Veterinary syndromic surveillance: Current initiatives and potential for development

Area of Science:

• Veterinary epidemiology
• Public health surveillance
• One Medicine

Background:

• Syndromic surveillance systems are crucial for early detection of animal disease outbreaks.
• Recent developments focus on integrating animal health data for broader public health insights.
• The
• One Medicine
• concept emphasizes the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in veterinary syndromic surveillance systems.
• To identify systems focused on outbreak detection using systematic monitoring of animal population data.
• To explore the evolution of veterinary syndromic surveillance towards public health applications.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted.
• Systems were identified based on their explicit focus on outbreak detection and systematic monitoring.
• The review analyzed the progress, data sources, challenges, and future directions of these systems.

Main Results:

• Developments in veterinary syndromic surveillance extend beyond animal health to include animal sentinels for public health.
• Clinical and laboratory data are primary information sources, with exploration of additional data streams.
• Challenges include data availability, classification, integration, and connecting surveillance outputs to decision support systems.

Conclusions:

• Diagnostic laboratories offer the most accessible data for veterinary syndromic surveillance currently.
• Consolidating data standards and integrating animal and public health surveillance systems are critical next steps.
• Effective disease management and control depend on linking systematic monitoring outputs to real-time decision support.