One Health and its practical implications for surveillance of endemic zoonotic diseases in resource limited settings

Surveillance of zoonotic disease requires special attention because the animal and human health sectors are involved. A proliferation of scholarly literature and technical guidelines exist for early detection of exotic and re-emerging diseases and to demonstrate freedom from disease as part of international trade agreements. In contrast, literature focussing on surveillance of endemic zoonotic diseases is relatively rare. In this article, we describe and discuss the main aspects to consider when planning a surveillance system for endemic zoonotic diseases in a resource-limited country. We describe advantages and disadvantages of different active and passive surveillance systems and explore how risk-based sampling might improve efficiency and reduce costs, and which tools are available to identify high-risk populations.

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