One Health Surveillance

Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by an RNA virus from the family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus. Worldwide distributed, control of rabies has been considered to be particularly amenable to a “One Health” strategy (1). In Chile, rabies was considered endemic in domestic dog population until the late 1960s, when a surveillance program was established, decreasing the number of human cases related to canine variants until the year 1972 (2). Rabies is recognized as a endemic infection in chiropterans of Chile and prompted the surveillance of the agent in this and other species (3).

Objective

This study aims to analyze the evolution of the epidemiological behavior of rabies in Chile during the period 2003 to 2013, through the epidemiological characterization of a number of variables and description of spatial and temporal patterns of animal cases.

Zoonoses account for over 70% of emerging infectious diseases in humans. In recent years, global public health security has been threatened by zoonotic disease emergence as exemplified by outbreaks of H5N1 and H1N1 influenza, SARS, and most recently Ebola. The occurrence of a number of these zoonoses, and their spread to new areas, is related to globalization, environmental changes, and marginalization of populations. This phenomenon holds true for Latin American and the Caribbean countries (LAC), where 70% of the events public health emergencies reported to the WHO from 2007 to 2008 in the Americas were classified as zoonoses or communicable diseases common to humans and animals. Despite this record, there are no national or regional disease burden estimates in LAC for many zoonoses. To start filling this void, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conducted a survey of LAC countries to collect information on priority emerging and endemic zoonoses, countries prioritization criteria and methodologies, and suggestions to strengthen countries capacities and regional approaches to zoonoses control.

Objective

To take the first step in identifying how American countries can strengthen their capacities to manage zoonoses risks by capturing information regarding their national zoonoses programs and priorities.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can enhance public health surveillance (PHS) by facilitating the digital exchange of information. Electronic surveillance (e-Surveillance) is the use of electronic systems to empower the digitization of PHS functions of prevention, detection, and response. E-Surveillance maximizes compliance with the International Health Regulations (2005), enables efficient Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response, and empowers One Health.

In Africa, e-Health is hindered by donor-funded, short-term projects known as “pilotitus.” Proactive national leadership is required to establish a sustainable e-Surveillance program; an assessment and a strategic plan are the first steps.

Therefore, the One Health e-Surveillance Initiative (OHSI) was conceived and piloted by Public Health Practice, LLC (PHP) and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), with support by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Objective

1) To establish One Health workgroups and conduct an e-Surveillance assessment to inform national strategic planning efforts in pilot countries. 2) To provide evidence for the African Surveillance Informatics Governance Board (ASIGB) to address its mission of establishing e-Surveillance.

Rabies is endemic in Tanzania and has circulated on Pemba Island since the late 1990s. In 2010, an elimination programme was initiated in Southern Tanzania to demonstrate that human rabies deaths can be eliminated through mass dog vaccinations. We used active surveillance approaches to investigate the dynamics of rabies across the area where this programme was implemented.

Objective

Using active surveillance approaches to investigate the transmission dynamics of rabies on Pemba Island and across Southern Tanzania, whilst a large-scale dog vaccination program was underway, to gain a greater understanding of the dynamics of infection as the disease is driven towards elimination.

Rabies is endemic in Georgia with up to 100 confirmed cases in animals per year. There is an estimated 350,000 domestic and stray dogs/cats in Georgia. The prophylactic vaccination of domestic animals against rabies was reestablished in Georgia in 2013. Each year since 2013, coverage has increased aiming to cover approximately 70% of the total population of dogs/cats in Georgia.

Objective

The objective of this survey was to study vaccination coverage and quality in dogs in Georgia through the detection of post-vaccination antibodies.

