H1N1 weekly deaths increase, but spread of virus decreases

This post now a Google News Link and on www.basilandspice.com.

Wonder what's going on with the H1N1 virus?  If there's going to be a third wave of the epidemic this flu season, we should know soon.  But the CDC is still not sure what lies in store for the rest of this winter.

The Centers for Disease Control closely monitor and analyze all data on H1N1, and do their best to make predictions. On their very thorough website, they posted their most recent H1N1 reports on January 4. As you can see, the report has mixed indicators of future trends for H1N1.  It also has a lot of information about what you can do to protect yourself.

Number of deaths has increased
The Jan 4 report says that, for the most recent week analyzed (Dec 20-26), the number of flu deaths increased over the preceding week. The number of deaths is now back above the "epidemic" threshold, after dipping below it for the first time in 11 weeks. Almost all of the influenza viruses identified this winter in the U.S. continue to be 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, which is susceptible to the H1N1 vaccine now being widely offered to the public.

Doctor visits up; hospitalization rates steady
For the week Dec 20-26, visits to doctors for flu-like symptoms increased over the previous week. Overall hospitalization rates for flu and its most dangerous complication (pneumonia) were unchanged from the previous week.

Antivirals still effective
For persons very sick with H1N1 and pneumonia, the currently circulating H1N1 virus remains susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir "with rare exception."

Is the virus in decline?
The number of states reporting widespread influenza activity decreased for the last week analyzed (Dec 20-26).  In addition, the number of pediatric deaths has decreased, even though the total number of deaths increased.

Get the shot!
The CDC continues to urge the public to get inoculated against H1N1. The shot or mist is offered widely at county health departments and doctors' offices. When I went to get a shot at my local county health department, the vaccine was free. There was a $15 administration fee, which is covered by insurance. The CDC has said repeatedly that widespread vaccination of the public can be a major factor in preventing a third wave of the disease. The vaccine will continue to be widely available through January.

Vulnerable groups
On January 2, Science News ran an online story saying sickle-cell increases vulnerability to H1N1 in children, although I didn't see that on the CDC website.

According to the CDC, the persons most vulnerable to complications from H1N1 are:
People 65 and older
Children under 5
Pregnant women
African Americans
People with these health conditions:
HIV/AIDS, severe immunosuppresssion, diabetes, disabilities, cardiovascular disease, asthma, arthritis, cancer patients and survivors, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.

People who interact a lot with the public in their jobs may be more likely to contract H1N1 than others.

See Source #4. below for more info about vulnerable groups.

Symptoms
According to the CDC, you may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:
fever (may or may not be present)
cough
sore throat
runny or stuffy nose
body aches
headache
chills
fatigue
sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

Prevention
To prevent infection in yourself and your children: get the vaccine, wash your hands frequently with soap or alcohol gel, avoid contact with those who are ill, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth when out in public.  And if you have flu-like symptoms, call or see your health care provider. Stay home at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.  

Sources:
1. Centers for Disease Control. 2009 H1N1 Flu: Situation Update January 4, 2009
2. CDC. 2009 H1N1 Flu: Situation Update - Key Flu Indicators January 4, 2009
3. CDC. General Information about 2009 H1N1 Vaccines (and where to find a vaccine)
4. CDC. People at High Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications. November 10, 2009
5. CDC. Flu View. (a map of state-by-state influenza activity). For week ending Dec 26, 2009
6. Nathan Seppa.  "H1N1 Hits Sickle Cell Kids Hard". Science News. January 2, 2009

My previous posts about H1N1:
H1N1 shot made my son vomit, but GO GET THAT SHOT  12/24/2009

H1N1 widespread but declining. Experts disagree about a third wave of H1N1 this winter. 12/02/2009

Second wave of H1N1 declining in numbers but not severity. Third wave may be the worst 11/18/09

The most dangerous cases of H1N1  11/12/2009

My daughter says elderberry got rid of her H1N1 10/22/2009

Why is swine flu likely to return in winter? It's not because we're cooped up together in winter 5/8/2009

H1N1 is a swine flu and has its roots NC, the land of Smithfield 5/2/2009

Smithfield blamed for swine flu by Mexican press   4/29/2009

Keywords: CDC H1N1 vaccine influenza swine flu vulnerable groups epidemic

H1N1 shot made my son vomit, but GO GET THAT SHOT

This post now a Google News Link and posted on www.basilandspice.com

Swine on a Smithfield factory farm, 
one of which is thought to have spawned the H1N1 virus.

