The US has confirmed the first case of bird flu, or H5N1, in pigs, although the infection is still spreading in poultry and cows. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Oregon state veterinary officials are investigating positive cases of H5N1 in backyard farming operations in Oregon that house a mix of poultry and livestock,” the USDA announced in a news release. , which includes pigs.” Case.

“The Oregon Department of Agriculture has announced that H5N1 has been detected for the first time in poultry on this farm in Crook County, Oregon,” the agency said. “On Tuesday, October 29, USDA National Veterinary Services laboratories also confirmed one of the farm’s five pigs was infected with H5N1, marking the first detection of H5N1 in pigs in the United States.”

Pigs do not show symptoms

According to health officials, even though the pig did not show symptoms of infection, all five pigs at the farm were tested for H5N1 due to the presence of the virus in other animals at the farm. The USDA said all five pigs were slaughtered for further testing, the results of which showed that two pigs were negative, while the results of two others are pending.

“Livestock and poultry on this farm shared water sources, housing and equipment; In other states, this combination has enabled transmission between species,” the USDA said. The farm has been isolated, but since it was not a commercial farm, “there are no concerns about the safety of the nation’s pork supply as a result of this discovery,” the agency said.

scientists are worried

According to scientists, they are worried that H5N1 infection can spread to pigs– Considered a “mixing bowl” species for flu viruses because they have the same receptors on cells in their lungs as humans and birds.

In 2009, when the swine flu pandemic broke out, it was believed to have originated from a virus that mutated in pigs in Mexico before spreading to people.

Second person infected with bird flu in Missouri

According to reports, a second person in Missouri who was not exposed to poultry or dairy cows has been infected with bird flu. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the person lived with a patient who was first hospitalized with bird flu in August, but antibody tests showed that symptomatic healthcare workers who cared for the patient. Were not infected with H5N1 virus. ,

The CDC said that to date, no human-to-human spread of H5 bird flu has been identified in the country and the immediate risk to the general public from H5N1 bird flu is low. However, the CDC warns that people who come in contact with infected animals are at higher risk of infection.

The state of California has confirmed 16 human cases of bird flu, while Washington state has reported two poultry workers infected and five others presumed positive. CDC data says a total of 39 people have been infected with bird flu in the US this year.

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