Document Record

Summary:

This report compiles information from a wide range of sources and disciplines as well as a range of expert opinions to provide an overview of the current state of international zoonoses surveillance capacities. The report sections describe reviews of active surveillance schemes for both human and animal disease from around the world and examine the issues surrounding each of the key themes of zoonoses surveillance; interdisciplinary cooperation, communication and data flow and novel surveillance approaches. Lessons learned from previous investments in surveillance and monitoring systems are outlined and approaches towards the identification of zoonoses hotspots and other surveillance strategies are discussed. The concluding section draws together the lessons from past activities and makes recommendations for future research priorities to enable improvements and make steps towards the development of the enhanced zoonosis surveillance systems that are needed.

Throughout the report, many of the arguments made are illustrated with reference to six specific zoonotic diseases that were selected to illustrate and reflect the different geographic, policy and socioeconomic scales upon which zoonoses can impact. The selected zoonoses include both neglected zoonoses (brucellosis, rabies, echinococcosis, cysticercosis) and emerging or re-emerging zoonoses (HPAI and Rift Valley Fever (RVF)). The review methodologies described were not restricted to these named pathogens but instead focused upon zoonoses as a whole.