surveillance and surveillance enhancement.
The NSU develops and enhances national animal health surveillance through evaluation, design, analysis, prioritization and integration. Specific responsibilities are to:
- Coordinate and integrate surveillance activities to maximize the efficiency of national animal health surveillance;
- Lead the planning and design of surveillance strategies and make recommendations to implement these strategies;
- Work with the National Center for Animal Health Programs (NCAHP) and the Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH) to enhance surveillance of program diseases*, foreign animal diseases, and emerging animal diseases;
- Provide a focal point for the collection, analysis and dissemination of surveillance information for the purposes of action planning and risk analysis, both domestic and international;
- Evaluate the overall efficacy of the National Animal Health Surveillance System and specific surveillance tools, and
- Develop collaborations, both within and outside of Veterinary Services, necessary to carry out elements of this charge
Successful partnerships and collaborations are essential to the NSU's success, and the Unit is committed to serving its partners within Veterinary Services and collaborating with agencies outside of APHIS to enhance U.S. animal health surveillance initiatives. The NSU works closely with the National Center for Animal Health Programs , which is responsible for managing and implementing program disease* surveillance. The NSU works under the direction of the Veterinary Services' National Surveillance Coordinator as well as reporting to the Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health.
The NSU is committed to (1) demonstrating scientific and professional integrity, (2) providing efficient, flexible and responsive service, (3) respecting each other, our partners and our customers; and (4) fostering a culture of freedom within a framework.