April 28, 2009
For More Information, contact
Don Nikodim, (573) 445-8375
Statement from the Missouri Pork Association on Flu and Pork
Pork is safe to eat.
Columbia, Mo.,—The Missouri Pork Association today issued the following statement regarding the reports of H1N1 flu (swine flu) in humans.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this flu virus cannot be transmitted by food. You cannot get this flu virus from eating pork or pork products.
The CDC and other health organizations continue to caution that the virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. They have not found any evidence to indicate that the illnesses resulted from contact with pigs.
The flu virus that has been isolated from these cases is unique and had not been previously recognized in people. According to the CDC, “This virus is different, very different from that found in pigs.” At this time, there is no evidence that this influenza subtype is present in pigs in the U.S. or anywhere in the pig herd in the world.
Furthermore, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack is recommending that the virus name be changed to H1N1 influenza rather than swine flu. This would help to eliminate the public confusion about this illness and to more accurately characterize it as a human-to-human transmitted virus.
Pork producers from Missouri and across the United States are encouraged to maintain strict biosecurity procedures on their farms to ensure the health and safety of their employees and their animals.
Additional information is available at www.pork.org or www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.
The Missouri Pork Association represents the state’s pork producers in the areas of promotion, research, education and legislation. For more information about this or any other programs of the Missouri Pork Association, go to www.mopork.com, or call the Missouri Pork Association office at (573) 445-8375.
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