Comparison of alternatives to passive surveillance to detect foot and mouth disease incursions in Victoria, Australia

Enhancing bovine abortion surveillance: A learning experience

Abortions and perinatal mortalities (APM) substantially affect cattle industry efficiency. Various infectious and noninfectious factors have been associated with bovine APM worldwide. Infections are often considered pivotal due to their abortifacient potential, leading laboratories to primarily investigate relevant infectious agents for APM cases. Some infectious causes, such as Brucella abortus, have also a zoonotic impact, necessitating monitoring for both animal and human health. However, underreporting of bovine APM is a global issue, affecting early detection of infectious and zoonotic causes. Previous studies identified factors influencing case submission, but regional characteristics may affect results. In Belgium, farmers are obliged to report cases of APM within the context of a national brucellosis monitoring program. The inclusion criteria for this monitoring program cover abortions (gestation length of 42-260 d) and perinatal mortalities of (pre)mature calves following a gestation length of more than 260 d, which were stillborn or died within 48 h after birth. The objective of the present study was to describe the evolution in submission of APM cases within a mandatory abortion monitoring program in relation to subsidized initiatives in the northern part of Belgium. Based on the proportion of APM submissions versus the proportion of bovine reproductive females, an APM proportion (APMPR) was calculated, and factors at both animal and herd level that may influence this APMPR were explored by using linear models. This evaluation revealed that the APMPR increased with the introduction of an extensive analytical panel of abortifacient agents and a free on-farm sample collection from 0.44% to 0.94%. Additionally, an increase of the APMPR was associated with an outbreak of an emerging abortifacient pathogen (Schmallenberg virus; 1.23%), and the introduction of a mandatory eradication program for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDv; 1.20%). The APMPR was higher in beef compared with dairy cattle, and it was higher in winter compared with fall, spring, and summer. Smaller herds categorized in the first quartile had a higher APMPR compared with larger herds. Herds that submitted an APM in the previous year had a higher APMPR in the next year compared with herds without an APM submission. Finally, herds for which there was evidence of the presence of BVDv had a higher APMPR compared with herds without evidence of the presence of BVDv. In conclusion, the number of APM submissions increased after the introduction of a free on-farm sample collection and an extensive pathogen screening panel. Production type (beef), season (winter), smaller herd size, previous APM, and presence of BVDv seemed to have a positive effect on APMPR. However, even under mandatory circumstances, APM still seems to be underreported, since the APMPR was lower than the expected minimal rate of 2%. Therefore, further research is necessary to identify the drivers that convince farmers to submit APM cases to improve submission rates and ensure an efficient monitoring program for APM and eventually associated zoonotic pathogens.

A participatory approach to understand the attitudes and perceptions towards priority endemic cattle diseases among dairy farmers and animal health experts in Henan province, China

The dairy industry is threatened by a variety of endemic diseases and emerging diseases, and various control programs have been initiated in China. The increased application of evidence to policymaking can help improve the efficiency of disease control programs; however, the relevant research literature is currently lacking. The objective of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the attitudes and perceptions towards priority endemic diseases among dairy farmers and animal health experts by taking Henan province of China as the example and using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, respectively. This study involved 24 farmers and 27 animal health experts from December 2019 to January 2021. The diseases considered by farmers to be of significance to their animals are different from those considered priorities by the participating experts and the government list. From the perspective of the individual farmers, the effects of zoonotic disease risks such as bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis appear to be less pronounced than "visible" losses at the farm level, contrary to the opinion of experts. Participating experts believed that poor on-farm biosecurity measures posed challenges to the control and eradication of priority endemic diseases; however, there are gaps in farmers' understanding of biosecurity principles, and low motivations to take such disease prevention measures. Several other challenges to the control and eradication of priority endemic diseases also emerged in the data, including the lack of diagnostic tools applicable in the field as well as differential diagnostic tools to differentiate natural infection from vaccination, lack of effective and commercially available vaccines against single or multiple pathogen(s) or new genotypes/serotypes, weak early warning and information networks and insufficient economic compensation. A holistic understanding of people's perceptions of disease control would facilitate the implementation of inclusive and engaging disease control strategies, thereby increasing the efficiency of disease control.

