News Update
April 27, 2009

Swine Flu Cases on Rise, Affecting Industry Sectors

News of escalating swine flu cases and fear of a potential pandemic have many nations on alert today, as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 73 human cases worldwide — 40 in the United States, 26 in Mexico, six in Canada and one in Spain.

According to CNN.com, officials in Scotland have also recently confirmed two additional cases.

Swine flu, a respiratory disease caused by type A influenza viruses, has traditionally been the cause of regular outbreaks among pigs. However, the latest variation of the virus, H1N1, is believed to be a mix of human and animal versions, infecting humans and spreading from person-to-person through coughing, sneezing and contact with the mouth and nose in the same way seasonal flu is spread. Symptoms are similar to the common flu and can include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Hundreds of cases are suspected, and in Mexico — considered by most news reports as the swine flu epicenter — 103 deaths are believed to have been caused by the virus. According to a CNN report citing Mexico’s health minister, more than 2,000 cases have been reported but not confirmed.

In the U.S., as of 1 p.m., Eastern time, New York City had confirmed the most cases, with 28, followed by California with 7; Kansas, with 2; Texas, 2; and Ohio, 1 case.

Although the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency yesterday, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano stated the declaration is no cause for alarm.

“That sounds more severe than really it is. This is standard operating procedure and allows us to free up federal, state, and local agencies and their resources for prevention and mitigation; it allows us to use medication and diagnostic tests that we might not otherwise be able to use, particularly on very young children; and it releases funds for the acquisition of additional antivirals,” she stated during a press briefing yesterday. Napolitano pointed out similar declarations were issued for recent flooding in the Northern Plains and for the inauguration.

Earlier today President Barack Obama echoed Napolitano’s calm response, telling scientists gathered at a National Academy of Sciences meeting that swine flu is “obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert, but it is not a cause for alarm.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it is working closely with officials in states where human cases of the H1N1 virus have been identified as well as with other international and WHO officials. Lab tests have found that antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza help treat swine flu infections, CDC noted, and Secretary Napolitano announced Sunday the government would release 25% of the nation’s antiviral stockpile to all states, prioritizing those where swine flu cases have been identified.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also involved in the monitoring process. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack stated today there is no evidence at this time that U.S. swine have been infected with the virus. Vilsack has worked to calm fears with U.S. trading partners, saying, “Our pork and pork products are safe. The discovery of this virus in humans is not a basis for restricting imports of commercially produced U.S. pork and pork products.

“It is important to remember,” Vilsack continued, “that not only have there been no reports of this virus in swine, according to scientists at USDA, swine flu viruses are not transmitted by food so a person cannot get swine flue from eating pork or pork products. In fact, cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160° F kills all viruses and other foodborne pathogens.”

Some trading partners, however, have ignored U.S. reassurances. Russia and China have reportedly banned pork exported from several U.S. states, and have prohibited meat imports from Mexico, according to the Phoenix Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal. According to The Associated Press (AP), South Korea has also taken extra precautions, stating it would increase the number of its influenza virus checks on pork products from Mexico. Likewise, Thailand, the Phillippines, Indonesia, Jordan, and Japan have all also issued at least some form of ban or heightened restrictions, according to a report from Meatingplace.com.

AP reports that $5 billion worth of pork products — nearly a quarter of the pork produced in the U.S. — goes abroad, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) figures.

In early trading at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), prices of hog futures contracts for May, June and July delivery were limit-down 3¢ per pound (lb.), according to The Wall Street Journal. The drop also spilled into the corn futures and soybean contracts at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) this morning. The corn futures contract for May delivery was down 12.75¢ per bushel, and soybeans for May were down 45¢ per bushel, although prices rebounded much of the losses later in the day.

Smithfield and Tyson shares also took an initial hit, although the article noted shares appeared to be recovering somewhat.

Swine flu developments have also heavily influenced travel sectors, including airlines and the tourism industry.

U.S. airline stocks fell 15%, and stocks for hotel and cruise ship operators were also lower, Reuters reported. According to the article, investors took $5 billion off the value of leading U.S. airlines in just 10 minutes of trading.

The European Union (EU) has made recommendations against travel to North America, CNN.com reports, and Canada has issued a travel health notice. South Korea said it would test airline passengers arriving from the United States.

The U.S. State Department was also expected to issue a travel warning today to avoid all “nonessential” travel to Mexico because of an outbreak of swine flu, a source told Reuters.

K-State Specialist Says Foliar Disease Issues in Wheat Relatively Small, But Monitoring Important

The most common foliar diseases of wheat were at low levels in most parts of Kansas as of mid-April, but it is important for producers to be scouting their fields, said Kansas State University (K-State) scientist Erick De Wolf. 

“The crop is transitioning from the jointing to the flag leaf-emergence growth stages in many parts of the state with the most advanced growth stages occurring along the Oklahoma border,” said De Wolf, a plant pathologist with K-State Research and Extension. He has been scouting wheat fields around the state and found the following: 

Leaf rust: Some leaf rust was discovered near Manhattan in March this year, but a recent visit suggested that it did not successfully make the move from older overwintering leaves to the new growth. These infections appear to have perished along with these oldest leaves. No leaf rust was found in fields visited the week of April 6-10 in Sumner, Reno, Harvey and Republic counties. Texas and Oklahoma are reporting low levels of leaf rust in dryland fields, but more severe infections have been observed in irrigated fields in Texas. 

Stripe rust: Stripe rust has been reported in parts of central and northern Texas. The most recent reports suggest that stripe rust is currently at low levels but that recent weather favored the increase of disease.

Leaf spots and powdery mildew: The incidence of tan spot, speckled leaf blotch and powdery mildew is also low, and can only be found at trace levels in many fields in Kansas. Some fields do have active powdery mildew that should be monitored for signs of increasing severity.

“In general,” De Wolf said, “the overall risk of foliar disease appears to be lower than in 2007 or 2008. However, recent rainfalls may stimulate additional disease activity. As the crop moves through the flag leaf emergence and heading stages of growth, growers should be scouting for signs of disease weekly.” 

— Release provided by K-State.

UK Wheat Field Day is May 19

The 2009 University of Kentucky (UK) Wheat Field Day is May 19 at Boddie Farm in Christian County.

This year’s program will again highlight variety trials conducted by UK College of Agriculture specialists, in addition to offering a variety of topics covering, among others, insect pests, nitrogen and fungicides.

Field day topics include Pembroke Wheat; nitrogen sources and additives, ultra early fungicide applications, wheat row width (wide versus narrow), monitoring insect pests, an update on managing Italian ryegrass and a look at how much your straw really is worth.

The field day is an annual event of the UK Wheat Science Group. This year’s program begins at 8:30 a.m. CDT and concludes at noon with a lunch provided by the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association.

Continuing education credits for certified crop advisers will be available in the areas of nutrient management, 0.5 hour; pest management, 1 hour; and crop management, 1.5 hours. In the pesticide area, one general hour and one specific hour in categories 1a, 10 and 12 will be available from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

For more information, contact Dottie Call, Wheat Science Group coordinator, at 270-265-7541, ext. 234, or dcall@uky.edu.

— Release provided by UK Extension.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.