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By Jacob Goldstein
Not surprisingly, pork companies aren’t so keen on the term “swine flu.”
It’s true that you can’t get swine flu from eating cooked pork, and the disease is now passing from human to human. But the virus’s genetic signature does suggest that it originated in pigs.
President Obama and other federal officials this morning referred to the disease as the “H1N1 flu virus” Here’s what that means.
All flu viruses — human, bird, pig — have an “H” and an “N” in the name, each followed by a number (the avian flu strain that has been worrying people is H5N1, for example).
The letters refer to two proteins (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase) on the surface of the virus. The numbers refer to slight variations in the form of each protein. The variations are important, because our immune system hones in on those proteins to attack the virus.
As it turns out, human strains of H1N1 flu are also pretty common. In fact, the vaccine used for the flu season that’s just ending protected against a strain of human H1N1 virus. But unfortunately, because of differences between the human and swine versions of the flu, the human vaccine doesn’t appear to protect against swine H1N1.
Image of a flu virus particle via CDC
Comments
(27)
Madoff Flu
Some have suggested that the flu be called Meixican flu , which is logical as it originated there and 150 mexicans have died from this flu. But Obama doesnt see this as good public relations for his upcoming push for illegal alien amnesty which he renamed “immigration refrom. Obama knows that almost all poor mexicans will be looking for handouts and will register as Democrats when they become US citizens.
“the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names” - Old Chinese Proverb
This is a clear example of political meddling in scientific matters that Obama promised to end. Bravo to the gutsy folks at the CDC and journalists who still refer to this virus for what it is - ’swine flu’. This kind of bumbling on the world stage, much like the ’secret’ buzzing of New York City with Air Force One and insulting our British friends with cheap trinkets during Gordon Browns visit makes it obvious that it’s amateur hour at the White House.
H1N1 is ambiguous as well as unwieldy. Keep swine flu.
160 billion for AIG…1.5 billion for CDC’s vaccine production ramp up and drug distribution program…The almighty buck is more important than human life and this is the best literal illustration as such. We deserve to enter a pandemic, get infected, and die. Maybe that will teach us what is important.