.
It seems that a further disaster has been visited upon us.
The circovirus epidemics ravaging pig herds for the past decade seem to have spread to cattle.
Circovirus - thoroughly underestimated and covered up by Britain's
corrupt government veterinarians.
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/germany-cause-of-blood-sweating-in-calves-still-obscure-610.html
Germany: cause of blood sweating in calves still obscure
//05 Nov 2009
German researchers investigated 52 calves from 42 farms in Germany, which suffered from a haemorrhagic disease with unknown cause. Similar cases appeared recently in the Netherlands, Scotland, England, and Wales where is spoken of fatal bleeding calf syndrome ...
...Using a broad-spectrum PCR, a circovirus with high similarities to porcine circovirus type 2b (PCV2b), was detected in several of the affected calves.
Conclusion
The distinct cause of the disease still remains unknown. Potentially, the pathogenesis is complex and includes components such as infection, hereditary disposition, and immune- mediated destruction of blood cell precursors.
Further investigations are necessary to clarify the role of PCV2.
Source
Proceedings of the 27th meeting of the European Society of Veterinary Pathology, Krakow, Poland, 9-12 Sep 2009 (pdf)
Abstract title: Fatal aplastic anaemia with haemorrhagic disease in calves in Germany. EC Kappe et. al.
Stop the World
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Thursday, 24 September 2009
MRSA spread less in Denmark than the Netherlands
.
Pat's Note: Speaks for itself really.
This is a Dutch veterinary site reporting on the Dutch Parliament. Their breathtaking honesty and integrity will help them weather the coming storm.
They will have plenty to say when Britain's bent government vets are finally forced to admit that Britain's pigs have MRSA and that MRSA in Britain has been covered up for more then 5 years.
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/denmark-less-mrsa-spread-than-the-netherlands-481.html
Denmark: Less MRSA spread than the Netherlands//24 Sep 2009
Denmark has so far experienced considerably less spread of theMethylicin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria (MRSA) than theNetherlands. This could be related to the different situations in both country's livestock industries.
This became clear in Dutch Parliament this week when Dutch agricultural minister Gerda Verburg answered questions related toMRSA.
Hospital bacteria
The MRSA bacteria usually strikes in weaker people in hospitals, hence its nickname 'the hospital bacteria'. The same bacteria has been found to exist in pig and other livestock farms around the globe, but the exact relationship with farms and the bacteria in humans is still researched.
Verburg stated that Danish farms use less antibiotics in animal production. In addition, there are more farms having a SpecificPathogen Free (SPF) status. She claimed that it is difficult to quantify the role of these factors as specific data are missing.
Hygiene status
Verburg said that "it isn't possible to say that in general, the Danish pig industry has a higher hygiene status," as she claims there is no benchmark to prove that. Especially in the Netherlands, authorities and the private sector have implemented a wide range of hygiene measures due to an outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) inthe 1990s.
Denmark, however, does have a larger amount of closed farms and farms with an SPF status. In addition, the amount of animal transports between farms may be less than in the Netherlands.
Daily doses
Antibiotic use in animal production is lower in Denmark than in the Netherlands. Reports from Wageningen University and Research Centre(2009-2015) showed that the average daily doses of anitbiotics per animal in 2006 and before had been lower in Denmark than in theNetherlands. These figures were based on all animal production sectors. Detailed data per sector have not been available so far.
Pat's Note: Speaks for itself really.
This is a Dutch veterinary site reporting on the Dutch Parliament. Their breathtaking honesty and integrity will help them weather the coming storm.
They will have plenty to say when Britain's bent government vets are finally forced to admit that Britain's pigs have MRSA and that MRSA in Britain has been covered up for more then 5 years.
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/denmark-less-mrsa-spread-than-the-netherlands-481.html
Denmark: Less MRSA spread than the Netherlands//24 Sep 2009
Denmark has so far experienced considerably less spread of theMethylicin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria (MRSA) than theNetherlands. This could be related to the different situations in both country's livestock industries.
This became clear in Dutch Parliament this week when Dutch agricultural minister Gerda Verburg answered questions related toMRSA.
Hospital bacteria
The MRSA bacteria usually strikes in weaker people in hospitals, hence its nickname 'the hospital bacteria'. The same bacteria has been found to exist in pig and other livestock farms around the globe, but the exact relationship with farms and the bacteria in humans is still researched.
