Manual of Basic Animal Disease Surveillance

This manual provides a practical, comprehensive framework for designing and implementing animal disease surveillance systems, with a specific focus on the needs of developing countries. It guides veterinary authorities through the critical process of matching surveillance tools—such as passive farmer reporting, representative surveys, and risk-based surveillance—to specific objectives like early detection, demonstrating disease freedom, or measuring disease prevalence. By clearly categorizing diseases into those present (endemic) and those absent (exotic or eradicated), the text simplifies the complex decision-making required to allocate limited resources effectively.

Beyond theory, the manual serves as a hands-on guide for field implementation, offering step-by-step instructions for establishing farmer reporting networks, conducting random sampling in village settings, and utilizing abattoirs as surveillance points. It emphasizes the importance of data quality, analysis, and feedback loops to ensure that surveillance efforts translate into actionable insights for disease control and trade facilitation. Whether for national policy-makers or field epidemiologists, this resource outlines essential strategies for building robust, sustainable surveillance infrastructure that can adapt to both local constraints and international reporting standards.

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Angus Cameron (2012) Manual of Basic Animal Disease Surveillance. African Union−Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Nairobi Kenya.