If a disease outbreak occurs in today’s interconnected global economy, the stakes are higher than usual: Expect lost domestic and international sales, a damaged reputation, and even a hit to the U.S. economy from lost trade and employment. The desired outcome, of course, is to prevent disease outbreaks with strong
Continue Reading Biosecurity Plans: Defending the Food Supply
H1N1 flu
China Rescinds H1N1 Ban on US Pork
China will reopen its market to American pork exports, almost a year after banning the products over H1N1 fears, U.S. officials announced Thursday.
“This resolution is excellent news for American hog producers,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statement. According to Vilsack, his visit…
Implications of Rapid Diagnostic Testing
As part of the 2010 Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, Symposium 3 brought together experts to present during a symposium titled, “Implications of Rapid Diagnostic Testing.”
Presenters for this portion of the conference included Dr. Ian Gardner, MPVM, BVSc, PhD, of the University of California (Davis, CA) and Dr. Daniel…
Hong Kong Discovers Pigs With H1N1 Flu
Five samples from pigs at the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse last month tested positive for human swine influenza at the University of Hong Kong, the city’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) reported.
As a result, the government has launched the Human Swine Influenza (HIS) Vaccination Program that is aimed at…
A Pork Sandwich Is Not Going To Spread Swine Flu
Swine Flu is NOT a foodborne illness.
Now called the 2009 H1N1 flu, scientists originally called it “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed genes in the new virus were like viruses that normally occur in North American pigs. More research, however, showed the H1N1 flu has two genes that normally…
Continue Reading A Pork Sandwich Is Not Going To Spread Swine Flu