As the "swine flu" outbreak continues to dominate the news, consumers who are concerned about the illness should know that exposure to pork products poses no threat in the spread of this disease.

“This disease is transmitted from human to human and, as far as we know right now, it does not involve pigs, livestock or pets,” explained Dr. Ron DeHaven, Chief Executive Officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association, which issued a statement today. The association advised people to follow the same proper cooking guidelines they should always follow for all meat products to avoid food-borne illnesses, such as salmonella.

Experts have said that the flu is, in fact, misnamed and that it consists of viruses including swine, poultry and human. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued a statement on April 26 that there was no evidence swine have been infected with the virus.

This new virus was first reported in North America. The virus has caused more severe illness and some deaths in Mexico, and, to date, there has been only one death from the illness reported in the United States.

Although American Association of Swine Veterinarians has reported that it is not immediately known whether pigs are susceptible to the virus, it has not been reported in pigs. As a result, there is no reason to fear that this flu can be caught be cooking, eating or handling pork products or from exposure to pigs or any other animals.

The symptoms of this new influenza are similar to seasonal flu but may have additional gastrointestinal problems, such as vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhea. For more information, please visit www.avma.org.