MANILA, Philippines ? Spare the swine, please.

So the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) was relieved when they found out that a new name had been coined for the flu virus that has brought the world to the edge of a pandemic, and that swine had not been singled out.

?We are glad the Department of Health is now calling the new virus 2009 H1N1 virus instead of swine flu virus since the infection, so far, is purely from human to human. Swine are not to blame,? Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) director Davinio Catbagan said in a Quezon City forum Friday.

?China has already reacted to the use of the term ?swine flu? since the disease has not been isolated in animals according to the OIE [Office International des Epizooties or World Animal Health Organization],? Catbagan added. ?Having said that, as a precautionary measure, we are still encouraging farmers to vaccinate their swine against the ordinary swine flu.?

The new flu virus that has caused a health scare worldwide is a cocktail of (human) influenza, low pathogenic avian flu, Eurasian swine flu, and North American swine flu.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also stressed that the virus was not transmitted through food. ?It is safe to eat pork,? Catbagan said.

The BAI official said that even without the flu scare, the National Meat Inspection Service was always on guard to prevent the entry of ?double dead? meat, or even meat from sick animals, into the food chain.

He admitted, however, that the scare might have turned off people from eating pork. Prices of pork in Metro Manila retail markets have dropped by P5 to P10, after reports on the new virus spread.

Duque said prescription medicine against the 2009 H1N1 virus was already available, but this would only be released to health professionals to prevent improper use that could result in the virus developing resistance to the drug.

Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) assured governments and the public that its member-airlines could deal with the heightened level of alert, following the World Health Organization?s (WHO) decision to move to Phase 5 of its pandemic preparedness plan.

The WHO declared alert level 5 after noting the rapid spread of human infections caused by the new virus.

?WHO is the global expert. It is not advising any travel restrictions. We hope that governments take decisions and coordinate their actions in line with WHO recommendations,? IATA director general and chief executive Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.

Philippine Airlines, an IATA member, announced on Thursday that it was barring flu-afflicted passengers from boarding international flights.