Joe: Wasn’t it in Egypt that they slaughtered all the pigs owned by the Coptic Christians? Not saying that those actions would avert this kind of a crises, but it’s something that your post reminded me of as well. I really do have to go to bed and read the rest in the morning, but it’s like I can’t “put it down”.
James: You really do need to publish this one way or another. Definitely do that. Also, personally I would check into Amazon’s self-publishing as well - a lot of us still prefer old-fashioned printed books, and I think they have a “print-on-demand” type feature. :)
Killing off the pigs won't stop that possibility because the petri dishes are those HIV infected in the Muslim world, sexually used as children (boys), who might become infected with the highly contagious (but relatively benign, normally) H1N1 variant. Throw in Tamiflu and the HIV mutation rate accelerates in those with compromised immune systems.
With the description of HIV as a 'devious' bug, hiding from, tricking the human immune system in order to destroy it, all it needs is the capability to be spread by aerosol rather than the slower and less efficient intimate contact necessary now.
An area with the H1N1, H5N1, and widespread (although that is undocumented because of the stigma attached to homo activity, officially, in Islam) buggery, and with the incredible mutation rate of HIV, Egypt provides a definite possibility for the origins of such a bug.
Slaughtering the pigs won't remove that threat, it just impoverishes those who eat non-halal meat...and means there will be less pig blood to threaten the 'believers' afterlife with.