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

Abstract

The surveillance of (emerging) wildlife diseases can provide important, objective evidence of the circulation of pathogens of interest for veterinary and/or public health. The involvement of multiple research institutions in wildlife disease surveillance can ensure the best use of existing knowledge and expertise, but can also complicate or add challenges to the integration of wildlife disease surveillance components into a national programme. Documenting the existing efforts in a country's surveillance of wildlife diseases, including the institutes in which it takes place, provides a basis for policy-makers and authorities to identify gaps and priorities in their current surveillance programmes. This paper describes the wildlife disease surveillance activities taking place in the Netherlands. The authors recommend that, in addition to funding these current activities, surveillance resources should be allocated with the flexibility to allow for additional targeted surveillance, to detect and adequately respond to newly introduced or emerging pathogens. Similar structured overviews of wildlife disease surveillance in other countries would be very useful to facilitate international collaboration.