INDIANAPOLIS -- Amid news of a confirmed case of the H1N1 virus in pigs, Indiana agriculture officials are reassuring the public that pork is still safe to eat.

At least one pig from Minnesota has tested positive for the virus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday, the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the United States.

More: H1N1 Special Section
Video: Ind. Officials Stand By Safety Of Pork Products

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that USDA officials have begun to reach out to U.S. trade partners and international organizations to emphasize that H1N1, also known as swine flu, cannot be contracted by eating pork products.

"We have fully engaged our trading partners to remind them ... that there is no scientific basis to restrict trade in pork and pork products," Vilsack said. "People cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products. Pork is safe to eat."

That sentiment is being echoed by Indiana officials as well, where pork is a big industry.

Veterinarian Bret Marsh of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health said that after the H1N1 flu outbreak last spring, the state's 2,800 pork producers tightened their existing biosecurity protocol to protect their livestock from viruses.

Infected pigs can pass a virus onto others in the herd. Typically, they're treated with aspirin to reduce fever and recover as the flu runs its course. Before each pig goes to slaughter it must pass inspection to make sure the pork is disease-free.

"There's a lot of discussion about H1N1 … it doesn't reside in the muscle meat and so it's safe to consume," Marsh said.

Dave Warner, a spokesman for the National Pork Producers Council, said industry groups would wait to gauge consumer responses, though he said industry officials are at least as concerned about U.S. trade partners reacting adversely to the news. Warner said he would not rule out an ad campaign or other steps to reassure consumers.