Philippines: Ebola-Reston Virus Found in Pigs.

This is the first time, the Ebola-Reston virus has been found in pigs. The virus was discovered in the Philippines after field investigations were conducted and sample collections were taken.

The Ebola-Reston virus has been discovered in the Philippines.The discovery was made after the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Department of Agriculture of the Philippines conducted field investigations and sample collections. This work was undertaken because of suspected outbreaks of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) affecting several swine production areas. The discovery of the Ebola-Reston virus in pigs,which is a first, requires further medical, veterinary and biological research. Testing animal handlers and wildlife for the presence of the Ebola-Reston virus will be helpful to understand how pigs may have become infected and to learn more about a potential spill over to humans. It will probably take weeks or even months to obtain the first results of this analysis. To date, there are no reports of sick or ailing people among those having had contact with infected pigs according to the Philippine Ministry of Health and the Bureau of Animal Industry. There were incidents of pig illness and deaths on the farms where Ebola-Reston infected swine were bred and raised. It is possible other microorganisms isolated from sick and dying swine were the cause of elevated mortality rather than the Ebola-Reston virus.