Photo by Sally Kneidel, PhD

Poor lad
Yesterday, my son and I went to get H1N1 shots at our local health department.  We didn't have to wait more than five minutes, and the shot didn't hurt more than just the needle stick. But as we walked out to the car, my son (in his early 20s) said he felt sick.  We got in the car, and before we were even out of the parking lot, he told me to pull over.  He jumped out and vomited two or three times on the grass.

When we got home he vomited again, went to bed and slept for 4 hours. When he got up he still felt sick and had a bad headache.  But the sheet we'd been given at the health department said that both "nausea" and "headache" were "mild problems" that might occur after the injection.  More serious reactions would be wheezing, hives, rapid pulse, paleness, difficulty breathing - symptoms that indicate an allergic reaction.  He had none of those.  About 7 p.m. he got off the sofa, took two Tylenol, and then took a long hot shower. After that, he felt fine.  Today he's fine, and I'm fine too.

Get that shot
I'm not writing this to discourage anyone from getting a shot.  I'm glad we got our shots, and my son is too.  My point in writing this post is actually to urge everyone to get H1N1 shots now, because the CDC continues to say that the more vaccinations are given to the public, the lower the chance we will have a dangerous third wave of H1N1 later this winter.

The latest news on H1N1 from the CDC
Yesterday, Dec 22, the Centers for Disease Control gave another of their weekly press conferences on the status of H1N1.  I studied all 8 pages; below I've summarized the main points.

In the U.S., the good news about H1N1 is two-fold:

• Less virus is circulating.
• The vaccine is more readily available than it has been. But, the current map provided by the CDC shows that the virus is still widespread in 11 states and regionally widespread in 20 more states.

About 60 million of the 307 million people in the U.S.have been vaccinated for H1N1 thus far.  Of those, two-thirds have been children.  About half the unvaccinated people in the U.S. who have been recently polled indicate that they want to be vaccinated.  Just a month ago, interest in vaccination was higher, at 60%.  Interest in vaccination is waning because the number of cases in the current wave of infection has been declining.

The waning interest is unfortunate, say the doctors at the CDC.  Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC led Tuesday's press conference, and she urged against public complaisance.  She said whether or not the U.S. experiences a third and perhaps more virulent wave of the H1N1 flu after December depends in part on how many people get vaccinated in the next few weeks. "Getting vaccinated will reduce the chance of your getting sick and reduce the chance of the country going through a third wave," said Dr. Schuchat.

Who is most vulnerable to hospitalization with H1N1?
Schuchat was asked during the press conference, what pre-existing health conditions make patients more vulnerable to serious illness with H1N1? The most serious cases are generally those that develop into pneumonia.

She answered that H1N1 patients are more likely to be hospitalized if they have these pre-existing conditions:

• asthma
• chronic lung disease
• diabetes
• cancer
  
• chronic heart disease
• pregnancy
  

She said any pregnant woman who has respiratory symptoms should be seen by a doctor and treated.

Virtually all the cases of flu in the U.S. at this time are H1N1, said Schuchat.  "Everything we're seeing in terms of the flu strains is the H1N1 virus and so it's not gone at all. None of us know what the weeks and months ahead will bring in terms of influenza activity."

How to find the vaccines for H1N1 and seasonal influenzas
For those who are interested in the seasonal flu vaccine, Schuchat said, "there's a little bit of seasonal flu vaccine around.  It will be spotty place to place....the vast majority has already been used."  She recommended checking with your doctor or pharmacy.

As for locating the vaccine for H1N1, Schuchat said about 2/3 of the states have carried out school vaccination programs.  As of Dec 22, 111 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have become available for order by states. This vaccine is available through doctors' offices, hospitals, and health departments.

Schuchat said emphatically that children under the age of 10 need two doses of the H1N1 shot, a month apart. Five or six weeks apart is okay, she said.

Pets
Dr. Schuchat said it's true that some household pets - cats and dogs - have contracted H1N1. But she said "the rare occurrances of this virus in other species is not a general problem."

My own comments about H1N1 in animals
It's my understanding that hogs having the virus is a potential problem, because a single hog can simultaneously have two or more types of viruses that also infect people. If a particular hog has more than one type of virus, the different viruses can exchange genetic material within the hog's cells, and make recombinant forms of virus which may be more virulent (more infective, more dangerous) than either of the contributing viruses.  This is why hogs are sometimes called "mixing vessels" in discussions of avian and swine flu viruses. It's believed that hogs have been an essential component in the development of avian and swine flus that have or may in the future cause widespread infections.  Birds are called "trojan horses" in virology, carrying viruses far afield, and as I said, hogs are called "mixing vessels."

