Canadian pigs infected with H1N1 virus
Posted: 03 May 2009 0635 hrs

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MONTREAL - Pigs in the Canadian province of Alberta have tested positive for H1N1 flu virus, the Canadian authorities said on Saturday.

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) indicates that it has found H1N1 flu virus in a swine herd in Alberta," a statement from the agency said.

While further testing is needed "to more fully characterize the virus," the herd "has been placed under quarantine," the statement read.

The agency said it is "working with public health colleagues to determine the most appropriate next steps to ensure that public and animal health remain protected."

Some 30 new cases of the potentially deadly H1N1 influenza virus were reported in Canada on Saturday, bringing the total number of people infected throughout the country to over 85.

The CFIA insisted that Canadian pork was still safe, and that the animals had likely contracted the disease from a Canadian who had recently returned from Mexico.

The outbreak has prompted a rash of pork boycotts around the world, moves that have been lambasted by farmers groups.

On Saturday four international organizations rallied to the farmers' cause, stating that food is not a risk.

"To date there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted by food," the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Trade Organization and World Organization for Animal Health said in a joint statement.

"There is currently therefore no justification ... for the imposition of trade measures on the importation of pigs or their products," they added.

- AFP /ls