H1N1 flu found in S. Korean pigs
South Korea confirmed that pigs infected with H1N1 flu have been found at domestic farms.
Infections were confirmed at five pig farms in Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang provinces, the agriculture ministry said.
‘For the first time we confirmed the presence of H1N1 flu in locally-raised pigs. We have… restricted movement of pigs in the areas,’ a ministry spokesman told AFP.
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The ministry has also found infections of the (A)H1N1 virus among pigs imported on November 11 from Canada, he said. An investigation is still under way to determine whether infections have spread from humans to pigs, it said.
‘The virus appeared to have spread from humans to pigs,’ Konkuk University veterinary professor Ryu Yong-Soo told Yonhap news agency.
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Ministry officials, however, say pork is safe to eat as people cannot get flu from eating pork or pork products. A total of 117 people with the virus have died in South Korea.
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