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H1N1 flu found in Canadian pig herd
Source: Agencies |
May 3, 2009, Sunday
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Online Edition
Online Edition
CANADIAN health officials said yesterday they found the new H1N1 flu virus in a swine herd in the province of Alberta but that there was no threat to the food supply.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the infected herd was quarantined pending more testing, "but that the chances the pigs could transfer the virus to humans was remote."
"The safety of the food supply is not affected and Canadian pork continues to be safe to eat," the agency added.
It said all the infected pigs had recovered or were recovering.
The agency said the herd in the western Canadian province apparently caught the virus from a human who traveled recently to Mexico, the epicenter of a swine flu outbreak that has spread to 18 countries and may have killed more than 100 people, all but one in Mexico.
It was the first time the agency had reported a case of the virus being transmitted from a human to a pig in Canada.
Canada has had more than 70 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in humans, all mild and involving recent travelers to Mexico or those who had contact with others who had been in the Latin American nation.
Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Canada was talking with its trading partners, adding that US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had assured him Canada would continue to have access to the American market.
"We will continue to work with our American partners as we deal with this issue," Ritz said in a statement.
"The case identified in Alberta is entirely contained. There is no threat to human or animal health," Ritz said.
"What's happened here is what we feared," Jurgen Preugschas, an Alberta hog farmer and president of the Canadian Pork Council, said when asked about the impact of the swine herd infection.
"Ultimately it shouldn't affect the industry long-term. It's all perception. The meat is safe. (But) it's going to be a lot of hype in the short term."
Flu viruses do not affect the safety of pork, according to the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which warned yesterday against imposing trade restrictions on pig or pig products.
The Philippines, El Salvador, Honduras and Ukraine already have stopped accepting Canadian pork since the H1N1 cases were identified in Canada, while South Korea is not accepting live hogs.
The World Health Organization on Thursday changed the name of the strain from "swine flu" to A-H1N1 to reflect the fact the virus was spreading between humans and not in pigs. The Geneva-based agency was also under intense pressure from the pork industry, including Canadian farmers, to change the name.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the infected herd was quarantined pending more testing, "but that the chances the pigs could transfer the virus to humans was remote."
"The safety of the food supply is not affected and Canadian pork continues to be safe to eat," the agency added.
It said all the infected pigs had recovered or were recovering.
The agency said the herd in the western Canadian province apparently caught the virus from a human who traveled recently to Mexico, the epicenter of a swine flu outbreak that has spread to 18 countries and may have killed more than 100 people, all but one in Mexico.
It was the first time the agency had reported a case of the virus being transmitted from a human to a pig in Canada.
Canada has had more than 70 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in humans, all mild and involving recent travelers to Mexico or those who had contact with others who had been in the Latin American nation.
Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Canada was talking with its trading partners, adding that US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had assured him Canada would continue to have access to the American market.
"We will continue to work with our American partners as we deal with this issue," Ritz said in a statement.
"The case identified in Alberta is entirely contained. There is no threat to human or animal health," Ritz said.
"What's happened here is what we feared," Jurgen Preugschas, an Alberta hog farmer and president of the Canadian Pork Council, said when asked about the impact of the swine herd infection.
"Ultimately it shouldn't affect the industry long-term. It's all perception. The meat is safe. (But) it's going to be a lot of hype in the short term."
Flu viruses do not affect the safety of pork, according to the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which warned yesterday against imposing trade restrictions on pig or pig products.
The Philippines, El Salvador, Honduras and Ukraine already have stopped accepting Canadian pork since the H1N1 cases were identified in Canada, while South Korea is not accepting live hogs.
The World Health Organization on Thursday changed the name of the strain from "swine flu" to A-H1N1 to reflect the fact the virus was spreading between humans and not in pigs. The Geneva-based agency was also under intense pressure from the pork industry, including Canadian farmers, to change the name.
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