Virus-Wary Egypt to Destroy All 300K Pigs

The Egyptian government says it will immediately slaughter the country’s entire population of 300,000 pigs to protect against the swine flu, the AP reports. Egypt has stressed that it has no reported cases of the virus, though two infections have been confirmed in neighboring Israel. The move comes as countries around the globe look to restrict the import of pork products from the US.

China and Russia are banning imports from certain US states as the American government seeks to allay fears, USA Today reports. “It is perfectly safe to consume pork and pork products from America,” said Tom Vilsack, noting that fears have been misplaced. “This really isn't swine flu,” the agriculture secretary continued, and should be referred to by its scientific name, H1N1 virus—as President Obama did this morning. (More swine flu stories.)