Verburg stated that Danish farms use less antibiotics in animal production. In addition, there are more farms having a SpecificPathogen Free (SPF) status. She claimed that it is difficult to quantify the role of these factors as specific data are missing.
Hygiene status
Verburg said that "it isn't possible to say that in general, the Danish pig industry has a higher hygiene status," as she claims there is no benchmark to prove that. Especially in the Netherlands, authorities and the private sector have implemented a wide range of hygiene measures due to an outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) inthe 1990s.
Denmark, however, does have a larger amount of closed farms and farms with an SPF status. In addition, the amount of animal transports between farms may be less than in the Netherlands.
Daily doses
Antibiotic use in animal production is lower in Denmark than in the Netherlands. Reports from Wageningen University and Research Centre(2009-2015) showed that the average daily doses of anitbiotics per animal in 2006 and before had been lower in Denmark than in theNetherlands. These figures were based on all animal production sectors. Detailed data per sector have not been available so far.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
MRSA in pigs risk to hospitals
.
"Our results indicate that livestock represents a relevant reservoir for the import of MRSA into regional German hospitals."
That seems to settle that.
MRSA in pigs and other livestock is a risk to our hospitals.
Britain now has to admit that British pigs do have MRSA and that they have been holding back the bad news.
The NHS has to introduce proper targeted screening and vets have to be banned from prescribing antibiotics, as the Dutch are suggesting.
Then there will be time for a full public enquiry with evidence to be given under oath of exactly has been going on in Defra, Britain's agriculture ministry, for the past ten years and to establish the true origins of the PMWS-MRSA1999, CSF2000 and FMD2000 epidemics.
New Zealand and Australia need to start investigating their situation
In Canada and the USA, things are easier. You already know your pigs have MRSA and this is carried in pork. You now have to protect your hospitals by following the sucessful Dutch screening techniques.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19701815?dopt=Abstract
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2009 Aug 25. [Epub ahead of print]Related Articles, Links Prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among pigs on German farms and import oflivestock-related MRSA into hospitals.
Köck R, Harlizius J, Bressan N, Laerberg R, Wieler LH, Witte W,Deurenberg RH, Voss A, Becker K, Friedrich AW.
Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Robert-Koch-Str.41, 48149, Münster, Germany.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)among pigs and estimate the impact of this animal reservoir on human healthcare.
Nasal swabs were derived from 1,600 pigs at 40 German farms. The MRSA were characterized using S. aureus protein A (spa)typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and detection of toxin genes.
In a retrospective case control study, we compared risk factors for the carriage of MRSA between patients carrying spa types found among regional pigs and patients with other MRSA molecular types. Pigs carrying MRSA were identified on 70% of the farms (spa types t011,t034, t108, t1451 and t2510, all associated with MLST sequence type ST398). Contact to pigs and cattle were independent risk factors for the carriage of these spa types in patients at hospital admission.
Our results indicate that livestock represents a relevant reservoir for the import of MRSA into regional German hospitals.
PMID: 19701815 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
"Our results indicate that livestock represents a relevant reservoir for the import of MRSA into regional German hospitals."
That seems to settle that.
MRSA in pigs and other livestock is a risk to our hospitals.
Britain now has to admit that British pigs do have MRSA and that they have been holding back the bad news.
The NHS has to introduce proper targeted screening and vets have to be banned from prescribing antibiotics, as the Dutch are suggesting.
Then there will be time for a full public enquiry with evidence to be given under oath of exactly has been going on in Defra, Britain's agriculture ministry, for the past ten years and to establish the true origins of the PMWS-MRSA1999, CSF2000 and FMD2000 epidemics.
New Zealand and Australia need to start investigating their situation
In Canada and the USA, things are easier. You already know your pigs have MRSA and this is carried in pork. You now have to protect your hospitals by following the sucessful Dutch screening techniques.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19701815?dopt=Abstract
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2009 Aug 25. [Epub ahead of print]Related Articles, Links Prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among pigs on German farms and import oflivestock-related MRSA into hospitals.
Köck R, Harlizius J, Bressan N, Laerberg R, Wieler LH, Witte W,Deurenberg RH, Voss A, Becker K, Friedrich AW.
Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Robert-Koch-Str.41, 48149, Münster, Germany.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)among pigs and estimate the impact of this animal reservoir on human healthcare.
Nasal swabs were derived from 1,600 pigs at 40 German farms. The MRSA were characterized using S. aureus protein A (spa)typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and detection of toxin genes.
In a retrospective case control study, we compared risk factors for the carriage of MRSA between patients carrying spa types found among regional pigs and patients with other MRSA molecular types. Pigs carrying MRSA were identified on 70% of the farms (spa types t011,t034, t108, t1451 and t2510, all associated with MLST sequence type ST398). Contact to pigs and cattle were independent risk factors for the carriage of these spa types in patients at hospital admission.
Our results indicate that livestock represents a relevant reservoir for the import of MRSA into regional German hospitals.
PMID: 19701815 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Superbugs - more than 30,000 British die in five years
.
It's real, it's happening and it does not seem to be so bad on the Continent of Europe
What on earth is Britain doing wrong?
This is no time for a discredited Agriculture Mininstry - Defra to hold back information on MRSA tests on British pigs.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6034988/Death-toll-from-hospital-bugs-hits-new-high.html
Death toll from hospital bugs hits new high
More than 30,000 people have died after contracting the hospital infections MRSA and Clostridium difficile in just five years, officialfigures will show this week. By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent Published: 9:00PM BST 15 Aug 2009
Data from the Office for National Statistics covering 2004 to 2008 is expected to show record numbers of deaths linked to the superbugs in England and Wales.
Opposition politicians said the Government had allowed "a horrifying death toll" because of its "slow and sloppy" response to spiralling levels of infection in NHS hospitals.
Official data shows a doubling in the death toll linked to MRSA during the period 2004 to 2007, compared with the previous four years, and a quadrupling in deaths linked to C. diff, when two sets of three-year figures are compared.
Between 2004 and 2007 there were more than 20,000 deaths linked to C.diff and more than 6,000 associated with MRSA.... more
It's real, it's happening and it does not seem to be so bad on the Continent of Europe
What on earth is Britain doing wrong?
This is no time for a discredited Agriculture Mininstry - Defra to hold back information on MRSA tests on British pigs.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6034988/Death-toll-from-hospital-bugs-hits-new-high.html
Death toll from hospital bugs hits new high
More than 30,000 people have died after contracting the hospital infections MRSA and Clostridium difficile in just five years, officialfigures will show this week. By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent Published: 9:00PM BST 15 Aug 2009
Data from the Office for National Statistics covering 2004 to 2008 is expected to show record numbers of deaths linked to the superbugs in England and Wales.
Opposition politicians said the Government had allowed "a horrifying death toll" because of its "slow and sloppy" response to spiralling levels of infection in NHS hospitals.
Official data shows a doubling in the death toll linked to MRSA during the period 2004 to 2007, compared with the previous four years, and a quadrupling in deaths linked to C. diff, when two sets of three-year figures are compared.
Between 2004 and 2007 there were more than 20,000 deaths linked to C.diff and more than 6,000 associated with MRSA.... more
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Dutch Ag Min wants Vet drug sales ban
.
More information on the prospect of a vet antibiotics ban.
If the level of drug sales income is similar in the UK, it is indeed a
matter of concern. We know that the levels of prescription for pigs in
the UK is massive and has been for years, despite Defra's deliberate
fudging of the figures.
You can see the start of the blame game between vets and farmers in
the last sentence.
The vets know they are now in serious trouble and are very anxious to
shift blame to the farmers. You can sense the same thing happening in
the UK.
The writer is with the farmers. The present antibiotic crisis could never have
happened without the full collusion, instigation and approval of the
vets.
They had the education and the qualifications, they made the
prescriptions and the big money. No British farmer dared go against
the advice of his vet. The RSPCA saw to that. Ignoring or not seeking
the advice of a vet apparently equals animal cruelty in the UK.
The government vets regarded the faking of tests and documents as
appropriate conduct and the intimidation of witnesses to Parliament as
part of their brief. Pig farmers told me that they dared not stand up
to Maff-Defra's criminalised veterinary service.
The farmers are left with the problems and handling a British public
that will go nuts when they find out just what has been going on. The
public trusted their vets, but will not allow their reckless practices
to endanger the health of their children.
