Jordan on Monday (Apr 27) banned the import of all types of meat from countries with reported cases of swine flu, including the US and Mexico, a senior official announced.

Jordan has set up a technical committee and tasked it with formulating precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease in the country, said Nasser Hawamdeh, Assistant Secretary General at the Agricultural Ministry.

Jordan has a limited number backyard pig farms, but the ministry's vets will increase their visits to these farms to conduct the required tests on pigs and provide the ministry with reports, he said.

The ministry will also ask hunters to provide samples of pigs they hunt near the Jordanian-Israeli border, which is known to be home to wild pigs, Hawamdeh said.

Health authorities have distributed a circular to hospitals and primary health centres detailing the symptoms of swine flu.