CWISHN advises stepped-up adherence to swine barn biosecurity as COVID restrictions ease

The Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is calling for caution and stepped-up adherence to biosecurity as restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID are eased

The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network has released its swine disease surveillance reports for the second quarter of 2021.
CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen says the health situation for the region has been generally good, as it has for the past couple of quarters.

“People will travel between provinces and maybe even get outside the country again and that may impact the risk of introduction of new diseases to the swine herds“

“As we proceed with more and more freedom again, we might expect that people would start to travel more.

“People will travel between provinces and maybe even get outside the country again and that may impact the risk of introduction of new diseases to the swine herds as people move around a little bit more and have more opportunity to bring in diseases again so that’s a factor we need to look out for.

“We have also heard that influenza in people, has been very quiet over the last year, possible due to the COVID restrictions.
Less people have had an opportunity to get infected with flu but already now we get reports that the pandemic flu in people is starting to rise again.

“That means that, as people move around more, there’s more opportunity that the flu will come back in people and that again puts pressure on the swine producers.

“The barns need to be careful that they don’t bring flu into the farms from people.”

Dr. Christensen acknowledges we all look forward to the lifting of COVID restrictions but we also have to be a little careful because the situation changes and there is not a lot of forgiveness in the sense that, if you break your biosecurity with regards to people entering the farm, there might be consequences.