WHO to stop using term 'swine flu' to protect pigs

[ecstatic]

GENEVA – The World Health Organization said confirmed swine flu cases rose to 257 worldwide Thursday and announced it will would stop using the term "swine flu" to avoid confusion over the danger posed by pigs.

...

Thompson said the flu name change comes after the agriculture industry and the U.N. food agency expressed concerns that the term "swine flu" was misleading consumers and needlessly causing countries to order the slaughter of pigs.

"Rather than calling this swine flu ... we're going to stick with the technical scientific name H1N1 influenza A," he said.

On Wednesday, Egypt began slaughtering its roughly 300,000 pigs as precaution, even though experts said swine flu is not spread by eating pork.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_who_swine_flu

[seemslikeadream]

1. Hey now that's a great idea!

Should have thought about that sooner, but oh well they'er only killing all the pigs where?

[Occam Bandage]

2. They should have called it "hybrid flu" from the get-go.

Then people could slaughter their Priuses.

[gkhouston]

4. LOL, but don't they usually name them after the place where the flu first shows up?

So it should be Mexican flu or North American flu? :shrug:

[Oregone]

7. Mexican Flu is a terrible name

Itll be confused with the standard sickness people get from the border brothels.

How about, the Cooper Flu. The one flu Anderson won't shut the hell up about.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. When it is all said and done it will either be Mexican or North American

see Asian also known, as Hong Kong flu

if memory serves, last one to go round the world

[izquierdista]

3. That's it!

Get the dictionaries and scratch out all the words beginning with H and N!! :silly: :silly:

[Oregone]

5. Good. We must save the multi-national outsourcing Pork Industry!

Can anyone deny swine flu is a cool name?

[calico1]

6. Too late for those pigs in Egypt.

Too bad they can't call it "GOP flu."

[Ocracoker16]

8. Good, but they could of changed the name a bit earlier

They have been calling it swine flu for so long that plenty of people will still call it that. There still will be peoople avoiding pork.

[ecstatic]

9. Also, it doesn't help that the scientific name is a bit awkward

Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and frankly, I've already forgotten it. :shrug:

[uppityperson]

10. More on Egypt, they are already fighting H5N1 (avian flu), 67 confirmed, 23 fatal

per FedUpWithIt All "There have been 67 cases of avian flu in Egypt since 2006. There have been 25 deaths.

12 of those cases have only been announced by WHO since early March. Of those 12 cases, at least 3 have died in a single week (as of April 24)."

http://www.who.int/csr/don/archive/country/egy/en/

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_23a/en/index.html
23 April 2009 -- The Ministry of Health of Egypt has reported a new confirmed human case of avian influenza . The case is a 4 year old male from Akhmim District, Sohag Governorate. His symptoms began on 18 April and he was hospitalized at Sohag Fever Hospital on 18 April where he was started on oseltamivir. He is in a stable condition.

Infection with H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed by the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratory on 21 April and subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3).

Investigations into the source of his infection indicate a history of close contact with dead and sick poultry prior to becoming ill.

Of the 67 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 23 have been fatal.

[billyoc]

11. NAFTA flu.

[Towlie]

12. The President called it "H1N1" during his press conference last night.

Maybe we could call it the "hinie virus" for short. ;)

[uppityperson]

17. THAT is the spelling I've been searching for. Thank you.

hinie flu it is

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. I hate to point this out and I get why they are doing it, pig futures have crashed

that horsey left the barn a while ago

[uppityperson]

15. EGYPT: After avian flu, Egypt fears swine flu

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/04/egypt-after-avian-flu-egypt-fears-swine-flu-.html
After being unsettled by years of battling deadly bird flu, the Egyptian government has decided to slaughter the nation's 300,000 pigs to prevent the spread of swine flu. The health ministry has reportedly put all hospitals and quarantine center on alert to slow the spread of the virus in Egypt.

Health minister Hatem Gabaly announced that no cases of swine flu had been discovered. There is fear around the globe that the new virus could turn into a pandemic.

The World Health Organization raised its alert level as the number of confirmed cases increased. Mexico has reported at least 150 deaths that may be due to swine flu. Schools there have been closed (pictured above) in an effort to stem the outbreak. Egypt already has its hands full as it struggles to control the bird flu. Egypt is the country most affected by bird flu outside Asia; 65 cases, including 26 deaths, have been reported since 2006.

Many observers place the blame for the proliferation of the avian flu on people’s ignorance of the lethal virus and their reluctance to give up their domestic poultry.

[seemslikeadream]

16. Someone told me here to just get my facts from WHO

and no where else, kinda puts a damper on that now doesn't it?

[uppityperson]

18. I think they said CDC is the only place for info in USA

that getting it from other places makes Public Health more difficult. I can understand since many news places post stories too fast, unconfirmed, OMGish! But I look here, there, other places, and try to make sure to say confirmed, probable, suspected, etc.

I figure people are going to be obsessing over this, so might as well work with them.

[BuyingThyme]

19. If I'm not mistaken, that's stage six.

[Javaman]

20. For the love of god!!! Will someone think of the bacon!!!!!

so much bacon lost, so much lost... :cry: