An increase in swine fever – a large-scale outbreak can wait: an ‘extra burden on health care’

In recent weeks, healthcare in Västerbotten has seen a sharp rise in vulvodynia.

“It’s Flying Corps this year, we’ve got a lot of ham,” Assistant District Infection Control Physician Gunilla Persson previously said. To SVT Nyheter Västerbotten.

So far, 67 cases of swine fever have been reported in December, of which 38 have been in Västerbotten, and Gunilla Pearson thinks it is worrying with many infected at short notice. Cases have also been reported mainly from Västernorrland, Norrbotten, Jämtland and Dalarna, According to TT. However, a delay of up to two weeks can occur in the statistics. The development is very similar to the outbreak of large scale swine fever in the winter of 2006-2007, when a total of 70 cases were reported in December. More than 800 cases followed in the first two months of 2007.

– The outbreak in 2006/2007 began with a fairly modest increase before Christmas, which became noticeably larger after the New Year, Marika Hjärtkvist tells the news agency.

The future development is largely due to the weather. If the snow melts and the mice can’t take shelter under the snow cover, she says, they seek shelter largely indoors, where people risk exposure.

Despite the recent increase, Klaas Ahlam, an infectious disease physician and professor of infectious diseases at Umeå University, does not believe the current situation is similar to the situation in December 2006.

– Before Christmas and the holidays, we had four to five in the hospital at the same time. Now we have someone who was recently hospitalized and we have a suspected case pending.

However, he says it can be alarming for care “with three infections at the same time” if there is a sharp increase in swine fever, as every third person receiving the diagnosis must be hospitalized for care.

Swine fever, which causes flu-like symptoms such as high fever, body aches and headache, is transmitted by viruses in the bark droppings you inhale. Gunilla Persson urges everyone to avoid overrunning the storehouses and dusty huts where you have seen bark droppings.

– Being and rooting in such places should be avoided until the dust has wrapped, she says.

Lakartidningen.se 2021-12-28