BREAKING: INTERNATIONAL
African Swine Fever Outbreak in China
China reported its first outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) on Friday, August 3 in the country’s northeast province of Liaoning.
This is the first outbreak of ASF in east Asia, raising major concerns about the entry of the virus into the region and the potential devastating consequences on the country’s large swine industry.
The outbreak began on Wednesday, August 1, killing 47 pigs on a small farm in the region. Initial reports estimated that authorities culled 1,000 pigs, but the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reports that over 8,000 susceptible pigs have been depopulated.
Pigs can become infected with ASF through tick bites, ingestion of infected food waste, or contact with other infected pigs. Authorities have not yet determined how this highly contagious, deadly virus was introduced into China, but they have quickly implemented containment efforts. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has banned both the transportation of pigs from the affected areas and the feeding of untreated food waste.
Reuters
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
For further information on this outbreak, check out our special report produced by the Swine Health Information Center and our Swine Disease Global Surveillance Program.
LOCAL
3 Confirmed with Cryptosporidiosis, Minnesota Campground Possible Source
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is investigating an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis affecting at least three people who visited Shades of Sherwood campground in Zumbrota, MN during July. One person has required hospitalization and a second was co-infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Cryptosporidium (“Crypto”), a parasite found in the feces of infected animals and humans, is one of the leading causes of recreational waterborne illnesses in the United States. Crypto is most commonly spread through ingestion of contaminated water and can lead to watery diarrhea, painful stomach cramps, vomiting, and nausea.
MDH is asking people who have visited the campground during July to contact the Waterborne Diseases Unit to aid in the investigation. MDH also recommends that people showing signs of crypto consult their physicians and avoid swimming until two weeks after the symptoms have stopped.
Minnesota Department of Health
NATIONAL
FDA Announces Plan to Advance Antimicrobial Stewardship
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced a five-year plan to further antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary settings.
The plan includes three primary goals to reduce antimicrobial overuse: align antimicrobial use with stewardship principles, promote efforts for judicious use of antibiotics in veterinary settings, and enhance monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and use in animals.
The plan will promote transparent, evidence-based initiatives that establish duration limits of antimicrobial use and bring dosages under veterinary oversight. The FDA also anticipates updating approved conditions for the medical use of antimicrobials, stating that these drugs should only be used to treat, control, or prevent a disease condition.
Critics of the plan argue that there are no fundamental changes to current policy efforts. Although the FDA has achieved its previous goal of eliminating the use of antibiotics used for growth promotion in production animals, critics argue that this new initiative does little to curb their use as preventives.
Food and Drug Administration
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
Lauren Bernstein
Lauren received her BS in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee. Following a Rotary International site visit to South Africa as an undergraduate student, she decided to focus her prospective veterinary career on public health, specifically on issues involving diseases at the human-animal-environment interface. She completed her veterinary education at the University College Dublin, School of Veterinary Medicine. When she's not in the office, she enjoys yoga, embracing the outdoor activities in Minneapolis, and finding excuses to talk about her rescue cat.