Swine flu fears spur knee-jerk measures

At least ten countries have banned the import of pork products, despite the World Health Organisation’s advice that swine flu cannot be transmitted by eating pork, reported the New York Times.

“There is no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products,” the W.H.O. said in a statement.

Swine flu has sickened at least 2,500 people in Mexico, and all 159 deaths believed attributable to the flu have occurred there, reported the paper.

At the same time, several countries have placed restrictions on travel to Mexico. The WHO said such measures would be ineffective at stopping the spread of the disease.