Raw Pork and Swine FluRaw pork from sick swine must be kept out of the food chain, said a WHO (World Health Organization) spokesman today. Swine flu could survive freezing and infect those who handle or eat the meat.
Despite the fact that government officials and WHO leaders have reassured us that pork is just fine to eat, a WHO (World Health Organization) spokesman, Jorgen Schlundt, director of the WHO's Department of Food Safety, announced yesterday that
A warning that should NOT have to be given, I might add...
Photo of pig, courtesy of Chris Watson
The backlash from the pork industry, feeling the economic crunch from the swine flu publicity, has caused the WHO to rename the swine flu— A H1N1. In addition, they have consistently reassured the public that pork is safe to eat, stating that the virus is air-borne, not food borne.
Dangers of Raw PorkNow, Mr. Schlundt has revealed that the H1N1 virus may be present in the blood and meat juices of infected animals. Up until a few days ago, when a Mexican farm worker infected 200 pigs on a pig farm in Alberta, no one had found swine who carried the disease.The warning given by Mr. Schlundt was meant to:
Flu viruses can survive being frozen, and so it is possible to have a virus present on meat that has been thawed. There are no data available, yet, though, to indicate that this particular flu virus , A H1N1 can and would survive on raw pork that has been frozen. That will only come when tests have been conducted and data gathered. And so, it would seem, that the real danger is to people who handle sick animals or raw meat from sick animals. The
virus is killed
in the cooking process. And, as always, pork should only be eaten when it is well done, never rare or lightly cooked.
Fears were raised a couple days ago, when the Mexican farm worker infected the swine herd in Canada. Scientists are concerned that the virus is again jumping from species to species - this time from human to pig — and always the possibly of becoming more virulent in the process.
Is Pork Safe to Eat?As many as 20 countries have banned the import of raw pork and live pigs from affected countries as a precaution. While acknowledging that there are still questions unanswered about the conditions in which the virus may be present, Mr. Schlundt stressed that the WHO continues to hold its position that well cooked pork is safe to eat.Information about Flu Pandemic Return to Flu Prevention Home Hygiene Hand washing Pandemic Flu Guide HOME - from Raw Pork and Swine Flu
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