Reuters reports a “new” pig disease, PEDV, porcine
epidemic diarrhoea, hitting Iowa.
The disease is common elsewhere, but hitherto the
Americas have been clear.
It raises some interesting comparisons with the
British handling of continuous, and continuing, outbreaks and epidemics of
animal and zoonotic disease.
Many are of these are emerging diseases and new
strains, especially, although by no means exclusively,infect pigs, and more disturbingly,
sometimes people.
Britain and her government veterinarians have
repeatedly handled such incursions and outbreaks, by firstly, no doubt reasonably,
saying that they did not know the route of importation, coupled with a less convincing
assurance, that there is no risk to human health.
But, they also quickly make it clear that it came
from overseas, the word “foreign” usually appears, sometimes with a possible
source.
Very soon, the economic consequences for the home
industry are expressed as dire and speculation on the method of arrival begins.
The most likely route of importation – legal imports
of germplasm (that’s live animals, semen or embryos) under veterinary control
and supervision is never mentioned or contemplated.
Any suggestion that it was imported by accident
by veterinarians arriving home from conferences abroad, often including visits
to foreign pig farms is missing from public pronouncements. Any chance that it spreads
domestically from farm to farm by veterinarians moving about is ignored.
Yet illegal immigrants are quickly suggested by
the farming media, briefed by the veterinary industry, as a likely source,
despite the fact that the farmers usually legally employ the immigrant workers.
Foreign boots and hot breath become riskier than white boots, bio suits and peppermint flavoured assurances.
Then somehow, the media gets hold of wilder theories:
inadequate import controls, lax border inspections, anything will do, however
unlikely. Preferably the government is to blame and must compensate farmers for both losses and treatment.
Illegally imported infected meat is often claimed to be to blame.
Although why anyone would import such material is ignored, as is the route onto
the farms and to the livestock.
Co-infections flourish on even those animals sick
with viruses, and veterinarians feed antibiotics to fend off or treat. Antibiotic
resistance develops and flourishes.
Then as a solution, protectionism steps in to
solve the falling farm incomes and to protect public health from “foreign rubbish.” That policy has the added bonus of increasing domestic prices.
Hang-on, we have been here before – the Great Depression.
This time, there is the added misery of antibiotic resistance seeping into the
hospitals.
You can see the picture developing in Iowa.
Let’s see if Iowa can break the mould and take a
lesson from history.
