What are the best ways to keep my commercial swine herd healthy during a flu outbreak?
Pig owners should keep people with respiratory illness away from pigs.
- Flu viruses are occasionally transmitted from people to pigs.
- Recognize flu-like symptoms in humans - fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and possibly vomiting or diarrhea.
- Anyone who has been diagnosed with flu, has flu-like symptoms, or reports contact with others who have flu-like symptoms should avoid contact with pigs.
Swine owners should learn the warning signs of influenza virus in pigs
- Signs in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), runny nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, red eyes or swelling and appetite loss.
- Isolate pigs that show signs of illness from healthy swine.
- If your pig is showing any of these signs, call your veterinarian.
Pig owners should be utilizing protective measures to keep their animals healthy.
- Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm to limit the chances of bringing the virus from an outside source.
- Avoid visiting other livestock farms.
- Disinfect shoes, clothes, hands, crates, vehicles and tires – all of which can carry the virus.
- Protect your herd from contact with other animals; swine from outside sources, should not be brought back to the farm and mingled with pigs already on the farm.
- Purchase animals from reputable sources and ensure that you have documentation of the animal’s origin.
- Have your new animals checked by a veterinarian.
- Do not lend equipment or vehicles to other farms, or borrow them from other farms.
Producers need to submit samples for testing if their pigs show signs of influenza
like-illness.
- Monitoring and studying these influenza viruses in swine, will help us learn more about them.
- It will help us develop better tools to diagnose them as well as to develop new and improved vaccines to protect our U.S swine herds.
- By submitting samples, producers can help us learn if a particular novel virus has evolved into a potential animal or public health threat.
Last Reviewed: 10/14/2009
