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Within the European Union, infectious cattle diseases are categorized in the Animal Health Law. No strict EU regulations exist for control, evidence of disease freedom, and surveillance of diseases listed other than categories A and B. Consequently, EU member states follow their own varying strategies for disease control. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the control and eradication programs (CPs) for six cattle diseases in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2019 and to highlight characteristics specific to the Dutch situation. All of these diseases were listed as C,D or E in the New Animal Health Law. In the Netherlands, CPs are in place for six endemic cattle diseases: bovine viral diarrhea, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, salmonellosis, paratuberculosis, leptospirosis, and neosporosis. These CPs have been tailored to the specific situation in the Netherlands: a country with a high cattle density, a high rate of animal movements, a strong dependence on export of dairy products, and a high-quality data-infrastructure. The latter specifically applies to the dairy sector, which is the leading cattle sector in the Netherlands. When a herd enters a CP, generally the within-herd prevalence of infection is estimated in an initial assessment. The outcome creates awareness of the infection status of a herd and also provides an indication of the costs and time to achieve the preferred herd status. Subsequently, the herd enrolls in the control phase of the CP to, if present, eliminate the infection from a herd and a surveillance phase to substantiate the free or low prevalence status over time. The high-quality data infrastructure that results in complete and centrally registered census data on cattle movements provides the opportunity to design CPs while minimizing administrative efforts for the farmer. In the CPs, mostly routinely collected samples are used for surveillance. Where possible, requests for proof of the herd status are sent automatically. Automated detection of risk factors for introduction of new animals originating from a herd without the preferred herd status i.e., free or unsuspected, is in place using centrally registered data. The presented overview may inspire countries that want to develop cost-effective CPs for endemic diseases that are not (yet) regulated at EU level.

In May 2008 the Nijmegen Municipal Health Service (MHS) was informed about an outbreak of atypical pneumonia in three in-patients of a long-term psychiatric institution. The patients had been hospitalized and had laboratory confirmation of acute Q fever infection. The MHS started active case finding among in-patients, employees of and visitors to the institution. In a small meadow on the institution premises a flock of sheep was present. One of the lambs in the flock had been abandoned by its mother and cuddled by the in-patients. Samples were taken of the flock. Forty-five clinical cases were identified in employees, in-patients and visitors; 28 were laboratory confirmed as Q fever. Laboratory screening of pregnant women and persons with valvular heart disease resulted in one confirmed Q fever case in a pregnant woman. Of 27 samples from animals, seven were positive and 15 suspect for Coxiella burnetii infection. This outbreak of Q fever in a unique psychiatric setting pointed to a small flock of sheep with newborn lambs as the most likely source of exposure. Care institutions that have vulnerable residents and keep flocks of sheep should be careful to take adequate hygienic measures during delivery of lambs and handling of birth products.