It's not exactly like making a silk purse out of a pig's ear, but U.S. public health officials have dropped the term "swine flu" in favor of "2009 H1N1 flu."

In comments today, President Obama and U.S. health officials referred to the new strain as "H1N1 flu." Concerned that the term "swine flu" is hurting sales of pork products, U.S. Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack and trade officials have also switched to "H1N1."

"There is no evidence at this time that swine in the United States are infected with this virus strain and therefore, this is not an animal health or food safety issue," Bill Hall, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an e-mail.

The emerging H1N1 virus strain is a mixture of genetic material from other swine, bird and human flu strains, Hall said. "Referring to this virus strain as swine flu mischaracterizes the genetic makeup of this virus and inaccurately conveys the notion that the virus is being transmitted by swine."

Health and Human Services isn't the only authority recommending the abandonment of the term "swine flu."

On its Web site, the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health suggests calling the new flu strain "North-American influenza."

"The virus has not been isolated in animals to date," according to a statement on the group's website. "Therefore, it is not justified to name this disease swine influenza."

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, a member of the ultra-religious United Torah Judaism Party, earlier this week urged changing the name to "Mexican flu," because swine are not kosher.

Mexico's ambassador to Israel, Frederico Salas, and Israel's envoy to Mexico, Yosef Livne, lodged official complaints protesting the term, according to the telegraphic agency. The Agence France-Presse news service said Litzman's colleagues dismissed his suggestion.

Brazilian pork producers told the World Health Organization they'd be happy with either "North American flu" or "Mexican flu." WHO is sticking with "swine influenza," spokesman Dan Epstein said today.