Published: 30 Mar 2016 | Last Updated: 31 Mar 2016 10:10:23

Professor Javier Guitian and Dr Ana Mateus have been awarded funding by the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to develop a probabilistic risk assessment to inform surveillance and control of Hepatitis E.

The European Food Safety Authority recognises hepatitis E as an emerging issue in Europe with a complex epidemiology and foodborne transmission of public health concern.

A high sero-prevalence of zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) is identified in pig populations in developed countries, including British pigs and pork products. The situation with regard to HEV may raise concerns in the consumers and trade partners imposing barriers based on the uncertainties in the health status of the pig population of origin and alleged potential consequences for public health.

In this project, existing and new data will be analysed to assess the extent of HEV prevalence in slaughtered pigs and identify risk factors associated with HEV infection. The findings will be incorporated into a probabilistic model to assess the potential impact of different control options. The results of the project will allow the industry to design appropriate sampling and control plans, considering high risk groups and periods in the production cycle, establishing effective monitoring and surveillance measures on the evolution of HEV situation in pigs and the efficiency of interventions along the food chain.