title: Epidemiological performance and subsequent costs of different surveillance strategies to control bovine herpesvirus type 1 in dairy farms.
abstract: This study aimed at comparing the surveillance program of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1) as laid down by EU Decision 2004/558/EC and 2007/584/EC ('conventional design') with an alternative design. The alternative design was based on monthly bulk-milk testing, clinical surveillance and a risk-based component that involves testing of animals that are purchased from non-free cattle herds. Scenario-tree analyses were carried out to determine sensitivities of the surveillance system (and its components) and the monthly confidence of freedom on herd-level. Also, the expected costs per surveillance design and components thereof were calculated. Results showed that the conventional (EU) and alternative surveillance designs to obtain a BHV1-free status performed equally well in terms of sensitivity. However, total costs per cattle herd to obtain a free status were highest in the conventional design. In an endemic situation and with a within-herd design prevalence of 10%, the conventional design led to a varying probability of freedom ranging from 99.6% to 100% per month. With the alternative design, in this situation, a constant probability of freedom of >99.9% per month was found. In a disease-free situation, both designs performed equally well (probability of freedom >99.9% per month). The yearly costs per farm for monitoring the disease-free status decreased by approximately 25% in the alternative design. The alternative strategy based on monthly bulk-milk monitoring therefore was deemed most cost-effective. This study showed that the surveillance regime to attain and maintain a BHV1-free status as described by EU-legislation can be improved to reduce the monitoring costs without reduction of the system's sensitivity, given a within-herd design prevalence of 10%. The assessment of various surveillance designs could be highly useful to support decision-making towards a more risk-based approach of animal health surveillance.
authors.affiliation: GD Animal Health, PO Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands. Electronic address: a.veldhuis@gdanimalhealth.com.
authors.forename: Anouk
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veldhuis
authors.affiliation: GD Animal Health, PO Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Santman-Berends
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; University of Medicine Greifswald, Institute for Community Medicine, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schauer
authors.affiliation: GD Animal Health, PO Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mars
authors.affiliation: GD Animal Health, PO Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Waldeck
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine Greifswald, Institute for Community Medicine, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Staubach
authors.affiliation: GD Animal Health, PO Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands; Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Farm Animal Health, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerdien
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Schaik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003612:Dairying; D005062:European Union; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D007242:Herpesvirus 1, Bovine; D008892:Milk / Q000821:virology; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: BHV1; Economic evaluation; Probability of freedom; Scenario tree modelling; Surveillance system