Harmonisation Of Transmissible disease Interpretation in the EU (HOTLINE)

Abstract

Countries typically collect disease data in a way that is best suited for their specific needs. Therefore, differences exist in the sampling schemes and the diagnostic methods, which produce non-comparable data and, subsequently, non-comparable estimates of the prevalence of disease. The objective of the HOTLINE project was to make disease information comparable and interpretable across different sampling and testing settings. To serve this objective a series of Bayesian tools were developed and applied. Reporting guidelines aimed at promoting a more consistent approach to communication of animal health surveillance activities and their outputs, including what information must be reported to make true prevalence estimation feasible, have also been created. For tutorial purposes, an interactive web application was created to carry out Bayesian analysis of hierarchically structured prevalence data. E-lectures and training material for all models and methods are available through the free training session of our webpage with step by step explanations. Finally, a mailing list and LinkedIn group have been established to sustain a fruitful communication in the development and deployment of such methods.