Save the Swine!

The World Health Organization decided to rename the virus H1N1 to save a host of little piggies out there who were about to meet an untimely end on the butcher's block. Egypt was about to slaughter every pig in the country, about 300,000 in all. That's a lot of bacon to bring home! So now it's the dread H1N1, and not the "Swine Flu."

In the meantime, while new reports of suspected cases crop up by the hour, the LA Times reported that the bug does not appear to be ready for prime time in the Pandemic arena. To quote the Times: "There are certain characteristics, molecular signatures, which this virus lacks," said Peter Palese, a microbiologist and influenza expert at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. In particular, the swine flu lacks an amino acid that appears to increase the number of virus particles in the lungs and make the disease more deadly."

There is always a possibility that the virus will mix and mutate within its new human hosts but, for now, it appears fairly mild. While media attention on the story has made it seem like it is spreading like wildfire, the actual number of reported cases world wide is fairly low considering the virus has been active for at least a month.

Great news! Now we can go back to worrying about the economy again.

Swine Flu Spreading - Virus Appears Weak

The swine flu continued to spread throughout the world today, as suspected cases are now under investigation on over twenty nations. Yet the official confirmed numbers are only tabulated at the speed of overworked lab staff as they type the virus. So official CDC case numbers (109 to 111) will most likely lag far behind reality. Yet the encouraging news thus far is that, at least outside of Mexico, the virus appears weak. The sole death reported here was, in fact, a Mexican national, and no US citizens have died thus far, most recovering slowly after a brush with the illness.

Fear of the germ is really the last thing our already much weakened economy needs. Mexico City has shown us a preview of where that could lead...soldiers on the streets, a run on face masks, cancellation of sports and entertainment events, restaurants schools and public offices closed. This is not something we really need just now. I went to a local CVS drug store for a few items and thought to pick up a small hand sanitizer. There was only one 2oz travel size container left in the store! Clearly, people are a bit rattled by the news of this new bug, yet normal flu kills 35,000 each year in the US, and this latest outbreak seems fairly weak.

Take our poll. What do you think about the potential of this virus evolving into a real pandemic?