No amount of "All Creatures Great and Small" is going to help.
As usual the Dutch are to be commended for their integrity in bringing
the problem to the surface and starting to tackle the root causes.
http://www.pigprogress.net/news/dutch-ag-min-wants-vet-drug-sales-ban-3274.html
Dutch Ag Min wants Vet drug sales ban 11 Aug 2009
According to the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Science (KNMvD)
20-50% of the income of Dutch veterinarians comes from selling animal
medicines. Dutch Minster for Agriculture Gerda Verburg wants to
investigate whether the sale of animal medicines (antibiotics) by
veterinarians must be banned in the Netherlands.
Antibiotic resistance
According to Verburg, the high antibiotic use in the Dutch livestock
sector may be linked back to the fact that vets earn a lot of money by
selling the antibiotics. Verburg advocates minimising the use of
(therapeutic) antibiotics in the livestock sector because it may
result in antibiotic resistant bacteria in humans.
In-feed antibiotic ban
The ban on antibiotic growth promoters has led to a reduced use of
antibiotics on farms. Antibiotics are now only used as a therapeutic
measure and can only be subscribed by a veterinarian. On average, a
pig in the Netherlands receives 32 doses of antibiotics per year.
Denmark supplies 9 dosses per pig per year. In the Netherlands,
antibiotics are often given to a whole animal group, even when only
one animal in that group is ill.
Farmer's mentality
A ban on the sale of antibiotics by veterinarians is not the only
measure to reduce the antibiotics use in the Dutch livestock sector.
Also farmers need to change their mentality says the KNMvD.
More information on the prospect of a vet antibiotics ban.
If the level of drug sales income is similar in the UK, it is indeed a
matter of concern. We know that the levels of prescription for pigs in
the UK is massive and has been for years, despite Defra's deliberate
fudging of the figures.
You can see the start of the blame game between vets and farmers in
the last sentence.
The vets know they are now in serious trouble and are very anxious to
shift blame to the farmers. You can sense the same thing happening in
the UK.
The writer is with the farmers. The present antibiotic crisis could never have
happened without the full collusion, instigation and approval of the
vets.
They had the education and the qualifications, they made the
prescriptions and the big money. No British farmer dared go against
the advice of his vet. The RSPCA saw to that. Ignoring or not seeking
the advice of a vet apparently equals animal cruelty in the UK.
The government vets regarded the faking of tests and documents as
appropriate conduct and the intimidation of witnesses to Parliament as
part of their brief. Pig farmers told me that they dared not stand up
to Maff-Defra's criminalised veterinary service.
The farmers are left with the problems and handling a British public
that will go nuts when they find out just what has been going on. The
public trusted their vets, but will not allow their reckless practices
to endanger the health of their children.
No amount of "All Creatures Great and Small" is going to help.
As usual the Dutch are to be commended for their integrity in bringing
the problem to the surface and starting to tackle the root causes.
http://www.pigprogress.net/news/dutch-ag-min-wants-vet-drug-sales-ban-3274.html
Dutch Ag Min wants Vet drug sales ban 11 Aug 2009
According to the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Science (KNMvD)
20-50% of the income of Dutch veterinarians comes from selling animal
medicines. Dutch Minster for Agriculture Gerda Verburg wants to
investigate whether the sale of animal medicines (antibiotics) by
veterinarians must be banned in the Netherlands.
Antibiotic resistance
According to Verburg, the high antibiotic use in the Dutch livestock
sector may be linked back to the fact that vets earn a lot of money by
selling the antibiotics. Verburg advocates minimising the use of
(therapeutic) antibiotics in the livestock sector because it may
result in antibiotic resistant bacteria in humans.
In-feed antibiotic ban
The ban on antibiotic growth promoters has led to a reduced use of
antibiotics on farms. Antibiotics are now only used as a therapeutic
measure and can only be subscribed by a veterinarian. On average, a
pig in the Netherlands receives 32 doses of antibiotics per year.
Denmark supplies 9 dosses per pig per year. In the Netherlands,
antibiotics are often given to a whole animal group, even when only
one animal in that group is ill.
Farmer's mentality
A ban on the sale of antibiotics by veterinarians is not the only
measure to reduce the antibiotics use in the Dutch livestock sector.
Also farmers need to change their mentality says the KNMvD.
