Posted on 04/28/2009 3:46:16 PM PDT by Baladas
WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - What's in a name? U.S. pork producers are finding that the name of the virus spreading from Mexico is affecting their business, prompting U.S. officials to argue for changing the name from swine flu.
At a news briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took pains to repeatedly refer to the flu as the "H1N1 virus."
"This is not a food-borne illness, virus. It is not correct to refer to it as swine flu because really that's not what this is about," Vilsack said.
Israel has already rejected the name swine flu, and opted to call it "Mexico flu." Jewish dietary laws forbid eating pork.
The Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health also objected to the name, saying the virus contains avian and human components and no pig so far has been found ill with the disease.
And there is growing sentiment in the farm sector to call it the North American virus -- although disease expert Anthony Fauci told a Senate hearing the "swine flu" designation reflected scientific naming protocol.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
We can’t do anything about the disease, but we can change it’s name.
They were going to call the bird flu the chicken flu but the chicken producers didn’t like it. Really.
Chickens!
I think you could justifiably label the name as hate speech when the first Muslim catches it.
How about the Puppy Dog Flu or the Gummy Bear Flu or the Happy Rainbow Flu. Or, in honor of Greg Gutfeld, the Magical Unicorn Flu. None of those are likely to offend.
I’ll settle for calling it Montezuma flu!
Mark Steyn had this on NRO...
One Flu over the Kosher Nest [Mark Steyn]
How come those deadbeats at CAIR weren’t on to this before the Jews? The naming of influenzas:
JERUSALEM – The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed “Mexican” influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday.
What about Mexican sensitivities? Undocumented Flu?
A Wahhabi health official adds: “But doesn’t swine influenze refer to the sinister Zionist influenze on the American government?”
That's the most accurate since one handshake from him is fatal.
Israel is calling it Mexican flu?
Didn’t they change the name of German measles to Rubella a number of years ago due to Germans taking offense?
Won’t Mexicans take offense if others follow Israel’s lead?
There was a county supervisor in San Diego a number of years ago who wanted to change the name of Africanized bees because he was offended at the reference to Africa. I think they started calling them Africanized bees because the origins were in Africa, and the term that had been used, “killer bees”, was also offensive to many.
Somebody will be offended no matter what they call it. Let’s be honest — the pork industry would be calling for a change even if this flu came directly and only from pigs.
How about “The Overrated Political Flu of 2009”
al qaeda flu.
LLS
OK, we now have the Swine Flu (pork). Before we had Mad Cow Disease (beef) and Bird Flu (chicken & turkey). I see “Vegetarian Terrorism” in action!!!!
I was going to make a joke along that line but your picture is much better.
Maybe Obama caught it and doesn't want to seem 'compromised' to his moslem bros.
Maybe the Israelis should call it the “Kraut Flu”. What Jew would care about offending a German?
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