HONG KONG (Reuters) - Meat from pigs infected with the new H1N1 virus shouldn't be used for human consumption, the World Health Organization cautioned on Wednesday, adding it was drawing up guidelines to protect workers handling pigs.

The WHO comments appear more cautious than those from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which said import bans are not required to safeguard public health because the disease is not food-borne and has not been identified in dead animal tissue.

The WHO however said it was possible for flu viruses to survive the freezing process and be present in thawed meat, as well as in blood.

On Tuesday, Alex Thiermann, senior adviser to the OIE's director-general, said there was no difference between raw and cooked meat in terms of H1N1 transmission risks.

"The OIE is very concerned that differences are being made between cooked and not cooked meat. All pork products are safe for consumption," Thiermann said.