May 4, 2009

Pigs on a Canadian farm located in the western province of Alberta were found infected with the H1N1 virus by a farm worker who recently returned from Mexico, officials said Saturday (May 2).

The pigs were placed under quarantine, but officials said the farm worker has recovered, and the estimated 200 sickened pigs are recovering as well, and that the flu is unlikely to have spread beyond the farm.

Dr. Brian Evans, executive vice president with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, assured that it is unlikely the pigs could infect people with the virus and that pork products are still safe to eat.

Evans said officials noticed the pigs had flu-like symptoms on April 24, more than a week after the farm worker returned from Mexico and began working on the farm two days later on April 14.

Officials said the pigs were likely infected in the same manner as humans worldwide, and that the virus is acting no differently in the pigs than other flu viruses.

Evans said the virus has shown no signs of mutation when passing from human to pig.

The number of confirmed H1N1 cases reached 659 in 16 countries, the World Health Organisation said Saturday. The agency has also begun distributing 2.4 million doses of a common anti-viral drug to 72 countries.