Samples from hogs at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair have tested positive for the 2009 pandemic H1N1 or swine flu virus. The University of Iowa teamed up with the University of Minnesota to test hogs at the Minnesota State Fair this past summer for a program run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is trying to study the H1N1 virus in the presence of humans and hogs, such as the State Fair.

Of the 57 samples from the Minnesota State Fair, 6 have tested positive by the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories, while 6 more preliminary positive samples are currently being retested.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has assured pork is safe to consume, "We have fully engaged our trading partners to remind them that several international organizations, including the World Organization for Animal Health, have advised that there is no scientific basis to restrict trade in pork and pork products. People cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products. Pork is safe to eat."

Since show hogs are typically kept separate from commercial hogs, the USDA noted that these positive samples from the fair should not have spread over to the commercial pork industry.

The USDA will post any new H1N1 positive samples online at: www.usda.gov/H1N1flu