Good Grief, how did this silliness get started? You and I are both old enough to remember the 'first' swine flu, and I don't remember anyone freaking out about eating pork. Do you? Maybe I've just forgotten.
Plus, it's not just swine material in the virus- there's avian material as well. It sounds like the dread "gene reassortment" mentioned at the end of Gina Kolata's "Flu" has happened.
Does that mean people will stop eating chickens, too?

Oh, well. More for you, I guess.

I don't mean to make fun of worried people, but geez.

Lynne - not worried, stupid.

I look at it this way. The sum of human intelligence is fixed, and the population is increasing.

Which means only one thing - the average person is dumber now than at any time in human history.

This does not bode well for the future.

I suspect people need some control over the situatin, therefore, if they don't eat pork, they'll be OK.

Now I'm hungry for some bacon.

While we're on the topic of bacon, I figured out how to make really great microwave bacon, and it isn't the paper towel method, which sucks out all the grease and makes the bacon taste like two strips of wood.

Get a Corningware bowl with a glass lid. The big one. Put two strips of bacon in there. You have to experiment with heat and time depending on the bacon you buy and your microwave. I've gotten to the point where, with Ralph's lower salt/non-sugar-cured bacon, I get great bacon for 15 minutes on medium. Remove from microwave, dry off. Eat! Yum!

Did anyone else catch the story that Egypt is ordering all of its pigs slaughtered?

I'm from the county where most of the confirmed cases in Texas are from. Mom is worried that they're going to cancel the Farmer's Market, so she can't sell her veggies for a few weeks. It's my understanding that most of the people who have this (well, at least at the moment) have been to Mexico lately. (Guadalupe county is, maybe, a 4-hour drive to Laredo. It's right next to Bexar county, which is where San Antonio is located.)

Anyway, the panic is annoying, but I'm still probably going to pick up a can of Lysol to start spraying doorknobs around the office. And, no way I'm flying any time soon.

But... I'm kinda hungry for some bacon, too.

brian - I'm not certain people are necessarily dumber (though their education is certainly lower than it was 30 years ago), but Mad Cow disease supposedly DOES get transmitted even through cooked meat product, and people are probably not making the distinction that it's not the same type of disease.

I laughed when I saw info about some countries not allowing pork imports from Mexico, too. Even if it were infected, by the time it's cooked, there's not going to be any flu viruses left.

Woohoo! Sale on bacon!

Seriously, where do people get these ideas?

Doesn't eating piggies kind of have a hand in this though? If people weren't eating pigs, they probably wouldn’t be coming into contact with them in general, which is believed to be how humans first contracted the virus, right? Also, if people weren’t eating piggies, we probably wouldn’t have enormous, disgusting factory farms that keep animals in such close quarters that a virus like this is bound to spread like wildfire. Not to mention the deplorable conditions that might lead to reduced piggy health and immunity to viruses in a factory farm. Hmm..

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

I'm skeptical. Despite their assurances, I will continue to refrain from handling or eating raw meat from pigs that died of flu.

If they were limiting the context of their response to packaged meat from the supermarket, they should say so.

Good point, WayneB. Most people don't realize that Mad Cow is not caused by a virus, but by a prion. And also, unless you have a genetic predisposition to react to the prion, you aren't going to get CJV.

Expecting Crid to show up at yell at me in 5,4,3,2...

Oh, great. Here comes PETA. ("Angie...")

ahw, I’m not PETA, and I have no idea why you put the quotes around my name. In fact, as far as PETA goes, I think the entire organization is nutso and probably more a detriment to its own “cause” than any other force out there. I do love seeing your knee-jerk reaction though, everyone cry “PETA” because we all know they’re crazy people! Anyway, I didn’t even mention animal rights or make any judgment about eating pigs. I just wanted to point out that you shouldn’t take eating piggies entirely out of the equation when discussing the swine flu situation and how people got there.

Your juvenile over-use of the term "piggies" is what triggered the knee-jerk reaction. And what about your post isn't "making a judgment about eating pigs?" Seems to me, that's exactly what it is. That's fine; just admit it.

Oh, and please note that you just used PETA's argument... goodness, why would anyone think you're a member?
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/04/swine_flu_worri.php

From a recent interview with Janet Napolitano:

...to the extent that viruses have come into our country or suspected or known viruses have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there.

