Pig Tests Positive For Bird Flu For First Time In The U.S.

Test results are still pending for two other pigs that were on the same farm and two others tested negative.

For the first time in the United States, a pig has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.

Five pigs from a farm in Crook County, Oregon were tested for the disease out of an abundance of caution. The tests were conducted after the presence of bird flu was detected in other animals on the premises.

Test results are still pending for two other pigs that were on the same farm and two others tested negative.

It was said the animals weren’t intended for commercial food supply and the farm has been quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus.

The case is concerning because pigs can be infected by both bird and human viruses at the same time. That can increase mutated strains that can more easily infect humans.

The discovery comes after a major outbreak impacted some dairy cows.