Prevalence, distribution, and risk factors of bovine tuberculosis in dairy cattle in central China

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of the priority epidemic diseases in dairy cattle in China. Continuous surveillance and evaluation of the control programs will help on improving the efficiency of bTB control policy. We designed this study to investigate both animal and herd level prevalence of bTB, as well as to determine the associated factors in dairy farms in Henan and Hubei provinces. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2019 to September 2020 in central China (Henan and Hubei provinces). We sampled 40 herds in Henan and six herds in Hubei via stratified systematic sampling and administrated a questionnaire consisting of 35 factors. A total of 4900 whole blood samples were collected from 46 farms, including 545 calves < six months old and 4355 cows ≥ six months old. This study demonstrated a high animal-(18.65%, 95% CI: 17.6-19.8) and herd-level (93.48%, 95%CI: 82.1-98.6) prevalence of bTB in dairy farms in central China. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and negative binomial regression models showed that herd positivity was associated with the practice of introducing new animals (RR = 1.7, 95%CI: 1.0-3.0, p = 0.042), and changing the disinfectant water in the wheel bath at the farm entrance every three days or less (RR = 0.4, 95%CI: 0.2-0.8, p = 0.005) which reduced the odds of herd positivity. In addition, the result illustrated that testing cows with a higher age group (≥ 60 months old) (OR=1.57, 95%CI: 1.14-2.17, p = 0.006) and within the early stage of lactation (DIM=60-120 days, OR=1.85, 95%CI: 1.19-2.88, p = 0.006) and the later stage of lactation (DIM≥301 days, OR=2.14, 95%CI: 1.30-3.52, p = 0.003) could maximize the odds of detecting seropositive animals. Our results have plenty of benefit to improve bTB surveillance strategies in China and elsewhere in the world. The LASSO and the negative binomial regression models were recommended when dealing with high herd-level prevalence and high dimensional data in questionnaire-based risk studies.

The influence of trust and social identity in farmers' intentions to report suspected emergency disease outbreaks

This study examines the influence of trust on farmers' intentions to report suspected disease on their farm. Disease reporting is essential to detect and respond to disease early, thereby minimising its impacts on agriculture businesses, the economy, and the environment. Trust has been identified as an important factor influencing farmers' disease reporting intentions but has not been quantitatively investigated. We use an established model of trust-the Integrative Model of Organisational Trust (IMOT)-to conceptualise how trust influences disease reporting intentions. We also examine how social identity is related to trust and disease reporting. Australian plant, livestock, and aquaculture farmers (N = 41) completed an online questionnaire developed from existing validated measures and we also developed two new measures for disease reporting intentions. Trust in government positively and significantly predicted farmer intentions to report suspected disease outbreaks, explaining 26% of the variance. For every one-unit increase in trust, disease reporting intentions increased by over four times. Results also support the role of shared values and group membership as aspects of social identity that influence trust and disease reporting. These results highlight the importance of government decision-makers developing and maintaining trust with farmers to support early detection and response to emergency disease outbreaks.

Australian veterinarians' perspectives on the contribution of the veterinary workforce to the Australian animal health surveillance system

This study investigated the involvement of private veterinarians in surveillance activities and the veterinary workforce's contribution to the Australian animal health surveillance system. The perception that there is overall a decreased engagement by veterinarians in surveillance outcomes at a time when there is increased need for bolstering of surveillance systems was investigated. Three key questions were considered: (1) What is the current contribution of private veterinarians to the Australian surveillance system? (2) What is the veterinary professions capacity to assume a more prominent role in surveillance? (3) What is the interest and ability of the veterinary profession in Australia to undertake this surveillance role now and into the future? Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 17 private veterinarians with data analyzed qualitatively to identify key themes. Results demonstrate that private veterinarians are aware of their responsibilities and are engaged in surveillance activities at both formal and informal levels. The key challenges associated with current and future contributions were related to workload, remuneration, conflicts of interest and clarity over how responsibility for surveillance is shared amongst those involved in the system. The study has demonstrated that even amongst an engaged population, barriers do need to be addressed if private veterinarians are to be tasked with increasing their involvement in animal health surveillance activities.

