Comments on: The new swine flu: don’t panic, but there is a very bad WCS https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/ Wed, 13 May 2009 13:43:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 By: Monado https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535118 Wed, 13 May 2009 13:43:04 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535118 I saw one item that said pigs with swine flu, once cooked, could be safely eaten; but I don’t know what regulations say about it in various countries. A farmer in Alberta had to slaughter 500 hogs, but that was because the barns were getting overcrowded with the farm quarantined and more hogs maturing.

]]> By: Nacho https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535117 Mon, 04 May 2009 17:47:58 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535117 Heh. They cook lobsters to death, literally, so it’s worth the brackets.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535116 Mon, 04 May 2009 17:33:45 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535116 Personally, I think it is pretty safe to eat pork obtained from reasonable sources that is not totally cooked to death (in a culinary sense to death … the should, of course, be dead).

BTW, I’m pretty sure that a pig that is sick with the swine flu (or anything else) is not supposed to be slaughtered.

]]> By: Nacho https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535115 Mon, 04 May 2009 17:27:32 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535115 (Didn’t see Greg’s comment)

Yeah, the idea of catching a flu from a long dead animal looked very strange to me, but as I’m no expert…

]]> By: Nacho https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535114 Mon, 04 May 2009 17:23:37 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535114 People tend to undercook sometimes because they like eating “juicy” pork (or whatever meat it is), so the recommendation makes sense I guess, even if it has nothing to do with the new swine flu. They (and by “they” I mean the press and the authorities) could explain that to make things clearer, though. Thanks for clarifying it.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535113 Mon, 04 May 2009 17:14:26 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535113 Nacho:

The virus needs to be from living tissue, and it needs to be packaged up for transmission. So, the only way to get this virus from a pig is if the pig sneezes on you, or if it is very freshly dead and you get bits of its respiratory epithelial tissues from the pig into your respiratory system. (The equivalent of a dead pig sneezing on you.)

The usual parasites you can get from a pig, as Stephanie points out, have been eradicated from the Western food supply, and are also totally curable.

]]> By: Stephanie Z https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535112 Mon, 04 May 2009 17:00:29 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535112 Nacho, the recommended cooking temperature of pork has more to do with parasites than with viruses or bacteria. While those parasites have been almost completely eradicated from the U.S. pork supply, following the recommendations is still very wise.

]]> By: Nacho https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535111 Mon, 04 May 2009 16:52:51 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535111 Great article, many thanks.

Just a quick question to be sure: does it make any difference if the pork is cooked or not? ‘Cause I read in other (admitedly not so trustworthy) sources that it’s not risky to eat well-cooked pork, but it said nothing about pork in general. You don’t make this distinction here, you just say pork is safe. Maybe all pork is safe for the flu but if it’s not well cooked it can transmit other diseases? Thanks again.

]]> By: Mike K https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535110 Sun, 03 May 2009 18:38:21 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535110 By the way, the very high mortality in 1918 was largely due to the ignorance of lung physiology and the errors in treating pleural effusion, the cause of at least 50% of the deaths. Look up the Influenza Commission some time. Evarts Graham figured out the reason why so many died from the 1918 flu. Closed chest drainage resulted.

]]> By: Mike K https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535109 Sun, 03 May 2009 18:35:32 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/05/01/the-new-swine-flu-dont-panic-b/#comment-535109 Your comments about Republicans and objecting to calling the virus what it is, H1N1, sounds pretty ignorant. Also:

Actually: sadly, no! In this case, it makes it clear Greg has been paying attention for the last 8 years. One of the most science-hostile administrations in a generation has just been replaced by an enthusiastic supporter.

The new administration just appointed an AGW hysteric as science adviser who was last seen predicting global starvation with Paul Erlich a couple of decades ago. Politics is politics, left or right orientation. These folks are no improvement.

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