Assessing the feasibility of swine influenza surveillance in Manitoba

This project explored the feasibility of performing swine influenza surveillance in Manitoba using provincial veterinary diagnostic laboratory data and a farm premises identification registry. Diagnoses of swine influenza using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were obtained from the veterinary laboratory database and linked with registry data on farm location and characteristics. Statistical and space-time analyses, including the Cuzick and Edwards test, Kulldorff Spatiotemporal scan, the Knox test and the modified CuSum method, were used to determine the time and spatial patterns of swine influenza in Manitoba. Analysis showed that swine influenza was endemic but also seasonal and that the frequency of diagnosis was increasing in time. Swine influenza was clustered in several regions across the province, including the southeast, and was clustered in time, particularly during the later time periods of the study. This study demonstrated that the farm premises identification registry is a crucial component of disease surveillance in animals.