Don't call it swine flu!Oklahoma pork producers are trying to get the word out. You will not catch the H1N1 virus by eating pork. US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in April that the virus should not be called "swine flu" because there is no indication that any swine from the US has been infected. This is significant, Vilsack said, "because there are a lot of hardworking families whose livelihood depends on us conveying this message of safety." "I want to reiterate that US pork is safe," he said. "This flu virus has not been found in pigs so there is no reason to be concerned about the safety of eating pork," said Roy Lee Lindsey, executive director of the Oklahoma Pork Council." The H1N1 virus was initially called "swine flu" because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America. But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It is spread through contact with other humans who have the H1N1 flu.
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education |
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