Swine flu genes traced to North Carolina factory farm

/snip

As it turns out, there's a more direct connection between the current swine flu outbreak and North Carolina: Scientists working to understand the genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus that causes the disease have linked it to a virus behind a 1998 swine flu outbreak at an industrial hog farm in Sampson County, North Carolina's leading hog producer.

The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer reported that a virus related to the current outbreak was first identified a decade ago at a farm in the eastern North Carolina county. The N&O cited Raul Rabadan, a Columbia University scientist who's studying the new virus's genetics:

"This virus was found in pigs here in the United States," Rabadan said in an interview. "They were getting sick in 1998. It became a swine virus."

It spread among pregnant sows in Newton Grove, N.C., causing them to abort their litters. The virus then spread to pigs in Texas, Iowa and Minnesota -- putting epidemiologists on alert about the new viral strain and the potential for a human outbreak.

/snip

http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/05/swine-flu-genes-traced-to-north-carolina-hog-farm.html

No... I've been saying this the whole time. People looked at me like a conspiracy theorist.... These factory pig farms are NO good!

and someone wants to open a factory pig farm about 8 miles from here.
There has already been some objection. I forget the location since I am relatively new to the area. It is to the west of us on I think (only been by there once) Wagon Wheel, Turner or Stoney Creek School road( i really can't remember, I am a long term hiv patient with health stuff going on which is keeping me at home mostly).
I agree about factory farms , bad news. I grew up on a farm in WV we had cows, chickens, pigs, but they were not crowded. All had pasture to roam in.
I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but eat less meat do buy beef from a local farmer who pasture feeds his cows on grass, we get eggs from our neighbors whose chickens run all over here. He gives them just enough grain to keep them coming back to the coop at night. other wise his chickens and guineas help keep down the fleas, ticks and other bugs in our gardens and yards. Never let the chickens in your garden the will destroy your plants, guineas can fly enough they can get over a 5 foot fence, but the chickens cannot.

http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/the-flu-lagoon-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen/

i read about this in the north carolina magazine several years ago and finally found this. the article was far more frightening than this brief summary....the pathogen mutated faster than anyone though possible.

these drugs also kill off the worms so dumb asses that can`t figure out when meat is throughly cooked won`t make themselves and others sick.