Iran decided to cease its flights to Saudi Arabia from August 11 due to a swine flu pandemic in the Arab country. The spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, Reza Jafarzadeh, said that the move was to prevent the spread of swine flu in Iran.
Swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease which is a mixture of bird, pig and human genes. The virus can spread to people who have contact with infected pigs. It spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes around someone else. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.
People can’t get swine flu from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly cooked pork is safe. Cooking meat to an internal temperature of 160°F kills viruses and bacteria.
Symptoms of swine flu are similar to the common flu: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. Swine flu also can cause pneumonia, which can make it hard to breathe.
