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Swine Flu: What's in a Name?
You thought swine flu sounded strange. Well, try H1N1 influenza A virus on for size!
It appears that the use of the term "swine flu" has had quite an impact.
The pork people say it's hurting their industry because it's misleading people into thinking that pork is bad. They have a point. You absolutely cannot get this virus (goodness, I don't even know what to call it anymore) from eating pork. Someone should tell the Russian and Chinese governments that. They're banning pork imports from Mexico and parts of the U.S. If government officials are taking such misleading action, what's the public to think?
But the damage has been done. Pork sales have apparently fallen by 80%. It bears repeating -- you CANNOT get this virus from eating any type of pork.
This is not the only flu myth floating around. Check out WebMD's "Top 14 Flu Myths" to get up to speed.
The Israeli government has also said they would abandon the use of "swine flu," so Jews would not have to use the term.
Then, the World Health Organization has said it will use "North American influenza" to note, as they have done in the past, the location of origin of a potential pandemic. And then you have the Mexican government saying that the virus actually got into their country from someone visiting from Asia, where most flu viruses typically originate.
By the way, the U.S. government has also jumped on the "be kind to pigs" bandwagon and also abandoning "swine." As of today, both WHO and the CDC sites are still using "swine flu" on their websites -- guess they have a few things going on right now.
Got all that?
There is potentially a scientific reason to change the name. The name was originally used because this virus is one that generally stems from pigs. However, the virus has yet to be isolated from a pig, leaving some to wonder if it's actually a pig virus. Then, there have also been reports that the virus contains part of bird flu viruses as well.
But a report I read today says that 80% of the virus is derived from swine, with the remaining 20% being a mixture of bird and human flu viruses. Many scientists say that this is a swine flu virus.
So where does that leave us? I certainly don't want to offend anyone or mislead people into thinking things that aren't true. But at least come up with a name that people can remember -- and try to come up with something that makes sense. I'm just glad I'm not a government official that needs to worry about all the concerns of the world and come up with a name for a microscopic virus!
What do you think we should call this virus?
It appears that the use of the term "swine flu" has had quite an impact.
The pork people say it's hurting their industry because it's misleading people into thinking that pork is bad. They have a point. You absolutely cannot get this virus (goodness, I don't even know what to call it anymore) from eating pork. Someone should tell the Russian and Chinese governments that. They're banning pork imports from Mexico and parts of the U.S. If government officials are taking such misleading action, what's the public to think?
But the damage has been done. Pork sales have apparently fallen by 80%. It bears repeating -- you CANNOT get this virus from eating any type of pork.
This is not the only flu myth floating around. Check out WebMD's "Top 14 Flu Myths" to get up to speed.
The Israeli government has also said they would abandon the use of "swine flu," so Jews would not have to use the term.
Then, the World Health Organization has said it will use "North American influenza" to note, as they have done in the past, the location of origin of a potential pandemic. And then you have the Mexican government saying that the virus actually got into their country from someone visiting from Asia, where most flu viruses typically originate.
By the way, the U.S. government has also jumped on the "be kind to pigs" bandwagon and also abandoning "swine." As of today, both WHO and the CDC sites are still using "swine flu" on their websites -- guess they have a few things going on right now.
Got all that?
There is potentially a scientific reason to change the name. The name was originally used because this virus is one that generally stems from pigs. However, the virus has yet to be isolated from a pig, leaving some to wonder if it's actually a pig virus. Then, there have also been reports that the virus contains part of bird flu viruses as well.
But a report I read today says that 80% of the virus is derived from swine, with the remaining 20% being a mixture of bird and human flu viruses. Many scientists say that this is a swine flu virus.
So where does that leave us? I certainly don't want to offend anyone or mislead people into thinking things that aren't true. But at least come up with a name that people can remember -- and try to come up with something that makes sense. I'm just glad I'm not a government official that needs to worry about all the concerns of the world and come up with a name for a microscopic virus!
What do you think we should call this virus?
10 Comments:
HINI flu
From the insanity this "pandemic" has created, how about "One flu over the cuckoo's nest"?
HOW ABOUT "OINK FLU"
Bacon Lung
By eating pork from factory forms (virtually all of it comes from these filth-ridden, unnatural 'farms'), people are supporting these greedy corporations. Thus, by eating pork, one is contributing to viruses originating from these slime-ridden, toxic dungeons. So, yes, by eating pork you are increasing the chances for infections from this swine flu and upcoming variants of the SWINE FLU in future. (Plus increasing your chances for health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer, simply through eating pork.) Educate yourselves. Google factory farms and CAFO's. Ask to tour your nearest factory farm (though don't expect them to allow you in) stacked with hundreds and thousands of swine who have never seen the light of day. So tour them online. Then decide what's best, for you, your children, your children's children . . .
Everyone needs to be responsible when they name things for there is a lot in naming things. Especially things that can effect an industry the way a statement made from Oprah years ago that hurt the cattle industry. There is a lot at stake, not only heath wise but economically as well, since we are in a recession right now.
We are not children in a playground. This is illness is real and it's leading to the death of people. IF the virus is called H1N1 influenza, well then that is what it is called. We live in an adult world facing adult problems and we need to act accordingly. Naming something incorrectly can hurt more people than you know. And if the name like "swine flu" can potentially cause the closing of pig processing plants, because out of fear from the general public, then you have a cascading domino effect adding to the already stressed economy.
can it go to stage 6
I totally agree....it should be called h1n1 flu. Its so stupid for governments to ban pork sales because of a name. When I first heard the name I was immediately concerned but now I have educated myself and its no different from the flu we all are exposed to in october when most people get their shot. This flu originated from places that are in their fall, in the bottom half of the world, so its very likely people who were visiting there brought it "up" north without knowing they had it. Same as if people exposed in our fall would expose the bottom half in their spring/summer by traveling there. While cruising a few years ago we had to use disinfectant coming and going off the ship, makes sense to me to do this where ever you travel. They have bottles of the sanitizers for a buck......use your head, just my two cents worth
My son and I have been suffering from this flu all week and we've decided that it should be called the "Fire-Breathing Dragon flu", since it's a much cooler name, and it describes the symptoms much better as well. Your throat and lungs are on fire for several days, you have a painful chesty cough and a medium to high fever. It feels like flames should accompany these!!
Just a thought.
The past four days my upper back "lung area" had been hurting. It started that it would only bother me at night, but now its hurting me almost all the time and moving to the side on my lungs? what could this be? im not throwing up my temp. is 99.4 could it be the swine flu?
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