National Animal Health Surveillance System Outlook
Issue 5, April 2005
The NAHSS Outlook is an electronic communication with information about the National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS) that is distributed via email to all members of Veterinary Services. Contact the National Surveillance Unit to provide comments and suggestions for future topics.
Articles in This Issue:
- The Rapid Syndrome Validation Project for Animals (RSVP-A) - Augmenting Contact with the Network of Accredited Veterinarians
- Measuring and Improving Data Quality, Part II - Measuring Data Quality
- Surveillance for Low Pathogenicity H5 and H7 Subtypes of Avian Influenza Virus through the Prevention and Control Program in the Live Bird Marketing System
- Veterinary Services Emergency Management Response System
- Avian Influenza in Waterfowl, Part II - The Role of Wild and Domestic Waterfowl in Avian Influenza Surveillance Programs
The Rapid Syndrome Validation Project- Animal (RSVP-A) is an animal health surveillance system that uses mobile information systems technology with the intent to improve our country's ability to detect emerging and foreign animal disease outbreaks at early stages. The RSVP-A system requests veterinarians first select a syndrome (out of a list of six) that the animal's clinical presentation most resembles. They then enter the data, by a variety of convenient methods, into the RSVP-A system. Subsequently, veterinarians at all levels of animal health management have real-time access to this data, allowing for improved communication and treatment decisions. Read more about the RSVP-A .
Measuring and Improving Data Quality, Part II - Measuring Data Quality
In the first installment of this four-part series on data quality, Michael Martin of Clemson University gave real world examples of "data gone bad." While it's true that data problems are common sources of frustration and it often seems impossible to improve the quality of the data we work with, proven methods for improving data quality do exist. Data quality can be measured by many dimensions, and different "customers" often have different expectations regarding data quality attributes. While we tend to focus on validity and integrity, there are finer points to data quality. Once we have a clear definition of what we mean by data quality within our own applications in Veterinary Services, we can begin to apply proven methods towards data quality improvements within our organization. Read more about Measuring and Improving Data Quality.
Since its creation in 1998, the purpose of the Live Bird Market Working Group has been to address the issues involved with the prevention and control of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) in the live bird marketing system. States, APHIS-VS, and industry are working together to develop and implement a program that will be effective in reducing the incidence of the virus in the live bird market system and therefore, the risk of the disease to the commercial industry. Standards have been developed that require the responsibility for control and prevention of LPAI to be equally shared between the market suppliers, distributors and live bird markets via licensing, education, training, bird testing, recording keeping, biosecurity, surveillance, inspections and test-positive response requirements. Read more about Surveillance for Low Pathogenicity H5 and H7 Subtypes of Avian Influenza Virus through the Prevention and Control Program in the Live Bird Marketing System
Veterinary Services Emergency Management Response System
The Emergency Management Response System (EMRS) is a web-based Lotus Notes application used by APHIS for reporting and management of routine foreign animal disease (FAD) investigations and response to animal disease or natural disaster emergencies.The EMRS system has successfully supported VS teams during the exotic Newcastle disease outbreak, bovine spongiform encephalopathy incident, three avian influenza surveillance activities, and the Southwestern vesicular stomatitis outbreak. The EMRS enables veterinarians, epidemiologists and emergency response management personnel to respond more quickly to changes in emergency response dynamics and deliver accurate and timely information to the decision-makers, government institutions and the public. Click here to learn more about EMRS. Read more about the Emergency Management Response System
Most researchers agree that high-pathogenicity AI outbreaks in commercial poultry most likely originate from wild waterfowl that are endemically infected with low-pathogenicity AI. However, low-pathogenicity Influenza A subtypes capable of mutating to high-pathogenicity AI have also been recovered through live bird market surveillance programs. When it comes to prioritizing surveillance efforts, focusing surveillance on live bird markets, wild bird die-offs, and domestic duck operations may prove to be the wisest use of resources. Read more about the Role of Wild and Domestic Waterfowl in Avian Influenza Surveillance Programs .