Brucellosis is one of the most widespread zoonosis in the world. Only 17 countries informed WHO that their territory is free from brucellosis. About 500 thousand cases of brucellosis in humans are registered in the world each year. The problem of brucellosis has remained actual to agriculture and health care for many years. Almost all agricultural animals are highly susceptible to brucellosis. Socio-economic significance of brucellosis problem is determined by peculiarities of the course of the disease and the main contingent that can be infected, namely the working population that is connected with both professional factors and social reasons. Brucellosis is a chronic infectious disease. The disease in animals has the following signs: abortions and retention of secundines, orchitis, unviable litter and sterility. Brucellosis is included to the list of quarantine diseases due to its social threat. 

Objective

Analysis of brucellosis monitoring in agricultural animals in Ukraine to control epizootic situation and prevent possible brucellosis in humans. 

Domestic swine have been viewed as important for the adaptation and spillover of IA from birds into human populations as they are sensitive to both avian and mammalian (including human) influenza viruses [1]. However, in much of Eurasia and North America wild swine are geographically widespread, abundant and often come in close contact with humans in rural and agricultural settings. Until recently, little attention has been paid to this as an alternate route for IA transmission to human and domestic populations and its significance is not clear.

Therefore, the monitoring of the exposure of wild mammals to IA was viewed as essential as potential vectors impacting domestic animals and public health.

Objective

A preliminary serological survey was carried out to assess the likelihood of Influenza A (IA) infection in wild boars and begin to characterize the role of wild boars in the epidemiology of the IA virus.

Since the majority of emerging infectious diseases over the past several decades have been zoonotic, animal health surveillance is now recognized as a key element in predicting public health risks. Surveillance of animal populations can provide important early warnings of emerging threats to human populations from bioterrorism or naturally occurring infectious disease epidemics. This study investigated current animal data collection and surveillance systems, isolated major gaps in state and national surveillance capabilities, and provided recommendations to fill those gaps.

Objective

To identify gaps in current U.S. animal data collection and surveillance systems, describe how surveillance of animal populations can provide important early warnings of emerging threats to human populations from infectious disease epidemics, and explain the benefits of integrating human and animal surveillance data into a common linked system.

An increasing number of geo-coded information streams are available with possible use in disease surveillance applications. In this setting, multivariate modeling of health and non-health data allows assessment of concurrent patterns among data streams and conditioning on one another. Therefore it is appropriate to consider the analysis of their spatial distributions together. Specifically for vector-borne diseases, knowledge of spatial and temporal patterns of vector distribution could inform incidence in humans. Tularemia is an infectious disease endemic in North America and parts of Europe. In Finland tularemia is typically mosquito-transmitted with rodents serving as a host; however, a country-wide understanding of the relationship between rodents and the disease in humans is still lacking. We propose a methodology to help understand the association between human tularemia incidence and rodent population levels. 

Objective

We seek to integrate multiple streams of geo-coded information with the aim to improve public health surveillance accuracy and efficiency. Specifically for vector-borne diseases, knowledge of spatial and temporal patterns of vector distribution can help early prediction of human incidence. To this end, we develop joint modeling approaches to evaluate the contribution of vector or reservoir information on early prediction of human cases. A case study of spatiotemporal modeling of tularemia human incidence and rodent population data from Finnish health care districts during the period 1995-2013 is provided. Results suggest that spatial and temporal information of rodent abundance is useful in predicting human cases. 

Aquatic birds are the main reservoirs of influenza viruses, however, pigs represent an essential host in virus ecology as they are susceptible to both avian and human influenza viruses. Circulating zoonotic influenza (A/H7N9, A/H5N1, and A/H3N2v) viruses could mutate into forms easily transmissible from human-to-human and become a public health concern. Georgia is located along routes used by migrating birds where different species of aquatic birds are found. In 2006, highly pathogenic influenza virus A/H5N1 was detected in two wild swans in Adjara (western Georgia). Moreover, in the frame of wild bird surveillance, various subtypes of influenza A viruses were detected in mallard and gulls in Georgia (Lewis, 2013). Thus domestic animals in Georgia have a potential chance to contract influenza viruses from wild birds. 

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify zoonotic influenza viruses in swine and poultry populations in Georgia and to define their pandemic potential.