Here is a piece of news I found funny and annoyed at the same time. Read on and my comment

Liow says it’s A(H1N1), Rais tells media to say ‘swine flu’

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 – Shortly after Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai urged the media to use the term Influenza A(H1N1) as recommended by the the World Health Organisation, Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said all media should return to using “swine flu” instead.

Rais said this was to ensure that the people realised the danger of the disease and to get the message across to them more accurately.

It is also easier for (radio and television) announcers to state “selsema babi” (swine flu) than H1N1 in Bahasa Melayu, he told reporters after an official visit to Pos Malaysia, here.

Rais also said that the ministry would monitor programmes broadcasting health-related advertisements to ensure that there was no confusion as to the accuracy of the message as well as the people’s understanding of swine flu/A(H1N1).

“We should not combine health-related matters with confusing advertisements," he said. – Bernama

written by warrior 231, June 26, 2009

Time to call a spade, a spade. Despite, WHO' play on semantics, the world press organisations with odd exceptions have largely maintained the original name

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu

Pressure against "swine flu" only percolated amongst the pork industry who lobbied to have the original name culled on commercial concerns:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28343516.htm

The facts are as they are and even WHo was resistant to the change :

"However, the World Health Organization has not budged from "swine flu."
source: http://www.google.com/hostedne...1ilBdLV6yQ

and pigs are the incubators of the stuff with even the experts agreeing to the swine origins of the disease, so why quibble over something just because it touches a raw nerve.

"Six of the eight genetic segments of this virus strain are purely swine flu and the other two segments are bird and human, but have lived in swine for the past decade, says Dr. Raul Rabadan, a professor of computational biology at Columbia University."
source:http://www.physorg.com/news160371024.html

and why the furore, no one seemed to be equally lathered up when bird/avian flu was bandied about:

My question is, why didn't the CDC or WHO change the name of bird flu to avoid offending the chicken industry? The whole thing's ridiculous. I hope everyone calling it "H1N1" grows a snout and a tail.
source : comment box from above

Rais, got it right, end of story

My Comment

Bagus(Good thumbs up) warrior you hit it on the nail. Yes Swine flu it is but is it politically correct? Rais says to make a great impact or is it? What about Avian flu, Why call it avian flu or bird flu why not Chicken flu to make it a great impact! Why stop there , why call foot and mouth disease which has also mutated and call it cow disease or sakit lembu! Hoooray we start culling the pigs and swine and chicken and go Vegetarian!! Go Veggie go! The truth is WHO has decide to call it H1N1 because it is a mutated swine flu. It is a combination of Swine and Avian( or chicken viruslah!) Whether it is because of the lobbyist it doesn't matter, we are part of the international community if not be an island lah! to me Rais is just flexing his puny muscle even UMNO pun tak mahu dia!!!(Dont want him)