nathan7522 said:
What's everyone's county or state fairs doing in your area? Is this really fair to ban pigs after you poured the show feed to them. Why not close the barns, show them and sell them.
First hand knowledge here so this is what I know from the H3N2v flu that hit our fair.
Incubation is 24-36 hours
It spreads very fast in hogs and is spreading faster now in humans
Can be spread pig to human and human to pig
Our fair did not mandate the giving of vaccines to keep this a bay. There is a vaccine but since the BOAH has issued numbers to farms the health requirements have lessened. Can be vaccinated for with the H1N1
There have been comfirmed cases of it in people that had hogs at the fair. I believe my "vintage" father had it and it has been amost 4 weeks before he felt better
fevers are high. 104 to 106. A fever of 106 wil condemn a hog at the slaughterhouse meaning you don't get any turn price for them
We did not lose a hog at the fair to it. Kids were allowed to sell hog if temperature was over 104 but had to treat and take home and then process
You don't get sick from eating the meat but who wants to eat a sick hog
Hogs were treated with draxxcin and recovered well
So why not close the barn and sell them? one word. MEDIA! The media had a field day with this before all the facts were in and the general public was panicked by it. In retrospect they should have closed the barn to all 4H kids and had 1 parent tending to the hogs as it seem to affect children and elderly. They treated it very nonchalantly because they we alwasy have sick ones but 40+ pigs with temps is above the norm.
So do we know if humans got the animals sick or if the pigs did? We will never know that but if they have shut down shows such as the Indiana State Fair open barrow show, they made the right decision. The livestock industry does not need to spread any disease humans can suffer from and you are sick when you get this.
Are there dissapointed deserving kids that cant show? Yes. Makes me sad to think of all the hard work but this is preventable with the right prodical of vet care before we get to the show.
As for 1 county starting this outbreak, I was at the neighboring county on ship out day. Their hogs sounded just like ours and they put them on the truck. So we will never know where is came from we jsut know it can be prevented and it is not worth bring this home to your farm