Factors influencing the performance of voluntary farmer disease reporting in passive surveillance systems: A scoping review

The impacts of exotic disease incursions on livestock industries can be mitigated by having robust surveillance systems in place that decrease the time between disease introduction and detection. An important component of this is having farmers routinely observe their animals for indications of clinical disease, recognise the existence of problems, and then decide to notify their veterinarian or animal health authorities. However, as highlighted by this literature review, farmers are believed to be underreporting clinical events due to factors such as (1) uncertainty around the clinical signs and situations that warrant reporting, (2) fear over the social and economic consequences from both positive and false positive reports, (3) negative beliefs regarding the efficacy and outcomes of response measures, (4) mistrust and dissatisfaction with animal health authorities, (5) absence of sufficiently attractive financial and non-financial incentives for submitting reports, and (6) poor awareness of the procedures involved with the submission, processing, and response to reports. There have been few formal studies evaluating the efficacy of different approaches to increasing farmer engagement with disease reporting. However, there is a recognised need for any proposed solutions to account for farmer knowledge and experience with assessing their own farm situation as well as the different identities, motivations, and beliefs that farmers have about their role in animal health surveillance systems. Empowering farmers to take a more active role in developing these solutions is likely to become even more important as animal health authorities increasingly look to establish public-private partnerships for biosecurity governance.

Using a Bayesian Network Predictive Model to Understand Vulnerability of Australian Sheep Producers to a Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak

To maintain and strengthen Australia's competitive international advantage in sheep meat and wool markets, the biosecurity systems that support these industries need to be robust and effective. These systems, strengthened by jurisdictional and livestock industry investments, can also be enhanced by a deeper understanding of individual producer risk of exposure to animal diseases and capacity to respond to these risks. This observational study developed a Vulnerability framework, built from current data from Australian sheep producers around behaviors and beliefs that may impact on their likelihood of Exposure and Response Capacity (willingness and ability to respond) to an emergency animal disease (EAD). Using foot and mouth disease (FMD) as a model, a cross-sectional survey gathered information on sheep producers' demographics, and their practices and beliefs around animal health management and biosecurity. Using the Vulnerability framework, a Bayesian Network (BN) model was developed as a first attempt to develop a decision making tool to inform risk based surveillance resource allocation. Populated by the data from 448 completed questionnaires, the BN model was analyzed to investigate relationships between variables and develop producer Vulnerability profiles. Respondents reported high levels of implementation of biosecurity practices that impact the likelihood of exposure to an EAD, such as the use of appropriate animal movement documentation (75.4%) and isolation of incoming stock (64.9%). However, adoption of other practices relating to feral animal control and biosecurity protocols for visitors were limited. Respondents reported a high uptake of Response Capacity practices, including identifying themselves as responsible for observing (94.6%), reporting unusual signs of disease in their animals (91.0%) and daily/weekly inspection of animals (90.0%). The BN analysis identified six Vulnerability typologies, with three levels of Exposure (high, moderate, low) and two levels of Response Capacity (high, low), as described by producer demographics and practices. The most influential Exposure variables on producer Vulnerability included adoption levels of visitor biosecurity and visitor access protocols. Findings from this study can guide decisions around resource allocation to improve Australia's readiness for EAD incursion and strengthen the country's biosecurity system.

