May 2, 2009

No South Korean pigs have been found carrying the type-A flu virus that has caused worldwide concerns, health officials said Friday (May 1).

The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) said of the eight gene segments that make up type-A flu H1N1, two are completely different from those found in local pigs.

The agency said the findings were based on annual sampling tests conducted on pigs, and that it has developed tests to map gene segments and determine a pathogen's characteristics.

This announcement mirrors findings by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which said it has yet to find any cases of pigs carrying the new virus strain. More than 150 deaths in Mexico are confirmed, or are associated with the flu.

Nearly a quarter of all pigs in the world carry antibodies for some type of the H1N1 virus, indicating previous infections. But the disease is rarely transmitted to humans and has a very low fatality rate among animals. However, the H1N1 shows components of human, avian and two strains of swine flu, and the WHO is still trying to track the origin of this particular flu strain.

South Korea's monitoring system can allow scientists to quickly develop vaccines and test kits, according to Lee Joo-ho, director of NVRQS.

Lee said South Korea has increased efforts to isolate the outbreak of the disease abroad, and is working with foreign experts and local laboratories to find a way to deal with the virus.