The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has issued a statement reinforcing the message that, while the A/H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza virus continues to spread among humans worldwide, there is no evidence that animals are playing any role in the spread of the virus.
The OIE encourages its member countries to comply with international standards regarding importation of pork products and notes that bans on the import of pigs and pork from countries with human or animal cases are pointless. In addition, the organization re-emphasized its earlier recommendations with respect to this influenza virus. Those recommendations are as follows:
- national Veterinary Services must effectively monitor animal populations for clinical signs of respiratory disease, use appropriate confirmation diagnostic methods and rapidly report occurrences of the disease in animals, if any, to the OIE by using the qualification of "emerging disease";
- should the presence of the "pandemic H1N1 2009 virus" be detected on a farm, the holding should be placed under official surveillance and control of movements should be applied; the transfer of pigs form the farm to the slaughterhouse can be done using basic bio security measures;
- the culling of pigs will not help to guard against public or animal health risks presented by the virus. As for any other disease, slaughtering of sick pigs for human consumption is not recommended;
- the imposition of ban measures related to the import of pigs and pig products from countries with human or animal cases are pointless and do not comply with international standards published by the OIE and all other competent standard setting international bodies for animal health and food safety;
- in the case of countries deciding to cull pigs on the basis of the principle of precaution, culling of animals should always be carried out in accordance with OIE international standards on animal welfare and killing methods for disease control purposes (Volume 1; Section 7; Chapter 7.6 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code;http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/mcode/en_chapitre_1.7.6.htm);
- pork and pork products, handled in accordance with good hygienic practices jointly recommended by the WHO, FAO, Codex Alimentarius Commission and the OIE, are not a source of infection from the virus.
Source: OIE Press release, July 13, 2009