Evaluation of the sensitivity of the classical swine fever surveillance system in two free zones in Colombia

Infection with the classical swine fever virus (CSFV) causes a disease in pigs that ranges from a hyperacute form in which animals die in a few hours to subclinical disease. Due to this wide range of virulence, several complementary surveillance strategies should be implemented for the early detection of the disease. The objective of the present study was to determine the sensitivity of the surveillance system to detect CSFV outbreaks in a free zone (Zone 1) and in a zone undergoing an eradication process (Zone 2) in Colombia. Stochastic scenario tree models were used to describe the population and surveillance structures and to determine the probability of CSFV detection. The total sensitivity of the surveillance system in the case of a single infected farm in Zone 1 was 31.4% (CI 95%: 7.2-54.1) and in the case of 5 infected farms was 85.2% (CI 95%: 67.3-93.7), while in Zone 2 the sensitivities were 27.8% (CI 95%: 6.4-55.1) and 82.5% (CI 95%: 65-92.9), respectively. The on-farm passive surveillance shows the highest sensitivity for detection of a single CSFV infected farm in both zones (22.8% in Zone 1 and 22.5% in Zone 2). The probability of detection was higher in a family / backyard premise than on a commercial farm in both zones. The passive surveillance at slaughterhouse had a sensitivity of 5.3% and 4.5% for the detection of a single infected farm in Zone 1 and 2, respectively. Active surveillance presented a range of sensitivity between 2.2% and 4.5%. In conclusion, the sensitivity of the surveillance in the two studied zones was quite high, one of reasons for this good sensitivity being the sentinel network based on the voluntary participation of 5,500 collaborators that were trained for the identification and notification of diseases of national interest.

The goat industry in Australia: Using Bayesian network analysis to understand vulnerability to a foot and mouth disease outbreak

Australia's goat industry is one of the largest goat product exporters in the world, managing both farmed and wild caught animals. To protect and maintain the competitive advantage afforded to the Australian goat industry by the absence of many diseases endemic elsewhere, it is important to identify the vulnerability of producers to livestock disease incursions. This study developed a framework of producer vulnerability built from the beliefs and practices of producers that may impact on their likelihood of exposure and response capacity to an emergency animal disease (EAD), using foot and mouth disease as a model. A cross-sectional questionnaire gathered information on producer/enterprise demographics, animal health management and biosecurity practices, with 107 participating in the study. The biosecurity measures that were most commonly implemented by producers were always using animal movement documentation for purchased stock (74.7 %) and isolating new stock (73.1 %). However, moderate to low uptake of biosecurity protocols related to visitors to the property were reported. Response capacity variables such as checking animals daily (72.0 %) and record keeping (91.7 %) were reported by the majority of respondents, with 40.7 % reporting yearly veterinary inspection of their animals. Using the vulnerability framework, a Bayesian Network model was developed and populated by the survey data, and the relationships between variables were investigated. Six vulnerability profiles were developed, with three levels of exposure (high, moderate, low) and two levels of response capacity (high, low), as described by producer demographics and practices. The most sensitive exposure variables on producer vulnerability included implementation of visitor biosecurity and control of feral animals. Results from this study can inform risk based perspectives and decisions around biosecurity and surveillance resource allocation within the goat industry. The results also highlight opportunities for improving Australia's preparedness for a future EAD incursion by considering producer behaviour and beliefs by applying a vulnerability framework.

Challenges to the Application of Spatially Explicit Stochastic Simulation Models for Foot-and-Mouth Disease Control in Endemic Settings: A Systematic Review

