Back to HOMEPAGE First commercial pig farm worker in Britain
contracts swine flu
Valerie Elliott
Columnist: The TImes
Filed 21 Jul 09
©Valerie Elliot
This article was originally published in The Times on 18th July 2009.
It is reproduced here with he kind permission of its author and of the newspaper.
The first case of a pig farm worker contracting the swine flu virus was reported this week. The stockman from the South West worked on a commercial pig farm. Other staff and pigs on the farm are free of the H1N1 virus but veterinary experts are working with the pig industry to agree a code of practice should pig herds become infected with the flu strain.
There is no threat to human health if people eat pork, bacon and ham from a pig that has recovered from swine flu provided that the meat is cooked properly.
Any pig contracting flu is to be quarantined and it cannot be slaughtered for the food chain unless the animal has been free of flu symptoms for seven days. Veterinary checks will also take place at the abattoir where any sick animals will be rejected.
There are no plans to cull pigs with swine flu, but it is known that flu strains can easily pass between pigs and human beings as well as from pig to pig.
©Valerie Elliott
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