(Washington) – A pig has been infected with avian influenza virus in Oregon, the first of its kind in the United States, authorities announced Wednesday.
The USDA said in a statement that “one in five pigs” on a farm “was infected with H5N1, marking the first detection of H5N1 in pigs in the United States.”
He added, “The animals were not intended to be sold for food.” “There is no need to worry about the security of the country's pork supply.”
The positive pig did not show signs of illness, but was tested like others as a precaution on this farm, which also includes poultry and livestock, which were placed in quarantine.
The other pigs tested negative and test results for two others are still awaited. All were euthanized.
This announcement comes as the United States faces an unprecedented spread of the virus in cattle herds.
Experts are concerned about the increasing number of mammals infected with the disease. They fear that the high circulation rate will make it easier for a mutation in the virus to occur that allows it to spread from human to human.
Genomic sequencing of the virus from infected poultry revealed “no changes in the virus” suggesting it has become “more transmissible between humans,” according to the USDA press release.