So if your hogs get H1N1....well, I don't know what to tell you.  Let's hope they don't.

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Wenjun Ma et al. "The hog as a mixing vessel for influenza viruses: human and veterinary implications." J. Mol. Genet. Med. 2009.

My previous posts about Smithfield and the swine flu:
H1N1 is a swine flu and has its roots NC, the land of Smithfield  May 2, 2009

Smithfield blamed for swine flu by Mexican press   April 29, 2009

My previous posts about H1N1:
H1N1 widespread but declining. Experts disagree about a third wave of H1N1 this winter.  12/02/2009

Second wave of H1N1 declining in numbers but not severity. Third wave may be the worst  11/18/09

The most dangerous cases of H1N1  11/12/2009

My daughter says elderberry got rid of her H1N1  10/22/2009

Why is swine flu likely to return in winter? It's not because we're cooped up together in winter  5/8/2009

Keywords:: H1N1 swine flu hogs mixing vessels trojan horses avian flu vaccinations

My daughter says elderberry got rid of her H1N1 virus

Sadie with little Henry

Written by Sally Kneidel, PhD, of sallykneidel.com. This post is now on www.basilandspice.com and is a Google News link.

My daughter Sadie, in her 20s, got sick a few days ago with a flu-like illness.  We didn't figure out for a couple of days, after talking to a nurse, that her affliction was almost certainly swine flu.  Fever of 102 degrees, headache, severe body aches, fatigue, sore throat and cough, slight sniffles. On Monday she was too sick to go to work. One of her housemates came home with some elderberry capsules from a natural-foods store.  Sadie (my daughter) took 800 mg capsules, 3 times a day, on Monday and Tuesday. I talked to her on Wednesday and she said she was 100% recovered with no symptoms whatsoever. Maybe the flu had just run its course and she would have felt fine even without the elderberry.  But I was curious enough to look it up on the internet, and was astonished at the volume of credible articles I found about black elderberry as a treatment for the flu. My daughter's whole household is taking elderberry now, to avoid getting what Sadie had, including elderberry in syrup form for the baby.

Now, I'm not a health professional, and I am not recommending a particular flu treatment to anyone. Flu can be dangerous. But I am saying these articles on the internet are interesting.  Have a look for yourself. A few of them are listed below. You can find many more by googling "elderberry flu" or "elderberry H1N1."

Tamiflu, an antiviral commonly prescribed for flu, is very expensive. It only shortens the duration and may reduce the severity of the flu. It also has common side effects that can include vomiting and headache. Of course, there are flu cases where reducing the severity even a little can be life-saving, so I'm not knocking Tamiflu.


Articles about elderberry and flu:
Paul Fassa.  "Elderberry Trumps Tamiflu for Flu Remedy". Natural News.com, May 30, 2009 

Cathy Wong. "Flu remedies."  About.com: Alternative Medicine. Dec 4, 2007.

Chris Bolwig. "Flu cure found in the elderberry."  Ice News - Daily News. Nov 12, 2007.

Elderberry extract prevents H1N1 infection in vitro.   The Medical News. September 11,. 2009.

Teresa Koby.  Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro. Herb News, Herb Research Foundation. August 28, 2009.

Nicky Blackburn. "Study shows Israeli elderberry extract effective against avian flu."  Israeli21c: Innovative News Service. January 29, 2006.

Key words:: alternative medicine elderberry flu H1N1 herbal medicine herbal remedies swine flu

Why is swine flu likely to return in winter? It's NOT because folks are cooped up together in winter.

How do these sneeze droplets differ in winter? Read on!
Photo courtesy of www.dost-dongnai.gov/vn

Swine flu is so far turning out to be a milder disease than was feared a couple of weeks ago. Although it continues to spread from person to person around the globe, in most places it has been no more lethal than more familiar and common flu strains. That could very well change though when autumn rolls around.

"Our evidence from all previous pandemics is you get two phases. So you get a first wave which is often very mild and then you get a much more serious wave that comes along in the autumn and the winter," said Alan Johnson, Great Britain's Health Secretary. He was quoted May 4 in Britain's Telegraph.

