An integrated web system to support veterinary activities related to the management of information in epidemic emergencies

The efficiency of management of public health emergencies is improved by quick, exaustive and standardized information flow of data on disease outbreaks. The efficiency of surveillance systems and disease control or eradication programmes is increased by using specific software for data analysis and collection. In this context, the National Information System for the Notification of Outbreaks of Animal Diseases (SIMAN) was designed and developed to collect and share outbreaks notifications data in real time by using the World Wide Web. The system is part of the e-Government process that involves all public administrations of the European Union (EU) and refers to the use of information and communication technologies for the digital processing of documents in order to obtain simplification and interoperability of administrative procedures through the Internet. Epitrace is a useful web application based on the Social Network Analysis (SNA) and on network epidemiological models. This software has been integrated in the BDN and gives the possibility of assessing the risk associated to holdings on the basis of their trade patterns and to target better risk management measures in case of an outbreak.