Pork industry update on swine influenza and fairs 2012 and 2013 follow-up - Dr. Jennifer Koeman, Producer and Public Health, National Pork Board, from the 2013 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, September 14-17, 2013, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. More presentations at http://www.swinecast.com/2013-leman-swine-conference-material

1. Checkoff Perspective &
Response to Influenza
Jennifer Koeman, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
Director, Producer and Public Health
National Pork Board

2. Topics
• Focus on Swine Influenza Prior to Summer 2012
– Swine Influenza Surveillance Program
• Current and Future Focus on Influenza
– Influenza A (H3N2) Variant Virus Summer 2012
– Checkoff Activities and Resources
– Summer 2013 Update

3. Focus on Swine Influenza
Prior to Summer 2012

4. Influenza in swine
• Influenza is regarded as a “common” disease of
swine
– Clinical illness and associated production losses with
infection
• Commonly identified strains: H1N1; H3N2; H2N1
• Producers are aware of the disease and work with
their veterinarians on management options
– Supportive care
– Vaccines as appropriate

5. Influenza Activities Prior to 2012
• Prior to 2009, collaborative work was ongoing
with CDC, AASV, USDA and NPB to develop a pilot
for swine influenza surveillance
– No public, coordinated plan existed at that time

6. U.S. Pork Industry: Impact of H1N1
• Actual prices since the crisis
have resulted in a $1.58
billion reduction in producer
revenues – and an average
loss of nearly $23 per
market hog.
Slide courtesy of Steve Meyer,
Economist, Paragon Economics

7. Pandemic Influenza A H1N1
• Identification of influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus
in 2009 initiated a coordinated response from
industry stakeholders:

9. Swine Influenza Surveillance Program
• Voluntary Program / Anonymous
• Objectives
– Monitor genetic evolution and ecology
– Provide isolates for research activities
– Provide isolates for progressive development of
• Diagnostic reagents
• Diagnostic assays
• Vaccines

10. Swine Influenza Surveillance Program
• Public health link
– Further research
– Sensitize the human health surveillance network
– Collaborate with animal health to ensure coordinated
risk communication – when necessary

11. How Does the Plan Work?
• Surveillance streams
– Case compatible
accessions to diagnostic
laboratories
– First point of contact or
commingling events
– Swine linked to a human
case of SIV

12. How Are Results Reported?
• Results are
reported into
the USDA
Surveillance unit
by NAHLN
laboratories as
anonymous data
or traceable
data

13. How Are Results Reported?
• An isolate of the virus is placed in the NVSL
repository
• Selected virus isolates are sequenced and
entered in GenBank
• Public health/research/industry/others can
monitor GenBank for sequences of interest

14. Influenza Surveillance Program Data
• From Aug 2011 through July 2013 more than
8,300 swine samples were tested for SIV, with a
marked increase in submission in 2012/2013

15. Slide courtesy of John Korslund, USDA

16. Slide courtesy of John Korslund, USDA

17. Current and Future Focus on Influenza

18. Influenza A (H3N2) Variant Virus

19. When Did This Start?
• Human infections:
– Between August and December 2011, 12 U.S.
residents were found to be infected with H3N2v

20. When Did This Start?
• Human infections:
– From July to September
2012, 307 cases of
H3N2v infection across
11 states were detected
– These human infections
were mostly associated
with exhibitors that
were in close contact
with pigs at agricultural
fairs

21. When Did This Start?
• Pigs:
– Through the SIV Surveillance Program, the USDA first
identified this unique strain of H3N2 virus in samples
collected from swine in late 2010
– From October 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012, 57 cases
tested to date were positive for this strain of H3N2

22. What Did This Mean?
• Increased level of attention by public
health officials
– Possible that this virus was more transmissible from
pigs to humans than other swine influenza viruses
– Because influenza viruses are always changing it is
possible that the H3N2v could change and begin to
spread more easily from person to person
– Studies conducted by CDC indicated that children
younger than 10 years old have little to no
immunity against H3N2v virus
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

23. Checkoff Response
• 2012 experience different than 2009
• Show pig population is inherently different from
commercial production
• Risk factors are different but control efforts can
be applied universally

24. Checkoff Activities and Resources
• Worked closely with other stakeholders and partners on
information needs and messaging
– USDA
– CDC
– AASV
– State pork associations
– State vets/boards of animal health
– State public health departments
– Extension educators
– Company communicators
– International partners/USMEF

25. Checkoff Activities and Resources
• Talking points to state pork associations,
company communicators, extension, fairs, etc.
• “Influenza Resources” at www.pork.org/flu

26. Understanding Influenza Naming
U.S. Pork Industry: Impact of H1N1
•Actual prices since the crisis have
resulted in a $1.58 billion reduction
in producer revenues – and an
average loss of nearly $23 per
market hog.
Slide courtesy of Steve Meyer,
Economist, Paragon Economics

27. Background: 2012 Flu Season
– November – NPB, NPPC and AASV met with CDC to
discuss influenza terminology
– December 2011 – International health agencies
(WHO, FAO and OIE) met to discuss influenza
terminology
– January 2012 – International and national (CDC)
health agencies announced a new virus naming
convention

29. NPB Activities and Resources
• Exhibitors currently have available a “A
Champions Guide to Youth Swine Exhibition:
Biosecurity and Your Pig Project”
– Outlines key measure to maintaining
pig/herd health

30. NPB Activities and Resources
• Meeting of Influenza Working Group for Fairs and
Exhibitions, October 2012
Objective:
–Identification of potential risk factors for and measures
to mitigate interspecies transfer of influenza virus for
commercial swine production and swine
exhibitions/fairs
–Identification of influenza risk management
recommendations for consideration for commercial
swine production and swine exhibitions/fairs

31. NPB Activities and Resources
• Formation of the Swine Exhibitions Zoonotic
Influenza Working Group that has developed a
set of measures to minimize influenza virus
transmission between swine, from people to
swine, and from swine to people at swine
exhibitions.

32. NPB Activities and Resources
• Swine Influenza Bioinformatics Working Group
Meeting, May 2013

34. Summer 2013 Update
• Reports of H3N2v infections in 2013 began in
June with the state of Indiana.
• A total of 18 cases in four states have been
reported to date in 2013 (Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan Ohio).
• Continued work to better understand the
epidemiology of influenza at the human-animal
interface.

35. In Summary…
• There is a continued focus on improving swine
health and monitoring for influenza
• Surveillance can benefit both animal and human
health
• Biosecurity is important to minimize influenza
transmission
• Continued engagement with key stakeholders in
all aspects of production and health

36. Thank you
Questions?
This message funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program.