Implementing wildlife disease surveillance in the Netherlands, a One Health approach

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Epidemiology
• Wildlife Health
• Pathogen Surveillance

Background:

• Wildlife disease surveillance provides objective evidence of pathogen circulation relevant to public and veterinary health.
• Integrating multiple institutions into national wildlife disease surveillance programs presents both benefits and challenges.
• Documenting existing surveillance efforts is essential for policy-makers to identify gaps and set priorities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe current wildlife disease surveillance activities in the Netherlands.
• To provide a basis for policy-makers to improve national surveillance programs.
• To highlight the need for flexible resource allocation for emerging pathogen detection.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing wildlife disease surveillance activities in the Netherlands.
• Documentation of participating research institutions.
• Analysis of current surveillance program structures.

Main Results:

• A description of the current landscape of wildlife disease surveillance in the Netherlands.
• Identification of the institutions involved in these surveillance efforts.
• Understanding of the complexities in integrating multi-institutional surveillance.

Conclusions:

• Continued funding for current wildlife disease surveillance is recommended.
• Flexible allocation of surveillance resources is crucial for detecting and responding to novel or emerging pathogens.
• Structured overviews of wildlife disease surveillance in other countries are valuable for international collaboration.