WHO urges more flu surveillance in humans, animals

• Flu • May 05, 09

Flu surveillance should be increased in both humans and animals now that the H1N1 virus strain has infected pigs in Canada, a World Health Organization official said on Sunday.

WHO food safety scientist Peter Ben Embarek stressed there was no recommendation to cull any pigs anywhere in the world as a result of the virus, and said that well-cooked pork and pork products remained safe for consumption.

“It is not a food-borne disease,” he told a Geneva news conference, while calling on veterinarians, farm staff, and slaughterhouse workers to take precautions when handling live animals to avoid spreading or catching the new strain.

“Trading meat, whether processed or raw or frozen meat, should not be restricted because there is virtually no risk of transmission that way,” he said.

“You might have a risk with the live animals or when slaughtering it, but on the other side, as soon as you are dealing with the final product there is no big risk.”

Canadian health officials said on Saturday that a swine herd in the western province of Alberta apparently caught the virus from a carpenter who had traveled to Mexico, the epicentre of a swine flu outbreak that has spread to 19 countries.

“Since that has happened once, it could also happen again,” Ben Embarek said of the pig infection, which he said may require people in contact with animals to wear protective gear.

“We have to take the measures to avoid unnecessary exposure of humans to sick animals,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations food agency in Rome said the Canadian case gave cause for concern and confirmed the need for increased surveillance of pig farms.

Against WHO advice, some countries have restricted imports of U.S. pigs and pork, and Egypt has ordered the slaughter of its entire pig herd of 300,000 to 400,000 animals.

NOT YET FULL PANDEMIC

Ben Embarek said that although the virus had not appeared to mutate as it moved to pigs in Canada, it needed to be closely watched in case the strain became more dangerous as it spread in all populations.

“It is important to monitor the situation in animals actively and to ensure that the disease, if presenting in animals, does not spread geographically,” he said.

Up to 100 people—all but one in Mexico—have died from the new strain popularly known as swine flu, which experts say has elements of swine, avian, and human viruses.

The WHO last week raised its pandemic alert from 3 to the second-highest level of 5 in response to the virus that has killed young adults in Mexico. It is looking for signs of sustained spread outside North America before declaring a full pandemic.

Spokesman Gregory Hartl said the Emergency Committee that advises WHO Director-General Margaret Chan about the alert level has not scheduled another meeting to consider raising it to 6.

If the alert does hit that highest rung, countries worldwide would put in place emergency plans that could include closing schools or cancelling public events.

The WHO would also take steps to make sure that developing countries get the drugs and diagnostic kits they need to fight off the flu that could be especially deadly for people with HIV.

“There is a range of very specific things that we would do,” Hartl told journalists at the U.N. health agency headquarters.

Asked to comment on signs that the Mexican outbreak had begun to ease, the spokesman said it may have peaked but it was far too early to consider the flu vanquished.

“We cannot lower our guard,” Hartl said, also warning that flu can be seasonal and may rebound when colder temperatures return to Mexico and North America. “I think we would want to wait a while before making a definitive decision,” he said.

By Laura MacInnis
GENEVA (Reuters)