What vaccines and/or drugs are being developed to protect or treat commercial swine? What is their effect on human health?
An animal vaccine for the 2009 H1N1 influenza strain will help ensure that the United States is prepared to contain the disease in swine should it emerge.
- Pigs in the U.S. are frequently vaccinated for influenza viruses.
- Currently, commercial vaccines are made from viruses already known to circulate in the swine population.
- Herd specific vaccines often are used to protect against specific viruses in a herd.
- There is no evidence that animal influenza vaccines pose any health risk to humans/consumers.
USDA scientists are working with the U.S. swine industry to generate new vaccines to provide protection to pigs against the 2009 pandemic H1N1.
- Experiments by USDA scientists at the ARS National Animal Disease Center indicate that the current vaccines used in the U.S. swine herd might not be effective in protecting against the 2009 pandemic H1N1.
- USDA continues to run additional tests to determine if any vaccines currently available can protect swine against the 2009 H1N1 strain.
- USDA has an active swine influenza vaccine discovery research program to develop next generation vaccines to protect our pork industry from new and emerging swine influenza viruses.
- A possible beneficial effect on human health would be to reduce the circulation of influenza viruses in swine generally, thus reducing the chances of these viruses mutating into different forms that could present a more significant risk to animal or human health.
USDA has made the master seed virus for the 2009 H1N1 flu available to veterinary biologics manufacturers in an effort to speed development of an effective vaccine for swine.
- This eliminates the need for manufacturers to develop their own master seed.
- Each manufacturer can begin working immediately on vaccine production.
- Producers could have a vaccine available by the end of the year.
Last Reviewed: 10/14/2009
