The origin of influenza A (H1N1)?
Where did the A (H1N1) flu come from? Residents of the Mexican town where the first case was diagnosed say that a US-owned factory just a few miles down the road, which produces 950,000 pigs a year, is to blame. A blogger from the area went to the factory to look into the conditions.
Only a week after the deadly virus hit the headlines, what we first knew as swine flu, and is now called influenza A (H1N1), remains quite some mystery to both scientists and the public. Where this pig/ bird/ human flu super virus came from remains unknown. But what we do know, is that around a month ago, a five-year-old boy, Edgar Hernandez, fell ill with what has now been diagnosed as the A (H1N1) virus, and is thought to be the first known victim. The boy survived, but following his illness, around 800 people in his tiny town, La Gloria, southwest Mexico, also fell ill with a mysterious flu. What we also know, is that a few miles down the road lies "Granjas Carroll", an enormous hog producer, majority-owned by multinational Smithfield Foods, and the United States's biggest pork supplier. The factory has long been the target of protests by locals, who have complained of contamination for over half a decade. Now, they're making the link between the pollution which comes from the farm and the origins of influenza A (H1N1). They say that around half the townspeople work in Mexico City during the week, which is how the virus was transmitted to the capital. Smithfield, however, denies the link. The company says no pig in the factory has been diagnosed with the flu and therefore no infection can have emerged from it.
"Pigs (…) drinking from a water source that contained their own blood and excrement"
César Augusto Vazquez Chagoya is from Velacruz, to the east of La Gloria. He prefers to remain anonymous. He originally posted this report on his own blog EnlaceVeracruz212.
The dumping lakes where excrement and blood arrives through these tubes.
A dead pig lies rotting in the lake.
Pig corpses left outside.
Pig corpses stacked onto a cart to be taken away.
The infamous bio-digester that is supposed to generate electricity [according to the company]. Above, pig corpses are piled into the cellar, and below, after they've been decomposed and ready to be used as fuel for electricity.
Barrels full of bacteria. In the close-up you can see that the barrell is covered with flies.
Continue reading César's report (in Spanish).
Comments
That is absolutely
Submitted by Unregistered user on Sat, 23/05/2009 - 15:27.That is absolutely disgusting!!! It doesn't really make me afraid of the H1N1 virus, but scared to eat pork. The way they do things is just apalling and I can't believe they are allowed to run their plant like that.
H1N1 question
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2009 - 00:32.1. Lately, several organizations, and even governments have tried to calm the public by saying that the virus is not as virulent as first expected. That's wonderful news, however, doesn't the virus constantly mutate, and can't its current less-virulent condition gradually change into a virulent one when it is passed from human to human?
2. Does the WHO have any power exert pressure on Indonesia for its lack of cooperation by not providing or releasing sufficient information about the progression of H5N1 virus within its borders, due to some people in the government's belief that the H5N1 virus was released through some American / Jewish conspiracy?
How can the WHO effectively convince the Indonesian authorities that their actions are extremely negligent, to say the least?
Distracting from Reality
Submitted by NWO (not verified) on Thu, 07/05/2009 - 17:49.This is probably dis-info, trying to point the reality away from the fact that this virus was man-made!! Look at the 1918 virus that everyone seems to have already forgotten, then the 1976 swine flu and the more recent bird flu, it can't had mixed up alone. All of those cases started in military installations, make your research, you will find it too!!!
http://umanovaordemmundial.blogspot.com/
Support Humanely Raised Meats
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 04:46.Vegetarianism doesn't stop animals from being killed, there are all sorts of small animals that die in the process of farming and transporting your food to market. Try and support humanely raised meat. Pasture yes, feedlot no. Factory meat is cheap for a reason, it's less nutritious and more likely to get you sick.
the big barns be come sick the pigs!!!
