Canada on Saturday announced a surge of confirmed H1N1 flu cases to 85 while the country reported the globe's first human-to-animal infections.

More than 200 pigs on a farm in the western province of Alberta have been infected with the new flu, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Saturday at a press conference in Ottawa.

Federal officials believe the animals contracted the virus from a Canadian worker who returned from Mexico on April 12 and arrived on the farm two days later, showing flu symptoms shortly thereafter, said Brian Evans, Canada's chief veterinary officer, at the news conference.

Both the worker and the approximately 220 infected pigs are recovering, but the animals have been quarantined to prevent possible transfer to humans, said Evans.

He stressed that "the chance that these pigs could transfer the virus to a person is remote. Nevertheless, we're following an appropriately measured approach."

He assured that "consumption of pork is not considered a route of transmission to humans," urging other countries not to ban Canadian pork.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed human cases of the flu in Canada jumped to 85 on Saturday, with 34 new cases reported.

Nova Scotia reported 17 new cases, adding the total to 34 to become the province with the most cases in the country. Among these, six are not from the private high school that first reported the outbreak, raising concerns that the flu may be spreading quickly in the province.

Ontario reported one case of human-to-human infection within Canada, adding such cases to 9 in the country.

All the patients are experiencing mild symptoms and there have been no deaths in Canada.

Health officials urged residents to continue to do daily activities as normal. "It is safe to go to school, work and socialize, as long as you do not have any symptoms," chief medical officer Robert Strong of Nova Scotia said.

The federal government, which has decided to hold a daily briefing when warranted, ran advertisements in newspapers across the country on Saturday, calling for calm and more public awareness of the flu outbreak. Officials urge Canadians to continue regular hand washing to avoid infection.

Scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory have begun full genome sequencing of the flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, said Saturday in a news conference.

(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2009)