October 26, 2009 Livestock being monitored for H1N1 virus Play video

(NECN: Katie Daly, North Grafton, Mass.) - Last week, a pig tested positive for the H1N1 virus, making it the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the U.S. A Tufts University professor says this should put everyone on alert.

This pig farm at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine has operated successfully since the school opened in 1978. Professors like George Saperstein have used the farm to teach students and local farmers how to properly care for the animals. He says those lessons are important now more than ever.

This month the first U.S. case of H1N1 virus was confirmed in a pig in Minnesota. Saperstein says that measures need to be taken to prevent the transfer of the virus not only among animals but also between humans and pigs. At the veterinary school the faculty and students must wear mask when handling the animals.

According to Saperstein the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been monitoring farms closely. He says there is a concern that the human and swine strains could mix or even worse the strains could combine with the bird flu also known as H1N5.

Saperstein says that biosecurity is the key to prevention. He says that starts with detecting and preventing the spread of the virus in animals and humans.