Simulation modeling has become common for estimating the spread of highly contagious animal diseases. Several models have been developed to mimic the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in specific regions or countries, conduct risk assessment, analyze outbreaks using historical data or hypothetical scenarios, assist in policy decisions during epidemics, formulate preparedness plans, and evaluate economic impacts. Majority of the available FMD simulation models were designed for and applied in disease-free countries, while there has been limited use of such models in FMD endemic countries. This paper's objective was to report the findings from a study conducted to review the existing published original research literature on spatially explicit stochastic simulation (SESS) models of FMD spread, focusing on assessing these models for their potential use in endemic settings. The goal was to identify the specific components of endemic FMD needed to adapt these SESS models for their potential application in FMD endemic settings. This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines, and three databases were searched, which resulted in 1176 citations. Eighty citations finally met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis, identifying nine unique SESS models. These SESS models were assessed for their potential application in endemic settings. The assessed SESS models can be adapted for use in FMD endemic countries by modifying the underlying code to include multiple cocirculating serotypes, routine prophylactic vaccination (RPV), and livestock population dynamics to more realistically mimic the endemic characteristics of FMD. The application of SESS models in endemic settings will help evaluate strategies for FMD control, which will improve livestock health, provide economic gains for producers, help alleviate poverty and hunger, and will complement efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Optimal surveillance against foot-and-mouth disease: A sample average approximation approach

Decisions surrounding the presence of infectious diseases are typically made in the face of considerable uncertainty. However, the development of models to guide these decisions has been substantially constrained by computational difficulty. This paper focuses on the case of finding the optimal level of surveillance against a highly infectious animal disease where time, space and randomness are fully considered. We apply the Sample Average Approximation approach to solve our problem, and to control model dimension, we propose the use of an infection tree model, in combination with sensible ‘tree-pruning’ and parallel processing techniques. Our proposed model and techniques are generally applicable to a number of disease types, but we demonstrate the approach by solving for optimal surveillance levels against foot-and-mouth disease using bulk milk testing as an active surveillance protocol, during an epidemic, among 42,279 farms, fully characterised by their location, livestock type and size, in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Utilizing milk from pooling facilities as a novel approach for foot-and-mouth disease surveillance

This study investigated the potential of pooled milk as an alternative sample type for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) surveillance. Real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) results of pooled milk samples collected weekly from five pooling facilities in Nakuru County, Kenya, were compared with half-month reports of household-level incidence of FMD. These periodic cross-sectional surveys of smallholder farmers were powered to detect a threshold household-level FMD incidence of 2.5% and collected information on trends in milk production and sales. FMD virus (FMDV) RNA was detected in 9/219 milk samples, and using a type-specific rRT-PCR, serotype SAT 1 was identified in 3/9 of these positive samples, concurrent with confirmed outbreaks in the study area. Four milk samples were FMDV RNA-positive during the half-months when at least one farmer reported FMD; that is, the household-level clinical incidence was above a threshold of 2.5%. Additionally, some milk samples were FMDV RNA-positive when there were no reports of FMD by farmers. These results indicate that the pooled milk surveillance system can detect FMD household-level incidence at a 2.5% threshold when up to 26% of farmers contributed milk to pooling facilities, but perhaps even at lower levels of infection (i.e., below 2.5%), or when conventional disease reporting systems fail. Further studies are required to establish a more precise correlation with estimates of household-level clinical incidence, to fully evaluate the reliability of this approach. However, this pilot study highlights the potential use of this non-invasive, routinely collected, cost-effective surveillance tool, to address some of the existing limitations of traditional surveillance methods.

Shifting to foot-and-mouth disease-free status without vaccination: Application of the PROMETHEE method to assist in the development of a foot-and-mouth national program in Uruguay