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Dutch admit extent of MRSA in livestock and farmers
This is the world service of Netherlands Radio.
It is not comfortable reading.
It is interesting to see the Dutch government are investigating the
role of vets in the over prescription of antibiotics to livestock.
The Dutch are going to come out of this fiasco relatively well. They
have at least admitted that there is a problem, told the world five
years ago, and are attempting to do something about it.
What a comparison to Britain's shabby veterinary industry!
Still if they can't be bothered to maintain proper ethical standards
they must not expect any sympathy from the rest of us.
http://www.rnw.nl/es/node/16218
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)is concerned about the overuse of antibiotics on cattle farms. The medication ultimately causes the hospital superbug MRSA to become resistant.
The RIVM says that some human diseases may become untreatable if the bacteria continue to develop a resistance to antibiotics.
No alternatives
RIVM infection specialist Dr Roel Coutinho told NOS television,
"It's known for a fact that all bacteria ultimately become resistant.
At that point, new antibiotics need to be used, but currently there
are no new antibiotics in the pipeline. Therefore we have to restrain
the use of the current antibiotic medication as much as we can. That's
why Dutch doctors and hospitals follow guidelines on limiting the
application of antibiotics, and that approach works. Compared to other countries, antibiotics prescriptions in the Dutch health care system are relatively modest."
The problem is that the guidelines do not apply to animal breeders on
cattle, pig and chicken farms.
"On cattle farms, the quantity of antibiotics administered to the
animals is ten times that of the human use countrywide. I'm not
convinced that that is really necessary, and I think we should do the
utmost to reduce the use," Dr Coutinho added.
Some 80 percent of cattle breeding farms and half the Dutch chicken
farms have been infected with a strain of MRSA, the institute says. In
2008, there were over 1100 reports of infection, 400 more than in
2007.
Measures
Chairman Wyno Zwanenburg of the Dutch Pig Breeders' Union explained to NOS that pig farmers have made considerable advances in reducing the use of antibiotics. He pointed out that pigs are living in groups, necessitating group treatment, even if only a single animal has been infected.
One third of all cattle farmers are infected with MRSA, but the
bacteria is only dangerous for people who are susceptible because of
other illnesses or general ill health.
In an attempt to curb the use of antibiotics on farms, Agriculture
Minister Tineke Verburg has ordered an investigation into the role of
veterinary doctors. Vets generally act as their own dispensing
chemists, selling the antibiotics to farmers. The vets' umbrella
organisation agrees that the use of antibiotics in cattle farms should
be brought down, but adds that there are usually medical arguments in favour of their use.
It is not comfortable reading.
It is interesting to see the Dutch government are investigating the
role of vets in the over prescription of antibiotics to livestock.
The Dutch are going to come out of this fiasco relatively well. They
have at least admitted that there is a problem, told the world five
years ago, and are attempting to do something about it.
What a comparison to Britain's shabby veterinary industry!
Still if they can't be bothered to maintain proper ethical standards
they must not expect any sympathy from the rest of us.
http://www.rnw.nl/es/node/16218
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)is concerned about the overuse of antibiotics on cattle farms. The medication ultimately causes the hospital superbug MRSA to become resistant.
The RIVM says that some human diseases may become untreatable if the bacteria continue to develop a resistance to antibiotics.
No alternatives
RIVM infection specialist Dr Roel Coutinho told NOS television,
"It's known for a fact that all bacteria ultimately become resistant.
At that point, new antibiotics need to be used, but currently there
are no new antibiotics in the pipeline. Therefore we have to restrain
the use of the current antibiotic medication as much as we can. That's
why Dutch doctors and hospitals follow guidelines on limiting the
application of antibiotics, and that approach works. Compared to other countries, antibiotics prescriptions in the Dutch health care system are relatively modest."
The problem is that the guidelines do not apply to animal breeders on
cattle, pig and chicken farms.
"On cattle farms, the quantity of antibiotics administered to the
animals is ten times that of the human use countrywide. I'm not
convinced that that is really necessary, and I think we should do the
utmost to reduce the use," Dr Coutinho added.
Some 80 percent of cattle breeding farms and half the Dutch chicken
farms have been infected with a strain of MRSA, the institute says. In
2008, there were over 1100 reports of infection, 400 more than in
2007.
