USDA Announces First Case Of H5N1 Virus In Pig In The US

The Washington Post (10/30, Sun, Roubein) reports the USDA has announced that “bird flu has been found in at least one pig at a backyard farm in Oregon, the first detection of the H5N1 virus in swine in the United States.” This discovery concerns scientists and public health officials since “pigs can become coinfected with bird and human viruses, allowing genes to swap to form a new, more dangerous virus that can more easily infect humans.” State and federal agriculture officials euthanized 70 infected poultry at the farm last week. The AP (10/30, Stobbe) reports officials have put the farm under quarantine and euthanized all the pigs, but “finding bird flu in a pig raises worries that the virus may be hitting a stepping stone to becoming a bigger threat to people, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University pandemic researcher.” The AP quotes Nuzzo saying, “If we’re trying to stay ahead of this virus and prevent it from becoming a threat to the broader public, knowing if it’s in pigs is crucial.” Also reporting are Reuters (10/30, Douglas, Polansek), NBC News (10/30, Edwards), and CNN (10/30, Gumbrecht, Goodman).