All flu outbreaks tend to be worse in cold weather, and so far this H1N1 swine flu hasn't really seen any cold weather. In the Northern Hemisphere flu season is November to March. But seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere - the cool weather of autumn is starting up right now in South America, where flu season is May to September.

Although there haven't been many cases of H1N1 swine flu in the Southern Hemisphere yet, we may see that change shortly. We may get a preview of what's in store for us come November.

Why are flu outbreaks always worse during the colder months? I heard an explanation on NPR's Morning Edition on Friday (5/8/09) that was completely new to me. I had always heard that flu spreads in winter because we're all cooped up together indoors. Turns out, that's not it at all!

Dr. Peter Palese of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and his colleagues have been studying the transmission of flu between guinea pigs, which can get infected with human flu viruses. Palese's results over the last couple of years indicate that spending more time together inside is not the causative factor.

Palese says flu viruses are more stable [and last longer, presumably] in colder, drier conditions. What's more, the droplets of fluid that people spray with sneezes and coughs are much smaller at lower temperatures and lower humidity, so the droplets carry much farther and stay suspended in the air longer. The smaller droplets can be inhaled more deeply into the respiratory passages and lungs, Palese says. The opposite is true at warmer temperatures and higher humidity, when the droplets become much bigger and sink to the floor, reports Palese. These influences are so pronounced that "at 75 to 80 degrees, we don't see any transmission."

Wow! Who knew! But there's even more new data to debunk the old "crowded indoors" theory.

Palese and his colleagues also report that colder, drier air makes mammals' respiratory tracts more vulnerable to infection by airborne viruses.

In cold air, "the mucous is much more viscous," Palese explains. Sticky mucus clogs up the cilia, or tiny hairs, that normally move in waves to expel virus-laden particles from the breathing passages. So in cold weather, inhaled flu viruses tend to stay where they land, reproducing and infecting the unfortunate victim.

Well, it looks like this South American winter is going to be a testing ground for the H1N1 swine flu. We'll see whether it attacks with a real vengeance, spurring the next scary flu pandemic, or whether it fizzles out like some of its predecessors have done.

For constantly updated info, see the H1N1 page on the website of the Pan American Health Organization.

My previous posts on swine flu:

Smithfield blamed for swine flu by Mexican Press

This virus IS a swine flu, and has roots in NC, the land of Smithfield

Sources:
Richard Knox. May 8, 2009. Flu heads south for the winter. NPR Morning Edition.

John Bingham and Auslan Cramb. May 4, 2009. Swine flu: the worst is yet to come in autumn, warns Alan Johnson. Telegraph.co.uk

See this post featured on May 10 on BasilandSpice.com, an Official Google News Source.

Keywords:: swine flu H1N1 flu transmission Peter Palese Sally Kneidel why flu is a winter disease why is flu seasonal swine flu in South America

This virus IS a swine flu, and has roots in NC, the land of Smithfield

Sow with piglets in a "farrowing crate" on a NC factory farm. Photo by Sally Kneidel

This post now on Fox Business   BasilandSpice  Google News

Two days ago I wrote a post about the connection between Smithfield and swine-flu, and about a call I received from a major European newspaper. The reporter called me because I toured a Smithfield factory hog farm while researching our last two books, Veggie Revolution and Going Green. He wanted to know more about Smithfield's priorities and their methods, info that Smithfield would love to keep under the rug. Plenty of dirt has already been published on Smithfield's treatment of labor, animals, and the environment, in online documents such as Human Rights Watch's Blood, Sweat, and Fear. And in our own book, Going Green. But most people are still unaware of what the corporation is really about.

Swine flu started in Smithfield factory in Mexico
Mexican newspapers are reporting that the current swine-flu outbreak came from a Smithfield operation in the Mexican town of Perote, Veracruz. (See my previous post.) In my last post, I speculated that the swine-flu virus might have been created from a blending of bird and swine genes in that Smithfield facility in Perote. I was wrong about that.

Where did the virus (not the outbreak) originate? This morning, the Charlotte Observer reports these headlines "Swine flu has roots in N.C. outbreak." Is that surprising? No.

Smithfield chops and packs 32,000 hogs per day in the tiny town of Tar Heel
NC is home to the world's largest hog-processing plant (a Smithfield plant) in the tiny town of Tar Heel, NC, on the banks of the aptly named Cape Fear River. Because wages are low and accident rates are high, most of the laborers in that facility are Latin-American immigrants, many undocumented. They slaughter, chop, and package 32,000 hogs in that one plant every day. Undocumented immigrants are the least likely worker population to complain about injuries or abusive working conditions, which is exactly why Smithfield chose the low-income, non-unionized immigrant workforce of Tar Heel for its biggest operation. Mexico is an even better site. Lower wages still, fewer regulations to impede Smithfield's plunder of labor, environment, animals.

