Is influenza a greater concern to pigs and people in light of the Oct. 30 USDA announcement that H5N1 was detected for the first time ever in a pig from a backyard Oregon farm? If so, how? Andrew Bowman, DVM, one of the country’s top swine influenza experts [and AASV District 1 Director], joined The PORK Podcast […]
Category Archives: Animal Health
USDA Builds on Actions to Protect Livestock and Public Health from H5N1 Avian Influenza
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced the agency is planning to enhance testing and monitoring for H5N1, building on measures taken by USDA since the beginning of the avian influenza outbreak. In partnership with state veterinarians, USDA will implement a tiered strategy to collect milk samples to […]
USDA-APHIS Confirms H5N1 in Pig from Small Oregon Backyard Farm
The AASV has been coordinating with other swine industry organizations, including the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), National Pork Board (NPB), and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), as well as USDA and others to monitor H5N1 in the United States. USDA-APHIS confirmed the H5N1 diagnosis from a Crook County, Oregon, backyard farm where a mix […]
SHIC Invites Input for 2025 Plan of Work
The Swine Health Information Center annually solicits input for its Plan of Work which guides its activities. Now being developed, SHIC is requesting ideas for its 2025 Plan. SHIC’s five strategic priorities include 1) improving swine health information, 2) monitoring and mitigating risks to swine health, 3) responding to emerging disease, 4) surveillance and discovery […]
Updated SHIC Fact Sheets for Pseudorabies, Japanese Encephalitis, Ebola, and Reston Viruses Available
As one of the Swine Health Information Center’s most accessed resources, swine disease fact sheets provide specific information on emerging or re-emerging pathogens. Recently updated, these facts sheets for pseudorabies virus, Japanese encephalitis virus as well as Ebola and Reston virus are now published. Newly included information encompasses disease outbreak demographics and impacts, virology and […]
Oct 18 Deadline Research RFP – Pathogen Management and Prevention: Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
The National Pork Board Swine Disease Research Task Force has identified three research priorities for requests for proposals related to pathogen management and prevention. Submission Deadline: October 18, 2024. The Swine Disease Research Task Force has identified three research priorities for requests for proposals. Endemic enteric disease continues to challenge the industry on a day-to-day […]
Proposition 129 Is a Dangerous Step Backward for Veterinary Care
For more than 40 years, I have committed my life to veterinary medicine, having served on the faculties of leading universities and practicing as an equine veterinarian across the country. Since receiving my doctorate in veterinary medicine from Colorado State University in 1978, I’ve seen the critical importance of rigorous education, extensive hands-on experience and […]
Masking or Not Masking for Flu?
Bidirectional transmission of influenza A virus between pigs and people is an on-going challenge faced by the swine industry and public health. The challenge arises from the unpredictability of swine influenza infections becoming zoonotic and, in some instances, turning into a human pandemic, as was the case in 2009 when the H1N1 influenza pandemic virus […]
SHIC-Funded Study Examines Piglet Postmortem Sampling for PRRS Detection
With a goal to provide welfare-friendly and cost-effective methods for active PRRSV surveillance, Drs. Cesar Corzo, Mariana Kikuti and colleagues from the University of Minnesota led a study to evaluate the accuracy of different postmortem specimens collected from piglets in breeding herds for disease detection. Funded by the Swine Health Information Center, the study focused […]
SHIC Tongue Tip Study Optimizes Sampling and Testing Protocols for Successful PRRS Viral Isolation
With the goal of improving the diagnostic value of tongue tips for PRRS surveillance, a study led by Dr. Onyekachukwu Henry Osemeke from Iowa State University aimed to optimize protocols to increase the likelihood of recovering live PRRSV isolates from tongue tip fluids. Successfully isolating PRRS viruses from post-mortem tongue tips enhances their diagnostic value […]