Livestock diseases can have severe implications, ranging from reportable health issues that impact livestock movement and trade to diseases that pose significant economic threats. Effective surveillance and early detection are critical to controlling these outbreaks. However, the complexity of tracking diseases across diverse livestock populations has traditionally hindered efficient management.
Real-Time Disease Tracking Through Innovative Dashboards
Dr. Zvonimir Poljak has developed a solution to address this challenge by utilizing real-time, web-based technology to track livestock diseases. His team has created interactive dashboards that process and visualize lab test data provided by the Animal Health Laboratory for various livestock species, including pigs, poultry, cattle, and horses. These dashboards display critical information such as the number of positive test samples, the distribution of disease variants, and trends over time. For example, the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) dashboard provides insights into the virus’s prevalence across different production stages, offering valuable data for quick decision-making by veterinarians, producers, and industry stakeholders.
Enhancing Disease Control and Preventing Future Pandemics
Poljak’s work represents a major step forward in livestock disease management by providing stakeholders with the tools needed for immediate response. By presenting complex data in easy-to-understand formats, these dashboards enable faster intervention, which in turn reduces animal suffering, minimizes production costs, and eases the burden on farmers. The ability to monitor diseases in multiple species, such as influenza in swine and poultry, helps to identify broader trends and prevent widespread outbreaks. The research also holds critical implications for global public health. With the increasing recognition that future pandemics are likely to arise from zoonotic diseases, Poljak’s surveillance tools have immense potential to prevent such crises. His team is expanding their dashboard systems to include data on zoonotic pathogens like Salmonella, which can have significant implications for both animal health and public safety. This proactive approach to disease monitoring could play a pivotal role in mitigating the risk of zoonotic diseases evolving into public health emergencies, as demonstrated by the recent detection of H5 avian influenza in Canada. By making complex epidemiological data accessible and actionable, Poljak’s work is helping to safeguard both animal and human health, contributing to stronger, more resilient disease prevention systems. This research is also funded by the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.
