The Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project, funded in part by the Swine Health Information Center, continues to monitor trends in pathogen incidence and prevalence. Now, a new MSHMP website optimizes the project’s information sharing ability for both the participant and swine industry communities at https://mshmp.umn.edu/. MSHMP staff say the website represents a significant milestone in their mission to enhance collaboration and communication within the swine industry.
Author Archives: Paul Sundberg
SHIC Reports on African Swine Fever Vaccines Approved in Vietnam
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Vietnam has officially approved the domestic commercial use of two locally manufactured vaccines against African swine fever. With this decision, NAVET-ASFVAC by Navetco Central Veterinary Medicine Company and AVAC ASF LIVE by AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company have become the world’s first commercial vaccines against ASF.
Second Round of SHIC Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Projects Funded
The Swine Health Information Center’s Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, funded in collaboration with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Pork Checkoff, has selected five additional projects for funding after review of round two proposal submissions. This brings the total number of projects awarded by the program to 15 for addressing a significant biosecurity gap in US swine production. Institutions receiving awards in the second round are Lowe Consulting, Pipestone Research, Texas Tech University, University of Missouri, and University of Montreal. Real-time results of all projects will be shared as quickly as they become available.
SHIC-Funded Systematic Literature Review Reveals JEV Knowledge Gaps
Due to the ongoing risk of Japanese encephalitis virus emergence in the US, the Swine Health Information Center funded a systematic literature review intended to increase understanding of the virus’s biology, components and dynamics of transmission, and environmental factors necessary for incursion and establishment. The recently completed systematic review is in addition to a separate JEV Risk Assessment funded by SHIC that is still in progress. As the US is considered a susceptible region with potential for the introduction of JEV, SHIC has focused on these projects designed to further strengthen US swine industry preparedness and inform response efforts, should they be needed.
SHIC Expands SDRS with Addition of Indiana ADDL Data
The SHIC-funded Domestic Swine Disease Surveillance Program was founded in 2017 with the goal of monitoring and reporting diagnostic data and trends of endemic diseases in US swine. Starting in September 2023, diagnostic data from the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University will be included in the Swine Disease Reporting System. SDRS currently aggregates data from five veterinary diagnostic laboratories, including the Iowa State University VDL, University of Minnesota VDL, Kansas State University VDL, South Dakota State University ADRDL, and Ohio Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory. With the addition of IADDL, the SDRS monthly report represents more than 96% of all swine samples submitted for testing across six VDLs in the US members of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
SHIC Continues Research Focus on Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity
The Swine Health Information Center, along with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff, will soon be awarding another round of funding for Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity-related research projects in response to its second call for proposals. Because not all the research priorities were sufficiently addressed, SHIC continues to invite proposals within the Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program to address this identified vulnerability to swine health and producers’ opportunity for profitability, to stretch SHIC’s producer Checkoff funds to safeguard the health of the US swine herd, and to help control the next emerging disease in the US pork industry.
Dykhuis and Thomas Join SHIC Board of Directors
During the Swine Health Information Center board meeting on June 30, 2023, two new board members began their service. Joseph Dykhuis, a Michigan pork producer representing the National Pork Producers Council on the SHIC Board, and Pete Thomas, DVM, with Iowa Select Farms, in an at-large position, joined Kent Bang, Daryl Olsen, DVM, Russ Nugent, PhD, Gene Noem, Jeremy Pittman, DVM, Paul Ruen, DVM, and Mark Schwartz. Founding board members Howard Hill, DVM, retired industry veterinarian, pork producer, and NPPC representative, and Matthew Turner, DVM, head of live pork division, JBS, concluded their service.
July Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report Now Available
The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) July Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available.
Travel Season Reminder: Report Lack of Secondary Screening
As international travel increases, the Swine Health Information Center offers a reminder to report production agriculture traveler experiences while entering the US and going through customs. Some travelers who self-reported visits to livestock production sites have not been diverted to customs agriculture specialists for secondary screening. SHIC, along with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, National Pork Board, and NPPC, ask international travelers to report if they were not diverted for secondary screening upon arrival in the US.
USDA Grant Expands SHIC-Initiated Swine Disease Reporting System
After pioneering a SHIC-funded system to improve swine health by reporting pathogen test results from public veterinary diagnostic laboratories across the Midwest, a team led by faculty from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has plans to glean even more insight from the vast data set. A new three-year, $1 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has been awarded to enable the Swine Disease Reporting System team and collaborators expand how this data is utilized to inform disease trends and improve swine health.