South Africans should not panic over swineflu which is spreading in some parts of the world, the health department said on Tuesday.

"To date, there are no cases of swine influenza reported in South Africa," spokesperson Fidel Hadebe said in a statement.

However, adequate measures had been taken to ensure the country could respond swiftly should there be any cases. These included having outbreak response teams in all provinces and heightened clinical and laboratory surveillance to identify any suspected human cases.

The department was working closely the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the agriculture department and the World Health Organisation in keeping an eye on the situation.

Meanwhile pork producers moved to assure the public on Tuesday that their products were not affected by the current outbreak, which they said could only be spread between humans.

"People can eat pork and the virus is definitely not in South Africa," said Simon Streicher, chief executive officer of the SA Pork Producers Association.

"We have tested our pigs over the last couple of years for swine flu and all our pigs were negative," he said.

The NICD said there had been no change from Monday, when there were no reports of swine flu in South Africa. The institute would make a further statement later on Tuesday.

According to the World Health Organisation, swineflu was reported in the US, Mexico and Canada. News agencies have reported cases as far afield as New Zealand, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom.

The WHO said it was not necessary to close borders and restrict international travel, but recommended that anyone who suspected they may have the illness phone their local healthcare provider, rather than go into their consulting rooms, if possible.

It also said it would be prudent for people who were ill to delay international travel, and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention.

Symptoms resemble seasonal flu and other acute upper respiratory tract infections.

The National Ports Authority could not immediately provide information on its vigilance plans, while neighbouring Mozambique had already placed its ports of entry on high alert, according to Radio Mozambique.

Sapa

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