Surveillance cuts – threats or opportunities?
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Professor Dirk Pfeiffer
Recent cuts in government funding precipitated a critical review of disease surveillance by the state veterinary service and the establishment of a full independent ‘Surveillance Review’, chaired by Professor Dirk Pfeiffer from the Epidemiology Department at the Royal Veterinary College, London.
Presenting the top line recommendations of the review at the BVA Congress, Professor Pfeiffer said that it was a question of balancing the tensions between “public good and protection of trade” with ongoing “monitoring of endemic disease”.
He suggested that other key factors include early detection of new or emerging diseases, access to diagnostic material and integration with data from multiple sources. There is a need for timely expert investigation capacity, systematic engagement of stakeholders, training of undergraduates and strategic delivery and assurance.
In a complementary presentation, Linda Smith from the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) confirmed that ‘scanning surveillance’ plays a vital role in the control of notifiable and non-notifiable disease and is a crucial part of disease detection.
She said that recent changes in the organisation of the APHA (formerly the AHVLA) are part of an ongoing process to remove inconsistencies, yet to preserve and consolidate expertise. There is a need to focus on new and emerging threats with an emphasis on input from practising vets.
“On the other hand, the APHA is not a subsidised diagnostic service, infallible, a means of creating income for APHA, or in competition with private sector,” she said. “And, above all, it is not a threat!
“‘Known unknowns’ are always a focus of our attention, and it is worrying that a significant proportion of farmed livestock do not have a veterinary surgeon – ‘hobby’ farms being a particular hazard in terms of movement controls.”
Reassuring delegates, Mrs Smith listed all the recommendations of the ‘Surveillance Review’ that had already been implemented. There is a comprehensive carcase collection service in place, extended training for vets, and a Surveillance Intelligence Group with species expert groups and species-based centres.
There are plans to encourage more practitioners to carry out post-mortems and enhanced IT systems are being set up to enable direct taccess to diagnostic results.
Points raised from the floor included the vision of veterinary schools providing complementary diagnostic facilities for private practices; an apparent gap in the current arrangements in surveillance of diseases in companion animals; and the importance of including data from private diagnostic laboratories.
Concluding the session, Professor Pfeiffer said that for surveillance to be successful, it was critical that elements of competition were removed and that all stakeholders collaborated to the very best of their expertise and ability.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
