FACT! We Don’t Want Any of These!

February 3, 2016 — 

Twenty-five fact sheets on top swine diseases of concern are now available on the Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) website at http://www.swinehealth.org/fact-sheets/. Diseases on the list range from Swine Vesicular Disease to High Pathogenic Pseudorabies to Getah Virus. [Source: SHIC Update]

Developed by the Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Iowa State University, the fact sheets cover the information that a veterinarian and producer need to know right away in the face of an outbreak. Each fact sheet starts with listing the most immediate, needed information followed by a section with more detail and then by a full, referenced, literature review. Examples of information covered include etiology, cleaning and disinfection, epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention and control as well as any gaps in preparedness.

The fact sheets have undergone an internal CFSPH review and have been offered to the AASV Swine Health Committee for their review and comment. They are now available to use and for further veterinarian, producer and academic review. Comments on the fact sheets can be sent to shic@swinehealth.org.

According to executive director, Paul Sundberg, the goal of these fact sheets is to provide information so veterinarians and producers have more ability to quickly respond to new diseases. With the help of the CFSPH, diseases identified as endemic or circulating around the world now have detailed fact sheets for use by veterinarians and pork producers.

The mission of the Swine Health Information Center is to protect and enhance the health of the United States swine herd through coordinated global disease monitoring and targeted research investments that minimize the impact of future disease threats and analysis of swine health data. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Sundberg at shic@swinehealth.org.