Epidemiology and Control of Notifiable Animal Diseases

Book excerpt: Surveillance, early detection, control and eradication of notifiable animal diseases is of critical importance for countries in order to maintain or improve their animal health status. This requires the collaboration of all stakeholders involved including animal health authorities, livestock industry and veterinary research institutions among others. Prevention, control and eradication programs must take into account the characteristics of the host (including potential reservoirs), the pathogen (transmissibility, virulence…) and the environment (temperature, animal density…) but also the socio-economic context in which they have to be implemented (highly influenced by funding availability), while at the same time guaranteeing compliance with international trade regulations. This has led to the adoption of a wide range of approaches to address the risk posed by specific pathogens in different countries, and at the same time similar strategies have yielded very different results in different regions. This Research Topic includes a variety of manuscripts focusing on different aspects of surveillance, control and eradication of diseases of critical importance for livestock, including cattle, swine and wildlife, in an attempt to provide an overview of the current situation in different countries.