US 'very concerned' about swine flu outbreak

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But not so concerned that they'll require the infamous pig farm owners to provide a healthier environment to the pigs. [Talking about torture and sadism...]See, for instance:http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/01/mrsa_in_pigs_and_pig_farmers.phpMRSA in pigs and pig farmersCategory: Bacteria • Drug resistance Posted on: January 23, 2009 7:39 PM, by Ed Yong>>Pig farms throughout the world have become breeding grounds for strains of MRSA that can jump from swine to humans. These strains have already been isolated in the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada, and now, the latest study adds the USA to that list. The research was led by Tara Smith from the University of Iowa, who I know as a Scibling and who many of you will recognize as the author of the excellent Aetiology blog.Smith found widespread traces of MRSA in two different production systems in the states of Iowa and Illinois. Within the nostrils of 49% of pigs and 45% of pig farmers, her team detected traces of the "superbug" (although it's worth noting that none of the farmers had experienced any actual infections). Piglets had the highest rates of infection and in fact, every single pig under the age of 12 weeks harboured MRSA colonies.<< ----http://snipurl.com/gnjvz [rollingstone]Boss HogAmerica's top pork producer churns out a sea of waste that has destroyed rivers, killed millions of fish and generated one of the largest fines in EPA history. Welcome to the dark side of the other white meat.JEFF TIETZPosted Dec 14, 2006 8:53 AM>>From Smithfield's point of view, the problem with this lifestyle is immunological. Taken together, the immobility, poisonous air and terror of confinement badly damage the pigs' immune systems. They become susceptible to infection, and in such dense quarters microbes or parasites or fungi, once established in one pig, will rush spritelike through the whole population. Accordingly, factory pigs are infused with a huge range of antibiotics and vaccines, and are doused with insecticides. Without these compounds -- oxytetracycline, draxxin, ceftiofur, tiamulin -- diseases would likely kill them. Thus factory-farm pigs remain in a state of dying until they're slaughtered. When a pig nearly ready to be slaughtered grows ill, workers sometimes shoot it up with as many drugs as necessary to get it to the slaughterhouse under its own power. As long as the pig remains ambulatory, it can be legally killed and sold as meat.<<------And, if you have the courage, look athttp://snipurl.com/gnkknAnimal Visuals Offers Glimpse into Lives and Deaths of Farmed AnimalsPosted on April 22, 2009 by pdxmogo=============http://snipurl.com/gnixa [breitbart.com] US 'very concerned' about swine flu outbreakApr 24 09:32 AM US/Eastern US medical authorities expressed strong concern Friday about an unprecedented multi-strain swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and infected seven people in the United States."It's very obvious that we are very concerned. We've stood up emergency operation centers," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Dave Daigle told AFP.One major source of concern was that the virus included strains from different types of flu."This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain," said Daigle, adding that the virus had influenza strains from European and Asian swine, but not from North American swine.In 11 of 12 reported human cases of swine influenza (H1N1) virus infection in the United States from December 2005 to February 2009, the CDC has documented direct or indirect contact with swine.But the seven known cases of the previously undetected strain in the United States -- five from California and two from Texas -- did not have contact with pigs. The seven people infected have all recovered from the flu."We have determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human," the CDC said on its website. "However, at this time, we have not determined how easily the virus spreads between people."Local and state health officials were interviewing not just the people who were infected but the people with whom they had contact, Daigle noted.Officials were looking for the source of the infection, Daigle said, adding that US health officials were due to receive samples from Mexico that would be tested at a lab at the centers based in Atlanta, Georgia.The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified swine influenza as a potential source of a human flu pandemic. Pandemics usually occur every 20 years."Our experts and others are saying are not saying it's not a matter of whether but when. And we are past due," said Daigle.Swine flu is caused by type A influenza and does not normally infect humans but cases have been reported among people, especially those exposed to pigs, the CDC said. Most outbreaks take place during the late fall and winter months.Swine flu symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people who have contracted the virus have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the United States in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were reported, and in 1986. In 1988, a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs, the WHO said.In recent years, the global focus for a pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans, especially in Asia.

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