Israeli official: Swine flu name offensive

JERUSALEM (AP) — The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.
Both Judaism and Islam consider pigs unclean and forbid the eating of pork products.

Scientists are unsure where the new swine flu virus originally emerged, though it was identifed first in the United States. They say there is nothing about the virus that makes it "Mexican" and worry such a label would be stigmatizing.

Two Israelis who recently visited Mexico have been hospitalized with symptoms of the flu. Health authorities have not yet confirmed whether they actually have the virus.

The current strain of swine flu is thought to have originated in Mexico where more than 100 people have been killed by the disease so far.

Laboratories in the U.S. and Canada have confirmed that of the samples tested so far, the swine flu virus in Mexico and U.S. appear to be the same.

Source

Seriously?! Some people just look for ways to be offended.

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Comment by Johnny on April 28, 2009 at 6:14pm: LOL! And the response...

Mexico complains to Israel about Litzman's new name for swine flu
Mexico on Tuesday launched an official complaint to Israel regarding Deputy Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman's suggestion to call swine flu "Mexican flu" in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork. Mexico's Ambassador to Israel Frederico Salas complained to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem that the name Mexican influenza was bothersome and worrying.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that Israel had no intention of changing the name of the virus and emphasized the friendly ties between Israel and Mexico.

During a press conference Monday, Litzman said the reference to pigs was offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu."

Source

Comment by Johnny on April 28, 2009 at 6:20pm: And still more if you're interested...

The Naming of Swine Flu, a Curious Matter

Comment by CJoe on April 28, 2009 at 7:06pm: Wait. Ok. That makes no sense. How are they offended by that? This flu kills people, therefore it is "unclean"... to those religions, pigs are unclean. It makes perfect sense that they would call it Swine Flu! It's a bad thing! Calling it Mexican flu IS really offensive since... um... Mexicans shouldn't be called unclean as opposed to as stupid animal... that they already consider unclean. WTF. Retards. I mean, just because they have some claim to the status of pigs doesn't mean it is suddenly stricken from the conversations or references of other people.

Comment by Nick on April 28, 2009 at 10:15pm: Can we change human papilloma virus to woman papilloma virus? Since the first person to have it may have been a woman.

Comment by Misty: Baytheist Living! on April 29, 2009 at 12:38am: Yet again...*facepalm*

Comment by a7 on April 29, 2009 at 5:32am: I ma not looking forward to the same tactics being used here in the UK and europe. Sadly we tend to be apologetic to these wankers, take the case of the wee fat man cartoons.

Lets wait and see but i predict demonstrations on UK street and a sudden change of name. I hope the UK media find a backbone.

G

Comment by Johnny on April 29, 2009 at 11:09am: Jesus & Mo

Comment by Sam Singleton Atheist Evangelist on April 29, 2009 at 1:39pm: UPDATE: Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman now favors referring to swine flu as "Palestinian flu."

Comment by Johnny on April 30, 2009 at 1:44pm: Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu
Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday as a precaution against swine flu even though no cases have been reported here, infuriating farmers who blocked streets and stoned vehicles of Health Ministry workers who came to carry out the government's order.

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Experts suspect swine flu, a strange new mix of pig, bird and human flu virus, originated with pigs then jumped to humans and is now spreading through human-to-human contact. Health authorities have said you cannot contract the flu by eating pork.