SHIC Global Swine Disease Monitoring Report Renewed for 2026-2027

The Swine Health Information Center Board of Directors recently voted to renew the Global Swine Disease Monitoring Report agreement with the University of Minnesota through 2027. Led by Dr. Maria Sol Perez Aguirreburualde, the team has developed and published more than 100 reports since 2017 utilizing data of near real-time global swine disease surveillance information. Since inception, the GSDMR has expanded coverage of swine diseases using scientific and public literature, which will soon be available on a global dashboard being developed. Funded by SHIC as part of its mission to identify emerging disease threats, the monthly reports are published in the SHIC newsletter and serve as a frequently accessed resource for the swine industry on the SHIC website.

Read the final report for SHIC study #24-002 here.

The GSDMR team researches and engages a network of global collaborators to provide and give context to swine disease reporting and information. The GSDMR process includes a stepwise screening procedure to identify swine disease-related events that may represent a risk for the US swine industry. Those events are identified, scored, and reported monthly. A technical team then synthesizes and frames each section of the report, facilitating interpretation by the audience. After a multi-step review phase to verify, edit, and/or expand information, in collaboration with key technical informants and a network of US and international stakeholders, a report is published by SHIC monthly.

In extraordinary circumstances, rapid response is provided through immediate release reports for health events requiring prompt communication to the industry (e.g., the first African swine fever outbreak in the Dominican Republic and Haiti in 2021, FMD incursion in Germany in 2025, and ASF detection in Spain in 2025). To continue improving and expanding the GSDMR, the first evidence generated on the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI tools into event-based surveillance systems was captured and evaluated last year.

In an April 2026 article published by the University of Minnesota’s “News of the Swine Group” blog about the 100^th GSDMR  it was written, “When the first report was published, African swine fever had not yet reached Asia or the Americas, Japanese encephalitis virus had not emerged in southeastern Australia, and the transboundary spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes from East Africa into Western Asia was not yet an established pattern. What these reports document collectively is not simply a list of disease events but a consistent trajectory: pathogens moving farther and through more diverse pathways, the role of wildlife reservoirs becoming better understood but still harder to manage, and the genetic complexity of circulating viruses increasing. The illegal movement of animals and animal products, the limits of single-intervention strategies, and the importance of sustained multilateral surveillance are consistent themes across 100 editions.”

The GSDMR continues to inform US pork producers about ASF outbreaks remaining dynamic in Asia and Europe. While ASF containment in Hispaniola has been successful, the virus remains endemic in the Dominican Republic where its status is carefully monitored and reported. In 2025, FMD activity and serotype shifts across regions reaffirmed the need for ongoing monitoring and rapid interpretation provided by the GSDMR.

Because transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are an evolving and intensifying concern, the need for and usefulness of the GSDMR continues to increase. TAD events reinforce a core lesson first highlighted during the 2013 porcine epidemic diarrhea virus outbreak: the swine industry requires robust, real-time situational awareness to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to emerging threats.

The coordinated approach employed by the GSDMR team enhances situational awareness, supports informed decision-making, and reinforces national prevention and mitigation strategies against foreign and transboundary animal disease incursions. Ultimately, the system developed through this long-term collaboration contributes directly to early detection, improved readiness, and sustained industry resilience in the face of an increasingly complex global TAD landscape.

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected].