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SHIC Rapid Response Program Undergoes Beta-Test

In early December, the Swine Health Information Center's (SHIC's) Rapid Response Program was beta-tested to find and fix any issues in implementation. The Program is designed to rapidly investigate swine disease outbreaks to support quick response and sharing of information with others about potential entry pathways. For the test, two cases of PED without obvious pathways of introduction were investigated. Dr. Derald Holtkamp, associate professor at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and project leader for SHIC's Rapid Response Program, said the test was a great opportunity to discover what aspects of the Program worked and where improvement is needed.

After Dr. Holtkamp was notified of new PED cases in Iowa, per the emerging disease communication plan, a quick conference call with the herd veterinarians supported the value of a Rapid Response Team investigation to help find biosecurity weaknesses leading to the outbreaks and to test the Rapid Response Program's system. The lead investigator assigned to the case, Dr. Montse Torremorell from the University of Minnesota, a veterinarian who signed a memorandum of understanding and completed online training to be a member of the Rapid Response Corps, as well as an assistant investigator, Gustavo Lopez, conducted the investigations.

"It was a good experience for us, the herd veterinarians, and farm managers," Dr. Holtkamp said. Based on the beta-test, some of the initial conference call protocols will be modified. Also, the online training program is a good start but some hands-on practice in the field or workshop setting will help the Rapid Response Corps members get more familiar with the forms and SOPs to gather information.

Following the investigations, the lead investigator wrote an executive summary of findings. "This document gives us the first indication of what specific risk events the producers and veterinarians should be concerned about," Dr. Holtkamp explained. The subsequent full report written by the lead investigator details all the strengths and weaknesses found during the investigations.

This initial field test of the Rapid Response Program provided both verification as well as opportunity for refinement. "The program will continue to evolve to make sure it is as good as it can be. We will attempt to have opportunities for Rapid Response Corps members to practice and be better prepared for when we're actually called to do this in an emerging disease situation," he said.

Contact SHIC to Learn More

To learn more about the SHIC Rapid Response Program, contact Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg (psundberg@swinehealth.org) or the project leader, Dr. Derald Holtkamp (rrc@iastate.edu). Additional Rapid Response Corps members are needed for Regions 1 and 2.

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 http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Paul Sundberg at psundberg@swinehealth.org.