Bird Flu Identified in Indonesian Pigs (moved from ATSNN), page 1

The bird flu virus has been found in an Indonesian pig. This is the same virus that has been found in the asian chickens and has killed at least 51 people. They fear that the virus found in the pig will evolve into a human strain. There have been traces of the virus in a pig from Vietnam and 2 pigs in China, but the Indonesian pig is the first one that has a virus isolated from a natural infection that has been genetically sequenced.

www.newscientist.com
Indonesian scientists have found the H5N1 bird flu virus in a pig. The strain has infected poultry across east Asia, and killed at least 51 people so far.

Scientists fear pigs could act as a “mixing vessel” in which a human pandemic strain could evolve, because the animals can harbour both human and avian flu viruses.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

They're concerned because pigs seem to mix viruses easy but they do not transmit them easily between themselves. They also say that ducks can harbor the virus without showing symptoms. In Vietnam 71% of farmed ducks tested positive for H5N1 infection. They were suppose to start vaccinating ducks in March.

I hope pigs don't create a new strain of this virus. This could become the human strain that kills thousands of people.

[edit on 14-4-2005 by Ycon]