It is through the use of specialist veterinarians and epidemiologists that we are able to call ourselves contingency planning specialists. Not only have our staff trained people in the development and set up of national disease monitoring strategies, but they have also implemented systems in numerous countries aiming to meet the stringent EU requirements.

Animal disease surveillance forms a major part of the activities and functions of national veterinary services. This is important as it provides the means of determining the health and infection status of national and regional animal populations. This enables the maintenance of health and welfare of  the public’s health in the case of zoonotic pathogens. Surveillance of foodborne zoonotic pathogens has clearly become a high priority.

IVEC has demonstrated its ability to develop systems for collecting, processing analysing and summarising data, as well as disseminating the information to the appropriate individuals to ensure the correct use of the data. Not only has IVEC worked within the development of the data collection systems but also in the actual development of national disease surveillance schemes.

Key to the development of national disease surveillance systems, is the ability to draw on existing information sources; and where these sources are not available then they must be developed and the systems put in place to allow data accumulation. IVEC has internal expertise which collates existing information sources e.g. from national censuses and surveys, and also develops data capture systems from regional laboratories, slaughterhouses, farms and veterinary practices. The use of up to the minute computer data collection and retrieval packages enables IVEC to implement high quality systems.