Bridging Science and Policy for Animal Health Surveillance: ICAHS4 2022

  • 9,389

    Total downloads

  • 48k

    Total views and downloads

Download PDFDownload EPUB

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The current COVID-19 pandemic has expanded lay people’s vocabulary; PCR-testing is no longer mentioned only by virologists, nor are the terms basic reproduction ratio and herd-immunity limited to epidemiologists. This expansion of vocabulary that was previously only used in specialist settings already demonstrates global, societal impact. We have learnt that it is insufficient simply to act on disease emergence and spread. More focus is needed on prevention and surveillance of the precursors of emerging infectious disease, as well as early detection. To succeed in this, it is a necessity to collaborate across sectors – academics, governments, industry and the public – in a transdisciplinary way.

Globalization has created a situation where many people move to find work or a safe place to live. Likewise, animals are transported across long distances to ensure higher economic productivity, and foods are traded internationally to keep prices low for consumers. The downside is that with movements of people and goods, hazards may also travel unnoticed, leading to unwanted events. The ongoing spread of African swine fever despite a plethora of actions taken, now from Eastern to Western Europe as well as throughout Asia, shows the challenges of risk mitigation not only in domestic animals, but also in wildlife. The culling of all mink in Denmark due to fear of spreading of COVID-19 resulted in thousands of livestock producers suddenly faced with their life’s work disappearing. In addition, the development of antimicrobial resistance and the spread of zoonotic pathogens from food systems in one part of the world to another due to movement of food, animals or people demonstrate that the challenges in veterinary public health are global. And if not mitigated, these challenges will threaten the world as we know it, as social, economic and commercial determinants of health in society are negatively impacted. To combat these threats, veterinary authorities are in constant need for allocation of resources for animal health surveillance and associated risk mitigating initiatives. If resources cannot be found, the ability to mitigate the associated risks in a timely and proportionate way may be hampered. This societal challenge is likely to continue growing.

Risk-based surveillance may be a solution to the challenges, as it will help prioritize, prevent and mitigate the risks identified. Furthermore, it will enable an understanding of why, where and which actions are needed to prevent new threats to animal and public health. Additionally, societal and economic factors play a role in how actions taken by authorities or the livestock industry are perceived by the public. Absence of involvement of the public may lead to lack of understanding and support; for example, vandalism of fences erected to stop ASF from spreading in wild boar.

The way forward is influenced by society and reflects how people are affected. Therefore, solutions are dynamic. Prioritization and feasibility are likely to differ between countries, depending on some problems being more important than others due to local conditions and whether there is an export industry to protect. Still, we require global collaboration to mitigate these global threats, and therefore, it is critical to learn from each other to achieve successful control and mitigation. Such learning will be beneficial, not just between countries but also between sectors.
The ICAHS4 conference is planned to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May 2022, two years later than originally planned due to the COVID19 pandemic. The conference will provide an opportunity for meetings, learning and sharing between all stakeholders involved in surveillance and control – irrespective of whether they are affiliated with government authorities, academia or livestock industries. The outcome of such a meeting may be the development of new ways of collaboration either through Public-Private-Partnerships or use of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. Such alternative governance models may lead to cost-effective and successful collaborations. The conference will be useful not only to bring up novel collaboration models, but also to let us learn from each other how to implement them in practice.

The purpose of this Research Topic is to share the latest experiences in novel research within surveillance for animal health and food safety and security presented at the ICAHS4 conference in 2022, including:
- Surveillance for epidemics & emerging diseases
- Cross-sector and One Health surveillance
- Translating surveillance outcomes into policy, decisions and actions
- Surveillance data
- Integrating novel methods in surveillance

All speakers and poster authors of the ICAHS4 are eligible for submitting a manuscript to this Research Topic. Contributions are welcome in different formats, in particular: Original Research manuscripts (up to 12,000 words), Brief Research Reports (up to 4,000 words), and Reviews and Mini-Reviews (up to 12,000 and 3,000 words, respectively). Authors are encouraged to check the best fit for their work in the list of acceptable article types by the Frontiers in Veterinary Science journal, which also includes for instance Policy and Practice Reviews, Perspective articles and Community case studies.

Glossary and definitions:
Sector: The word is used in its widest form at ICAHS. We consider a sector a specific part of society or the economy made up of similar elements - like the health care sector or the agricultural sector. Each sector will most likely have their own policies, objectives, values, surveillance contributions, abilities, needs and interests.
Decision maker, policy, risk manager, surveillance user: These terms refer to the actors, who use surveillance outputs to make decisions about implementation of control within their unit.

Topic Editor Lis Alban works for an organization that gives advice to farmers and abattoirs. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests regarding the Research Topic subject.

Keywords: Surveillance, methodology, animal health, food safety, decision-making, policy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 48kTopic views
  • 37kArticle views
  • 9,389Article downloads
View impact