Whether it’s the neighbor’s pot-bellied pig, the large swine operation nearby or your family, flu season is here, and we all need to pay attention. Since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, research has been conducted to better understand human and pig influenza. Because flu viruses can be transmitted between pigs and people, biosecurity is important to prevent the spread of influenza from pigs to people and from workers to pigs.
Influenza is caused by ever-changing RNA viruses. The change in the virus isn’t mutation, it’s called reassortment; when more than one similar virus is affecting the same cell, the viruses can exchange genetic material.
Source: PORK, January 24, 2019. Link.
The National Pork Board and the US Centers for Disease Control recommend that people who work with pigs get a seasonal flu vaccination. Vaccinations are the most valuable tool for preventing flu transmission. Annual vaccination will prevent the spread of the flu between people and from people to pigs.
INSIGHTS: The importance of population control and zoonotic infection prevention is evident in the review of influenza.