News
27.04.2009
Swine flu dangers
Health officials in Mexico are closing down public facilities nationwide and taking other strong precautions to stem the spread of what's being reported as a strain of swine influenza. Officials in the southern U.S. are also reporting suspected cases of the swine flu, and young adults are said to be the most susceptible to infection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Thought WHO has deemed the newly discovered swine flu a "high concern" in areas of Mexico and adjoining parts of the U.S., if you're seeing the news reports as you're on your way out the door to take care of your hogs -- be them in a large farm setting or just a pen of 4-H pigs -- you are likely at no heightened risk for the virus, according to Iowa State University (ISU) College of Veterinary Medicine swine virologist Dr. Kyoungjin Yoon, DVM.
"At this point, I'm not sure that the hog farmer will have higher risk. If you go back to what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has found, these are mostly young people who didn't have any interaction with pigs at all," says Yoon, who also serves as a Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine instructor at the ISU vet school. "If it was related to pigs that we have in the U.S., I would expect we would have seen a lot more than what's been popping up. From my perspective, I would not be too concerned about it."
