H5N1 influenza has now been detected in pigs. This was something virologists had been worrying about ever since this highly pathogenic strain of bird flu started its rapid global spread in 2020. But why were we worrying specifically about pigs? And does this case – detected on a farm in Oregon on October 29 – change anything?

The United States Department of Agriculture last week reported that a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon was infected with bird flu.

The recent detection on an Oregon farm raises the risk of the influenza virus acquiring mutations that lead to a pandemic pathogen.

The state of Utah has found avian flu at eight commercial dairies in Cache County — two weeks after a similar discovery at a commercial poultry flock, which prompted the killing of nearly 2 million chickens.

The USDA said there is no risk to the nation's pork supply from the Oregon case. The risk to the public from bird flu remains low.

The United States Department of Agriculture last week reported that a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon was infected with bird flu.