Swine Flu Source

[Sara S]

Source: The Guardian

Case confirmed in village in east Mexico where sixty per cent of residents fell ill

Jo Tuckman in Mexico City and Robert Booth
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 April 2009 20.37 BST

A Mexican village whose inhabitants were overwhelmed by an outbreak of respiratory illness starting in February has emerged as a possible source of the swine flu outbreak which has now spread across the world.

The state government of Veracruz in eastern Mexico has confirmed one case of swine flu in the village of La Gloria with the sufferer named locally as a four-year-old boy, Edgar Hernandez Hernandez. The federal government said tonight that he tested positive for the same strain of the virus which has claimed lives in Mexico.

Early today the US owner of an industrial pig production facility around 12 miles from La Gloria said it had found no clinical signs or symptoms of swine flu in its herd or Mexican employees. The world's biggest pig meat producer, Virginia-based Smithfield, said it is co-operating with the Mexican authorities' attempts to locate the possible source of the outbreak and will submit samples from its herds at its Granjas Carroll subsidiary to the University of Mexico for tests.

A La Gloria resident who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity yesterday described how illness swept through the village. "Some people started getting ill in February and an eight-month-old baby died," she said. "After that another baby died on 21 March. Suddenly most of the village got ill. It was weekend and the tiny clinic here was closed. The state health authorities then did send doctors and nurses to look after us, and give us medication. About 60% of the village were ill and we asked them what it was and they said it was a severe and atypical cold. We talked about influenza and they said that was impossible, that influenza had been eradicated from Mexico."


Read more: https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/27/swine-flu-s...

[Sylph]

But only the little boy tested positive for the swine flu, the others (I think 30 or so tested) had the regular flu). None of the pig farm workers came down with it, that we know of. Public health tracking seems pretty sketchy in Mexico. It seems like officials may not have paid attention to La Gloria if the residents had not been complaining of the stench of the pig farm and had not had an extensive outbreak of the flu. In other words, who knows where this thing may have originated? Flu outbreaks and even deaths happening earlier may not have been tested and documented.
It may be more likely that living "cheek by jowl" with the family pigs and chickens as many small farmers in Mexico do, is just as likely to have incubated the virus as a large, industrial operation.
By the way, the little boy has recovered.


Source: The Guardian

Case confirmed in village in east Mexico where sixty per cent of residents fell ill

Jo Tuckman in Mexico City and Robert Booth
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 April 2009 20.37 BST

A Mexican village whose inhabitants were overwhelmed by an outbreak of respiratory illness starting in February has emerged as a possible source of the swine flu outbreak which has now spread across the world.

The state government of Veracruz in eastern Mexico has confirmed one case of swine flu in the village of La Gloria with the sufferer named locally as a four-year-old boy, Edgar Hernandez Hernandez. The federal government said tonight that he tested positive for the same strain of the virus which has claimed lives in Mexico.

Early today the US owner of an industrial pig production facility around 12 miles from La Gloria said it had found no clinical signs or symptoms of swine flu in its herd or Mexican employees. The world's biggest pig meat producer, Virginia-based Smithfield, said it is co-operating with the Mexican authorities' attempts to locate the possible source of the outbreak and will submit samples from its herds at its Granjas Carroll subsidiary to the University of Mexico for tests.

A La Gloria resident who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity yesterday described how illness swept through the village. "Some people started getting ill in February and an eight-month-old baby died," she said. "After that another baby died on 21 March. Suddenly most of the village got ill. It was weekend and the tiny clinic here was closed. The state health authorities then did send doctors and nurses to look after us, and give us medication. About 60% of the village were ill and we asked them what it was and they said it was a severe and atypical cold. We talked about influenza and they said that was impossible, that influenza had been eradicated from Mexico."


Read more: https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/27/swine-flu-s...

[sd gross]

:kissword::piggy::kissword::piggy::kissword::piggy::kissword::piggy:
By now we've all heard about the Canadian pigs being infected with the (name-it-yourself!) virus they contracted from a human. The following photograph should answer a few questions.