- Hello Jeff - I notice below that antibiotics were given
to the pigs. I assume that they were given in connection with the Swine
Flu infection. Antibiotics are useless when it comes to virus infection.
Were they being given all along and the farm simply stated they were given
due to Swine Flu? The EU policy specifically does not permit continuous
use of antibiotics in animal production.
-
- They are very quick to give antibiotics, even to treat
virus infection such as Swine Flu. I assume that it could be to prevent
secondary bacterial infection.
-
- It does appear that this is a commercial industrial operation.
5,000 pigs.
-
- "Control measures
- Measures applied. No vaccination. Treatment of affected
animals (Oral antibiotics)
-
- Measures to be applied. No other measures"
-
- (Also, no human connection in association with this outbreak
in Swine. Well, how did they get infected?)
-
- "Epidemiology Source of the outbreak(s) or origin
of infection. Unknown or inconclusive
-
- Epidemiological comments: Closed unit. All animals leaving
the unit go for slaughter. Only gilts are brought onto the unit.
- No known cases of human flu are currently associated
with this outbreak."
-
- INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009, ANIMAL HEALTH (09): UK
(NORTHERN
- IRELAND) SWINE, OIE
-
- Date: 18 Sep 2009
- From: OIE WAHID Disease Information 2009; 22(39) [edited]
-
- http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=weekly_report_index&admin=0
-
- Pandemic Influenza A H1N1 (2009), United Kingdom
-
- Information received on 18 Sep 2009 from Dr Nigel Gibbens,
Chief
- Veterinary Officer, Department for Environment, Food
and Rural
- Affairs, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
LONDON,
- United Kingdom
-
- Summary
- Report type: Immediate notification
- Start date 01 Sep 2009
- Date of 1st confirmation of the event 16 Sep 2009
- Report date 18 Sep 2009
- Date submitted to OIE 18 Sep 2009
- Reason for notification: Emerging disease
- Morbidity 90 percent
- Mortality 0.1 percent
- Zoonotic impact: Refer to OIE guidance/opinion
- Causal agent: Pandemic H1N1 virus (2009)
- Serotype Other
- This event pertains to the whole country
-
- New outbreaks
- Outbreak 1 Greenhill, NORTHERN IRELAND
- Date of start of the outbreak 01 Sep 2009
- Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not provided)
- Epidemiological unit: Farm
-
- Species Swine
- Susceptible 5000
- Cases 4500
- Deaths 5
- Destroyed 0
- Slaughtered 0
-
- Affected Population Birth to bacon pig unit of approximately
5000 pigs (600 sows). Finishing pigs showing clinical signs 1st (1 Sep
2009). Clinical signs being shown by the rest of the pigs within 3-4 days.
About 7 Sep 2009, farrowing sows showed a reduction in appetite and gradually
recovered in a few days. Only recently weaned pigs are currently showing
signs of disease (coughing).
-
- Summary of outbreaks Total outbreaks: 1
- Outbreak statistics
- Species Swine
- Apparent morbidity rate 90.00 percent
- Apparent mortality rate 0.10 percent
- Apparent case fatality rate 0.11 percent
- Proportion susceptible animals lost* 0.10 percent
- * Removed from the susceptible population through death,
destruction
- and/or slaughter
-
- Epidemiology
- Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection. Unknown
or inconclusive
-
- Epidemiological comments: Closed unit. All animals leaving
the unit go
- for slaughter. Only gilts are brought onto the unit.
-
- No known cases of human flu are currently associated
with this outbreak.
-
- Control measures
- Measures applied. No vaccination. Treatment of affected
animals (Oral
- antibiotics)
- Measures to be applied. No other measures
-
- Diagnostic test results
- Laboratory name and type Veterinary Sciences Division,
Stormont,
- Northern Ireland (National laboratory)
-
- Species Swine
- Test real-time PCR
- Test date 16 Sep 2009
- Result Positive
-
- Laboratory name and type Veterinary Laboratories Agency,
Weybridge
- (OIE's Reference Laboratory)
-
- Species Swine
- Test gene sequencing
- Test date 17 Sep 2009
- Result Positive
-
- Species Swine
- Test polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
- Test date 17 Sep 2009
- Result Positive
-
- Future Reporting
- The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will
be submitted.
-
- --
- Communicated by
- ProMED-mail
- promed@promedmail.org>
-
- (The pattern of this outbreak in the swine herd is exactly
what we would expect in a typical influenza incursion into a highly susceptible,
non-vaccinated swine herd. This picture of high morbidity, very low mortality
and low case fatality is not surprising. Influenza in swine causes widespread
disease but is of minor importance because the pigs get sick and readily
recover in most cases. It is not as important a pathogen as those causing
high mortality disease.
-
- What is critically important in this situation is good
outbreak investigation to develop a better understanding of how the pigs
picked up this virus. Hopefully, thorough outbreak investigation will help
determine potential exposures of the pigs and whether this is another instance
of the virus travelling from humans, in a reverse fashion, over the zoonotic
bridge to infect swine. - Mod.PC)
- The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Northern Ireland
is available at:
- http://healthmap.org/r/00PR> - CopyEd.EJP
-
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural
- Economics Univ of West Indies Please visit my "Emerging
Diseases" message board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php Also
my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/ Zhan le Devlesa tai
sastimasa Go with God and in Good Health
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