Pork safe to eat despite WHO warning, Canadian officials stress

Canadian health officials maintain pork is safe to eat despite comments from the World Health Organization that the swine flu virus could survive freezing and remain in the thawed meat and blood of infected pigs.

"Canadian pork is safe. There is no danger. Bottom line: Canadian pork is safe," federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Wednesday after helping to serve pulled pork sandwiches to MPs and government workers on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Earlier Wednesday, the WHO's director of food safety said meat from pigs infected with the H1N1 influenza A virus shouldn't be used for human consumption.

Jorgen Schlundt told Reuters the blood of pigs infected with the H1N1 flu virus might survive the freezing process.

"Meat from sick pigs or pigs found dead should not be processed or used for human consumption under any circumstances," he wrote in an email to the news agency.

"While it is possible for influenza viruses to survive the freezing process and be present on thawed meat, there are no data available on the survival of Influenza A/H1N1 on meat nor any data on the infectious dose for people."

"In general, we recommend that persons involved in activities where they could come in contact with large amounts of blood and secretions, such as those slaughtering/eviscerating pigs, wear appropriate protective equipment," Schlundt said.

The recent strain of swine flu, which is believed to have originated in Mexico, has spread to Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, with 1,893 cases confirmed worldwide. It has been linked to 42 deaths in Mexico and two in the U.S., including that of a Mexican infant visiting family in Texas.

Late Wednesday, Mexico City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said all businesses could reopen as of Thursday, ending a virtual shutdown of the capital over swine flu concerns. Still, they must follow government-ordered hygiene rules.

Businesses must screen for any sick people, and surgical masks will be mandatory for employees and customers alike, he said.

In Canada, 201 cases have been confirmed in eight provinces. On Wednesday, 13 new confirmed cases were reported in Ontario, eight in B.C., six in Quebec and five in Nova Scotia.

Canada, WHO on same track

Canadian officials said their message is no different from what WHO and they have been saying all along.

"There is no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of properly prepared, salvaged and cooked pork and pork products," said Dr. Brian Evans, the chief veterinary officer for Canada.

"The message that is coming out clearly from WHO today, which is standard operating practice in Canada, is the fact that you do not slaughter sick animals and you do not slaughter dead animals for human consumption," he said.

"This doesn't change anything in Canada. What the WHO is saying is what we do every day, every week, every month, every year as part of our food inspection system."

The message was echoed by Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones, who said the food inspection process is very effective.

"There is no reason to stop eating pork," he said. "The inspection system in Canada does address all those issues. We do not eat either sick or other animals in that position."

Butler-Jones also said proper cooking of pork will kill any viruses present in the meat.

Prof. Cate Dewey, a veterinarian at the University of Guelph, disagreed with Schlundt's concerns about the virus surviving in blood and meat.

"This virus can only stay in the lung," Dewey explained. "It's not possible for this virus to be in the blood and it's not possible for the virus to be in the muscle. So there's no possible way for the virus to be in the meat."

Alberta farm workers don't have flu

Veterinarians and those in the industry screen pigs at farms. Swine also undergo a clinical pre-assessment at slaughterhouses, and pig parts are checked again on the processing line.

However, it's still not clear what will happen to pigs on an Alberta farm infected with the H1N1 virus. About 220 pigs in a herd of 2,200 began showing signs of the flu on April 24. it is thought that a farmhand working on the property who travelled to Mexico and fell ill upon his return infected them with the virus. All of the pigs are recovering or have recovered.

Butler-Jones on Wednesday said people living on the farm have tested negative for the virus despite showing symptoms.

He did say there may have been "sampling issues," and blood samples from the people will be tested for antibodies to get a definitive answer on whether they were infected. He won't say how many people were tested or what kind of sampling issues were encountered.

The barn has been under quarantine since April 28, and no other hog barns in the area have so far been affected

Eat more pork, says council

The chair of the Canadian Pork Council called on Canadians to support the industry.

"To all Canadians, we ask … have an extra meal or two of pork each week to help our family farms continue to supply to you the safe and wholesome products that you're accustomed to," said Jurgen Preugschas, who was at the pork lunch on Parliament Hill.

One Saskatchewan hog producer also at the BBQ says the timing of the flu outbreak is bad.

"We're just starting to see a recovery of the financial system, and now this thing hits our industry.… It's incredible bad luck we've had," said Florian Possberg, who farms roughly one million pigs at more than 40 locations.

Possberg says a sick pig would never be processed for consumption.

"We didn't cause this problem. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.