Pigs in Holland Contract Avian Influenza
by Sherry Morse
Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman recently announced that avian influenza had spread from chickens to pigs kept on five farms in Gelderland Valley.
The presence of the virus in the pigs, none of which have developed symptoms, was confirmed by the employment of tests that reveal whether or not avian influenza antibodies are in blood.
Even though there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted by a pig to another animal, as a precaution all transportation of pigs in Gelderland Valley, Limburg and North Brabant has been banned.
The current outbreak of avian influenza in Holland started on turkey farms in Dinteloord in February. Since then, more than 14 million birds in the country - mostly chickens - have been killed in order to prevent the disease, which is highly contagious and can be fatal, from spreading.
© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.
Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman recently announced that avian influenza had spread from chickens to pigs kept on five farms in Gelderland Valley.
The presence of the virus in the pigs, none of which have developed symptoms, was confirmed by the employment of tests that reveal whether or not avian influenza antibodies are in blood.
Even though there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted by a pig to another animal, as a precaution all transportation of pigs in Gelderland Valley, Limburg and North Brabant has been banned.
The current outbreak of avian influenza in Holland started on turkey farms in Dinteloord in February. Since then, more than 14 million birds in the country - mostly chickens - have been killed in order to prevent the disease, which is highly contagious and can be fatal, from spreading.
© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.
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