Infected swine flu inspector boarded plane to Winnipeg

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/07/21/swine-flu-inspector-boards-plane072109.html

Infected swine flu inspector boarded plane to Winnipeg
'Very, very low risk' of transmission during flight: CFIA
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 9:54 PM ET


One of two federal inspectors who contracted swine flu while investigating an outbreak on an Alberta pig farm flew on a commercial flight to Winnipeg shortly after being infected, CBC News has learned.

The inspectors took nasal and blood samples from pigs on a farm near Rocky Mountain House for two hours on the night of April 28.

One of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency workers travelled to the federal virology lab in Winnipeg to personally deliver samples of the H1N1 virus from the quarantined barn.

It is unclear what flight the worker took, whether the worker was displaying symptoms at the time or whether he or she infected anyone else.

The two workers wore protective gear during the April 28 inspection, but a report by Alberta Health Services obtained by CBC News said they did not have the right equipment and had not been instructed in proper procedures.

The union representing the inspectors blamed the CFIA for the situation, saying the workers became ill because they weren't trained in proper decontamination procedures.

"To have people not only people putting themselves at risk, but potentially putting the public at risk, I think is unforgivable," said Bob Kingston, president of Agriculture Union-Public Service Alliance of Canada.

But the CFIA insists any risks to the public were minimal.

"Since the appearance of the pandemic in the general population has produced very little in the way of consequences, people on that plane likely are at very, very low risk of any kind of disease," said the CFIA's Dr. Jim Clark.

About 500 hogs were culled on the Alberta pig farm on May 8, because the animals could not be sold. The animals had been under quarantine since April 28.

Swine flu is transmitted from animal to human mainly on pig farms where farmers and workers are in close contact with live pigs. The virus cannot be contracted through eating pork.

The spread of swine flu from human to human happens in the same way as seasonal flu, through coughing or sneezing.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Infected swine flu inspector boarded plane to Winnipeg

Since the appearance of the pandemic in the general population has produced very little in the way of consequences...

The deceased's families might disagree.

.

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Infected swine flu inspector boarded plane to Winnipeg

Canada. Inspectors caught H1N1 flu investigating farm outbreak

Inspectors caught H1N1 flu investigating farm outbreak

Updated Tue. Jul. 21 2009 9:49 PM ET
The Canadian Press
TORONTO


Two Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors appear to have contracted H1N1 flu while investigating an outbreak of the new virus in pigs on an Alberta farm in late April, the agency confirmed Tuesday.

The cases appear to be the first reports of people catching the new H1N1 virus from pigs.

While the pandemic virus is of swine origin, it was found in people first. Pigs are not currently believed to be playing a role in ongoing transmission of the virus.

The agency said in emailed answers to questions that it's impossible to say with 100 per cent certainty that the inspectors were infected by the animals. But the infections took place in the early days of the swine flu outbreak, when few cases were being reported in Canada.

It's known that the men did not use proper safety techniques while in the barn, apparently removing the N-95 respirators that covered their noses and mouths because they were hot.

"We conducted a review of the situation and determined that CFIA protocols for personal protection were not fully observed in this case," the agency's email said.

The agency said it doesn't intend to change protocols for conducting this type of investigation because its existing protocols, if complied with, would have been adequate to protect the workers.

"Supervisors are being asked to ensure inspection staff have received the appropriate training and understand the procedures before being assigned to the investigation."

The Alberta pig farm incident was the first report ever of this new virus being found in pigs. The source of the infection in the pigs remains a mystery and the handling of the case has been anything but smooth.

Officials at first identified a carpenter who worked briefly on the farm while ill with flu-like symptoms as being the source of the infection.

But the man, who had recently returned from a trip to Mexico, was later told tests showed he was never infected with the new virus.

There were reports that members of the farm family were also sick shortly before the pigs started showing symptoms. But samples taken from them were not adequate to confirm or dismiss them as possible sources of the infection. Officials now admit they'll likely never know how the virus was introduced into the herd.

Argentina recently reported two more cases of person-to-pig transmission of the new virus.

Influenza experts are not surprised the virus can infect pigs and pass back from them to people. But they worry that if this type of ping-ponging occurs, it will drive the viruses to mutate.

It's impossible to predict what the outcome of that type of evolution would be, but it could undermine the effectiveness of H1N1 vaccine currently being developed for people.

Earl Brown, an expert in influenza virus evolution, called the trend towards increasing interspecies transmission of flu viruses is "disquieting."

"When it was in Alberta, you had this virus of swine origin . . . and then you had the question: Well, is it now a human flu or is it a swine flu? And it's clear that it's both," said Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa.

He said there has been rapid evolution of flu viruses in pigs in recent years, as well as cases of avian influenza viruses, including the dangerous H5N1 virus, jumping into people.

In the influenza world, pigs are described as the mixing vessel, because they can be infected with both bird viruses and human viruses -- giving rise to hybrids that they can pass back to people.

"You just don't want the pig to be the conduit for all these adapted viruses they've got from birds," Brown said.

"I think the general trend is not good but this particular virus, you know it's still an open book at to whether it's going to tone down or it's going to become more like a seasonal flu fast or if it's going to ramp up. "

"We really can't predict and we're just watching and trying to read the numbers."
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<cite cite="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090721/flu_inspectors_090721/20090721?hub=Health">CTV.ca | Inspectors caught H1N1 flu investigating farm outbreak</cite>

 

[gsgs]

Re: Infected swine flu inspector boarded plane to Winnipeg

it's impossible to say with 100 per cent certainty that the inspectors were infected by the animals

> It's impossible to predict

what's "predict" here ? Is it "say with 100% certainty" ?
But then I assume it's also impossible to say with 100% certainty whether it's impossible
to predict or not. So what ?

> it's clear that it's both,

clear with 100% certainety ?



give us your predictions, even if they are not 100% certain.
Say how confident you are in the predictions. (subjective probability estimate/prediction)

This would greatly enhance human communication !

> We really can't predict

others can. So you are inferior to those.
Let's rate the predictions by their quality, the higher th probabilities,
the better. But let's also rate the predictors by the history
of their predictions. When someone says 100% or 99.99% and then
it doesn't happen, then he/she has lost all credibility.
When someone says 70% and it didn't happen. he/she only lost
a bit credibility which can be compensated by other predictions.

 

[blacknail]

Re: Infected swine flu inspector boarded plane to Winnipeg

It is interesting that they say there was likely little impact when Manitoba has the highest per capita deaths and infections in Canada and at one point Winnipeg ICU's were almost completely filled with SF patients.