Swine Flu Gets a Makeover

“This isn’t swine flu; it’s H1N1 virus. That’s very, very important. And it is significant because there are a lot of hardworking families whose livelihood depends on us conveying this message of safety… " (FOX News)

Hello I’m Charlotte Bellis and you’re watching Newsy.com. That was video from Fox News.

We’re tracking coverage as the U.S. pork industry, country leaders and ethnic groups debate the appropriate name for swine flu.

MSNBC explains the swine flu has very little to do with pigs:

“But how did the outbreak start? Certainly not in pigs. The virus is similar to those that causes flu in pigs but it also contains material from flu viruses in birds and humans… Within the virus there are elements of a North American avian influenza, a North American swine influenzas, some human influenza and then this Eurasian swine influenza as well. It’s a bit of a mixing pot here.” (MSNBC)

The virus is also being called the “Mexican flu” by some. USA Today reports:

“...[the Israeli Health Minister] suggested renaming swine flu as "Mexican flu," saying that the reference to pigs is offensive to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork…That… did not please the Mexican government, which quickly registered an official complaint…” (USA Today)

The Chicago Tribune reports some Muslim and Jewish groups are offended by the term “swine flu” because of their religious objections to pork.
But the paper also noted some religious leaders aren’t bothered by the name.

“The only thing that’s relevant is that they should find a cure,” said a rabbi from Chicago.
While the director of the Islamic Medical Association of North America said unless someone called him “swine flu” as an insult, the name didn’t bother him a bit.” (The Chicago Tribune)

The New York Times brings the suggestion from the World Organization for Animal Health, which…

“…the new disease should be labeled “North American influenza,” in keeping with a long medical tradition of naming influenza pandemics for the regions where they were first identified.” (The New York Times)

The political blog PoliGazette comments:

“They are actually serious. That is what is so sad about this. People are suffering from this flu, it is spreading faster than anybody imagined possible … and [the government is] trying to convince us to stop calling it ‘swine’ flu.” (PoliGazette)

So what do you think the flu should be called? Does it matter?