Posted By thestatedtruth.com on October 16, 2009

Minnesota Pigs Tested for H1N1, May Be First in U.S.

 

By Whitney McFerron

Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) — Three pigs from the Minnesota state fair have been “tentatively identified” as having swine flu in what may be the first U.S. cases of the H1N1 virus among domestic livestock.

The pigs were tested at the fair from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 and “have probably gone to slaughter,” Gene Hugoson, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, said today on a conference call with reporters. The pigs, which did not exhibit flu symptoms at the fair, were tested as part of a university project.

“There is absolutely no food-safety risk from eating any kind of pork that has been contaminated at one time or another with H1N1,” Hugoson said. “Any pig that exhibits any type of an indication of sickness would not be accepted at slaughter.”

The state has not traced the animals back to their owners. Final results of the tests likely will be confirmed next week, Hugoson said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the World Health Organization have said the H1N1 virus is not transmitted through properly handled pork. Concern over the illness has eroded pork demand and U.S. exports of the meat, sending hog futures down 25 percent since April 23, when the outbreak started. China, once the second-largest importer of U.S. pork, has blocked shipments.

“I want to remind people that people cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses. We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza.”

An outbreak of the H1N1 virus also occurred among “multiple” children who were staying in a dormitory at the fair as part of a 4-H Club program, Joni Scheftel, the public health veterinarian at the Minnesota Department of Health, said on the call. It is “very, very unlikely” that the children were infected by the pigs, he said.

“It’s likely that the pigs were infected by a person, either a 4-H kid or one of the 1 million visitors to the fair,” Scheftel said.

Bill Hartmann, the executive director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, said all the producers who brought hogs to the fair are being notified that the virus was discovered.

The National Pork Producers Council, a Washington-based trade organization, said “strict safeguards” are in place to prevent contamination in U.S. meat supplies.

“All pork found in retail stores and restaurants is inspected to the rigors of USDA standards for wholesomeness, and every pig is inspected to ensure that only healthy pigs enter the food supply,” the agency said today in a statement.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aIqH2gH2o0MQ

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Tags: Pigs, swine