Pig Farm Worker Gets Swine Flu / UK

INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (09): UNITED KINGDOM, PIG STOCKMAN
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A ProMED-mail post

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International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Sat 18 Jul 2009
Source: The The times newspaper, online [edited]



Commercial pig farm worker in Britain contracts swine flu
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The 1st case of a pig farm worker contracting the swine flu virus
[i.e., influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus] was reported this week.
The stockman from the South West worked on a commercial pig farm.
Other staff and pigs on the farm are free of the H1N1 virus.

Veterinary experts are working with the pig industry to agree a code
of practice should pig herds become infected with the flu strain.

There is no threat to human health if people eat pork, bacon and ham
from a pig that has recovered from swine flu, provided that the meat
is cooked properly.

Any pig contracting flu is to be quarantined and cannot be slaughtered
for the food chain unless the animal has been free of flu symptoms for
7 days. Veterinary checks will also take place at the abattoir where
any sick animals will be rejected. There are no plans to cull pigs
with swine flu, but it is known that flu strains can easily pass
between pigs and human beings as well as from pig to pig.

[Byline: Valerie Elliott]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[This article reports that a worker at a commercial pig farm has
contracted Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection. There is no
evidence that the pigs he tended are or were infected with the same
virus and there is no evidence to suggest that he had contracted the
infection from pigs (or other workers on the farm), nor that has
transmitted his infection to the pigs. It is probable that he
contracted infection from another human off-site, in view of the rapid
escalation of cases in the human population in many parts of the UK.

A pig herd in Canada was initially thought to have acquired infection
from a farm worker, but this was later discounted and the origin of
the outbreak remains unexplained. Earlier this month officials of
SENASA [The National Service of Health and Agrifood Quality of
Argentina] said workers at a pig farm in Buenos Aires province were
suspected of having passed the new strain to their animals (see:
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (07): Argentina, swine, alert
20090718.2557).

So far the evidence for transmission of infection from workers to
their animals (or vice versa) is no more than circumstantial.
Transmission of influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection from
human to pig, or vice versa, has yet to be established unequivocally
anywhere. - Mod.CP]

[It is somewhat contradictory to say on the one hand there is no
danger from eating meat from a pig sick with pandemic H1N1 2009 virus
if properly cooked, and on the other to mandate a 7-day symptom-free
period before slaughter. I wonder what the regulations are for
slaughtering pigs sick with common-or-garden variety swine H1N1 virus.
- Mod.JW]

[see also:
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (07): Argentina, swine, alert 20090718.2557
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (04): pandemic origins 20090715.2527
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (17), Argentina, OIE 20090703.2401
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (16), Argentina, swine, OIE 20090626.2322
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (13) swine, Canada, origin, RFI
20090615.2215
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (12) swine trial inf. 20090605.2088
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (11) swine trial inf. 20090604.2067
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (10) swine, Canada, cull 20090514.1813
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (09), swine, Canada 20090513.1790
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (08), food safety, FAO/OIE/WHO
20090507.1710
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (07), swine, Canada, OIE 20090506.1691
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (06), Canada, OIE 20090505.1683
Influenza A (H1N1): animal health (05), swine, Canada, FAO 20090505.1680]
....................cp/ejp/jw
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