Yesterday, Wednesday, April 29th, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requested in a CNN interview for Americans to refer to Swine Flu as H1N1 Flu. This request comes as pork imports from the U.S. have been banned in several countries, including Russia, China, Dubai, and the Philippines. Health officials have announced that the flu can not be spread by consuming pork. However, the stigma that has been attached to pork still remains for many. The U.S. government is hoping that this change will dissipate the connection between pork and the virus. Fred Tasker explains the situation in an article in the Miami Herald.
When I first heard about the name change, I thought it was silly. However, after learning how steeply imports of pork have been affected, I now see the value in changing the way we refer to this new strain of the flu virus. I think it’s interesting that Vilsack made a request to the American people as a whole, not just government and health officials. This broad approach could be helpful as people interact with importers of pork. It will be interesting to see how many people actually change the name. I think the new name may be used by government and health officials, but the first name of something new has a way of sticking in the general public, especially when it’s referred to on the news.
Below is a video of Dr. Joe Bresee, M.D. with the CDC Influenza Division speaking about the H1N1 Flu, which he called “Swine Flu” at the time:
Source: Tasker, Fred. “Name Change: Government stops salling virus ’swine flu’.” The Miami Herald. 2009. Apr. 30, 2009 <http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1025884.html>.
