MRSA in pigs - the next step - Scotland

After many years we finally have an admission that pig MRSA is found in pigs on the island of Great Britain and specifically in East Anglia: the official reports say 'Eastern England.'

That is the major collapse of a long standing cover-up and conspiracy, but we now need more information.

We need a full admission that MRSA is found in all parts of England and Wales. Wales is not so important as a pig farming area except as a possible source of "clean"pigs.

Once we have this, we need confirmation that it is also found in the other major remaining part of Great Britain - Scotland (we will revert to this later in this post.)

We know it is found in Ireland: in Northern Ireland. That was recently admitted and obviously southern Ireland, the Republic, a major pig farming area will also have the problem. That is widely accepted, but not actually admitted.

The islands comprising what is usually called Great Britain by the British, a name sometimes rejected by some of the Irish, form a single unit for many purposes. Pig disease ought to be handled together to everyone's benefit. There is no point in cleaning up a single part and allowing disease back in from another.

The most immediate need is for a prompt admission of MRSA in Scottish pigs. It has home rule for many and increasing purposes, and may not be considered covered by the admission from London.

The Scots could soldier on ignoring the issue, but they will be doing that in the period running up to an unusual general election. If they are caught hiding up MRSA in their pigs, there will be hell to pay.

So expecting an immediate open and honest admission from Scotland, we can go on to quantify the problem right across Britain.

The government veterinarians and others do know, but we have to make sure they admit the scale of the problem, whilst a full urgent survey is under way.

The significance is that we can immediately start to protect the hospitals, be they in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

Most continental hospitals have much more sophisticated systems for recognising potential human carriers and risks from pig MRSA. Britain and Ireland seem to have nothing. That costs human lives.

That was the price of porcine MRSA denial for over a decade.

We are in a race to catch up.