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Swine-flu stricken pigs troubled feds worried about setting precedent: docs
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Swine-flu stricken pigs troubled feds worried about setting precedent: docs
By Steve Rennie (CP) ? 52 minutes ago
OTTAWA ? A herd of sick pigs was nothing to sneeze at for public-health officials.
The federal government realized that how it handled a herd of pigs that caught swine flu could set a precedent in Canada and elsewhere, a new document shows.
An outbreak of H1N1 on an Alberta farm last spring was the first-ever report of the new virus in pigs, and the source of the infection remains a mystery.
Government officials were keenly aware others would be watching them closely to see how they handled the ailing herd.
"Canada is in the unenviable position of having to decide on how to manage the pigs on this farm," a public-health official wrote to colleagues last May.
"Action taken could set a precedent, at least in the short-term, on how these issues are managed in Canada, and perhaps in other countries as this situation evolves."
The Canadian Press obtained the May 5 email and other documents under the Access to Information Act.
The email shows officials were weighing three options: culling the entire herd, controlled marketing and lifting the quarantine on the pigs...
Swine-flu stricken pigs troubled feds worried about setting precedent: docs
By Steve Rennie (CP) ? 52 minutes ago
OTTAWA ? A herd of sick pigs was nothing to sneeze at for public-health officials.
The federal government realized that how it handled a herd of pigs that caught swine flu could set a precedent in Canada and elsewhere, a new document shows.
An outbreak of H1N1 on an Alberta farm last spring was the first-ever report of the new virus in pigs, and the source of the infection remains a mystery.
Government officials were keenly aware others would be watching them closely to see how they handled the ailing herd.
"Canada is in the unenviable position of having to decide on how to manage the pigs on this farm," a public-health official wrote to colleagues last May.
"Action taken could set a precedent, at least in the short-term, on how these issues are managed in Canada, and perhaps in other countries as this situation evolves."
The Canadian Press obtained the May 5 email and other documents under the Access to Information Act.
The email shows officials were weighing three options: culling the entire herd, controlled marketing and lifting the quarantine on the pigs...