05.01.09
The National Pork Board is urging pork producers to enhance the biosecurity plans on their farms as the result of a new strain of influenza virus type H1N1 being reported in humans. The virus is unique and, to-date, has not been seen in the U.S. swine herd.
At this time, no U.S. pigs have been found to be infected or sick with the virus. It is unknown if this new strain causes any type of illness in swine. However, because it is novel, the National Pork Board is urging producers to take extra precaution to protect our industry’s workers and our animals.
STATEMENT FROM SECRETARY VILSACK ON CANADA DETECTION OF H1N1 IN ALBERTA SWINE- As a precaution, people with flu-like symptoms should not interact with swine, and swine showing influenza symptoms should be kept away from the public and brought to the attention of the State Animal Health Authorities or USDA. Proper biosecurity measures - as in any influenza situation - will protect against the spread of virus.
Additional details about the Alberta situation are that no sick swine have left the farm, and the animals and premises have been quarantined. The swine and humans are recovering and appear healthy. We are working closely with our CFIA counterparts to be kept abreast of the situation, and will await the final confirmatory test results, which could take anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks. Canada has handled this situation appropriately and taken the necessary steps and precautions.
Here in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is actively working to develop an H1N1 vaccine for swine, just as the CDC is doing for humans. It is standard operating procedure at the USDA to send any unusual virus, such as the H1N1 virus, detected through our surveillance network to our labs in Ames, Iowa. Our scientists routinely diagnose animal diseases and develop vaccines to protect livestock and poultry in the United States.
Today's discovery will not impact our borders or trading with Canada. As prescribed by the World Organization for Animal Health guidelines, any trade restrictions must be based on science so at this time, we are awaiting confirmatory test results before considering any action."
The National Pork Board recommends to prevent the introduction of the new strain of influenza virus H1N1 into your operation, follow good biosecurity practices. Because people have been reported sick with this virus, make sure your biosecurity practices place special emphasis on protecting your animals and your operation’s workers by monitoring all persons having access to your operation.
Consider the following practices:
Establish, implement and enforce strict sick leave policies for workers presenting with influenza-like symptoms such as fever, cough, body aches, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
Prevent workers exhibiting these symptoms from entering swine facilities for at least seven days after presenting with symptoms of respiratory illness, even mild ones.
Recommend that workers with these symptoms be seen by a medical provider immediately.
Encourage workers to report if members of their household develop influenza-like symptoms or have been diagnosed with influenza. Consider restricting the contact that this worker has with the animals.
Implement biosecurity for workers reporting international travel.
This recommendation is not limited to those people who had contact with animals in foreign countries.
Consider preventing the entry of workers who have travelled internationally, and particularly to Mexico, into your operation.
If entry is essential, consider requiring that these people use face masks, or preferably properly fitted, valveless N95 respirators, and gloves, upon entering and while inside a swine housing facility.
If workers reporting international travel present with influenza-like symptoms, restrict their access to the farm. Recommend that they seek immediate medical attention and that they report their travel to the medical professional.
Limit visitors to swine facilities
Limit the entry of people into your facility to workers and essential service personnel.
Prevent international visitors from entering your facilities.
Prevent the entry of people who report international travel (especially from Mexico) as recently as in the past two weeks.
Follow other generally accepted biosecurity practices, including:
Enforce basic hygiene practices –
Workers should shower and change into farm-specific clothes and shoes before entering swine facilities. If this is not possible, enforce at least the use of farm shoes and hand and arm washing before contact with pigs.
Recommend frequent hand-washing of workers, in barns and in offices.
Pay attention to ventilation - Ventilation systems in production facilities should be designed to minimize re-circulation of air inside animal housing facilities. This is important to reduce the exposure of pigs to viruses from other pigs, to reduce their exposure to human influenza viruses.
Implement and enforce the use of personal protective equipment- Provide basic personal protective equipment (PPE) to the people working in barns. This should include face masks, or preferably respirators; eye protection and gloves when appropriate.
Recommend that all workers are vaccinated against the seasonal influenza virus -The vaccine is produced on a yearly basis and contains only human, not swine, strains of influenza viruses. Vaccination of swine farm workers will help to prevent human infections from seasonal human influenza strains. Seasonal influenza vaccination will not protect against the new H1N1 strain. However, vaccination of farm workers will reduce the amounts of viruses they shed if infected during seasonal human influenza outbreaks, and limit the potential for human influenza virus infection of pigs.
Review herd health programs with your veterinarian to ensure they are up to date and effective for conditions on your farm
If you observe, or employees report, respiratory illness in pigs, contact a swine veterinarian immediately, especially if the onset or presentation of this illness is unusual. If deemed necessary, your veterinarian may require samples be taken from animals to send to veterinary diagnostic laboratories. If animals develop a fever or go off feed, the veterinarian may take lung tissues samples and nasal swabs to send to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.
If you have workers collect these samples, require that they use personal protective equipment including a properly fitted, valveless N95 respirator, gloves and safety goggles.
Talk to your veterinarian if influenza-like symptoms have been reported or observed in any of the people that have, or have had, contact with your animals and report that upon submission of the samples to a diagnostic laboratory.
