Swine Flu: Can You Still Eat Pork? All Signs Point to Yes
This little piggy ... is safe to eat.
If reports about swine flu and goverments banning pork imports are making you think twice about eating that bacon, don't worry: the World Health Organization (WHO) says swine flu isn't passed through meat and that it is safe to eat pork products. The flu strain in question, H1N1 influenza A virus, is named after swine because it originated in pigs and used to have little effect on humans, but because of recent mutations it has become more harmful to humans, says BBC News.
Although you can still eat pork, you should still be cautious about the disease. The WHO says there's potential for a global pandemic, considering the cases that have popped up in Mexico, the U.S., Canada, and Europe. For more information on cases in the U.S. and how to stay healthy, visit the swine flu page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
During a speech this morning at the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama addressed swine flu, saying that while they are closely monitoring cases, it is "not a cause for alarm."
For a little perspective, shouldibeworriedaboutswineflu.com (current answer: "no") lays out statistics comparing the low risk of contracting swine flu to non-swine flu, heart disease, and vehicular deaths.
Related: Dining Swine? [Talk]
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6 Comments:
Tonight on TMZ someone asked Paris Hilton if she was concerned about swine flu.
Her reply: "I don't eat that."
I guess she's safe.
therealchiffonade at 8:00PM on 04/28/09
Oh, that's priceless, chiff!
The media has grabbed this story and overblown it to ridiculous proportions in order to sell papers, and in the process has caused widespread panic and crowded emergency rooms. These people will go to a special place in hell--a place reserved for the child-molesters, and people who talk in the theater.
buffy at 10:47AM on 05/01/09
Amen, and on the same track as BSE, thousands of ranchers and farmers are/were being squeezed unneccessarily at a time when things are so tough anyway! Enjoy your pork..."a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"!
EWhiskers at 9:47PM on 05/04/09
Hi. I'm the newbie here. Like your site.Hope to be invited back
Hmm Enjoy your pork unless of course your bacon starts sneezing on ya!
But I do beg to differ with EWiskers... Swine flu or h1n1 influenza virus is nothing like BSE. BSE is a fatal, neuro-degenerative disease, transmitted by eating infected meat.
Eat more Fish
Postie at 11:30AM on 05/07/09
Welcome Postie! I thought Swine flu was caught from infected people; NOT from eating the pork... I'm certainly not changing my eating habits because of this.
libbyk at 3:36AM on 05/09/09
What signs...Stop n Go?
truthman2008 at 9:04AM on 05/20/09