Risk-based surveillance – a powerful alternative to conventional surveillance strategies? An evaluation study on the basis of classical swine fever in wild boar

To prevent disease transmission into commercial animal herds meaningful and reliable surveillance must not only focus on livestock but also wildlife. For the assessment of the overall performance of a surveillance system investigating different evaluation attributes is recommended (http://www.fp7-risksur.eu/). In the presented study we performed a comprehensive evaluation of alternative risk-based surveillance strategies for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in wild boar - a disease of high economic impact. On the basis of a risk factor analysis we developed different surveillance strategies for comparative economic evaluation. The current surveillance strategy, specified by the European Union, constituted the reference strategy. To evaluate the effectiveness of the surveillance strategies we investigated sensitivity and timeliness. This was done using a simulation model. Acceptability, which provides evidence on the functional aspect of the surveillance strategies, was investigated using participatory methods. The cost-effectiveness of the surveillance strategies was investigated based on the simulation model results. Using the identified risk factors 69 surveillance strategies including the conventional strategy were generated and evaluated. Sampling only in the defined age class of sub-adult wild boar resulted in the best overall performance. The results of this study suggest that risk-based surveillance strategies can be an option to design more efficient surveillance. The study could be used as a template for further evaluation studies of surveillance of different animal diseases.