When your idea of fun is rolling around in mud all day, it’s kind of difficult to get a bad name – but with the swine flu outbreak, even pigs are being unfairly labelled. Truth is, that the virus isn’t caused or carried by pigs and so the Belize Agricultural and Health Authority says you can safely eat well-cooked pork. BAHA’s Deputy Director of Animal Health Dr. Miguel Figueroa says that is because the swine flu isn’t a food safety concern – it is a health concern.

Dr. Miguel Figueroa, BAHA’s Deputy Director of Animal Health
“The message I want to get across is that pork is safe to eat. There is no food safety concern. Swine flu is not a disease that affects pigs. There is no evidence that suggests that pigs get affected by this new strain so of course not, it is a human disease, not a pig disease.”

Keith Swift,
So people shouldn’t be concerned about eating pork?

Dr. Miguel Figueroa,
“No, absolutely not. It is not a food safety concern. As I mentioned before it is a human disease, it is a new virus that has developed and that affects only humans and there is, as I said, no evidence that would suggest that it affects pigs. H1N1 it is a swine virus and so actually but the new strain of the virus, it came from the pig I guess but it is a different virus.”

Farmers are however advised to report any respiratory problems in their pigs to BAHA since as weird - as it may sound – humans can actually transmit the virus to pigs. And since pigs are safe to be around and pork is safe to eat – the Ministry of Agriculture today announced that there are no plans to cancel this weekend’s Agriculture and Trade Show. That however could change as the situation develops.