Hepatitis E in pigs seems to be moving centre stage in the USA.
Britain remains in denial, for this zoonotic disease too, with what little research there is into pig farmers' deaths in Cornwall, and elsewhere, seemingly moving at snails' pace.
Anyone seeking details of what has been published in Britain will find posts on the newsgroup, uk.business.agriculture searchable on Google Groups referencing articles and news reports going back some years.
This blog carries similar material; use 'Hepatitis' in the search box at the head of this page to find dozens of articles and pleas for action.
A very useful group of pages on the science and the human risks has just been published by the Hepatitis C Support Project a non-profit organization for HCV education, support and advocacy
Just a sample, read the whole here.
Hepatitis E (HEV)
Written by: Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
Foreword
In the past, it was believed that hepatitis E was only a problem in developing countries due to contaminated water supplies. It was also believed that in industrialized countries the majority of HEV infections were among people who had visited countries where HEV infection was widespread.
However, over the last few years, studies and news reports have surfaced that are painting a different picture of HEV infections in industrialized countries such as the United States. In the U.S., there is little information about the prevalence of HEV mainly because of the lack of surveillance and testing even though there have been small studies that have hinted that the prevalence of HEV is more widespread than previously believed.
Recently, a large study on the prevalence of HEV was published that will give us a better picture of the estimated number of people in the U.S. who have been infected with HEV. The study results are somewhat alarming and should, at the very least, promote more dialogue about the need for more strategies for testing and educating the public about the risk factors and ways to prevent the transmission of HEV…