NM: Are you talking about the Swine flu viruses?

JN: Not just those but others as well.

In a related story:

John McCain told Fox News channel that the homeland security secretary was right in suggesting that the viruses entered the US from Canada to to infect Americans with this nasty flu. The senator from Arizona said: 'Well, some of the Swine flu viruses did come through Canada, as you know.

Wow, ahw, interesting how someone who seems to hate PETA knows what kind of articles they've currently got on their site. I had no idea that article even existed until you pointed it out to me. I think most of PETA is crap, and I am not a member. Think what you want though, if it makes you feel like you're right, even when you're not.

I wouldn't say that using the same word Amy used, is in any way juvenile. She called the swine "piggies" and so did I, big deal.

Also, making judgment usually involves an actual judgment of something. I didn't say eating pigs was wrong, right, stupid, awesome, or any other judgmental word. I said, to paraphrase, factory farms were gross, and unless you live in shit and piss or some other sort of squalor, you would probably agree with that statement.

Anyway, I'm not here to annoy (though clearly I have!) you or start a bickering match. I even realize (especially after taking a peek at your PETA article) how “haha meat eater, you caused this, you deserve it” my comment sounds, even though it’s really not what I intended. I really was only throwing another angle out there… of course, PETA has to ruin everything! Hah.

Rats weren't on the menu very much in Europe in 1348, but that didn't stop them from spreading the Black Death to millions of people. Strains of avian & swine flu that could be hazardous to humans have been found in wild birds & pigs. Even with an increased risk of swine flu transmission, I'll still take bacon, ham, & pork over tofu any day. Factory farms are gross, but wild pigs still get more diseases than domestic pigs. The Great Outdoors are chock full of microbes & parasites waiting for an opportunity.

Actually, angie, the farms where this particular strain developed would have been keeping swine and foul in close proximity to humans.

The factory farms you deride are actually unlikely to be a breeding ground for such things.

Oh, and regarding PETA: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. PETA is an enemy of mankind, it behooves us to know their next angle of attack.

"Oh, and regarding PETA: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. PETA is an enemy of mankind, it behooves us to know their next angle of attack." Yes, yes, yes. And it only took about 10 seconds to look it up...

Well, as of this afternoon, this thing has hit Austin. One school (a preschool) has been closed through the 11th- I bet more will follow. This is going to get interesting. I wonder if there will be a run on surgical masks? (Note to self: avoid CVS and Walgreens...)

Are people in LA freaking out yet? I'm suprised we haven't heard much yet from border towns.

Not worth a freakout... In 1976, one guys died of the flu and a few dozen died of the vaccination (IIRC).

Wash your hands, eat you veggies.

Basic sanitation and personal hygiene is enough to protect yourself. This is not some mega virus that can kill on contact. Jeesh.
I've got my Dr. screaming at me to get a flu shot, but really, what good is that going to do? I stay inside 99% of the time @ home, I constantly wash my hands when I go somewhere and touch anything. (Hand sanitizer is wonderful stuff)
I make the hubby clean his hands as soon as he comes home. One bout w/ whooping cough was enough to institute that rule. I figure the odds of us actually getting sick are very, very low.
I am loving the low pork prices. I just stocked up my big freezer with pork chops, ribs, pork steaks, roasts,tenderloin, and bacon. Even tho I am 99% vegetarian, the husband and child are not. I've got enough meat to feed them for a year now. :)

Hand sanitizer only kills bacteria. Flu is a virus.

And hand sanitizer compromises your immune system by denying it the opportunity to kill bacteria itself. You're doing yourself and your children a huge disservice by keeping anti-bacterial soap around the house.

Brian's absolutely right. Latest thinking in medicine is just what he said; unless of course you work in a germ-ridden daycare, school, hospital or other clinical setting. Then you'll end up with something REALLY nastirrific if you don't suds up constantly.

As to the bacon: Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar. Smoked applewood bacon and chocolate. Sounds horrible, but what's worse is when you try it and realize how good it really is and how guilty you are for eating it.

We have a friend who is a member of a "Bacon of the Month Club."

Anybody know where I can get a bacon-patterned necktie? That sounds like just the thing to wear around the office these days...