I'm sure most of you are aware of the ongoing pandemic because it's all over the news. The media has been calling it Swine Flu. But why call it Swine flu when the pigs are fine?.. it's the people that are getting sick and dying.

And though the Center for Disease Control says it is called Swine flu because it is of swine origin, it makes me wonder if it is substantiated.

When news sources first reported it last week saying it was infecting and killing people in Mexico, they also reported that the health officials noticed it was a strain of flu never seen before.. and contains a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, containing DNA elements from across the globe.. e.g., with the avian influenza outbreak a few years ago, besides infecting humans, it killed millions of poultry in a growing number of countries throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. Where are the dead pigs in this so-called Swine Flu?

Could this have occurred naturally or is it man-mad? There is evidence that certain labs have been combining flu viruses. Was this deliberately released as some kind of test?

Of course it is still too early to tell and there are various scenarios and many unsolved questions. One thing is for sure, it is spreading and people are getting killed.. and oh, and also as a matter of fact, pharmaceutical related shares in the stock market are soaring.

What you can do to stay safe:

Everyday Preventive Actions

World Health Organization Webpage containing documents

i've read the link u put on facebook LC, n i was shocked ! although the news hasn't fixed yet, but it is possible if there are some certain people, a mad men who wanted to do some experiments with the viruses..but if it's true, that scientist must be a phsyco and we can almost call it as a massacre..a massive massacres around the world..ufff..

i'm sorry if i'm a bit pissed, it's just i'm worried bout one of my friend that live right in mexico city, and she's also a flight attendant..

i wish n i hope no more people got killed again coz of that..it's a very serious issue !

Hi Shalli.. I hope your friend in Mexico is safe.. and taking all the preventative measures available. When I first saw the news reports on tv, it showed people wearing inappropriate masks and some of the people only had the mask hanging on their necks or just covering their mouths. I think they are better advised by now.

Regarding your concerns, I agree that in the media not many questions are being raised about the various scenarios of how it all started and there are still many unsolved questions to answer to.. but it can be a number of things. But in any circumstances, the finger points to man-made. It's unlikely to be a case of bio-terrorism, though the possibility exists because many labs throughout the world do "experiments" with various viruses.

It is also not unusual that mistakes happen in labs and batches of viruses get mixed in error. And though they are handled in a high level of containment, in the lab, what guaranties do we have that a batch of it doesn't get "misplaced"?

Nevertheless, most of the so-called experiments are "usually" made to create vaccines.. but like in many experiments, especially those that aren't ruled by strict guidelines, an ineffective vaccine can also create strong selective pressure driving the evolution of new strains that can evade the immune attack provoked by the vaccine. And if this is the case, the problem lies in the lack of long term testing before putting a vaccine into the market. And for a pharmaceutical company, which is a business, they want to sell their product as fast as they can and not keep it in the lab for months or years. And this to me seems to be the most plausible answer.. however, it is still too early for a conclusion.

yeah u're right LC, it's still too early to conlude an answers..i realized myself, that i don't know much bout this kind things, been read lots of news on the internet n newspaper..but bout the lab thingy u shared with us, it's the latest news for me..

oh n LC lol i didn't mean it as an terrorism lol..really ^-^

i always knew i would found something usefull in here, just like now =)

They killed cows in name of Mad Cow disease,they killed birds in mae of Bird flu disease, they are killing Swines in name of Swine Flu...beware they could kill now next ...in name of mad/flu ...anthraxa... :)

I agree that the name is not suitable and should be changd. Youre right, I also heard pigs are not dying because of this flu, despite the fact those pigs and other animals in farms live in tremendous strain in horrible conditions. Authorities give more importance to commercial interests instead of the public interests. Instead of creating better conditions for the animals, they treat the animals with their drugs. And there is the remarkable power of human denial and the deficient public inquiry. The feeling of "that's the way it is", or, "we just have to live with it" is overwhelming in some places. The matter of partiality with what goes on is also a problem when facing tough issues. People become complacent with it. The latest news of this flu says it has spread to 11 countries. === Original Message === I'm sure most of you are aware of the ongoing pandemic because it's all over the news. The media has been calling it Swine Flu. But why call it Swine flu when the pigs are fine?.. it's the people that are getting sick and dying.

And though the Center for Disease Control says it is called Swine flu because it is of swine origin, it makes me wonder if it is substantiated.

When news sources first reported it last week saying it was infecting and killing people in Mexico, they also reported that the health officials noticed it was a strain of flu never seen before.. and contains a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, containing DNA elements from across the globe.. e.g., with the avian influenza outbreak a few years ago, besides infecting humans, it killed millions of poultry in a growing number of countries throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. Where are the dead pigs in this so-called Swine Flu?

Could this have occurred naturally or is it man-mad? There is evidence that certain labs have been combining flu viruses. Was this deliberately released as some kind of test?

Of course it is still too early to tell and there are various scenarios and many unsolved questions. One thing is for sure, it is spreading and people are getting killed.. and oh, and also as a matter of fact, pharmaceutical related shares in the stock market are soaring.

"Flu" is a common word which indicates a potentially pandemic category of virus.

Usually seasonal flus kill a lot of "weak" people, but the method of infection and the develope of the disease allow "normal" people to ignore the pandemics.

The problem comes when the cycle of the "heavy flus" put a strong virus like this in circulation. Remember that the "Spanish Flu" was a flu, not a plague.

I agree that the name is not suitable at all, just today on BBC I have heared scientists say that the linkage with the pigs is quite "imaginary".

In Germany and UK they have had the first cases of SF in subjects who haven't been in Mexico.

But just now I'm hearing that Mexican authorities are reporting that the number of new cases per day is stable: this means that the diffusion is not increasing its speed.

An other positive fact is that this virus, so far has killed only in Mexico and in zones where the conditions of life are inferior to the ones in "advanced" countries.

It's still early to say this, but this pandemics reminds the one of SARS: a few hundreds od deads an the disease was under control in some monthes. Probably this virus will meet the same destiny. Anyway it's a good thing that the international authorities are reacting quickly and with efficency.