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 04/05/2009 - 23:39.Since 2005 to january 2009 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention USA receives reports of 12 cases of human infection with swinw flu...... Five of these 12 cases ocurred in patients who had direct exposure TO PIGS and six reported being near pigs......Exposure in one case is unknown.... March 28 2009...Believed to be the date of the earliest onset of the swine flu cases in the USA Dr.Nancy Cox of the CDC....you can see these on http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,51818,00html then....USA is the first country that had cases of infection in 2 ways (pig-human, human-pig) and TWO TIMES since 1976 and 1988.....Mexico now has no herds of pigs infected or infected farm workers....and now we regret very much that Canada is in this situation, but it is the first time for this country.... then I believe that the responsibility for having sprayed the virus (due to lack of adequate monitoring and control at the time) are the United States...theirs concentrations exceed 7000 livestock pigs .. this is a high concentration that makes it difficult to control,even considering a high technical managementand .....second is that this concentration is in a small area of square kilometers (geographic areas with high concentration of large farms)....I have the map showing this concentration, right now I'm searching my files to show who is interested...I think it warns us that the problem will soon be among us... I'm sure the pollution in Mexico was contacted by the tourism foreigner in February/March,which saturates beaches and areas of turistic destination. I repeat: until today Mexico has no cases of human infection and human-pig or pig- human.
you are the dirty bastards
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 04/05/2009 - 01:11.stop eating pigs you dirty human bastards, and stop mistreating those poor animals, you are the dirty bastards not the pigs.
So, it seems like maybe you
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 04/05/2009 - 23:03.So, it seems like maybe you like animals & don't like meat?
Then, you would be much better off supporting small farmers who raise our animals under humane conditions & give them their end very quickly. I have 19 cattle, 92 sheep/goats & 5 pigs. They are on pasture, (eating the diet God/Nature intended them to eat), from conception till their time comes. When it is time for them to go off to freezer camp, we take them to a spot on the farm that they've been many times before. Everytime they've been there, they've gotten a treat. They like going there. This time, they get their treat & are thinking, "Oh... life is so wonderfu....." They never get to finish that thought, they don't see what's coming, they just stop thinking & start tasting good.
If man didn't eat meat or exploit animals in other ways, there would be many spieces that you would never have even heard of. You don't hear much about wild horses or cattle in the US. Those that you do hear of were on the brink of extinction. The horses here are the decendants of stock brought over for the Spanish to exploit. They never would have seen the Americas if we didn't use them. PETA is for the extinction of all animals. Vegitarians & Vegans who do so because animals are so cute, are very short sighted. If the Human Race doesn't have a use for it, it'll go extinct. And, are you aware of what it takes to grow plants? Try it sometime. Grow all your own food. I do, I know what it takes. You are clueless,unless you do.
I'am a Mexican and I'am concerned
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Sun, 03/05/2009 - 16:54.I'am a Mexican and I'am concern
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Sun, 03/05/2009 - 17:51.
Yes,the media made everything out of proportion, but the threat is real in Mexico, and we have to pay attention, and the measures taken were really needed for a city 0f 20 million inhabitants.
The Carroll/Smithfiels farms could not be the origin, but thay have atrocious hygienic practices, they take advantage of a country with very flexible laws (corruption?)
Perote, Veracruz is a beautiful region in the mountains of Veracruz.
I have a link for those with a hard stomach. the biodigestors.
http://suburbiodeimagen.blogspot.com/2009/04/contaminacion-de-granjas-ca...
Note. I cannot get myself to eat a ham sandwich anymore.
Focus
Submitted by Nelson Nnadika (not verified) on Sat, 02/05/2009 - 23:43.frist of all, Read your Bible and see what the GOD of all creators said about this animal. HE said (don't) eat it for they are unclean to you, and also do not touch their carcase . (Leviticus 11:7)
People Perish for rejection of the word of GOD, Rejection of (JESUS CHRIST)
in order to fell ok in their life stlys.
Chose the LORD CHRIST today and be saved.
i got attacked by three
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 04/05/2009 - 14:33.i got attacked by three religeous people telling me to save myself before its too late and im not afraid of bringing my math textbook to beat every religeous person of any religeon... O 0 (they were soo mean when i kindly rejected em')
"Religeon is a private matter... SO KEEP IT TO YOURSELF"
-word of the lord.