So...back to the origins of the H1N1 virus. No one is sure exactly where it originated, but "this virus was found in pigs here in the United States. They were getting sick in 1998. It became a swine virus," said Raul Rabadan, a Columbia University scientist studying the H1N1 gene sequence made public this week by the CDC. Continues the Charlotte Observer "it spread [in 1998] among pregnant sows in Newton Grove, about 45 minutes south of Raleigh (NC), causing them to abort their litters, and then to swine in Texas, Iowa and Minnesota." NC has 10 million hogs in factory farms, more hogs than the state has people. More hogs than any other state except Iowa. A single farm can have more than 50,000 hogs, all crammed together in filthy conditions. So it's not surprising that the virus may have made its first appearance 10 years ago in this state. By the way, 75% to 90% of NC's hogs are raised under contract to Smithfield and processed by Smithfield.

Viruses spread fast on factory farms, like a flame in a pile of paper
The findings about the H1N1's origins have raised new concerns about the health impacts of factory farms (not to mention the environmental impacts, or labor concerns). The U.S. Humane Society targeted NC a couple of weeks ago, before the flu outbreak. Because of the huge number of factory farms here, and animals packed so tightly in their own feces that they often can't even turn around, PETA has called on NC Governor Bev Perdue to close down all of NC's factory farms. Even the impartial PEW Charitable Trusts issued a report that said viruses can spread quickly among pigs in factory farms.

Typical filth in a darkened NC factory hog farm: note feces in the corridor and tiny window fan for ventilation. Photo by Sally Kneidel

As hog prices drop, we've been asked by the pork industry to avoid calling the virus the "swine flu," referring to it instead as the H1N1 virus. Said Jay Levine, an N.C. State University professor, the name "swine flu" is "a little bit of a misnomer." Even Obama, in his Weds night TV address, referred to it as H1N1.

But, as it turns out, "swine flu" is not a misnomer. Reports this morning's Charlotte Observer, "The current strain's eight genetic segments are all associated with swine flu." That's according to Raul Rabadan, the Columbia scientist studying the H1N1 gene sequence.

So what if it hurts pork prices?
Well. It is swine flu, so why not call it that?  If it causes pork prices to continue to fall, well maybe Smithfield will have to close down some of their facilities. And even if the virus did not first form in the Smithfield facility in Veracruz, Mexico, but instead in North Carolina, I'm guessing that Smithfield hogs were involved in its origins.

Crowded "feeder pigs" in quarters for final fattening before slaughter, NC factory farm. Photo by Sally Kneidel

Some of my other posts about swine flu or H1N1 and Smithfield:

H1N1 shot made my son vomit, but GO GET THAT SHOT  12/24/2009

H1N1 widespread but declining. Experts disagree about a third wave of H1N1 this winter. 12/02/2009

Second wave of H1N1 declining in numbers but not severity. Third wave may be the worst 11/18/09

The most dangerous cases of H1N1  11/12/2009

My daughter says elderberry got rid of her H1N1 10/22/2009

Why is swine flu likely to return in winter? It's not because we're cooped up together in winter 5/8/2009

Smithfield blamed for swine flu by Mexican press 4/29/2009

Obama to fight consolidation of farms; good news for small farms and consumers     3/27/2009

Text and photos by Sally Kneidel, PhD

KEYWORDS:: Smithfield swine flu Raul Rabadan H1N1 factory farms PEW Charitable Trusts HSUS PETA Perote Veracruz Mexico North Carolina

Smithfield blamed for swine flu by Mexican press

A nursing sow at a factory hog farm in North Carolina.
photo by Sally Kneidel

I got a call Wednesday morning from a reporter in Europe who's doing a story about the connection between Smithfield's hog operations in the Mexican town of Perote (in the state of Veracruz) and the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico. The Perote factory farm, operated under a Smithfield subsidiary called Granjas Carroll, raises 950,000 hogs per year, according to Smithfield's corporate website.

I had heard the connection between Smithfield and the recent outbreak of swine flu mentioned on the Jim Lehrer News Hour both Monday and Tuesday (April 27, 28) but I haven't seen the connection in a U.S. print media yet. Mexican newspapers are definitely blaming Smithfield, papers such as this one in Vera Cruz and this one in Mexico City.

