4/22/2024: 

Swine influenza is a zoonosis, nothing new so far. However, the concern of a potential new pandemic originated from swine influenza is increasing among society and policymakers. There is the possibility of co-infection of avian and mammal influenza strains at the same time in a pig with the risk of evolution into influenza variants of concern, the influenza pandemic in 2009, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the last outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry in several European countries.

Surveillance and monitoring are essential for a prompt detection of new potential risks. Up-to-date consistent data on the prevalence and evolution of influenza strains in pig farms, however, is often lacking. Note that swine influenza is not a notifiable disease and therefore, swine influenza surveillance programmes lack consistency in many countries.

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