Bovine TB epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of disease in a population and the factors that determine its occurrence over time. It examines the distribution of disease and risk factors for infection, in order to identify opportunities for intervention.
In the context of bovine TB, epidemiology reports are produced by APHA for the different regions of GB. These reports present an overview of the bovine TB situation along with detailed analysis of new and ongoing breakdowns and assessment of local risk factors. The GB-level epidemiology reports also include data on surveillance i.e. success in finding new TB cases.
At farm level, APHA field vets carry out disease investigation visits to farms with TB breakdowns, to gather epidemiological data on where infection came from and whether it could have spread.