WHO changes swine flu name to 'influenza A (H1N1)'
Posted: 01 May 2009 0233 hrs

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GENEVA: The World Health Organisation will begin referring to the swine flu virus as "influenza A (H1N1)," the United Nations health agency said on its website on Thursday.

"From today, WHO will refer to the new influenza virus as influenza A (H1N1)," said the health agency.

The WHO earlier on Thursday told AFP that it was re-examining the name of the swine flu virus after complaints that the name was causing an unjustified clampdown on pork trade.

On Wednesday, officials in the United States decided to call the new A/H1N1 flu virus that emerged in Mexico "2009 H1N1 flu."

Pig farmers in the United States, Mexico and Canada are reeling from bans on their exports of live swine and pork meat imposed by several nations including Russia and China.

Egypt also began culling tens of thousands of pigs on Thursday, although officials said it was a general health measure rather than a precaution against swine flu.

Despite the name swine flu, no pigs in the United States are reported to be suffering from the disease, which also has components from influenza strains afflicting people and birds in three continents.

The WHO has stuck by swine flu so far, arguing that the virus - whose exact origins are still unknown - does have a substantial swine component.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan said while raising the international alert level on Wednesday that the WHO did not believe that people were getting infected by pigs in the current outbreak.

"The WHO does not recommend the restriction of movement of people or goods," she added.

"Pork can be eaten safely if cooked properly," Chan emphasised. "There's no reason why people who love to eat pork should stop eating now: please continue, with due precautions and cook it well." - AFP/de