Rare Case Of H3N2 Swine Flu In Humans Detected In Canada
This is the third swine flu variant to hit the Manitoba province this year.
A human case of a rare strain of flu that normally affects pigs has been identified in Canada.
The variant Influenza H3N2 was detected in the Manitoba province in early June according to Canadian news outlets.
The subject was tested for COVID-19 after suffering mild flu-like symptoms. Following a negative result, further tests revealed the swine flu variant.
Two people in southern Manitoba were infected with different swine flu variants back in April 2020 - both had direct or indirect exposure to pigs. The cases were similar in that the variants Influenza A H1N2 and A H1N1 were discovered when patients were tested for COVID-19 after having mild flu-like symptoms.
Though uncommon, human instances of influenza viruses that typically circulate in pigs do arise on occasion, notes the CBC. Despite this, officials are calling this an isolated incident.
The H3N2 variant was first detected in people in 2011, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It says the variant seems to spread more easily to humans from pigs than other swine influenza viruses.
The mutation serves as a stark reminder of the risks to human health that are posed by farming animals: more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But the public and government officials are increasingly speaking out against animal agriculture for its role in spreading diseases. Politicians including U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren have condemned the dangers of factory farming, by sponsoring bills like The Farm System Reform Act.
“These cramped warehouses of livestock are breeding grounds for infectious disease”, says Booker. “Ending the cruel practice of factory farming can help prevent future pandemics”.
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