Pesq. Vet. Bras. 34(6):542-554, junho 2014 542 RESUMO.-O serviço veterinário oficial é responsável por proteger a saúde pública e animal, assegurando a oferta de produtos de origem animal inócuos aos consumidores. Uma ferramenta que auxilia na busca desses objetivos é a análise de risco, que iniciou a ser utilizada na segunda metade da década de 90 pelos serviços veterinários oficiais dos países. Para a realização de uma análise de risco, qualitativa ou quantitativa, inicialmente deve-se identificar o perigo, a qual na área da saúde animal geralmente é o agente patogênico causador de uma doença. A etapa subsequente The official veterinary service is responsible for protecting public and animal health, certifying the supply of safe animal products to consumers. A tool that assists in the pursuit of these goals is the risk analysis, which began to be used in the second half of the 1990s for the official veterinary services of countries. To carry out a risk analysis, qualitative or quantitative, one must initially identify the danger, which in the area of animal health is usually the pathogen causing a disease. The subsequent step is risk assessment, which must be analyzed, supported by scientific studies or experts in the field, the possible ways of introduction, exposition and maintenance of the pathogen in the susceptible population, as well biological, economic, political and social consequences. The third step in the analysis of risk refers to risk management, which aims to propose measures to mitigate the risk to the desired level, and assess the cost/benefit of each measure. The last phase of a risk analysis is risk communication. This step is critical for success of the study and should be initiated along with risk analysis itself, always leaving open a permanent communication with all social actors interested in risk analysis. Risk analysis has become an important tool used by managers of the official veterinary services in decision-making, contributing to the choice of alternatives that give scientifically the lowest animal health risk. This study conducted a review of the literature on risk analysis aimed to expose its definition and development process, as well as to see how it is being used and what limitations and challenges of using this tool by the Brazilian national veterinary service.