The Veterinary Counsel with the Canadian Pork Council is encouraging pork producers to be prepared for the wave of seasonal flu.
The main infections noted in the Canada-West Swine Health Intelligence Network third quarter report for 2016 included Streptococcus suis, Influenza A and Porcine Rotavirus.
Dr. Egan Brockhoff, the Veterinary Counsel with the Canadian Pork Council, says Influenza is getting to be a more and more complicated disease every year, this is an ideal time for influenza to start moving around and we want to be prepared for it.
Influenza A virus is a common virus. As we move into the fall we start thinking about flu season in the human population and of course that translates to flu season in the pig population. We do have some flu viruses that look like they’ve moved from Manitoba west into Saskatchewan and Alberta and that’s to be expected as we move into this fall weather.
Influenza is getting to be a more and more complicated disease every year and certainly we want to do everything they can to be prepared for it. It’s important to remind people that, if they don’t feel well, if they’re sick or showing flu like symptoms just not come to work, not go into the barn that day. Wearing a mask certainly helps and wearing gloves helps as well. And it’s also time for everyone working in the farm and the pig industry to consider seasonal flu vaccinations for themselves.
It’s probably a good time to talk to your local health care provider about seasonal flu vaccines.
~ Dr. Egan Brockhoff, Canadian Pork Council
Dr. Brockhoff says we have had some incredibly warm weather so some of those traditional respiratory challenges have been pushed back a little bit but we’re starting to see those fall and winter shoulder season diseases come in.
