Don’t believe pigs in these rumors about respiratory diseases

There is currently no evidence-based medical evidence that ordinary domestic pigs are the source of current popular respiratory diseases in humans. Statements such as "new respiratory viruses originating from pigs are transmitted to humans", "eating pork will cause mycoplasma pneumonia/influenza" and "respiratory epidemics will inevitably break out around pig farms" are all false rumors. Don't believe them, and don't spread them out to wrongly accuse pigs.

A while ago, I was stationed at the grassroots level for disease control, and I met Uncle Zhang from a pig-raising village on the outskirts of the city. He hurriedly came to consult. He said that the WeChat group at the head of the village had said that the 30 pigs he raised were the source of the flu recently caused by the crowd of children in the village. Now his neighbors would go around his door to buy groceries, and he was so anxious that his mouth blistered. I deliberately looked through the rumor he showed me. The video of "sick pigs coughing" was actually old material about an outbreak of pig blue-ear disease in a foreign pig farm three years ago. The full name of blue-ear disease is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, and it cannot be transmitted to humans at all. It is pure and simple.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no common respiratory diseases between pigs and humans. There are indeed occasional cases of cross-species transmission of swine flu, but the premise of this is that you have to be in close contact with infected live pigs for a long time, and how low is the probability? In the past 10 years, the number of reported cases of human infection with swine flu in the country has only been in single digits, which is lower than your probability of winning the lottery jackpot. I have talked with friends from the Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center before. They do require pig farmers to wear masks and protect themselves when they come into contact with pigs on a daily basis. They also regularly monitor pigs for respiratory pathogens. However, this is an occupational protection requirement for breeding employees. It is a preventive measure to "nip the risk in the bud" and does not mean that "pathogens in pigs will be spread to ordinary people on a large scale." Many rumors deliberately edited out the prevention and control requirements in this occupational scenario and amplified it into a risk to the whole people, a pure concept of sneak exchange.

As for saying that "eating pork will cause respiratory diseases" is even more ridiculous. A while ago, I came across a rhythmic short video saying that the recent high incidence of mycoplasma pneumonia in children is due to eating pork buns from outside. A lot of people in the comment area said they would never buy pork again, which made me laugh and cry. Whether it is mycoplasma or influenza virus, they are very fragile in nature. They can be completely inactivated by heating above 60°C for 15 minutes. Which of the steamed buns, braised pork and pork elbows in sauce you eat is not fully cooked? Even if you are cooking a piece of pork, it has to be cooked, right? It is impossible for live viruses to be transmitted through cooked pork. If it is so easy to be infected, you are also at risk if you eat half-cooked chicken or beef. Don't eat pork.

Some people say that living next to a pig farm is more likely to cause respiratory diseases. I have to say this objectively. If you are a small-scale farmer without manure treatment, there may indeed be odors such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide wafting out in the summer. The smell is uncomfortable and it will also irritate the respiratory tract. However, this is a physical and chemical irritation and is not an infectious virus at all. To put it bluntly, it is the same as if you smell a sore throat after smelling the smell of paint for a few days. Just stay away and it will not be contagious at all. We also conducted monitoring last year on two large-scale pig farms in the north with an annual output of 100,000 pigs. The content of pathogenic microorganisms in the air aerosols within 1 kilometer of the surrounding area was not significantly different from the monitoring data in urban and suburban parks. Nowadays, regular pig farms have standard equipment for manure treatment and odor elimination facilities. Where did so many viruses come from?

To tell you something interesting, I worked in a big breeding county before and met many old pig farmers who have been raising pigs for 20 or 30 years. They spend time in the pig farm every day, and the respiratory indicators in the annual occupational physical examination are better than those of us young people who sit in the office every day and smoke second-hand smoke. If pigs have so many respiratory viruses that can infect humans, how can they be so tough?

Of course, this does not mean that there is no need to take precautions at all. If you have a pet pig at home and the pig develops symptoms of coughing and sneezing, it is best to wear a mask when handling it and see a veterinarian in time. After all, no matter how low the probability of cross-species transmission is, there is no harm in taking precautions, right?

Nowadays, there is a lot of information on the Internet, and many rumors like to find familiar things to take the blame. Pigs have been criticized by various rumors in recent years. Next time you see news about a "pig-borne virus", first check whether it is released by an official authority. Don't just believe those rumors that blame pigs. After all, pigs are also innocent.