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Iraqi Officials to Kill Zoo Animals to Protect Against Swine Flu

250px-wild_boar_habbitat_3In an example of colossal stupidity, Iraqi officials have called for the killing of the three wild boars in the Baghdad zoo to protect the country against swine flu. This comes on the heals of the Egyptian government moving to kill every pig in the country despite the lack of any evidence that it would help prevent the virus, which passes from human to human.


The Iraqis seem to blame the eating of pork, an emerging view among some Muslim clerics. Regional health minister Abdul Rahman Osman said “It is also possible the disease could be spread by eating pork, so we banned hunting wild boars.”

In the meantime, the Egyptian plan to kill every pigs in the country adopts an almost biblical approach to health care. Various groups have ridiculed the measure as unconnected to any scientific basis.
For the full story, click here.

82 thoughts on “Iraqi Officials to Kill Zoo Animals to Protect Against Swine Flu”

  1. lottkatz:

    Interesting article on the physics. But IMHO consciousness is a means to interpreting the physical world. The natural world does exist outside of our perceptions and we use our senses to understand the world/universe.
    The fact that life exists is either the result of a creator or it is the result of the fact that it exists because it has to based on the natural order of things. Life is a result of the physical laws of the universe, not the other way around. Life exists because of the way our universe functions. We are able to understand our universe because of the way it functions. Granted there are some things we do not understand but the Greeks reached some conclusions about the natural world that took 2 or 3 thousand years to set right.

    Our observations do not cause events in the natural world. We can observe events such as sub-atomic particles smashing each other but we do cause it (unless of course we accelerate them for experimental purposes) and we do not cause the release of energy from these collisions by our observations.

    We do not create gravity by our observations, we use our senses to explore and discover the natural laws that make up our universe.

    One final thought – we are conscious of self because of the natural world and the stimulus from our senses. The natural world creates the individual, the individual does not create the natural world. With that being said we as humans are able to control our environment using our understanding of the natural world and its laws such as gravity (one near and dear to my heart as a structural engineer as that is the force I must counteract on a daily basis) to create our habitat.

    Aren’t human beings magnificent creatures, nothing is beyond our abilities or understanding. Just give us enough time and we can figure it out or create it.

  5. BIL,

    Right, the linked particles experiment! Wow, I have that book but haven’t as yet read it. I picked up a used library copy (HB’s $0.50 at the library and for that kind of money any interesting book jacket blurb is reason to buy the book.) and I put it on one of my many stacks of books I’m going to get to. Frankly, stacks that I forget what books are contained therein until I start looking for something to read and grab whatever is on top or catches my eye.

    That you kicked the 4 remaining functioning neurons responsible for my mental data retrieval into gear (I knew that book sounded familiar) just sent me on a hunt and I found it. Thank you! I will take your recommendation to heart and start it forthwith. Thanks for the link too.

    I just read an article a couple of days ago about the current proposition of a biocentric theory of the universe that resonates with the article you linked:

    http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/01-the-biocentric-universe-life-creates-time-space-cosmos/?searchterm=biocentric%20universe

  7. And Patty!

    You of all people should have a natty avatar. Might I suggest a picture of either Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman or Julia Child. 😀

    That could be the Terrible Ale speaking (10.5%).

  8. AY,

    To get an avatar, either 1) register as a WordPress user or 2) go to http://www.gravatar.com

    It’s really a matter of choice as gravatar is WordPress’ default avatar provider.

  9. AY:

    “I wish I could digest the significance of it all.”

    **********

    My take on it is that our greed and love of filthy lucre is killing the most vulnerable among us. So what else is new?

    BTW we need to get you a more descriptive moniker and a really cool avatar. See Mr. Plow, supra.

  10. Mespo727272 and Patty C,

    This is a law site, lol. But this is interesting stuff. I wish I could digest the significance of it all.

  11. Patty C:

    “Using parameters based on swine data, simulations showed that when CAFO workers comprised 15-45% of the community, human influenza cases increased by 42-86%. Successful vaccination of at least 50% of CAFO workers cancelled the amplification. A human influenza epidemic due to a new virus could be locally amplified by the presence of confined animal feeding operations in the community. Thus vaccination of CAFO workers would be an effective use of a pandemic vaccine.”

    *************

    At first blush, this looks significant to me.

  12. Thanks Patty C. I am on the case tonight after spending the entire day in an arbitration over virtual accounting software. My head is spinning and I can use some data I can understand.

  13. mespo727272 1, May 2, 2009 at 12:30 am

    Little query to Patty C:

    Are you aware of any medical literature linking so-called “factory farming” to increased incidents of animal borne viruses which can be transmitted to humans?
    ————–

    Forgive me, mespo – I didn’t see your query until just now and cannot do it justice at the moment, regretfully. I just blew a gasket due to an explosion of neurons from reading another post and then succeeded in dropping my tedious response by jumping from article to article for links. My fault, as I know better.

    Anyhow, to answer you – yes and no. Public Health officials, worldwide, have been ‘on it’ for years. A quick search produced 173 documents which I have yet to go through.

    What’s interesting to me, with this outbreak, is the calculated percentage of incidences by population size, which puts Mexico highest, Canada second, and the US, ‘in the middle’
    – literally.

    And, the only place, so far, where recent infection with H1N1 in pigs, has been confirmed is in Canada, I believe.

    How about that?

