Yet another new flu virus emerges in Canada

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Yet another new flu virus emerges in Canada Jul 7, 2009 11:32pm EDT

* New flu virus not connected to H1N1 outbreak

* Hogs may have transmitted virus to workers (Recasts, adds quotes from health

minister 4th paragraph, background) By Rod Nickel

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, July 7 (Reuters) - Canadian officials said on Tuesday

they had identified yet another new flu virus, this one a mixture of human and

swine influenzas, in two farm workers in Western Canada.

The new virus did not make the two workers seriously ill and is not related to

the current H1N1 pandemic influenza strain, the Public Health Agency of Canada

said.

The two workers, both employees at a hog barn operation in the province of

Saskatchewan, have fully recovered. A third case is under investigation.

" Preliminary results indicate the risk to public health is low and that

Canadians who have been vaccinated against the regular, seasonal flu should have

some immunity to this new flu strain, " Canada's health minister, Leona Aglukkaq,

said in a statement.

The new virus contains genes from a seasonal human H1N1 flu strain and a flu

virus common in the swine population called triple reassortant H3N2, said Dr.

Greg , Saskatchewan's chief veterinary officer.

The virus is not connected to the new swine flu H1N1 strain that has killed 429

people worldwide. That strain, labeled a pandemic by the World Health

Organization, is also a mixture of swine viruses with some genes from human and

avian influenzas.

Since the new H1N1 broke out, officials in Canada, the United States and a few

other countries have stepped up testing of both people and swine for flu

viruses. People and pigs can swap flu viruses, although it has been documented

only rarely.

In April, a herd in Alberta became infected with the new H1N1 virus and although

health officials initially suspected a visiting worker infected the herd, that

has since been ruled out and no one knows how the pigs became infected.

" Initial testing of some of the pigs on the farm suggests they were infected

with swine influenza A virus, a common flu found in swine herds, " the Public

Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.

HUMAN HEALTH ISSUE

But said the herd did not have an unusually high level of illness. Flu

viruses are common among pigs and cause mild disease, usually. " This is a human

health issue, " said. " Saskatchewan pork continues to be safe ... This is

not a food safety issue at all. "

The Saskatchewan farm is not under quarantine, but the owner has agreed not to

move the pigs, said Dr. Plummer, chief science adviser for the Public

Health Agency of Canada.

The virus would likely not have been detected at all if not for heightened

influenza testing as a result of the pandemic, Plummer said.

" Any time there's a new influenza A strain, we have to be concerned about it,

but these events occur and are almost always dead ends, " he said.

All workers on the hog farm are being vaccinated. said he expects the

hogs will eventually go to slaughter as they normally would.

The workers have been in Saskatchewan for about one year and had not recently

traveled, said Dr. Moira McKinnon, Saskatchewan's chief medical officer.

Plummer said the new virus was likely transmitted from the pigs to the workers.

More than a dozen countries have banned Canadian hogs or pork since the

quarantine.

Bob Harding, executive director of the Canadian Swine Health Board, said there

is concern that markets could misinterpret the new virus's connection to swine.

" This is a poorly understood science. It's changing as we speak, but it's not a

pig thing, " Harding said. (Editing by Rob and Maggie Fox)

http://www.reuters.com/article/americasCrisis/idUSN07355711