lunedì 27 aprile 2009

...and last but not least "The Swine Flu"!

Panic is spreading everywhere in the world for the effects of a swine flu virus starting from Mexico where more than 100 people died for it.

Mass media are diffusing very alarming news but rarely it is possible to understand exactly what this swine flu really is. It is thus important to have correct health info and in the same time to be aware of the dynamics of the risk and fear society which we live in...

Swine flu is a viral desease quite common in pigs and in people having regular contact with them. (A/H1N1) But perhaphs virus' characteristics might be altered causing a new (and poorly understood) kind of H1N1 virus.

In Italy, the Ministry for public health has prepared and diffused the following document (in italian) to describe the virus' features and desease's characteristics and some FAQs

Other info (in italian):
speciale ANSA: tutto sul virus
Comunicato Coldiretti importazioni carni suine dal Messico
Comunicato CIA

Info in English
Swine Influenza

We should pay a particular attention to this topic because, after BSE and avian flu, it highlights the dramatic globalization of complex issues however related to livestock production, nutrition, food and health.

It is important in the same time that an adequate labelling system, describing meat' s origin and history, will be applied also for pig meat as in the case of bovine an poultry meat. It Italy we always need an emergency to obtain the respect of a rather obvious right that's the consumers' health as in the case of BSE or avian flu.

Paradoxically, this is the only positive aspect of the entire issue: we are thus waiting for further catastrophes to obtain the respect of this right for other types of meat and for fish (about which we don't know anything...)

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