SHIC Gathers International Swine Disease Intel

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) engages in ongoing global pig disease status monitoring including review of Great Britain’s Disease Surveillance and Emerging Threats report as well as the Canadian Community for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (CEZD) Weekly Intelligence Report. Great Britain’s quarterly report reviews disease trends and threats facing their national herd, intended to inform government, the veterinary profession, and farmers. Data for this report is collected by Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) as well as Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Veterinary Services Division along with other contributors in their Pig Expert Group networks. CEZD is a virtual network combining automated information-mining tool data with multidisciplinary analytical capability by experts. CEZD’s automated system collects and filters disease signals from 21 news sources which are then reviewed by experts before distribution including analysis.

In the second quarter report for 2019 from Great Britain, posted with permission on the SHIC website, authors from APHA discuss African swine fever (ASF), Brachyspira hampsonii, clostridial myositis and cellulitis, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, and Brachyspira hyodyseneriae. Their Pig Expert Group, a part of APHA, is led by Susanna Williamson, DVM. She directs the pig disease surveillance project and is a former president of the Pig Veterinary Society. The Group working with Dr. Williamson includes representatives from APHA and SRUC along with persons from other pig-related agencies and associations in Great Britain.

CZED’s Weekly Intelligence Report for August 12-18 contains information on ASF, classical swine fever, and Newcastle disease virus. CZED is a collaborative effort and connected to the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System which is an initiative of the National Farm Animal Health and Welfare Council. This Council is a network of self-organizing and self-governing animal health surveillance networks not controlled by their government or any one group. CZED’s efforts are also tied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

SHIC’s strengthens its swine disease prevention and preparedness effort by remaining aware of how other international agencies are monitoring and reporting activity. Great Britain, Canada, and the US share the same commitment to remaining free from ASF infection as well as being aware of emerging disease issues globally and sharing information in this format is helpful to these processes.

Funded by America’s pork producers to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd, the Swine Health Information Center focuses its efforts on prevention, preparedness, and response. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research for the benefit of swine health. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit https://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Paul Sundberg at [email protected].