NEW YORK — An Oregon farm has reported a case of bird flu in a pig, marking the first occurrence of this virus in swine within the U.S., as announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday. This discovery raises questions regarding the potential risks of bird flu evolving into a threat to human health.
The infection was identified at a small, backyard farm located in Crook County, situated in the center of Oregon, where various animals share water sources and living quarters. Just a week before this alarming finding, poultry on the same farm tested positive for the virus, and recent examinations indicated that one of the five pigs at the facility had also contracted the infection.
In response to the discovery, the farm has been placed under quarantine, and all five pigs were humanely euthanized to enable further testing. This is not a commercial operation, and agricultural officials have reassured the public that the safety of the U.S. pork supply remains uncompromised.
Nevertheless, the identification of bird flu in a pig raises concerns among experts, particularly regarding its potential implications for human health, according to Jennifer Nuzzo, a pandemic researcher from Brown University. Nuzzo emphasized that pigs can be susceptible to various types of flu, possibly facilitating the adaptation of bird viruses for human transmission. She drew parallels to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, which had origins in swine.
“To stay ahead of this virus and mitigate the risks to the public, it’s essential to monitor its presence in pigs,” Nuzzo stated.
The USDA has performed genetic testing on the poultry at the farm but has not found any mutations that indicate the virus may have enhanced its capability to spread among humans. Officials have concluded that the current risk level for the public remains low as a result.
Other strains of bird flu have been recorded in pigs outside the United States previously, and those instances did not result in a human pandemic. Troy Sutton, a flu virus researcher at Penn State, clarified, “There’s not a direct correlation between pigs becoming infected with viruses and the emergence of pandemics.”
The specific strain in question—Type A H5N1—has been spreading extensively across the U.S., affecting wild birds, poultry, cows, and numerous other animal species. Experts warn that its continued presence increases the likelihood of human exposure.
While the detection of bird flu in a pig is significant, experts believe it doesn’t necessarily alter the overall threat assessment. Sutton stated, “The Oregon pig infection is noteworthy, but it doesn’t change the threat level calculation. If this virus begins to circulate more broadly among pigs and leads to human infections, then we would need to take more concern.”
As of now, there have been 36 reported human cases of bird flu this year—16 in California, 10 in Colorado, six in Washington, two in Michigan, one in Texas, and one in Missouri. Most symptoms observed have been mild, primarily involving redness in the eyes, with all but one case linked to direct contact with infected animals.