North American Influenza

It seems no matter how hard the Pork Producers and other organizations try, they can't stop the headlines from calling out about the Swine Flu. The groups are right that it is an incorrect name because the H1N1 virus has swine, avian, and human flu in it, and the current outbreak is not connected in anyway to hogs, you have to admit Swine Flu is a catchier name than North American Influenza, and let's be honest, it fits better in the headline. And although I have noticed articles referring to the diseases as the H1N1 virus, that is not even close to sexy enough to be causing a pandemic. History has shown that down the road, no one will call it the Swine flu of 2009, and like the Spanish Flu, which I believe was caused by bird flu virus, no one will worry about pigs in the future, but that isn't helping pork producers right now. They have been suffering down markets for some time right now, and if people get afraid of catching the flu by eating bacon, things could get much worse. So the message of today is: If pork is something you want to eat, feel safe that you can continue without fear of the flu.