International organisations and animal health

A number of international intergovernmental organisations rely on epidemiologic principles in the investigation of health and disease in animal and human populations. Since the development of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS agreement) by the World Trade Organisation in 1995, countries entering into international trade must abide by various rules and regulations. This include ensuring the quality of disease monitoring and surveillance systems and use of appropriate diagnostic tests, which are monitored by the World Organisation for Animal Health (the OIE), who also collate and report animal disease information

Two institutions of the United Nations are also closely linked with veterinary epidemiology: the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The WHO is responsible for the coordination of public health issues - which, in the case of animal diseases, will relate to zoonotic disease (pathogens which can transmit from animals to humans). The FAO is responsible for