| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| Related News |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Special Report |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GENEVA: Any outbreaks of the new H1N1 flu virus in pigs must be contained and monitored because of the risk of further spread in humans, a World Health Organisation expert said on Sunday.
"We believe this is something that is necessary to understand better if animals are infected and, if they are, to both protect humans and further spread among the pig population," said food safety scientist, Peter Ben Embarek.
His comments came after Canadian health officials said pigs from a herd in Alberta province had tested positive for H1N1 flu virus, although further testing was underway to uncover its exact type.
The two major international farm and food agencies have stepped up surveillance of animals in countries hit by the new A(H1N1) virus, said Embarek.
The two agencies concerned are the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
But he underlined that the risks came from contact with bodily fluids of animals, not processed or cooked meat, or matured raw ham.
"Where we are concerned is that if the virus is present in live animals, then the people who are handling these animals - farm workers, veterinarians, slaughterhouse workers - those might be at a higher risk," said Embarek.
"It is also important to emphasise that these farms should be quarantined immediately, the herds should not be allowed to move around in order not to spread the disease further among other farms and other pig populations."
One theory being investigated is that the animals in Canada might have contracted the disease from a Canadian recently returned from Mexico, a carpenter who had worked on the farm.
"If this has happened once it can happen again elsewhere," Embarek pointed out.
People with flu should not only avoid infecting other people but also "stay away from pig farms and in particular close activities involving pigs," he added.
Pigs with flu get symptoms similar to humans, such as fever, runny nose and coughing, and infection of humans to pigs and pigs to humans is known.
The FAO and the OIE do not require international notification of swine flu cases, which is a common disease in pigs.
But the biggest concern surrounding live pigs is also their role in harbouring human, avian and swine flu viruses and enabling them to mix into new types, according to health experts.
The new A (H1N1) influenza that appeared in Mexico and the United States over the past month and sent the world into a pandemic alert is a cocktail of all three, but health experts are still trying to track down its origins.
The WHO reiterated on Sunday that consumers could not catch flu from properly cooked and handled pork, or processed meat because the flu virus is destroyed by heat.
Embarek explained that matured raw hams were safe because the virus did not survive for long on surfaces.
"The time would be enough to inactivate the virus, so you can continue to safely eat your 'prosciutto'," he said. - AFP/de
|
