Under guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the
Canadian National Exhibition has posted signs warning the public to avoid
contact with pigs.
It’s not the first time the CFIA and CNE have posted
warnings, but this time there have been no Canadian pigs identified with avian
influenza and it appears the caution is related to cases in the United States.
The Centres for Disease Control says 276 human infections have
been identified there, most of them young children who had contact with pigs at
fall fairs.
It has also recently reported two cases of swine flu passing
from person to person.
The CNE introduced biosecurity precautions prior to this
year, including a pexiglass barrier to keep the public away from pigs. In that
case, the concern was that diseases might spread from people to pigs.
