WHO declares pork safe to eat

The World Health Organization (WHO) has today reiterated its affirmation on the safety of pork from the deadly (A) H1N1 virus, stressing the risk that pork meat carrying the strain is 'totally negligible'.

Up to 20 countries worldwide have already banned imports of pork and other meat in response to the outbreak of the new flu virus, according to WHO.

Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) chief veterinary officer, Joseph Domenech said "no influenza virus has ever been detected in meat or meat products".

H1N1 strain is not food-borne but it is feared to spread through animal products which prompted embargoes on live pigs, pork, cattle, poultry, livestock, feed and animal semen from countries with reported infections.

More than 1,000 people have been infected with the virus that is thought to spread through sneezes, coughs and droplets like the common flu. WHO labs have confirmed 26 deaths from H1N1, all but one in Mexico, the epicentre for the outbreak.

Canadian authorities on Saturday (May 2) also reported the presence of the virus in a swine herd, which was apparently infected by a farm worker who had been to Mexico. That caused the WHO and FAO to call for extra caution in handling live animals.

Domenech said it is important for livestock farmers to take precautions as many of the virus characteristics and developments were still unknown.

According to Domenech, this new strain of influenza "does not contaminate humans easily and has a very low pathogenicity for both humans and pigs, unlike the avian flu which killed millions of poultry."