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Australia - Swine flu hits piggery

Re: Australia - Swine flu hits piggery

Feral pigs a 'reservoir' for swine flu
August 4, 2009 - 12:39PM

Feral pig populations could become a breeding reservoir for swine flu making the disease impossible to eradicate, the federal opposition says.

The warning comes after 2,000 pigs on a property at Dunedoo, in the central west of NSW, were found to have contracted swine flu.

The farm has been quarantined since last Friday.

Authorities have said the health of the pigs has improved and the disease has been contained to the property.

Opposition agriculture spokesman John Cobb praised the piggery owner for taking quick quarantine measures and notifying authorities.

But he is concerned the virus may find its way into the feral pig population where "it will be next to impossible to eradicate".

Feral pigs would become a "reservoir for the virus which has the potential to mutate and come back as a meaner, nastier, deadlier virus".

State and federal governments should undertake a feral pig control program - involving shooting, baiting and trapping swines - around the Dunedoo piggery to ensure the virus did not spread, Mr Cobb said.

Meanwhile authorities have reassured the public that eating pork is safe.

Comment was being sought from federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-...-a-reservoir-for-swine-flu-20090804-e80q.html
 
Re: Australia - Swine flu hits piggery

interestingly, as a result of this the organisers of Queensland's largest agricultural show (held in Brisbane from tomorrow for 10 days) has "ejected" all pigs from the showgrounds....except for the piglets being displayed in a children's petting farm...

this show is an opportunity for pig farmers (and all agricultural producers) to showcase their livestock and make business deals with meat suppliers and other farmers. i foresee an increase in demands for government financial assistance in coming days.....
 
Re: Australia - Swine flu hits piggery

Testing feral pigs for swine flu unnecessary, veterinarian says


5/08/2009 4:00:00 AM

Feral pigs are unlikely to contract swine flu, according to a Charles Sturt University professor.
Associate Professor in Veterinary Pathobiology Shane Raidal was speaking after Opposition agriculture spokesperson John Cobb called for surveillance of wild pigs in the aftermath of pigs at a Dunedoo commercial piggery falling sick with the A H1 virus.
There are indications the disease had almost run its course at the piggery, according to Livestock Health and Pest Authorities acting health manager Dan Salmon.
?The number of new cases is decreasing,? Mr Salmon said yesterday.
Mr Salmon said they hoped the pigs will be ?clinically healthy in the next day or so?.
The quarantined pigs will remain on the property until at least seven days after returning to full health.
But Mr Cobb said that should wild razorbacks contract the A H1 virus, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate, mutate and come back as a meaner, nastier, deadlier virus.
?No-one can predict what a disease can do,? Mr Cobb?s office said yesterday.
?Initially no-one believed it (flu) could jump from people to pigs.?
A NSW primary industries department spokesperson disagreed with Mr Cobb.
?It?s a beat-up, we?re not going to entertain John Cobb,? he said. ?Testing feral pigs is not required.?
Associate Professor Shane Raidal agreed testing was unnecessary.
?It would have to be a deliberate attempt by someone to infect a feral pig,? he said.
?Someone would have to deliberately plant something infected and then the pig would have to eat it.?
?There is such a small window of opportunity.?
Mr Raidal said it would be theoretically possible for feral pigs to catch the flu from sick commercial pigs.
?Feral pigs tend to stay away from commercial piggeries. They are smart animals and know they will be shot if they try to get close.
Mr Raidal said if a feral pig got the flu it would recover quickly, would not spread throughout the feral population, and that it was rare for a free-living animal to catch the flu. ;)?A pig would have to sit next to another pig all the time,? he said. :tiphat:http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/news...essary-veterinarian-says/1586751.aspx?src=rss
 
Re: Australia - Swine flu hits piggery

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/05/2646647.htm?section=justin

Swine flu tests urged for piggery workers


The nation's pork industry is calling for piggery workers with flu-like symptoms to be tested for the influenza A H1N1 virus.

A piggery at Dunedoo, in central western New South Wales, remains in lockdown after the pigs were infected by a sick farm worker.

Andrew Spencer from Australian Pork Limited says people with swine flu pose a serious threat to the industry.

He says doctors are not routinely testing for the virus which is making it difficult for producers to manage their herds.

"We've got producers who have had sick workers, have sent them off to the doctor and have been very keen to find out whether they had the swine flu variant of human influenza and they haven't been able to tell that because doctors aren't allowed to just run routine testing for it," he said.

"We're actually in discussion with the Department of Health about that."

Mr Spencer says it is important for producers to know if their workers have had the virus.

"If he's noticing anything in his pigs later, to know the answer to that question is important for him to be able to make a good decision about what further steps should be taken," he said.
 
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