
From pig to farm worker and back to pig thats the path of the perfect swine flu virus. Likewise, chickens, turkeys, geese and birds are hot zones for pandemic flu viruses. In the past, when governments grew concerned about a particular flu, they would quarantine or even kill animals that carry a suspect virus. Now animal health and public health authorities are collaborating on more extensive bio-security. Veteran producer Lakshmi Singh visits farms, fairs and clinics, to find out how surveillance is preparing for the next pandemic. She talks with infectious disease experts Dr. Ruben Donis of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Paul Offit of Childrens Hospital in Philadelphia, and the University of Hong Kong’s Dr. Malik Peiris, who’s been on the frontlines of viral outbreaks and helped to identify SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome. These experts agree that animal surveillance is key to prevent pandemics. But they also point to a need to change the way humans interact with swine and poultry. And that may prove to be a harder challenge.
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