The number of people infected with Ebola traced from pigs in the Philippines has reached five, but health officials say there is no cause for panic--although they do advise wary attention. The strain of the disease, Ebola Reston, is thought not to be dangerous to humans, and the first identified case, a pig handler who was infected at least six months ago, is still healthy. But experts say there remains some concern because
pigs are mixing vessels for other human and animal viruses, like flu, and because it shows that pigs may also be able to transmit the lethal strains of Ebola. Far more humans are in regular contact with pigs than with apes, monkeys or bats, the other known hosts [The New York Times].
The virus was first identified in pigs in the Philippines last year, at which point two farms were closed and blood samples collected from 6,000 ...
