Porcine Panic
We’ve got a little bit of a sniffle this morning, which naturally means that we must have the “swine flu” – or whatever it is they’re calling the latest unwelcome visitor from South of the Rio Grande.
“Swine flu” has already killed over 100 in Mexico, and cases are popping up all over the would – including 20 confirmed cases here in America.
The disease has also spread as far away as Spain, Israel and New Zealand.
So what is “swine flu?”
Well, it’s a mutated form of influenza that combines elements of pig flu, bird flu and human flu.
In fact, the confirmed U.S. cases have four strains of flu – two from pigs, one from birds and one from humans.
The current outbreak is said to have originated from a pig farm in Mexico – where Asian and European pig flu strains mutated with North American strains to create, in essence, a brand new virus.
Fortunately, all 20 U.S. cases have recovered, but the shifting genetic composition of the disease means you have to get a brand new vaccination to protect yourself.
Comments
By Chicken Little on April 27th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Oh my God- The greatest depression the world has ever seen- and now here comes the greatest pandemic in our lifetimes.
And if by some miracle we are lucky enough to survive, Global Warming will fry us all to Hell in the next 10 years.
Can’t our government step in and do something to save us?
By hermann on April 27th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Move, along folks…Nothing to see here…move along…Don’t dare suggest anything inane such as border enforcement, especially…
By Darth on April 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Carnitas anyone? You can substitute Muarice’s yellow sauce.
By randee on April 27th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Where’s our surgeon general? O yea, I forgot. Obama has been too busy attacking Rush Limbaugh and attacking water boarding to find the time to actually hire a CDC chief and surgeon general. Go figure!
By roofus on April 27th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Randee,
You forgot that Obama’s been playin’ a lot of golf recently and still finds time to fly to Hawaii for a little boogy boardin’ in the surf.
By johan on April 27th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
“…the latest unwelcome visitor from South of the Rio Grande”? I’m pretty sure thre is no tint of bias, resentment, or desire of invective for anything coming from the Mexican states. Notice my sarcasm. Let’s say the porcine flu is pandemic and will escalate to a global crisis, isn’t it a tad early for us to make any objective conjecture about the present influeza threat?
By T on April 27th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
It looks like most of the people here are part of a very strange prototype. The type of humna prototype that is unsecure, afraid of changes, and angry with their own lifes. Incluiding the article writer. And now, lets see how they retiliate against me with all kind of vague arguments, because it is prevesible that along history for every wise mind there are thousand mediocres minds that oppose with ferocious opposition. (Excuse my writing, this is just one of the few languages that I still practicing). Peace
By Juan on April 29th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
America still doesn’t recover from the effects of the latest unwelcome visitor East of the Atlantic Ocean,” the white man “for those of you who can’t remember history . FYI: 36000 people died last year from the “normal flu” and nobody seems to care.Go read a book