The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has urged national authorities and farmers to carefully monitor pigs and investigate any possible occurrences of influenza-like symptoms in domestic animals.
This followed the detection of the A/H1N1 virus in pigs in Canada transmitted by a human.
"The human-to-animal transmission that occurred in Canada does not come as a surprise as influenza viruses are capable of transmitting from humans to animals," the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Tuesday.
"The Canadian event should therefore not be a matter of panic, but it should remind us of the human-animal link in virus transmission on which we definitely need to keep an eye," FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said in a statement issued in Abuja, capital of Nigeria.
Domenech said influenza viruses, whether in humans or among animals, constantly evolved genetically, along with changes in their ability to cause morbidity and mortality in humans or animals.
"The current A/H1N1 situation should be carefully monitored as many of the virus characteristics and developments are still unknown," he said.
"Surveillance for porcine respiratory disease should be intensified and all cases of porcine respiratory syndrome are recommended to be immediately reported to veterinary authorities," the statement added.
"It is also recommended to inform OIE and FAO about any occurrence of outbreaks of the new A/H1N1 Influenza virus in pigs, '' it said.
The statement called for strict bio security measures including restriction of movements of pigs, goods and people on all farms or holdings with swine showing signs of clinical respiratory illness until diagnosis of the illness had been made.
The statement said that where A/H1N1 influenza is confirmed, movement restrictions should be in force for seven days after the last animal has recovered.
It called on governments to provide full support in improving bio security measures particularly to small and medium pig farmers. The FAO stressed that there was absolutely no need to slaughter animals in view of preventing circulation of the A/H1N1 virus.
The agency emphasized that the A/H1N1 virus cannot be transmitted to humans by pork and pork products. Pork and pork products, handled in accordance with good hygienic practices recommended by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission and the OIE, would not be a source of infection.