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is highly contagious, and the introduction of FMD virus in countries free of the disease can result in large epidemics, similar to those observed in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Uruguay. Many countries or regions of South America are recognized as "FMD-free with vaccination" or "FMD-free without vaccination." Uruguay has been certified as FMD-free with vaccination, and the transition to the status of FMD-free without vaccination has been discussed among the stakeholders of the Ministry of Livestock Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP in Spanish). This study illustrates how the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) can identify and rank alternative actions to be used in the national FMD program in Uruguay. It uses multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to structure the problem comprehensively. This helps to identify critical issues and potential solutions when planning a national FMD program for a country with a disease-free without vaccination status. The analysis highlighted the following perspectives: i) the importance of communication strategies as the country changes to "FMD-free without vaccination" status, as well as potential challenges such as a lack of trust in government; ii) the importance of enhancing epidemiological capacity and data management to allocate resources better and provide feedback from the surveillance system; iii) the need to re-evaluate the animal health compensation strategy to stimulate biosecurity and disease reporting; and iv) the importance of assisting the backyard pig sector given the risks it carries and the complexity of dealing with because of its informality, the educational status of its owners, and the lack of formal assistance by veterinary services. The results suggests that the MCDA approach could be a useful tool for animal health agencies when planning a program to eliminate FMD (as well as other diseases) in a structured way because it helps to identify which alternatives would yield more effective results and it helps to address future challenges.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease Surveillance Using Pooled Milk on a Large-Scale Dairy Farm in an Endemic Setting

Pooled milk is used for the surveillance of several diseases of livestock. Previous studies demonstrated the detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in the milk of infected animals at high dilutions, and consequently, the collection of pooled milk samples could be used to enhance FMD surveillance. This study evaluated pooled milk for FMDV surveillance on a large-scale dairy farm that experienced two FMD outbreaks caused by the A/ASIA/G-VII and O/ME-SA/Ind-2001d lineages, despite regular vaccination and strict biosecurity practices. FMDV RNA was detected in 42 (5.7%) of the 732 pooled milk samples, and typing information was concordant with diagnostic reports of clinical disease. The FMDV positive milk samples were temporally clustered around reports of new clinical cases, but with a wider distribution. For further investigation, a model was established to predict real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) C_T values using individual cattle movement data, clinical disease records and virus excretion data from previous experimental studies. The model explained some of the instances where there were positive results by rRT-PCR, but no new clinical cases and suggested that subclinical infection occurred during the study period. Further studies are required to investigate the effect of vaccination on FMDV excretion in milk, and to evaluate more representative sampling methods. However, the results from this pilot study indicate that testing pooled milk by rRT-PCR may be valuable for FMD surveillance and has provided evidence of subclinical virus infection in vaccinated herds that could be important in the epidemiology of FMD in endemic countries where vaccination is used.

Understanding the vulnerability of beef producers in Australia to an FMD outbreak using a Bayesian Network predictive model

Effective and adaptable biosecurity and surveillance systems are crucial for maintaining and increasing Australia's competitive advantages in international markets, and for the production of high quality, safe animal products. These systems are continuously strengthened by ongoing government and industry investment. However, a better understanding of evolving disease risks and the country's capacity to respond to these risks is needed. This study developed a vulnerability framework based on characteristics and behaviours of livestock producers that impact exposure and response capacity to an emergency animal disease (EAD) outbreak among beef producers in Australia, with a focus on foot and mouth disease (FMD). This framework articulated producer vulnerability typologies to better inform surveillance resource allocation and future research direction. A cross-sectional study of beef producers in Australia was conducted to gather information on producers' demographics, husbandry characteristics, biosecurity and animal health management practices and beliefs, including those specific to FMD risk and response capacity. A Bayesian Network (BN) model was developed from the vulnerability framework, to investigate the complex interrelationships between variables and identify producer typologies. A total of 375 usable responses were obtained from the cross-sectional study. Regarding EAD exposure, producers implemented appropriate biosecurity practices for incoming stock, such as isolation (72.0 %), inspection for disease (88.7 %) and the use of vendor declarations (78.5 %); however, other biosecurity practices were limited, such as restriction of visitor access, visitor biosecurity requirements or feral animal control. In relation to response capacity, a moderate uptake of practices was observed. Whilst daily or weekly visual inspection of animals was reported by most producers (90.1 %), physical inspection was less frequent. Most producers would call a private veterinarian in response to unusual signs of disease in their cattle; however, over 40 % of producers did not cite calling a government veterinarian as a priority action. Most producers believe an FMD outbreak would have extremely serious consequences; however, their level of concern was moderate and their confidence in identifying FMD symptoms was low. The BN analysis identified six vulnerability typologies, with three levels of exposure (high, moderate, low) and two levels of response capacity (high, low), as described by producer demographics and practices. The model identified property size, number of cattle and exposure variables as the most influential to the overall producer vulnerability. Results from this study can inform how to best use current biosecurity and surveillance resources and identify where opportunities exist for improving Australia's preparedness for future EAD incursions.

