SURVTOOLS

SURVTOOLS implements risk-based surveillance analysis for meat-borne parasites to prioritize hazards and optimize resource allocation in veterinary public health.

Key Features:

• Risk Analysis Integration: Applies risk analysis principles to prioritize meat-borne parasites such as Trichinella spp., Taenia saginata, and Toxoplasma gondii for veterinary public health surveillance.
• Cost-Effectiveness Focus: Emphasizes cost-effectiveness ratios in sampling and prioritization processes to optimize surveillance resource use.
• Guideline and Tool Development: Contributes to the development of guidelines and tools for establishing risk-based surveillance programs and exemplifies methodologies introduced into veterinary public health since 2006.
• Case Study Examples: Illustrates differing regulatory contexts within the EU, noting Trichinella spp. surveillance is established, Taenia saginata official implementation was scheduled for December 2019, and Toxoplasma gondii surveillance has been conducted by a single abattoir company in the absence of EU-wide mandates.

Scientific Applications:

• Risk-based Prioritization: Supports identification and ranking of meat-borne parasite hazards to inform surveillance priorities.
• Resource Allocation: Informs allocation of sampling and surveillance resources to high-priority hazards based on impact and likelihood.
• Regulatory and Market Safety Assessment: Informs decisions that affect compliance with EU regulatory contexts and safety expectations of consumers and trade partners.

Methodology:

Risk prioritization by identifying and ranking hazards based on potential impact and likelihood of occurrence; resource allocation by directing resources to areas identified as high-risk through the prioritization process; surveillance design focused on creating surveillance programs that balance detection effectiveness and cost efficiency.