South Korea reports pigs infected with A/H1N1

[Gert van der Hoek]

S Korea reports pigs infected with A/H1N1

www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-14

SEOUL, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's agriculture ministry said Monday that it confirmed pigs in the country having been infected with the A/H1N1 influenza virus, marking the first such case.

"Infections were confirmed at five pig farms in the Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang provinces," the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

"The movement of pigs in the area was restricted and the animals were quarantined to eradicate the spread of the contagious disease," the ministry added.

The infections came amid the spread of the virus among people slowing down after causing more than 100 deaths among South Koreans over the past four months.

Although there is a possibility that the virus may spread from pigs to people, experts noted that the chances were slim, dismissing concerns that the swine infection might pose a threat to human health.

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[Pathfinder]

Re: South Korea reports pigs infected with A/H1N1

Korean Pigs Catch Swine Flu

The first case of pigs infected with swine flu, the type-A form of the H1N1 virus, has been confirmed in Korea. But experts say even eating pork from infected animals is safe so long as it is properly cooked.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Monday said pigs raised at five farms in the country and six breeding pigs imported from Canada late last month were infected with the H1N1 virus, and the movement of pigs in the areas has been restricted.

The five farms are one in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, and two each in Gimcheon and Gunwi, both in North Gyeongsang Province, the ministry said. Some 3,600 pigs are being raised there.

A ministry official said it is unclear how they became infected but presumably the virus was transmitted by humans. The current H1N1 flu pandemic is popularly known as swine flu although according to the WHO it is different strains of the same virus that infect humans or pigs.

The ministry decided not to cull the infected pigs. "Pigs infected with H1N1 virus normally recover about seven days after showing slight symptoms including fever," an official said. "We don't need to cull them since there have been no reports of transmission from pigs to humans."

Park Bong-kyun, a professor of veterinary medicine at Seoul National University, confirmed that is the current scientific belief "to the best of our knowledge."


englishnews@chosun.com / Dec. 15, 2009 12:31 KST

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/12/15/2009121500682.html

[Treyfish]

Re: South Korea reports pigs infected with A/H1N1

S. Korea confirms 9 more swine farms affected by new flu

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea confirmed Wednesday pigs at a further nine swine farms have contracted the type-A influenza virus, indicating that the pace of contagion among the animals is picking up here.

South Korea has been on high alert since the disease was detected among its people in May. Health experts do not rule out the possibility that the highly infectious virus could spread from pigs to humans, but they note that such chances are very low.http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/tech...004700320.HTML

[Tonka]

Re: South Korea reports pigs infected with A/H1N1

http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149850&Itemid=1

Confirmed another outbreak of swine influenza A South Korean farm
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

December 29, 2009, 05:52 Seoul, Dec 29 (Prensa Latina) South Korea confirmed Thursday an outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) in a pig farm, the sixteenth that is reported amid concerns over the possibility of a mutation of the virus.

The new case of infection in the southwestern province of Jeolla, in addition to those recorded from the last day 14 when it disclosed the presence of diseased animals by that cause in five breeding centers, as explained by the Ministry of Agriculture.

One official noted that will prevent the transfer of the pigs for three weeks as part of efforts to control the disease.

It reported the initial outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) in May and in August the first death associated with it. The deaths exceeded 150.

In this new situation, the authorities announced that pandemic vaccine to some 67 people linked to the livestock sector to prevent its spread.

lac / lam