Pork producers encouraged to avoid exposing pigs to influenza

A veterinary pathologist with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine says both people and pigs will typically recover from the effects of influenza.

The detection of Influenza A type H5N1 virus, or Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in dairy cattle and goats in the United States in March has prompted stepped up biosecurity in the pork sector.

Dr. Susan Detmer, an associate professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, says humans and pigs typically get H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 viruses and, while most are different between people and pigs, we do see interactions.

For the most part these are self limiting infections. Our immune system responds to them. Most people have either been vaccinated or exposed to different influenza viruses so our immune system is able to handle infections with most influenza A viruses. Occasionally, and we tend to see this in very young and very old people, that they end up developing pneumonia and they may have to be hospitalized for that.

For most people 24 to 48 hours after infection you’ll see a fever, you’re tired, your muscles will usually ache. It’s fairly similar every time you get influenza A virus infections so most people have experienced it. Usually within five to seven days of infection, and it’s the same with pigs. They usually clear the infection, there’s hardly any virus being shed by the seventh day and they’re usually fully recovered by then. It’s a very limited short-term infection but it can have serious consequences, both for humans and pigs, if their immune system isn’t able to stop it from going down full into the lungs where they can get pneumonia.

~ Dr. Susan Detmer, Western College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Detmer says the pork sector is concerned about high path H5N1 Avian Influenza because humans and pigs do have the avian receptor deep in their lungs which could result in catastrophic phenomena which is why we don’t want it to adapt to mammals and spread more easily.