Pork, ham and sausages are safe to eat, the World Health Organization said today.
Pork, ham and sausages are safe to eat, the World Health Organization said today.
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That was the primary message from the daily press conference at the organization's Geneva headquarters, a day after Canadian officials said pigs on a farm there were infected with the swine flu virus.
Swine flu has now infected hundreds of people, mostly in North America, and killed at least 19 in Mexico and one in the United States.
The World Health Organization and other organizations have been under pressure from pork lobbies to assure the public that food from pigs poses no risk.
The health body changed the name it uses to refer to swine flu after protests from the US and other countries.
Even non-health bodies such as the World Trade Organization are saying trade barriers against pork are unjustified.
"You don't get this disease through eating pork, and therefore there is no reason to be afraid of eating pork or pork products," said Dr Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO senior scientist on food safety.
"As long as pork is cooked the way we normally cook meat, there is no problem and no risk at all to get this disease."
Ben Embarek said studies have shown that flu viruses are usually killed during processing and, if not, by the heat applied during cooking.
Cured hams are also safe because of the long duration it takes for them to mature, he said.
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