Story naming 12 infected swine-MRSA farms and telling how the infection spread to humans
Oct 21, 2010
The first article tells how swine-MRSA spread to humans from pig-farms and how the authorities tried to keep information secret and neglected the threat. The health authorities asked the police to investigate the sources of information and to charge Kjeld Hansen and Nils Mulvad.
Stop for hospitals to cleanse infected pig-farmers
May 20, 2012
Guidelines for the health treatment of MRSA have given up any strategy aimed at curing people if they work on pig-farms. They will just get reinfected. If people work on a pig-farm, they shall always be regarded as a high risk for spreading infection, especially in hospitals. The costs for hospitals treating people from pig-farms increases due to demands of sterilizing.
9 out 10 pigs for the slaughterhouse are infected with MRSA
Jan 23, 2013
88 pct. of pigs at slaughter-houses are infected with MRSA in 2013, as shown by statistics from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. In 2009 it was only 13 pct.
5 deaths of swine-MRSA in Denmark
May 6, 2014
In a court-case against journalists Kjeld Hansen and Nils Mulvad it was made public that 3 persons have died in Denmark of swine-MRSA. A few days later the number was raised to four deaths. The authorities knew about the deaths, but kept them secret. Later the fifht death has been announced.
Convicted for publishing names of infected farms
May 22, 2014
The two journalists Kjeld Hansen and Nils Mulvad have been fined 2.500 DKK each for not anonymising sufficiently when naming infected MRSA-farms in an article from 2010. The case has been appealed and will be in the higher court 10 March 2015. The allegations spread to several countries.
Five-step plan to reduce spread of MRSA
Jun 3, 2014
The Danish Minister of Agriculture Dan Jørgensen (S) has announced in Parliament a five-step inititiative:
1. Wash hands and change clothes.
2. Farmers must make a MRSA-plan
3. More visits from veterinarians in farms – stop for flock medication
4. New MRSA-information service
5. A new study on the effect of the tax system on the use of antibiotics
Danish Ombudsman: Authorities must tell about infected farms
Jun 7, 2014
The Danish Ombudsman decides the Ministry of Agricuture shall deliver information on MRSA-infected farms to Kjeld Hansen and Nils Mulvad.
Heavy growth of swine-MRSA in humans in Denmark
Jun 11, 2014
From 2007 to 2013 the number of people in Denmark who contracted the swine-MRSA bacteria increased from 14 to 641, according to the Danish Agency SSI. In 2007 swine-MRSA counted for 2 pct. of all MRSA on humans in Denmark. In 2013 the figure has grown to 31 pct. In the first four months of 2014 the numbers increased to 36 per cent of all MRSA on humans. The four deaths seems to have no relation to pig production. One was a 51 year old cancer-patient, two suffered from diabetes (63 and 86 years old) and one was living at en elderly home (74 years of age).
Scientist warns of the threat from antibiotic resistance
Jun 24, 2014
European authorities have no statistic concerning the spread of resistance germs from pigs to humans. Scientists at a conference in Copenhagen say the total death toll for resistant antibiotics is outdated and has been set too low. Information in general is not coordinated and updated.
Higher risk for humans to get swine-MRSA in pig-intensive municipalities
Jun 30, 2014
There is a very clear connection between the number of pigs in a municipality and the number of infected humans with the dangerous pig bacteria, MRSA398. Investigative Reporting Denmark has obtained information on number of infected divided in municipalities.
Danish farmers start a court-case against the state to keep infected farms secret
Jul 9, 2014
The peasants’ interest group, Landbrug & Fødevarer, has initiated a court case against the Danish State on behalf of some of the owners of the infected farms. The organisation demands information kept secret and insists that the court case has suspensive effect on releasing the names of the infected farms. Later the two journalist Kjeld Hansen and Nils Mulvad together with the Danish Association of Journalist intervene in the court case and claim the information should be made public. The trial will be 14-16 January 2015.
Total sterilization of 125 farms for breeding pigs and banning of public visits to farms
Aug 27, 2014
The Danish Minister of Agriculture Dan Jørgensen (S) and the Minister of Health Nick Hækkerup (S) launches a new increased plan in an open meeting in the Parliament: Total sterilization of 125 farms for breeding pigs and banning of public visits to farms.
More than half of all Danish pigfarms infected with MRSA
Aug 27, 2014
A study of 200 pigfarms to be published 9/30/2014 shows more than half are infected with MRSA, tells the Danish Minister of Agriculture Dan Jørgensen (S), who has been informed on the results beforehand. Authorities have later postponed the release of the study and still refuse to hand over information on the infected farms.
1 out of 5 containers with pork in Danish shops contain swine-MRSA
Sep 23, 2014
The Danish News Media TV Syd had meat tested at Danish Technical University, showing 21 out of 100 samples are infected with MRSA. Similar testing was stopped by authorities in 2011, where at that time 1 out 10 containers was MRSA-infected. Experts demand that tests be reintroduced.
Danish Audit Agency will investigate Ministry on Food and Agriculture
Oct 5, 2014
The Danish State Audit Agency, Rigsrevisionen (http://uk.rigsrevisionen.dk/), announce taking steps to audit the Ministry on Food and Agriculture because of the case with swine-MRSA. They are not concerned with the economic aspect, but if and why the ministry has not taken the problem seriously.
Medicine-use in 2014 is growing – info on all farmers use of antibiotics
Oct 14, 2014
Despite the threat from the dangerous pig-bacteria MRSA CC398, the Danish pig-farmers use more and more antibiotics in their daily production. This finding is the result of our analysis of totally new data concerning medicine use. Investigative Reporting Denmark publishes the detailed list of pig-farmers use of antibiotics during the last six years. The result provides data on pigs and cattle, but not mink and chicken.
Medicine-use to be reduced by 50 pct
Oct 21, 2014
Danish pig-producers announce that they will reduce the use of tetracyclin by 50 % by the end of 2015.
Two out of three pig-farms infected.
Dec 22, 2014
The Danish Food Agency publish a report, showing that 2 out of 3 pigfarms are infected with MRSA.
High Court keeps MRSA-farms secret.
Feb 6, 2015
The High Court decides in a preleminary decision to keep MRSA-farms secret. This decision is now appealed to the highest court in Denmark.
Danish politicians agrees on a MRSA-plan.
Apr 16, 2015
The Danish Parliament agrees on a plan to reduce the use of antibiotics with 15 pct. over four years. The plans also contains a total stop for tetracyclin and to intensify other measures to reduce MRSA.