Risk to People Unchanged by Chinese Identification of Eurasian Avian-Like H1N1 Swine Influenza Virus

The Executive Director of the Swine health Information Center says the identification in China of a Eurasian avian-like H1N1 swine influenza virus that contains 2009 pandemic genes dose not change the level of risk to people. Significant media attention has been paid to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that indicates a Eurasian avian-like H1N1 swine influenza virus that contains 2009 pandemic genes can facilitate human infection.

 

The study was based on a survey of market hogs coming into Chinese packing plants from 2011 to 2018 and included data on the types of influenza detected. Dr. Paul Sundberg, the Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center, says the actual level of risk to people has not changed.

 

 

One thing that we know about influenza viruses is that they recombine and reassort in multiple different spots. This virus that they identified, and there's been a lot of press about a pandemic type of virus, is because it has characteristics of pig, avian and human influenza with it. The one thing we know about that though is that there are multiple influenza strains out there that may have the same thing.

 

It doesn't indicate that there is any increase risk to people because of this. They are simply reporting that they found it and there are potentials. Even the researchers in China, at a meeting only a couple of weeks after the report was published, said publicly that they don't think this is an indication of any increase in risk.

 

There are multiple influenza viruses out there that could look like this. It's always something to keep an eye on but it's not necessarily the next pandemic that's coming.

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.