people who come into contact with pigs should be encour- aged to have their annual flu vaccination. In addition to vaccination of pigs and people, adoption of effective biosecurity measures can help to prevent virus cir- culation between pigs and also reduce the incidence of sec- ondary bacterial infections, as the influenza virus and other pathogens can adhere to any surface and be transmitted by both inanimate and animate vectors. Measures include: • All-in, all-out rearing systems for piglets; • Deep cleans between batches; • Avoiding crossing walkways; • Clothes and shoe changing when staff move between production stages;
• Colour-coded equipment for individual areas.
Changing attitudes post-Covid Covid-19 has very clearly demonstrated the enormous eco- nomic and human cost associated with a global pandemic of a respiratory virus. The global population of pigs has grown steadily over the past decades, from around 400 million in the early 1960s to close to one billion today. At the same time, the average size of pig farms has also increased. Throughout the world, small, backyard pig production has given way to large, commercial pig units. Whereas in the 1990s a large pig farm would have 200 breed- ing sows, now many farms have thousands or even tens of thousands of sows. These changes in the way pigs are reared, combined with the fact that pigs serve as very efficient hosts for influenza viruses from pigs, birds and people to mix and swap genetic material, make it increasingly likely that the next global influenza pandemic will arise in pigs. Animals vaccinated with the trivalent vaccine have shown
reduced shedding and reduced clinical signs after infection with an H1N1 virus that emerged in 2010. That was shown by a team of researchers led by Álvaro López-Valiñas, attached to the Catalan research institute CReSA-IRTA in 2021. Even more important was the finding that vaccinated animals reduced the probability of the production of new reassortants. The au- thors stated: “Stricter vaccination schedules should be carried out on farms to avoid maximum SIV [swine influenza viruses] circulation, increasing the current percentage of swine population vaccinated against SIV in Europe (10–20%).”
Reducing disease, boosting productivity Mass vaccination of sows and their offspring against swine flu would deliver direct benefits to pig farmers – reducing dis- ease and boosting productivity in ways that are highly cost-effective. If such a strategy could also avert the next global pandemic, the return on investment would be incalcu- lable, not to mention the human suffering prevented and lives saved. Now, therefore, appears to be a very good time to make vets, pig farmers and public health authorities aware of the poten- tial benefits of vaccinating pig herds. The big question that still needs answering, however – as is the case with all diseas- es that can spread from animals to people – is who pays and who benefits? It is to be hoped that the world’s public health and veterinary authorities can answer that question before the next global pandemic strikes.
The previous article in this series was published in Pig Progress 38.02. References available upon request at
kathrin.lillie-jaschinski@
ceva.com and
friederike.schmelz@
ceva.com.
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 3, 2022 19
Despite receiv- ing maternally derived antibod- ies from vacci- nated sows, pig- lets can still get infected. That’s why it makes sense to take udder wipes for diagnostics.
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