The US has confirmed a case of bird flu or H5N1 in a pig for the first time, even as the infection in poultry and cows is still spreading. "The U.S.
Department of Agriculture [USDA] and Oregon state veterinary officials are investigating positive cases of H5N1 in a backyard farming operation in Oregon that has a mix of poultry and livestock, including swine," the USDA said in a news release while announcing the case. "The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced that poultry on this farm represented the first H5N1 detection in Crook County, Oregon," the agency added. "On Tuesday, Oct.
29, the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories also confirmed one of the farm’s five pigs to be infected with H5N1, marking the first detection of H5N1 in swine in the United States." The pig does not show symptoms According to the health officials, even though the pig did not show symptoms of infection, all five swine on the farm were tested for H5N1 because of the presence of the virus in other animals on the farm. The USDA said all five pigs were euthanized for further testing, which showed results that two of the pigs were negative, while results are pending for two others.
“The livestock and poultry on this farm shared water sources, housing, and equipment; in other states, this combination has enabled transmission between species,” the USDA noted. The farm has been quarantined, but since it wasn't a commercial farm, “there is no concern about the safety of the nation’s .