    This should keep you occupied – tonight … 😉

    http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/440763

    From Emerging Infectious Diseases > Research
    Serologic Evidence of H1 Swine Influenza Virus Infection in Swine Farm Residents and Employees
    Christopher W. Olsen, Lynnette Brammer, Bernard C. Easterday, Nancy Arden, Ermias Belay, Inger Baker, and Nancy J. Cox
    Authors and Disclosures
    Published: 09/20/2002
    Physician Rating:
    ( 0 Votes )

    Rate This Article:

    Abstract and Introduction

    Abstract

    We evaluated seropositivity to swine and human H1 influenza viruses in 74 swine farm owners, employees, their family members, and veterinarians in rural south-central Wisconsin, compared with 114 urban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, residents. The number of swine farm participants with positive serum hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers ≥40 to swine influenza viruses (17/74) was significantly higher (p<0.001) than the number of seropositive urban control samples (1/114). The geometric mean serum HI antibody titers to swine influenza viruses were also significantly higher (p<0.001) among the farm participants. Swine virus seropositivity was significantly (p<0.05) associated with being a farm owner or a farm family member, living on a farm, or entering the swine barn ≥4 days/week. Because pigs can play a role in generating genetically novel influenza viruses, swine farmers may represent an important sentinel population to evaluate the emergence of new pandemic influenza viruses.
    —–

    And, maybe this, from 2006.

    * Confined Animal Feeding Operations
    as Amplifiers of Influenza ROBERTO A. SAENZ1, HERBERT W. HETHCOTE2, and GREGORY C. GRAY3 1Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom. 2Department of Mathematics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. 3Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. Abstract Influenza pandemics occur when a novel influenza strain, often of animal origin, becomes transmissible between humans. Domestic animal species such as poultry or swine in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) could serve as local amplifiers for such a new strain of influenza. A mathematical model is used to examine the transmission dynamics of a new influenza virus among three sequentially linked populations: the CAFO species, the CAFO workers (the bridging population), and the rest of the local human population. Using parameters based on swine data, simulations showed that when CAFO workers comprised 15-45% of the community, human influenza cases increased by 42-86%. Successful vaccination of at least 50% of CAFO workers cancelled the amplification. A human influenza epidemic due to a new virus could be locally amplified by the presence of confined animal feeding operations in the community. Thus vaccination of CAFO workers would be an effective use of a pandemic vaccine.

    Keywords Influenza in birds; Influenza A virus; Swine; Zoonoses; Communicable diseases; Models; Theoretical Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2006 ; 6(4): 338–346. H-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript

  15. mespo727272
    1, May 5, 2009 at 11:03 pm
    Buddha:

    “Everything can be explained even if it has elements that cannot be proven or unless you are describing pre-big bang conditions where physics as we know them do not apply”

    **************

    How about explaining “jumbo shrimp” then?

    Uh, Buddha dreaming maybe? The thing I like about the concept of reality being the dream of Buddha is that physics as we know them acknowledges that physics (what we have codified as the physical laws) as we know them (in the macro state) completely breaks down at the particle state. You know the drill, the cat is both dead and alive until an observer determines what state the particles are in by collapsing the wave-state through the act of observing. In fact, until you open the box and determine what’s in it (and if Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle were uniformly applied at every step of determinination,) anything you want could be in it if you weren’t pre-disposed to it being a cat by someone else telling you that it was. If there isn’t an observer, there’s no cat, shrimp, boat, bayou, or Cajun hot sauce for dipping. It’s all Buddhas dream.

    The universe is a magical place and that’s not even considering the multitude of universes’ and dimensions in an infinite space. I’m as willing to credit a really hungry bayou fisherman wanting really big shrimp as evolution for their existence once I start thinking about such stuff. Unfortunately, whatever latitude I had to change my universe evaporated somewhere around the checkout lane at the store yesterday so now that I’ve made myself hungry considering jumbo shrimp I’m stuck with some tuna salad leftover in the fridge.

    And also Mespho and Bron, based on my limited reading in the subject you’re right about virology being a new frontier in evolutionary biology. Micro-biology is the stuff of the ghods.

  17. mespo,

    Two words.

    Drunk coonasses. 😀

    The conversation went something like this . . .

    “I say there Fontaneux, those are some might-tee fine shrips ya’ll got ‘dere. How much for da big ‘uns?”

    “Well Mr. Robideaux, these are a special shrimps. I had to go purt near to Mexifornia to catch these critters! Dey destroyed two nets and ate a deckhand a’fore we got ’em onta da boat.”

    “Do tell!”

    “Yeah man! Dey pulled that LaFleur boy down to the deck and had him stripped to da bone before we could get him. Mean critters! Make a gator run to momma. These are dem jumbo shrimp and I’s got to charge a little extry! You know, for Mrs. LaFleur.”

    And thus another marketing oxymoron was born.

  18. Buddha:

    “Everything can be explained even if it has elements that cannot be proven or unless you are describing pre-big bang conditions where physics as we know them do not apply”

    **************

    How about explaining “jumbo shrimp” then? 🙂

  19. Bron,

    Things do not “defy logic”, they merely fail to fit in our standing logical framework. Everything can be explained even if it has elements that cannot be proven or unless you are describing pre-big bang conditions where physics as we know them do not apply. That being said, sure, the world really belongs to viruses and bacteria. Given the mechanisms of a virus, it seems perfectly possible that they impact evolution and the flu is a perfect example. The virus attacks the body. X% of the infected population dies, Y% gets ill but recovers and in the process develops anti-bodies, Z% never gets ill. That’s natural selection at work. And surely the virus mechanism can cause mutation as well. What is a wart but a viral mutation? As are certain cancers?

    Yep, this is OUR planet . . . in our imaginations only. 😀 We’re just high level parasites. The very small rule us all. And could kill us all in a shockingly short span of time. Sleep tight knowing we are entering the age of garage genetics. 😀

  20. Bron68:

    Funny that God may come in the form of the tobacco mosaic virus. Curious indeed.

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