How swine flu spreads in humans

Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:11am

(Reuters) - Here are some facts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how swine flu spreads in humans:

* Swine flu viruses typically cause illness in pigs, not humans. Most cases occur when people come into contact with infected pigs or contaminated objects moving between people and pigs.

* Pigs can catch human and avian or bird flu. When flu viruses from different species infect pigs, they can mix inside the pig and new, mixed viruses can emerge.

* Pigs can pass mutated viruses back to humans, and these can be passed from human to human. Transmission among humans is thought to occur in the same way as with seasonal flu -- by touching something contaminated with flu viruses and then touching one's mouth or nose, and through coughing or sneezing. One of the most effective prevention measures is regular hand washing.

* Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of seasonal influenza -- sudden fever, coughing, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. This new strain also appears to cause more diarrhea and vomiting than normal flu.

* Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu, although the CDC is formulating one. The seasonal influenza vaccine may help to provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not against swine H1N1 viruses like the one circulating now.

* People cannot catch swine flu from eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) kills the swine flu virus along with other bacteria and viruses.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Kevin Liffey)

source: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE53S6VD20090430

BOS: RFID Solution for swine disease management

28 Apr 2009

Better Online Solutions have announced the availability of BOSwine™ 1.0, an advanced RFID platform for monitoring the lifecycle of pigs, enabling preventative treatment for disease management.

Empowered by RFID tags, BOSwine 1.0 provides a computerised solution to track, monitor and control pigs' lifecycle, including breeding, insemination, pregnant, vaccine, transportation, weight and whelping.

“Healthy mothers with healthy pregnancies equal healthy newborn pigs,” said Shalom Daskal, CEO of BOS, “by using the BOSwine™ real-time monitoring solution for swine farms can assure a “healthy” life cycle .

Swine farm in Israel

BOSwine 1.0 was developed in cooperation with the largest swine farm in Israel, enabling the farmer to track and monitor the mother during her pregnancy and ensuring that she receives the required vaccines. The solution offers real-time visibility and full traceability of the mother and the piglet, enabling automated track and control of health genealogy.

“BOSwine RFID Monitoring System can immediately identify symptoms that are associated with many common illnesses, including swine flu, allowing the BOSwine user to perform early, and more successful, treatment,” According to Yuval Viner, managing director of BOS RFID and Mobile Solutions. “The earlier an illness is treated, the more effective treatment will be, thereby preventing the identified disease.”

Best of breed tags

BOS provides turnkey RFID solutions for the livestock industry, through which it supplies best-of-breed RFID tags for each animal, along with mobile and handheld readers, static wide-range readers, a BOS RFID process server, and software applications that manage the information and can be integrated with any ERP system. BOS also offers each of these elements – the RFID hardware components, the RFID BOServer, and the software – as stand-alone products.

source: http://www.pigprogress.net/news/bos-rfid-solution-for-swine-disease-management-id2885.html

Pig industry responds to swine flu outbreak

28 Apr 2009

As the human toll rises, the pig industry is being quick to respond to the global impact of the swine flu originating in Mexico, in order to deter any lasting impact on the industry.

The National Pork Board is assuring consumers pork is, and will remain, safe to eat. "Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly-handled and cooked-pork products is safe," the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention states on its web site.

No contact with pigs

Although the virus is contagious, it spreads from humans to humans. CDC has found no evidence indicating any of the US illnesses resulted from contact with pigs — and no pigs have been found to be infected or sick with this particular virus in the US Meanwhile the World Animal Health body stated on Monday that the flu virus spreading around the world should not be called "swine flu" as it also contains avian and human components and no pig was found ill with the disease so far.

As a precaution the NPB is urging producers to enhance biosecurity plans on their farms. Swine influenza, or "swine flu", is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses, according to the World Health Organization.

Swine influenza subtypes

Swine influenza viruses are most commonly of the H1N1 subtype, but other subtypes are also circulating in pigs (e.g., H1N2, H3N1, H3N2). Although swine influenza viruses are normally species specific and only infect pigs, they do sometimes cross the species barrier to cause disease in humans, WHO relays. At present, it is unknown if this new strain causes any type of illness in swine.

Since it is unique, NPB said following good biosecurity practices would help producers to prevent introducing the new strain of swine influenza virus type H1N1 into US operations.

Report pig illness

Anyone witnessing or hearing employees report respiratory illness in pigs should immediately contact a swine veterinarian. If deemed necessary, a veterinarian may require samples be taken from animals to send to veterinary diagnostic laboratories. If animals present fever or go off feed, the veterinarian may take lung tissue samples and nasal swabs to send to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.

Smithfield Foods has stated that it has found no clinical signs or symptoms of the presence of swine influenza in the company's swine herd or its employees at its joint ventures in Mexico. The company also noted that its joint ventures in Mexico routinely administer influenza virus vaccination to their swine herds and conduct monthly tests for the presence of swine influenza.

China bans pig imports

Outbreaks of the H1N1 virus which has killed 149 people in Mexico and spread to the United States, Canada and Spain, have prompted several countries to impose bans on pig meat imports.
China said on Monday it had banned imports of live pigs and pork products from Mexico and three U.S. states, following Russia's move on Sunday to place curbs on meat imports from North and Latin America.

"It is important to reaffirm that pork consumption is not blamed at all in the transmission of this disease," the head of the Paris-based OIE Bernard Vallat told Reuters in an interview.

Related new items• Death toll keeps rising in Mexican swine flu outbreak • WHO: Swine flu is ‘public health emergency’

source: http://www.pigprogress.net/news/pig-industry-responds-to-swine-flu-outbreak-id2886.html

My Reaction

1. Swine flu becomes a seriously current disease that can spread widely and immediately from pig to pig, pig to human or human to human.

2. It is scary that if flu viruses from different species infect pigs and mix inside, it could develop to a new virus.

3. Everyone should be educated about the exact swine flu symptoms because they are very similar to influenza.

4. The medication needs to rapidly develop to catch the new virus which is emerging faster.

5. People should be acknowledged that eating cooked pork or any pork products is safe so it will not affect the economic import in some countries from North and Latin America.

6. BOSwine 1.0 is one of the advanced technologies which can prevent the disease earlier when the virus is still in the pig, stopping the virus before it spreads to human.

7. The Ministry of Public Health should warn people that the virus is contagious from humans to humans but not from pigs to humans.

8. Giving the right information is very necessary therefore people will know how to do to prevent the virus and stop some wrong belief on banning pig meat imports. Pork Consumption is not blamed at all in the transmission.

My Conclusion

Swine flu is a disease which causes from infected pigs to humans by the virus H1N1 inside the pigs, it is still no vaccine to protect or against the virus only vaccine to help partial protection while regular hand washing is one of the most effective prevention. Fortunately, it is also another tool that stops the virus in the beginning of infection called “BOSwine1.0”, an advanced monitor for helping you to assure the safe health in the pig life cycle. The monitor can immediately identify symptoms which are associated with swine flu. Even though, the disease causes from swine but it is still safe to consume pigs. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food if the eating is properly handled and cooked-pork, an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) definitely kills the swine flu virus along with other bacteria or viruses.