Measures
Chairman Wyno Zwanenburg of the Dutch Pig Breeders' Union explained to NOS that pig farmers have made considerable advances in reducing the use of antibiotics. He pointed out that pigs are living in groups, necessitating group treatment, even if only a single animal has been infected.
One third of all cattle farmers are infected with MRSA, but the
bacteria is only dangerous for people who are susceptible because of
other illnesses or general ill health.
In an attempt to curb the use of antibiotics on farms, Agriculture
Minister Tineke Verburg has ordered an investigation into the role of
veterinary doctors. Vets generally act as their own dispensing
chemists, selling the antibiotics to farmers. The vets' umbrella
organisation agrees that the use of antibiotics in cattle farms should
be brought down, but adds that there are usually medical arguments in favour of their use.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Swine Flu - Canadians caught out again
Pat’s Note: It is clear that the Canadian authorities have been caught again hiding vital information from the public gaze to protect their disease riddled pig industry and incompetent public servants.
Their pigs have Swine Flu and it has spread into people and they have been hiding it up for months.
That is the real story. They have known since early May.
We now know that their pigs have been seriously sick with circovirus since the mid 1990s and probably were the source of the British outbreaks in 1999.
The real story behind Britain’s infamous Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth outbreaks is unraveling on the Prairies.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/07/20/swine-flu-inspectors-improper-gear-virus-calgary.html
Swine-flu inspectors wearing improper gear caught virus
Some staff wore ill-fitting respirators borrowed from firehall
Last Updated: Monday, July 20, 2009 | 8:45 PM ET
CBC News
Two CFIA staffers got sick a day after taking nasal and blood samples from pigs in a barn on this central Alberta farm. (CBC)
Federal government inspectors did not take proper precautions when investigating a swine-flu outbreak on a central Alberta pig farm, says a report obtained by CBC News.
Two workers for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) subsequently got sick with the H1N1 virus, according to a report by Alberta Health Services.
The pair took nasal and blood samples from pigs on a farm near Rocky Mountain House for two hours on the night of April 28. The workers wore protective gear, but the report said they did not have the right equipment and were not shown proper procedures.
The full-face respirators available to them had not been fitted properly, and also fogged up their masks, making work difficult inside the hot barn.
'We acknowledge that in this particular case, all the proper protocols and procedures in place were not fully observed.'—Dr. Jim Clark, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The two workers were not taught how to best put on or remove their coveralls, disposable shoe covers, double gloves or full-face respirator.
"They stated that they lifted their mask inside the barn to allow the sweat to drip down. They doffed their equipment without assistance, and the face mask was the first piece of equipment to be removed. Showers were not available on site," said the internal report.
The day after their work in the barn, the workers developed sore throats, followed by symptoms of cough, fatigue, sweats, and headache. Test results on May 7 confirmed the pair had contracted H1N1.
"We acknowledge that in this particular case, all the proper protocols and procedures in place were not fully observed," Dr. Jim Clark, national manager for disease control for CFIA's animal health division, told CBC News on Monday.
New procedures implemented
The report noted that once swine flu was confirmed in the herd, staff were given a full presentation by Health Canada on May 8 — 10 days after the two original staffers worked in the barn.
The procedures implemented after they got ill included:
• Properly fitted and sized full-face respirators with N95 filters.
• Eye protection with seals around the eyes.
• A trained staff member to assist with putting on, taking off gear.
• A maximum of two three-hour shifts to reduce fatigue, buildup of sweat.
It was also recommended that staffers get the seasonal flu vaccine as well as prescribed antivirals for those in contact with swine.
The report dated July 2 was based on interviews with 14 staff directly involved in the swine-flu outbreak investigation at the farm from April 28 to May 26.
They said prior to the change in procedures, three of the staff were using ill-fitting respirators borrowed from a firehall.
Staff noted that potentially exposed workers continued to work after exposure, possibly infecting other humans or animals, said the six-page report. They were also concerned they were not informed when their co-workers contracted H1N1.
Pigs culled on farm
Alberta Health Services, which commissioned the report to study effective protective strategies and to examine how to reduce the risk of infection to workers, did not fulfil requests by CBC News for an interview.
About 500 pigs were culled on a central Alberta farm near Rocky Mountain House in May. (CBC)
Clark said he was unaware of the AHS report until contacted by CBC News. He said the CFIA is conducting an internal investigation and is making changes to avoid a similar situation in the future.
