Swine flu jumps to Albertan
An influenza strain that is common in pigs, but extremely rare in humans, sickened a man in Alberta in mid-October.
He is only the 27th person in the world to be sickened by H1N2 virus since 2005, Alberta officials said. It is caused by Type A influenza.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said in a joint statement Wednesday with Dr. Keith Lehman, chief provincial veterinarian, that “this currently appears to be one isolated case and there is no increased risk to Albertans at this time. This is the only influenza case reported in Alberta so far this flu season."
Lehman said about 10 to 30 cases of this flu show up in Alberta’s pig population every quarter and said the pigs often have no signs of clinical disease and most cases are mild.