The reporter who called me said he'd heard that I had been inside a Smithfield factory farm here in North Carolina where I live (true) and wanted to know what it was like. So I told him. I've talked about that visit on this blog before and will later again later this week.

As you probably know, this new H1N1 "swine flu" strain—a virus with recombined pieces of swine, avian, and human viruses—is suspected of infecting 2,498 people in Mexico and killing 168. For an unknown reason, the infections in Mexico have caused more serious disease than infections in the U.S. or elsewhere. As of Thursday morning (April 30), 93 confirmed cases have occurred in the U.S., but only one death. The World Health Organization and other sources have warned that the outbreak could reach global pandemic levels....or could fizzle out.

I was not surprised when I first heard that Smithfield Foods might be involved in the swine flu situation. After researching our books Veggie Revolution and Going Green, both of which are in part about factory farms, I know something about how Smithfield operates, about their priorities.

Smithfield is the world’s largest hog producer. The corporation operates the world's largest hog-processing plant (slaughtering and packaging) on the bank of North Carolina's Cape Fear River, in the tiny town of Tar Heel, NC. The workers in the plant slaughter more than 32,000 hogs every day. NC has more hogs than any other state, except Iowa, most of which are raised by huge factory farms under contract to Smithfield on the low-income coastal plain of NC.

Why North Carolina? Land is cheap. Our climate is moderate, so the hog-confinement sheds require modest heating bills and cooling bills, if any. Our environmental regulations are slack; enforcement is sporadic. So when those 10-acre hog-waste lagoons spill or rupture, no one pays much attention to the brown slime oozing downhill to the nearest surface waters. No one except the neighbors.

But most inviting of all to Smithfield and other meatpackers, North Carolina is the least unionized state in the United States. Labor is cheap! The rapid influx of immigrants from Mexico has made the situation even sweeter for employers such as the Smithfield Corporation, whose only consideration is shaving pennies off of production costs. This allows them to offer the cheapest cuts of meat, to outcompete other meatpackers and secure the business of high-volume retailers such as Wal-Mart. Which maximizes profits for Smithfield's shareholders. That's what it's all about. The shareholders.

Latin American immigrants are desirable employees because they don't complain about the extremely dangerous production line down in Tar Heel, where income is measured by carcasses and cuts per minute. Undocumented immigrants are the most attractive employees of all - if they complain or lose a finger or cripple a hand, a threat of deportation or firing will silence the complaint right quick. To read interviews with Smithfield and Tyson workers in North Carolina, check out the excellent research document by Human Rights Watch entitled Blood, Sweat, and Fear. You can find different copies of it by googling the name of the document.

As I mentioned to the reporter who called yesterday, I suspect that the swine raised by Smithfield in Vera Cruz are in sheds that have open sides. Mexico is hot. If the sheds didn't have open sides, they'd have to be air-conditioned. I've seen hog sheds on factory farms here in NC with 40,000 hogs crammed neck and neck, the sows in spaces too tight to even turn around or stretch or groom themselves. Those closed metal sheds would get very hot with a tropical or subtropical sun beating down. I know that poultry factory farms in tropical countries such as Viet Nam have open sides to save money on cooling costs. Here in NC, with a less extreme climate, animals can survive in sheds that are sealed and windowless, safe from public scrutiny. A few exhaust fans will create an adequate breeze for cooling in summer.

I'm betting it turns out that the sheds in Veracruz are open on the sides and that hogs and chickens are raised on the same property (as is often the case on Smithfield farms in the Southeast that we visited). If the sheds in Veracruz are open-sided, wild birds can fly back and forth between the chicken and hog sheds, eating the chow that falls on the floor, leaving their virus-laden droppings to be munched, and carrying viruses back and forth between the sheds, allowing a jumble of bird and pig viruses to mutate in the pigs into a virus that can infect humans. Pigs are more likely to brew and harbor a new virus that can infect humans, because as mammals, they are more closely related to us than birds are.

But we'll see. Maybe it'll turn out that Smithfield isn't involved at all. Or maybe the corporate-dominated U.S. media will downplay any involvement. Either way, I'm interested in seeing how it develops. And I'm hoping very much that the swine flu peaks soon and then fizzles into oblivion.

Sally Kneidel, PhD

See this post on BasilandSpice

Keywords:: Smithfield swine flu Vera Cruz Perote Sally Kneidel hog farm factory hog farm factory farm virus