As bird flu spread continues, why the recent jump to pigs raises worries – National [Video]

Bird flu has spread far and wide, infecting a range of species like chickens, skunks, cows, foxes and polar bears and renewing questions about what level of risk it poses to people as a B.C. teenager remains in critical condition in hospital after being infected.

But it’s the recent jump to pigs that has experts on high alert, as swine offer the perfect conditions for the virus to mutate, making it a potential threat to human health.

Last month, United States health officials reported the first case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, marking the first time the virus had been detected in pigs in the country. Days later, officials confirmed a second pig on the farm had also tested positive.

“With every species it jumps to, it elevates the risk,” said Kerry Bowman, a professor of bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto. “But pigs are particularly worrisome species. …