By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

The government confirmed Monday that pigs had contracted with influenza A (H1N1), the first case of an infection among animals in Korea.

The authorities said the virus isn’t as threatening to the animals as to humans and that there is little need to be anxious about cross-infections or a new pandemic, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.

According to the ministry, blood samples collected from pigs in farms in Gyeonggi Province and North Gyeongsang Province, showed the presence of the virus.

However, it was decided not to conduct wholesale slaughter of the swine since the disease is known to have little effect on the animals. They have decided to isolate the infected pigs for three weeks.
The ministry said there is little chance of acquiring the disease by eating pork from infected pigs.
There are about 9.2 million pigs on 7,700 farms nationwide.

Fourteen countries, including Australia, Canada and 12 more, have reported the infection among animals.

The influenza has infected tens of thousands of patients and has claimed the lives of more than 100 people in Korea alone.

The government has recently lowered its flu alert level after the transmission pace dramatically dropped.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr