WHO urges more flu surveillance in humans, animals

By Laura MacInnis

GENEVA (Reuters) - Flu surveillance should be increased in both humans and animals now that the H1N1 virus strain has infected pigs in Canada, a World Health Organization official said on Sunday.

WHO food safety scientist Peter Ben Embarek stressed there was no recommendation to cull any pigs anywhere in the world as a result of the virus, and said that well-cooked pork and pork products remained safe for consumption.

"It is not a food-borne disease," he told a Geneva news conference, while calling on veterinarians, farm staff, and slaughterhouse workers to take precautions when handling live animals to avoid spreading or catching the new strain.

"Trading meat, whether processed or raw or frozen meat, should not be restricted because there is virtually no risk of transmission that way," he said.

"You might have a risk with the live animals or when slaughtering it, but on the other side, as soon as you are dealing with the final product there is no big risk."

Canadian health officials said on Saturday that a swine herd in the western province of Alberta apparently caught the virus from a carpenter who had traveled to Mexico, the epicentre of a swine flu outbreak that has spread to 19 countries.

"Since that has happened once, it could also happen again," Ben Embarek said of the pig infection, which he said may require people in contact with animals to wear protective gear.

"We have to take the measures to avoid unnecessary exposure of humans to sick animals," he said.