Evaluation of Swiss Abattoir Data for Integration in a Syndromic Surveillance System

We analysed the meat inspection data collected between 2007 and 2012 in Switzerland for cattle, pigs and small ruminants. The data was evaluated for a potential integration in a syndromic surveillance system. Strong seasonality was observed in both the number of animals slaughtered and condemned. Each type of production animal was associated with different condemnation reasons which could constitute valuable syndromic indicators.The current data collection system offers several interesting advantages for epidemiological surveillance in terms of coverage and traceability back to farms of origin. However, the current lack of timeliness, and under-reporting, limits the use of the data for early-detection.