Swine Flu in Swine: Flu Could Worsen; Industry at Risk
The United States pork industry has already been battered by the false perception that pork can transmit swine flu. And now farmers are bracing for the first reported transmission of the virus to a U.S. pig, which at this point seems inevitable, experts say.
Beyond the economic impact, experts warn that, if transmitted to pigs, swine flu could quickly mutate into a more dangerous strain, given the crowded conditions at many industrial hog farms. (Related: "Swine Flu Facts, Swine Flu Myths.")
Officially called H1N1, the new swine flu virus is widely believed to have formed from other strains in pigs. It is already known to be present in pig herds in Canada, Argentina, and Australia. It has not yet been reported among pigs in the U.S.
"But we expect it to get here," said Rodney Baker, a swine veterinarian at Iowa State University. The most likely cause will be a swine flu-infected employee, he said.
"We know pork is safe from influenza viruses, but still the public perception and the news media have really had a circus with this thing," Baker said. "And so we are pretty paranoid about destroying our industry with this virus even though it is not a true concern."
(Related gallery: "Swine Flu Pictures: Bracing for a Potential Pandemic.")
Swine Flu Softer on Swine?
Flu germs pass from human to pig and from pig to pig the same ways germs pass from person to person—sneezes, coughs, and runny noses.
"Pigs sneeze and cough a lot [when infected] with most viruses," noted Baker, who is also president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.
But compared to humans, swine don't seem quite as bothered by the virus that bears their name, he said.
Pigs given the swine flu virus by researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture coughed and lay down for about 48 hours with no desire to eat, Baker said. "Then they recovered quickly. In fact, pigs appear to recover faster than humans do from influenza."
Swine Flu Mutation
Once in the pigs, though, the swine flu virus could combine with other viruses and reemerge in the human population as a more virulent strain, scientists and industry observers worry.
"Pigs are a really good petri dish for further mutation of flu viruses," said Robert Martin, a senior officer with the Pew Environment Group in Washington, D.C., who led a 2008 study on industrial animal operations.
Most pigs today are raised in so-called confined animal feeding operations, which pack thousands of swine into enclosed areas, fattening them up for market.
"The concern is that there are so many animals that the virus can go through several generations of mutation in a very quick period of time," Martin added.
Baker, the swine veterinarian, said human viruses and bird viruses got into pigs several times in the mid to late 1990s, recombined with the pig viruses, and became the dominant pig viruses still around today.
But "we've never had one recombine in the pig and become the new human virus, thus far, unless the current one came direct from a pig to a human."
At some point, the new swine flu outbreak sweeping the globe may have incubated in pigs, perhaps forming from human and bird flu viruses.
"The ancestors of this virus have been found in swine, so probably this virus originated at some point in swine," said Raul Rabadan, a biologist at Columbia University in New York who has studied the strain's origins.
Though Rabadan and other researchers have suggested a swine origin for the current virus, the hog farming industry remains unconvinced.
Baker, the veterinarian, said, "Most of us on the animal side, we scratch our heads and say, Well, maybe not—it might have been turkeys or something."
Protecting Pigs From Swine Flu
To prevent a person-to-pig transmission of the new H1N1 swine flu, the National Pork Producers Council is recommending hog farms tell their sick employees to stay home and, when at work, to wash frequently and wear protective clothing when around the pigs.
Other suggestions include limiting the number of visitors allowed on the farms, monitoring workers who've recently been abroad, keeping a close eye on the pig herds for signs of infection, and, when it's available, encouraging workers to get the upcoming swine flu vaccine.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made a so-called "master seed" virus that several pharmaceutical firms are using to make swine flu vaccines for pigs, though they won't be ready until November, Baker said.
When the vaccine is available, the government will not require farmers to use it on their pigs, since meat from swine flu-infected pigs is safe to eat.
"Whether they would need to vaccinate for this novel H1N1 will be directly dependent upon the severity that we see in the human population and whether we start seeing cases in the swine population," said John Clifford, the USDA's chief veterinary officer, during a press briefing in September.
Farmers may choose to vaccinate the animals against flu anyway—a common practice, since sick animals eat less, grow slower, and fetch lower prices, USDA officials told National Geographic News during the briefing.