About 500 hogs were culled on the Alberta pig farm on May 8, because the animals could not be sold. The animals had been under quarantine since April 28.
Swine flu is transmitted from animal to human mainly on pig farms where farmers and workers are in close contact with live pigs. The virus cannot be contracted through eating pork.
The spread of swine flu from human to human happens in the same way as seasonal flu, through coughing or sneezing.
Their pigs have Swine Flu and it has spread into people and they have been hiding it up for months.
That is the real story. They have known since early May.
We now know that their pigs have been seriously sick with circovirus since the mid 1990s and probably were the source of the British outbreaks in 1999.
The real story behind Britain’s infamous Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth outbreaks is unraveling on the Prairies.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/07/20/swine-flu-inspectors-improper-gear-virus-calgary.html
Swine-flu inspectors wearing improper gear caught virus
Some staff wore ill-fitting respirators borrowed from firehall
Last Updated: Monday, July 20, 2009 | 8:45 PM ET
CBC News
Two CFIA staffers got sick a day after taking nasal and blood samples from pigs in a barn on this central Alberta farm. (CBC)
Federal government inspectors did not take proper precautions when investigating a swine-flu outbreak on a central Alberta pig farm, says a report obtained by CBC News.
Two workers for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) subsequently got sick with the H1N1 virus, according to a report by Alberta Health Services.
The pair took nasal and blood samples from pigs on a farm near Rocky Mountain House for two hours on the night of April 28. The workers wore protective gear, but the report said they did not have the right equipment and were not shown proper procedures.
The full-face respirators available to them had not been fitted properly, and also fogged up their masks, making work difficult inside the hot barn.
'We acknowledge that in this particular case, all the proper protocols and procedures in place were not fully observed.'—Dr. Jim Clark, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The two workers were not taught how to best put on or remove their coveralls, disposable shoe covers, double gloves or full-face respirator.
"They stated that they lifted their mask inside the barn to allow the sweat to drip down. They doffed their equipment without assistance, and the face mask was the first piece of equipment to be removed. Showers were not available on site," said the internal report.
The day after their work in the barn, the workers developed sore throats, followed by symptoms of cough, fatigue, sweats, and headache. Test results on May 7 confirmed the pair had contracted H1N1.
"We acknowledge that in this particular case, all the proper protocols and procedures in place were not fully observed," Dr. Jim Clark, national manager for disease control for CFIA's animal health division, told CBC News on Monday.
New procedures implemented
The report noted that once swine flu was confirmed in the herd, staff were given a full presentation by Health Canada on May 8 — 10 days after the two original staffers worked in the barn.
The procedures implemented after they got ill included:
• Properly fitted and sized full-face respirators with N95 filters.
• Eye protection with seals around the eyes.
• A trained staff member to assist with putting on, taking off gear.
• A maximum of two three-hour shifts to reduce fatigue, buildup of sweat.
It was also recommended that staffers get the seasonal flu vaccine as well as prescribed antivirals for those in contact with swine.
The report dated July 2 was based on interviews with 14 staff directly involved in the swine-flu outbreak investigation at the farm from April 28 to May 26.
They said prior to the change in procedures, three of the staff were using ill-fitting respirators borrowed from a firehall.
Staff noted that potentially exposed workers continued to work after exposure, possibly infecting other humans or animals, said the six-page report. They were also concerned they were not informed when their co-workers contracted H1N1.
Pigs culled on farm
Alberta Health Services, which commissioned the report to study effective protective strategies and to examine how to reduce the risk of infection to workers, did not fulfil requests by CBC News for an interview.
About 500 pigs were culled on a central Alberta farm near Rocky Mountain House in May. (CBC)
Clark said he was unaware of the AHS report until contacted by CBC News. He said the CFIA is conducting an internal investigation and is making changes to avoid a similar situation in the future.
About 500 hogs were culled on the Alberta pig farm on May 8, because the animals could not be sold. The animals had been under quarantine since April 28.
Swine flu is transmitted from animal to human mainly on pig farms where farmers and workers are in close contact with live pigs. The virus cannot be contracted through eating pork.
The spread of swine flu from human to human happens in the same way as seasonal flu, through coughing or sneezing.
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