502 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



ERADICATION OF HOG CHOLERA THROUGH SANITARY MEASURES. 



It is quite evident that to eradicate cholera from our country, it 

 is necessary for us to continue in a state-wide educational campaign, 

 as has been started by federal and state authorities and veterinarians 

 throughout the country. 



There seems to be a lack of co-operation between the farmers and 

 veterinarians in many cases, for too often when an outbreak of 

 cholera occurs, nothing more is done than to vaccinate the appar- 

 ently healthy hogs, letting those die that show sickness, without any 

 attempt to isolate the sick to keep them from spreading the natural 

 virus over the entire premises. Often, farmers having infection on 

 their places will show lack of interest in cleaning up and disinfect- 

 ing, and thereby keep their places infected almost continuously, 

 where the active agent lies dormant, ready to attaek the new crop 

 of pigs that comes on the next summer, or season. 



Causes of outbreaks of cholera are numerous, such as introduction 

 of a male hog on a farm. Infection is very often carried on the 

 shoes of men. Dogs, pigeons, sparrows and crows are also listed as 

 carriers. Hogs having died from cliolera, when left lying near 

 streams, will cause the infection to be carried along the water 

 course. 



I recall a case that came to my attention a few years ago, where a 

 herd of seventy-five head which had died from cholera were buried 

 in a tile drain. It so happened that, while the farmer was having 

 some tiling done near his barn yard, his hogs became sick with 

 cholera and died. They were all buried in the ditch. 



Farmers are sometimes called to help their neighbors haul hogs 

 to market which have become infected, a practice which should be 

 discouraged. They seldom disinfect their wagons after hauling sick 

 hogs, and thereby bring cholera into their own herds. Farmers 

 will walk through infected stock yards and then go home and walk 

 through their own hog yards, without pretending to disinfect their 

 shoes. Farmers should refuse to allow any shipper into their hog 

 yards unless liis shoes are disinfected with a strong disinfectant. 



It is claimed by some that virus given simultaneously for im- 

 munization may infect the premises. Yet, as a matter of fact, larger 

 amounts of virus are used each year. It is estimated that over a 

 million and a half c. c.'s of virus have been used each year since 

 1913, and yet, in the face of all this, the conditions are very satis- 

 factory, cholera having decreased year by year. 



