Lebanon bans pork imports over swine flu fears
Lebanon on Monday imposed a ban on pork imports and urged pig farmers across the country to be vigilant in light of an escalating swine flu crisis.
"The import of pigs or fresh pork products from any country is banned effective today," the agriculture ministry said in a statement.
It said the ban does not concern canned pork products.
Any pork shipments from countries affected by the swine flu outbreak must be destroyed, the statement added.
The ministry said preventive measures in line with recommendations by the World Health Organisation are also being implemented and farmers nationwide have been advised to report any incident of animals showing signs of the disease.
World health officials on Monday stepped up the battle against swine flu after the Mexican government upped the probable death toll from the epidemic to 103 and the United States declared a public health emergency.
The number of cases under observation in Mexico has reached 1,614, according to the minister.
Suspected cases are also being investigated in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and six new infections were confirmed in Canada.