US detects first H5N1 bird flu infection in pigs

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on October 30 that it had detected bird flu in pigs for the first time, at a farm in Oregon state.

USDA said test results on five pigs showed one was positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, two were negative and two were pending results. The pig with H5N1 showed no signs of illness.

NBC News reported on October 30 that pigs are considered dangerous hosts because they can be infected with viruses in poultry and humans. This increases the risk of the emergence of mutant strains of avian influenza that can easily spread to humans.

The US first detected H5N1 flu in pigs on October 30.

The USDA confirmed that the newly discovered case does not affect the domestic pork supply, adding that the farm with pigs infected with H5N1 is not a farm that supplies commercial products.

The H5N1 swine flu case was contracted from wild birds, not from a poultry or dairy farm, a USDA spokesman said. Oregon officials detected the virus in poultry at the farm earlier this month.

Local officials said poultry and livestock share water sources, shelters and other items, allowing the virus to spread between species. The Oregon farm has been quarantined and other animals are being closely monitored. Poultry and pigs have been euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.

U.S. health officials have been particularly concerned about the spread of bird flu in the country this year, following an outbreak of H5N1 in dairy cows that has infected 387 herds in 14 states. Since March, there have been 36 human cases of bird flu in the U.S., most of them farm workers.

There is currently no evidence that bird flu is transmitted from person to person, but US health officials are closely monitoring the situation, alert to the possibility of a more complex and dangerous mutation of the bird flu virus.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-lan-dau-phat-hien-lon-nhiem-cum-gia-cam-h5n1-185241031112727171.htm