Veterinary scene down under: A platform compiling global animal disease info, plus Australian pet food company is acquired

Animal Disease Insights: A free, data-driven resource for animal health

Animal Disease Insights online platform. (Photo courtesy of Navneet Dhand BVSc&AH, MVSc(VPHE), MANZCVS (Vet Epi), GradCert(Higher Edu))

Animal Disease Insights is a new online platform that has recently been launched by Australia’s One Health Epi Consulting as an innovative data-driven dashboard collating global animal disease information and news to aid disease surveillance, prevention and control.

“Animal Disease Insights was developed in response to the growing need for a modern, user-friendly resource to access and visualise animal disease data. As reports of animal diseases continue to increase globally, veterinarians, epidemiologists, animal health policymakers, and journalists require a centralized source to quickly understand the global situation and drill down into country-specific data,” Navneet Dhand BVSc&AH, MVSc(VPHE), MANZCVS (Vet Epi), GradCert(Higher Edu), executive director of One Health Epi Consulting, explained exclusively to dvm360.

“Having identified the need for a single platform that can provide the latest news stories, analyze news reports, and generate disease intelligence by consolidating these resources, the platform will enable faster, evidence-based decision-making for veterinary epidemiologists and public health officials while offering journalists an efficient tool for preparing their reports. It will be invaluable in improving efficiency, fostering collaboration, and facilitating early outbreak detection—all vital components for global health security,” Dhand continued.

Dhand said that the platform aligns with the goals of international health organizations like the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

“We are grateful to WOAH for providing valuable data and assisting with queries for developing data pipelines for the site. While WOAH’s own platform, the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS), also presents similar data, it uses a different approach to filter and visualize it. Additionally, WAHIS does not feature news stories, so this platform complements WAHIS by providing timely, relevant reports and disease intelligence,” said Dhand.

Animal Disease Insights would be of interest to veterinarians, public health professionals, epidemiologists, researchers, students, policymakers, and journalists.

“The platform offers a user-friendly, modern interface for accessing vital animal disease information, thus strengthening disease intelligence. Users can visualize global spatial patterns for a selected disease, track country rankings based on outbreak numbers or cases, and explore trends for a specific disease over the past 20 years. In addition, users can access detailed information about individual events, stay updated with the latest news stories related to their disease of interest, and monitor fluctuations in news article volume to gain critical insights into emerging health threats,” Dhand said.

The platform was developed by One Health Epi Consulting using its own resources and time over the past couple of years.

“While WOAH was generous in providing valuable data, the platform was developed entirely without external funding, making it a unique give-back initiative from One Health Epi Consulting to the veterinary and public health community. We are proud to offer this platform completely free of charge and ad-free, ensuring that the focus remains on providing high-quality, actionable information for professionals. However, maintaining this level of service will require ongoing investment, and we welcome offers of support to ensure its continued sustainability,” said Dhand.

“Furthermore, we are actively working on plans to integrate data from social media sources. This would allow the platform to capture real-time public and media sentiment, providing a more dynamic and comprehensive view of emerging disease trends. By expanding the sources of data, we aim to improve the platform’s ability to generate timely, reliable disease intelligence, which will help veterinary professionals, policymakers, and researchers make more informed decisions in the fight against animal diseases.”

Australian Prime100 pet food brand set to be acquired by Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Melbourne-based fresh pet food company Care TopCo Pty Ltd, the owners of the Prime100 brand, is set to be acquired by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, part of the global Colgate-Palmolive Company in the second quarter of 2025.

According to a statement on the Colgate-Palmolive website, the acquisition provides Hill’s Pet Nutrition with an entry into the fast-growing fresh pet food category while complementing its existing science-led, veterinarian-endorsed specialty pet food diets and strengthening its presence in the Australian pet food market. John Hazlin, president of Hill’s Pet Nutrition, said that Hill’s is committed to enriching and lengthening the special relationship between people and their pets.

“With this addition, Hill’s will have an even larger, complementary portfolio of advanced nutrition products, backed by science and endorsed by vets, to help pet parents meet their pets’ specialized dietary needs. We look forward to working with the Prime100 team and are confident that our joint expertise will drive new discoveries, empower veterinarians and provide pet parents with more tailored nutritional solutions,” Hazlin said in the statement.¹

Reference

1. Colgate-Palmolive Company announces agreement to acquire Prime100. News release. Colgate-Palmolive Company. February 18, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250213237764/en/Colgate-Palmolive-Company-Announces-Agreement-to-Acquire-Prime100