INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009, ANIMAL HEALTH: CANADA (QUEBEC)

Date: Tue 28 Jul 2009
Source: Alberta Farmer Express [edited]
<http://www.albertafarmexpress.ca/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000335999&PC=FBC&issue=07282009>


Quebec finds pandemic (H1N1) in hog herd

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An isolated case of the pandemic strain of (H1N1) influenza has been
confirmed in a Quebec hog herd that has since "completely recovered."


The provincial agriculture, food and fisheries ministry (MAPAQ) said
in a release Tuesday [28 Jul 2009] that the strain had been
identified Friday [24 Jul 2009] at the labs of the National Centre
for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg. MAPAQ emphasized Tuesday that
no other case has been reported on any other hog farm in Quebec and
no people have caught the virus from the herd, saying "there is no
human case related to this situation." A MAPAQ spokesman said Tuesday
that it's not known how the hogs caught the virus.



MAPAQ pathologist Dr Alain Laperle told the Quebec farmers' newspaper
La Terre de Chez Nous on Tuesday [28 Jul 2009] that no one in the hog
farmer's family, nor any of the hog farm's workers or visitors, has
been sickened by the virus. Laperle told the newspaper that the 1st
clinical signs of the flu were detected in the herd at the end of
June [2009]. Neither the newspaper nor the ag [MAPAQ] ministry gave
the name or location of the hog farm in question. La Terre also
quoted Laperle as saying that while the vector by which the disease
came to the farm may never be known, the "most probable hypothesis"
is that it came through a human carrier.



The ministry in its release Tuesday [28 Jul 2009] also emphasized
that Quebec's pork supply is safe to consume and poses no human health risk.



Tuesday's announcement follows a statement Friday [24 Jul 2009] from
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that it will not
quarantine hog herds found to carry (H1N1). The agency hasn't yet
made any official statement on the Quebec case.



CFIA said Friday [24 Jul 2009] that affected animals from now on
"will be managed using the same veterinary management and biosecurity
practices employed for other swine influenza viruses." That means
"limiting opportunities for (H1N1) to spread to susceptible animals,"
the agency said, noting pork slaughter plants have "multiple
inspection points to ensure that only healthy animals enter the food
supply." All herds in which (H1N1) is detected will be monitored to
verify that infected animals recover. As well, CFIA added,
surveillance for the presence of (H1N1) in swine will continue, so as
"to detect any changes in how the virus affects swine and to identify
any changes in the structure of the virus."



CFIA's decision follows the quarantine it slapped on a hog herd near
Rocky Mountain House, [Alberta], earlier this spring [2009]. The herd
was believed to have caught the virus from a person, although the
visitor previously suspected of bringing the virus to the farm from
Mexico has since been ruled out as the carrier. None of the animals
that came down with (H1N1) died from it, but the federal quarantine
dragged on as positive tests continued to turn up within the herd.
Faced with an indefinite quarantine and overcrowded facilities, the
hogs' owner, Arnold Van Ginkel, eventually culled all of his
2000-plus animals last month [June 2009] for animal welfare reasons.



The only other known case of the pandemic strain of (H1N1) crossing
over from humans to hogs was reported in Argentina earlier this month
[July 2009].



Since the arrival of pandemic (H1N1) in Canada, the federal Public
Health Agency has reported 58 people have died from this specific flu
strain, as of Tuesday morning [24 Jul 2009]. In all, as of [18 Jul
2009], Canada has reported 10 449 lab-confirmed cases of pandemic
(H1N1) in people, including 1141 hospitalizations.



Globally, the World Health Organization reports 816 lab-confirmed
deaths due to pandemic (H1N1), and a total of 134 503 lab-confirmed
cases of the virus in people as of Monday morning [27 Jul 2009].
However, the WHO said in Monday's report, "given that countries are
no longer required to test and report individual cases, the number of
cases reported actually understates the real number of cases."