June 17, 2009
Farm worker not source of AH1N1 virus in Canadian pig herd
Blood testing in the AH1N1-infected herd of pigs in Canada has ruled out a farm worker as the source of the virus, Alberta's health department has stated.
The farm worker had travelled to Mexico shortly before the pigs became infected and had a flu-like illness prompting officials to believe this as the suspected source.
Since the outbreak of AH1N1 flu virus, about a dozen countries have banned pork products or swine from Canada largely due to Alberta pigs' infection.
Tests by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency showed the flu virus was still present in the herd of more than 2,200 pigs when it was slaughtered. The herd had been under quarantine since April 28.
