Surveillance Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is the definition of surveillance?
Systematic continuous observation of populations, and collection and analysis of data from many varied sources
What is the purpose of Surveillance?
For rapid detection and timely, appropriate response to important health events.
- Rapid detection of disease outbreaks (early detection prevents catastrophic losses) Ex. FMD in UK 2001
- Support disease control and eradication
- Assess population health and safety of food products
- Produce information about disease
- Evaluate disease control/biosecurity programs
What are the Goals of surveillance?
- To maintain and improve animal welfare, animal health and economic viability of animal-based food production systems
- Protection of public health by control of zoonotic and food borne diseases
What are OIE member nations’ duties in regards to assessing the health of populations and safety of food products?
- Member nations are obligated to estimate the disease risk associated with their animals and animal products (amt of disease or freedom of disease)
- Essential for trade
- Requires surveillance, well-trained vets, diagnostic labs and legislation to facilitate disease control
- Member nations are required to report the occurrence of listed and emerging diseases
- Requires OIE acceptable surveillance
- Borders will close if trade limiting disease is detected
- Borders can be closed if a nation has substandard surveillance, even if no disease is detected
What is the information produced about diseases (i.e. their importance, changing distribution, changing risk factors, etc) used for?
The information is used for:
- Setting research priorities
- Emergency preparedness
- Government directed disease control programs
- Veterinarians and farmers to manage disease
How is surveillance helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of disease control, biosecurity and border security programs?
Surveillance can detect failure of biosecurity and border security, thus helping to improve future security.
What are the 3 components of surveillance?
- Detection
- Response
- Communication
What is the definition and goal of Detection?
Detection is the observation of a population or collection, analysis and interpretation of data from a population (outbreak investigation and diagnostic pathology)
Goal is timely detection and ID of:
- Important disease events in the population
- Changes in health status of the population
- Changes in risk factors for diseases in a population
What is the definition and goal of Response?
Response is the immediate reaction to disease outbreaks and events considered part of surveillance
Goal is timely, appropriate response to disease events to:
- Minimize the impact (loss of animals, productivity, etc)
- Minimize the cost of the response
What is the goal of Communication?
To produce and communicate timely accurate info about the health or disease status of the population for:
- Outbreak response
- Disease control and management
What is Animal Health Surveillance?
The surveillance of animals for diseases of importance in animals and in people
What is Public Health Surveillance?
The surveillance of people for human diseases
What is Biosurveillance?
The surveillance of humans, animals and plants for diseases affecting any or all of them
What is Food Safety Surveillance?
The surveillance of food production chains and people for food safety risks and foodborne diseases
What are the 4 types of surveillance?
- Passive surveillance
- Active surveillance
- Sentinel surveillance
- Targeted surveillance
What are the characteristics of Passive Surveillance?
- Little or no control over who provides samples/data
- Submission is initiated by and at the discretion of the sample/data provider
- *Is the most common type of surveillance
What are some examples of Passive Surveillance in use today?
- Reportable disease programs - while mandatory, vets, labs, farmers, etc, initiate the reporting at their discretion (ex. Rabies, Scrapie, Foodborne illness, etc)
- Sero-surveys at auction markets and slaughter plants - animals are presented for sale or slaughter at the owner’s discretion
- Diagnostic lab submission surveillance - owners/vets/physicians submit samples at their discretion
- Real time surveillance (emergency rooms, hospital records, sales of pharmaceuticals, public school absenteeism)
- Promed mail
- Digital disease surveillance
What are the pros of passive surveillance?
- Reportable disease programs provide continuous surveillance
- Lab surveillance can detect emerging diseases
- It is inexpensive
What are the cons of passive surveillance?
- Little control over who provides data/samples
- Not a representative sample of the population
- Won’t work for less valued animals that don’t use veterinary services
- If disease is stigmatized, farmers won’t report
What are the characteristics of Active Surveillance?
- Involves the committed effort of the veterinary/health authority to identify subjects for data or samples.
- Vets initiate sample/data collection by identifying the surveillance subjects.
- Vets call, visit, and actively seek out cases of disease or data
What are the pros of Active Surveillance?
- Can be representative of the population, making valid estimates of the amount of disease and importance of disease in the population, but requires being able to identify all individuals in the population
What are the cons of Active Surveillance?
- Very expensive and labor intensive
- Usually done once or intermittently - not good for early detection of outbreaks or emerging diseases
- Sometimes may not be representative of the population - if you can’t identify all individuals in the population
What are the characteristics of Sentinel Surveillance?
- A small group is monitored as an indicator of the greater population health or disease risk (ex. sentinel farms, veterinary practices, physicians)
What are the pros of Sentinel Surveillance?
- Less expensive than monitoring the whole population
- Often the only method available
- Allows intensive, multiple testing…. early warning
