CWSHIN unveils new five-year strategic plan, emphasizing swine health threats close to home

By Bruce Cochrane, Farmscape

The Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network (CWSHIN) says its new five-year strategic plan will place a greater emphasis on diseases that are causing challenges closer to home.CWSHIN is putting the finishing touches on a new strategic plan that will guide activities over the next five years, until the end of March 2028.

CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen said the new plan will build on the organization's strengths and will place a greater emphasis on swine health threats closer to home.

”Of course, African Swine Fever continues to be a threat but closer to home we have Seneca Valley virus which causes blisters. It's present at least in environmental samples on assembly yards in Canada so it's very close and it would not be a good disease to have spread to our swine herds because it interferes with our Foot and Mouth disease surveillance because it causes blisters. Every blister needs to be investigated by CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) and that would be a huge task if Seneca Valley virus became widespread in the region,” explained Dr. Jette Christensen, Manager of CWSHIN.

“The other threat that we see on the horizon right now closer to home is Streptococcus zooepidemicus.
It causes 15 to 19 percent mortality losses in sows. They die suddenly so you can't live with it. It's a bacteria so some antibiotic treatments might work but there's indications that they pick up resistance very quickly so it becomes harder and harder to treat so it's a nasty disease to have. So, I see both Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Seneca Valley virus as threats closer to home,” added Dr. Christensen.

Dr. Christensen said the vision is to have a swine health network with three pillars, the surveillance system where swine health is monitored throughout the region, an intelligence network to facilitate knowledge exchange among laboratories and practitioners and practice-oriented prevention, control and treatment.