Influenza Prevention & Preparedness

New cases of Influenza A have been detected in both livestock and humans. As pork producers, understanding the potential threat of influenza viruses in our industry is crucial.

Producers should review and update their biosecurity measures to help reduce the potential spread.

Signs of Influenza A in Swine

While influenza A viruses can cause high morbidity (illness or disease) in pigs, the resulting infection typically does not cause mortality (deaths) in the swine herd. In many cases, pigs show no signs of illness, and sick animals are usually asymptomatic in 1-3 days.

Here’s what to look for:

Coughing (sounds like barking)
Sneezing
High fever
Difficulty breathing
Runny nose
Not eating
Lethargy
Red or inflamed eyes

If you see any of these signs in your swine, contact your veterinarian and isolate the sick animal(s) from the rest of the herd, if possible.

Influenza Prevention for You and Your Herd

Do not consume or feed raw milk
Maintain barn integrity to prevent bird entry (check curtains and bird netting)
Manage mortalities and compost piles in such a way to reduce wildlife interaction
Get a flu shot
Seek medical attention if feeling unwell
Contact a veterinarian if suspecting illness in pigs
Implement Secure Pork Supply program
Work with your herd veterinarian to create a plan for swine sample collecting. Consider the Certified Swine Sample Collector program.

Influenza A Resources

Influenza A H5N1 & Swine Implications Fact Sheet

Pigs, People and Public Health

Understanding Influenza Naming in Swine

Protect Your Herd With a Biosecurity Plan

The Pork Checkoff recommends that producers work with their herd veterinarian to write a site-specific enhanced biosecurity plan. Implementing this plan will help prevent exposing animals to influenza.

Implement your biosecurity plan as directed by the Secure Pork Supply. Visit sps.com for planning resources available in English and Spanish:

Checklists and Templates
Biosecurity Manuals and Plan Examples
Signs and Posters
And More

View Secure Pork Supply Resources

Understanding Influenza in Swine

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), in partnership with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), hosted a webinar focused on Influenza A (H5N1) virus. As pork producers, understanding the potential threat of influenza viruses on our industry is crucial.  

Farm Management Resources

Secure Pork Supply

New cases of Influenza A have been detected in both livestock and humans. As pork producers, understanding the potential threat of influenza viruses in our industry is crucial. 

AgView

AgView is a path to protection that will help navigate uncertainty in the event of a crisis. This tool will help rapidly conduct contact-tracing to contain or regionalize a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Certified Swine Sample Collector

The CSSC program was created to bolster the number of trained swine sample collectors and increase the sampling capacity for the U.S. swine herd before an animal disease outbreak.

Pork Production Management

Here you can find information and tools related to swine nutrition, biosecurity, animal wellbeing, environment and farm business operations.

Join AgView: Safeguard Your Herd

AgView stands as a crucial tool for pig farmers, ensuring business continuity in the face of disease outbreaks. By instantly sharing disease traceback and pig movement data with USDA and state animal health officials during an influenza outbreak, AgView protects your operation from the start.

AgView is your path to protection!

Create Your AgView Account

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