“Expert council warns of pigs as potential spreaders of bird flu to humans”

Mixed farms with pigs and poultry, pig farms with a range, farms near poultry farms or in areas rich in waterfowl, are potentially a mixing vessel for bird flu (HPAI) and swine influenza viruses and therefore pose the greatest risk for the Netherlands of (unnoticed) exposure to humans, the experts write. in the advice.

According to the Expert Council, it is therefore not desirable to have poultry and pigs at the same location. ‘It is estimated that there are currently about 100 such mixed farms. Farms with an outdoor range may also have a higher risk, because pigs can come into contact with birds and pigs will eat dead birds in the outdoor area.’

Approach

To reduce the risk of contagion, the experts recommend developing an approach that could target these companies at greatest risk. In addition, the Expert Council advises that biosecurity should be given more priority on pig farms. This specifically concerns the risk of the introduction of bird flu.

Monitoring

Monitoring should also receive more attention. An adjustment for poultry farmers and other potentially exposed persons is currently being worked on if avian flu has been diagnosed on the farm.

Instead of passive monitoring, where the GGD can be called for testing if complaints develop, proactive monitoring is being developed. In addition, everyone who has been exposed is offered a test, even if they have no complaints. In the first instance, this has been worked out for groups such as clearers, veterinarians and agricultural entrepreneurs involved in outbreaks among poultry.

RIVM has been asked to immediately extend this to pig farmers if an HPAI infection is detected in pigs on a pig farm. These recommendations are being taken up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

Bird flu in pigs

Pigs are currently already sampled if there is an outbreak among poultry on mixed farms. HPAI virus has never been detected in pigs in the Netherlands.

A pilot is currently running on influenza strains on pig farms, and we expect the results in the autumn. After the evaluation of these pilot results, the approach to influenza viruses on pig farms will be followed up.

The risk of avian flu spreading from poultry to humans is still very small in the Netherlands. Yet there are signs worldwide that people should pay attention. This is stated in a new advice from the Expert Council on Zoonoses.

The increase in infections among wild mammals worldwide is a point of attention, say the experts. Bird flu (HPAI, H5N1) has been identified in mammals in several countries. In total, more than thirty virus species are involved, whereby mammal-to-mammal transmission cannot be ruled out.

Examples

For example, a bird flu outbreak among mammals occurred on a mink farm in Spain and among sea lions in Peru. Meanwhile, HPAI H5N1 has also been detected in six people worldwide. Two of them also developed symptoms.

These infections are causing increased vigilance in the Netherlands, ‘particularly because the Netherlands has one of the highest densities of animals in the world’, the cabinet writes.