BUREAU PROGRAMS

• Analytical Environmental Epidemiology
• Asthma Program
• Aquatic Toxins
• Birth Defects Registry
• Chemical Disease Surveillance
• Environmental Public Health Tracking
• Food and Waterborne Disease
• Hazardous Waste Site Health Risk Assessment
• Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
• Pesticide Poisoning Surveillance
• Rabies Surveillance
• Toxicology
• Vector-borne Disease
• Zoonotic Disease

Hog Hunting in Florida

Practice good sanitation when handling feral swine or raw feral swine meat, they can carry a number of infectious organisms including bacteria and parasites such as Brucella and Trichinella. To protect against these and other agents (including viruses):

• Avoid eating, drinking or using tobacco when field-dressing or handling carcasses.
• Use latex or rubber gloves when handling the carcass or raw meat.
• Avoid direct contact with blood, reproductive organs and fecal matter. Wearing long sleeves, eye protection and covering any scratches, open wounds or lesions will help provide protection.
• Clean and disinfect knives, cleaning area, clothing and any other exposed surfaces when finished.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water.
• Cook meat from these animals to 170º F or until juices run clear.

The safety regulations for handling feral or free-ranging swine are similar to precautions recommended for handling wild birds:

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/wildlife_health_bulletins/WHB_05_03.jsp 

Brucellosis and Hog Hunting brochure from CDC and USDA (2.3 MB PDF)

Other Helpful Resources from Florida Department of Health

Mosquito-borne Diseases

Tick-borne Diseases

Rabies

Brucellosis