Animal Health Management Practices Among Smallholder Livestock Producers in Australia and Their Contribution to the Surveillance System

The risks posed for disease introduction and spread are believed to be higher for smallholder livestock producers than commercial producers. Possible reasons for this is the notion that smallholders do not implement appropriate animal health management practices and are not part of traditional livestock communication networks. These factors contribute to the effectiveness of passive disease surveillance systems. A cross-sectional study, using a postal survey (n = 1,140) and group interviews (28 participants in three groups), was conducted to understand the animal health management and communication practices of smallholders keeping sheep, cattle, pigs, dairy goats and alpacas in Australia. These practices are crucial for an effective passive surveillance system. Findings indicate that there is a need for improvement in animal health management practices, such as contact with veterinarians and attitudes toward reporting. Results also indicate that these practices differ depending on the livestock species kept, with sheep ownership being associated with lower engagement with surveillance activities and smallholders keeping dairy goats and alpacas having in general better practices. Other factors associated with surveillance practices among participant smallholders are gender and years of experience raising livestock. Despite the differences observed, over 80% of all smallholders actively seek information on the health of their livestock, with private veterinarians considered to be a trusted source. Emergency animal diseases are not a priority among smallholders, however they are concerned about the health of their animals. The finding that veterinarians were identified by producers to be the first point of contact in the event of unusual signs of disease, strengthens the argument that private veterinarians play a vital role in improving passive surveillance. Other producers are also a point of contact for animal health advice, with government agencies less likely to be contacted. The effectiveness of on-farm passive surveillance could be enhanced by developing strategies involving both private veterinarians and producers as key stakeholders, which aim to improve awareness of disease and disease reporting responsibilities.

A framework for reviewing livestock disease reporting systems in high-risk areas: assessing performance and perceptions towards foot and mouth disease reporting in the Thrace region of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey

Disease reporting is an essential frontline component of surveillance systems, particularly for detecting incursions of new and emerging diseases. It has the advantages of being comprehensive and continuous, with the potential to reduce the time of disease detection and the extent of consequent spread. A number of exotic diseases, including sheep and goat pox, lumpy skin disease, peste des petits ruminants and foot and mouth disease have historically entered into south-eastern Europe through the Thrace region, which extends across neighbouring areas of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. In this high-risk area, multiple factors can reduce the sensitivity of disease reporting across the diverse production systems and animal health services need robust and effective disease reporting systems. While describing a training exercise designed to provide animal health services of the three countries with the knowledge and skills for conducting comprehensive in-country assessments, we provide an initial evaluation of the sensitivity of foot and mouth disease reporting and identify gaps and constraints in the Thrace region. An expert elicitation approach was used to consult official veterinarians from central and local animal health authorities of the three countries, and scenario trees modelling was applied to analyse the collected data. The reported sensitivity of disease reporting often varied between the central and local veterinary authorities within the three countries. Awareness of clinical disease, of reporting procedures and of biosecurity measures affected the early stages of disease reporting, particularly in the production systems identified at lower reporting sensitivity such as small ruminant's herds, mixed bovine herds and backyard herds. Despite its limitations this training exercise provided an effective framework (a) to develop capacities of the veterinary services in the region and (b) to supply initial evidence for guiding further interventions targeting those sectors and stakeholders at lower reporting sensitivity to reduce risks of disease introduction.