Swine Health Information Center Diagnostic Support for Emerging Disease Discovery

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) will support diagnostic fees for emerging disease discovery in approved cases. Executive director Paul Sundberg encourages swine veterinarians to pick up a brochure at the SHIC technical booth at AASV with the 2016 plan of work outlined as well as a thumb drive with fact sheets about diseases of threats. Tuesday morning in the Emerging Disease and Response General Session, Sundberg, Scott Dee, Roger Main, Corey Brown, Craig Rowles, and Doug MacDougald will talk more about enhancing preparedness as well as SHIC research results and initiatives. George Charbonneau, AASV meeting program chair, encourages all to take time to attend the Tuesday general session. It will truly challenge us to think globally and act locally. [Source: SHIC]

Regarding SHIC diagnostic funding, in cases of high morbidity/high mortality, where an etiology is either not identified or there is a strong supposition that the identified pathogen is not the likely cause of the outbreak, there may be a need for further diagnostic workups. SHIC’s support for these follow-up diagnostic workups will come after producers have funded the initial investigation and it has been determined that further work needs to be done to ensure that an emerging disease is accurately identified.

The following (which may run parallel) are required for support of diagnostic fees in unresolved cases of high morbidity/high mortality. 1) The case involves high or ongoing morbidity or mortality, 2) Routine diagnostics matching the clinical presentation have been completed, 3) A panel of diagnosticians reviews the case. The panel offers help if the diagnostician of the case requests it. The panel concurs that the likely differential diagnoses have been addressed, 4) Results are unsatisfactory due to either the veterinarian’s clinical judgment or the lack of an identified etiology, and 5) The State Animal Health Officer (SAHO) of your state has been notified of the case and the lack of a satisfactory diagnosis, 6) A foreign animal disease investigation has been considered by the SAHO or federal animal health officials and initiated, if appropriate. More information about the process to access these funds will be released soon.