Amman - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), Jordan's largest political party, on Thursday demanded the closure of all pig farms in the country, as the authorities stepped up measures to avert the arrival of swine flu in the kingdom.

"We are extremely concerned over the possibility of the disease's spread to Jordan particularly after the discovery of the H1N1 virus in occupied Palestine," the IAF's six lawmakers in the lower house of parliament said in a memorandum to Prime Minister Nader Dahabi.

The warning coincided with the announcement in Israel that suspected swine flu cases there have reached seven.

Experts from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories met in the Jordan Valley earlier this week and agreed to coordinate efforts to ensure that wild pigs, which cross the frontier frequently, do not spread the swine flu virus to other areas in the region.

"We look forward to seeing the authorities take swift measures against pig farms which are being operated without licenses," the head of the IAF parliamentary bloc Hamzeh Mansour said.

He contended that the raising of pigs should be prohibited in an Islamic country, where eating pork by Muslims is strictly banned by Islamic teachings.

Unofficial reports put the number of pigs illegally raised in three Jordanian governorates at about 2,000.

Pig farm owners said last week that the government had ordered them to slaughter their livestock, otherwise they would be exposed to punishment.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian authorities on Thursday stepped up measures to combat swine flu by installing thermal cameras at airports and border posts which have the ability to spot arriving people who suffer from fever.

"The cameras will enable us to conduct checkups on passengers with fever to ensure that they are not carrying the virus," said Adel Balbisi, a senior health ministry official. (dpa)