Bird flu found in pigs in Indonesia’s Bali
The H5N1 bird flu virus has infected pigs on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Monday.
“There were two pigs that were infected by bird flu in Bali. These were old cases that happened last July,” Musni Suatmodjo, agriculture ministry director of animal health, told Reuters.
Koran Tempo newspaper had reported on the weekend that a team from the veterinary faculty at Udayana University had discovered avian influenza infected two pigs in the regencies of Gianyar and Tabanan in Bali.
It was not clear if the pigs died.
Pigs are a concern because they are susceptible to many of the viruses that infect humans. Swines can act as mixing vessels in which genetic material from avian flu viruses can mix with human influenza viruses, potentially producing new and deadly strains for which humans have no immunity.
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