Given the perception of swine flu's association with swine some producers may want to vaccinate their pigs to protect their brand images, Baker said.
Industry Already Hit by Swine Flu
The hog farming industry has already lost hundreds of millions of dollars since the virus first emerged in humans this April, said Jennifer Greiner, director of science and technology for the National Pork Producers Council in Washington, D.C.
For example, she said, "We never saw the summer rally [in pork prices] this year that we have historically seen" during barbecuing season.
The pork industry has run an aggressive marketing campaign on the safety of pork but fears the message is failing to reach the public.
A well-publicized swine flu outbreak among swine could make matters even worse, Greiner said.
In one scenario, "we would see pork prices go down again and consumers would become fearful that if they ate pork, they would get H1N1," she said. "And we just restart the spiral downward."
The link to the article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091014-swine-flu-pork-safe-pigs.html
Review of the article:
Summary: The United States pork industry has already been battered by the false perception that pork can transmit swine flu. Experts warn that if transmitted to pigs, swine flu could mutate into a more dangerous strain due to the crowded conditions at many industrial hog farms. Despite people in the pork industry know that pork is safe from influenza viruses, the public and the media have really had a circus with this thing. Scientists and industry observers worry that once swine flu combines with the other viruses it would become a virulent strain in the human population. For prevention of person-to-pig transmission of the H1N1 swine flu, the National Pork Producers Council had ordered all sick employees to stay home and wear protective clothing when handling with pigs. People have given suggestions to limit the number of visitors in the farms and keep a close eye on the pigs for signs of infection. The industry has lost hundreds of millions of dollars since the virus emerged in humans. They have put an aggressive marketing campaign on the safety of pork but fears the message had failed to reach the public. People are also encouraged to get the swine flu vaccine.
My comments:
This article was written to assure the public that pork is actually safe to consume. As the United States pork industry has been battered by the false perception that pork can transmit swine flu, their industry is now a risk. United States pork industry had export many pigs to other countries as it is a country that has a great dealing with lots of business including pork businesses. United States have lots of farms for rearing pigs allowing it to export a large quantity to many other countries. With this H1N1 swine flu virus, there may be a person-to-pig transmission affecting the pork industry leading to the industry at risk. People are afraid to consume pork and there may be a decrease in the need for it. The hog farming industry has already lost hundreds of millions of dollars since the virus first emerged in humans and is now trying to control the situation.
In order to let the public know that pork is safe to consume, the pork industry has run an aggressive marketing campaign on the safety of pork but fears the message may failed to reach the public. The pork industry has really try their best to pacify the public and hope that with the vaccine for swine flu and the government help in reassuring the public, the pork industry will be back to normal. The article has also give examples on what prevention they have make such as, recommending hog farms to tell their sick employees to stay at home and wear protective clothing when working around with the pigs. Many have also given suggestions to limit the number of visitors allowed on the farm and monitor workers who have recently been abroad. They are also warned to keep a close eye on the pigs for signs of infection and encourage workers to get the swine flu vaccine when ready.
This issue was raised as many people were afraid that after eating meat from a swine flu infected pig, they may suffer from swine flu. Hence, it was published to let people know that despite the demand for pork has decrease there is no need to be afraid as meat from swine flu infected pigs is safe to eat. It is to show and prove that pork is definitely safe to consume.
Throughout the world, many people have been suffering from swine flu, H1N1. The increase in people suffering had made people all over the world to worry as the situation has worsen day by day. With the article, people may have a peace of mind that the situation would be controlled when the number of people affected reaches a high index.
Some of the readers may feel safe after reading the article as the vaccine to swine flu will be available soon and may help to curb the situation. They are continuing to eat pork as they know that swine flu infected pigs are safe to consume and they have no worry about it. While other readers may still be afraid and worry that by consuming pork they will suffer from swine flu and stop eating pork. After reading the article, I think the situation will be control and the pork in Singapore should be safe to consume as our government had reassure that pigs sent to Singapore are check carefully. We must also take care of our own health by not going to places that are too crowded and be more hygienic as all these will help in preventing getting H1N1.
