The purpose of surveillance is to provide timely and relevant information, so that an early warning can be issued when a disease event occurs that is deemed sufficiently important by specialists, enabling risk managers to the necessary steps to limit the spread of the disease and minimise its impact.

The Guide is published in English and will soon also be available in French and Spanish.

The Guide to Terrestrial Animal Health Surveillance is a practical handbook developed by international experts in surveillance methodology and takes into account the complexity of animal health management, the diversity of the animal kingdom and the variety of situations in the 180 OIE Member Countries.

It provides a framework for animal health surveillance activities carried out by the national Veterinary Services and other competent authorities in partnership with public sector veterinarians, diagnostic laboratories, animal owners, forest wardens, hunters and other stakeholders and nature users.

On becoming an OIE Member, each country undertakes to report in a timely and transparent manner on the health status of its territory in terms of animal diseases, including zoonoses. Within the framework of its mandate, the OIE then disseminates the information to all other Member Countries to enable them to protect themselves. This exchange of information is based on the OIE World Animal Health Information System, WAHIS, which enables the degree of importance of events to be validated, in the face a constant stream of information, most of which does not require any specific response.