MSHMP history

First participants shared Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) status

The Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP) began in 2011 in the mist of vivid discussions on a heated PRRS season, at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) PRRS Task Force meeting in Chicago.

Attendees were discussing how bad of a PRRS season that was, and what should be done to control this devastating virus. More specifically, the question came up about “Do we really know how much PRRS we have?”.   That simple question challenged Dr. Morrison to work with leading production veterinarians to obtain data, compile it, and present it in a way that it would serve as a benchmark for levels of PRRS activity. Dr. Morrison started working with a handful of veterinarians who agreed to share data from their systems voluntarily. This was the first manifestation of the Swine Health Monitoring Project (SHMP). 

Expansion of the program with new participants and inclusion of additional diseases

The aggregated data was so compelling and revealing that the program was expanded to include over 30 systems, accounting for approximately 50% of sows in the US. Since then, the SHMP has served as the barometer for PRRS occurrence in the US, and later became the best reporting system for PED activity. The basis of SHMP is that production companies and veterinarians work collaboratively and voluntarily to report disease status data, farm location, and other farm data to advance preparedness for endemic and emerging diseases.  

During its early stages, SHMP focused on reporting incidence and cumulative prevalence for PRRS while continuing to expand the number of participating systems in different regions of the US.  After Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) emerged in the US, participants proactively started sharing their PED sow herd status. In 2015 and 2016, Seneca Valley Virus (SVV) and unusual central nervous system (CNS) cases in 2016 were added respectively.

Renaming to Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Program

Dr. Bob Morrison

In May 2017, Dr. Morrison was tragically killed in a car accident while attending the European Symposium of Porcine Health Management. His death represented a deep blow to SHMP, the University of Minnesota, and the swine community at large.  In honor of his memory SHMP was renamed to be the Dr. Bob Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP).  The project continues to grow and advance, continuing the mission of developing the capacity to support the industry response to emerging pathogens.