Minnesota Pig Infected With H1N1 Flu

Federal officials say there's no danger in eating pork products

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

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MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A pig that was shown at the Minnesota State Fair two months ago has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, making it the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the United States, federal officials said Monday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the presence of the virus after an initial test indicted that as many as three pigs at the fair may have been infected, the Associated Press reported.

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Federal agriculture officials expected the H1N1 virus to infect domestic pigs this year. Pig infections have already been reported in Canada, Australia, Argentina, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Norway.

The three pigs did not show signs of sickness, and officials said they likely contracted the virus from some of the nearly 1.8 million people who visited the fair, the news service said.

The chances of a pig infecting a person with swine flu is considered remote. But, the animals can act as "mixing vessels" if they catch two different strains of the disease at the same time, potentially giving rise to a mutated version of the flu. Officials said there's no evidence that that has happened, the AP said.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release Monday that the USDA has started to contact U.S. trade partners and international organizations to emphasize that H1N1, also known as the swine flu, can't be contracted by eating pork products.

"We have fully engaged our trading partners to remind them ... that there is no scientific basis to restrict trade in pork and pork products," Vilsack said. "People cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products. Pork is safe to eat."

On Friday, U.S. health officials reported that 11 more children had died from H1N1 swine flu during the past week.

Adding to the seriousness of the situation, manufacturing problems have delayed production of the H1N1 vaccine. Instead of reaching a goal of 40 million doses by the end of October, fewer than 30 million doses will be available, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a Friday afternoon press conference.

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