Swine Flu Claims 1st U.S. Life As Agribusiness Whines About Media Coverage

As swine flu spreads to more U.S. states, a 23-month-old toddler in Texas is the first person in the United States to die from the disease.

But animal exploiters continue to focus on deflecting blame.

The toddler was from Mexico and had recently been there.

Illinois, my home state, may have its first case of swine flu.

Chicago school officials shut down an elementary school Wednesday after one child contracted a probable case of swine flu, and the Illinois Health Department said other cases are suspected in the state.

While more than 150 people in Mexico have died from swine flu and it continues to be found in more states and countries, the agribusiness industry pushes forward with its plan to deflect blame, in part by continuing to try to get the media to cease the use of the term "swine flu." (You'll need to register to gain access to the site.)

The North American Meat Processors Association, the National Meat Association and the American Meat Institute all issued statements asking the media to pick up on the phrase "North American flu" or other, accurate references to the hybrid A/H1N1 flu strain that is the culprit in the ongoing outbreak.

The industry was also disheartened (their word) to learn that the Associated Press had finally picked up the story about Granjas Carroll, the facility in Perote, Mexico, that is thought to be the origination point for the swine flu outbreak. The AP reported that it is half-owned by Smithfield.

Unfortunately I don't think the story goes far enough. It doesn't mention what Grist.com had reported -- that Mexican health officials, during a preliminary investigation earlier this month, had traced the outbreak to Granjas Carroll.

As early as February, residents began complaining of unusually strong flu symptoms. They blamed a farm that lies upwind, five miles (8.5 kilometers) to the north. By late March, roughly one-sixth of the community of 3,000 began suffering from severe respiratory infections.

Agribusiness also continued to blame bloggers for their "false" reporting.

Bloggers overwhelmingly repeated the information initially published on the Grist site, connecting the outbreak to "factory" farming, and sneered at Smithfield's releases attempting to set the record straight.

Imagine that: Bloggers not believing what Smithfield's PR people say. After all agribusiness doesn't lie, and Smithfield specifically has no reason to, right?

Instead of looking at themselves and determining how such an outbreak of swine flu can be prevented in the future, agribusiness has chosen to ignore the problem by playing a blame and name game. As a Meatingplace.com blogger put it, it's the media aand not agribusiness that is guilty.

Hopefully, some of the trade groups will get the media to start calling it [swine flu] another name and to quit showing pictures of pigs as they are talking about it. That is irresponsible.

("Irresponsible" photo courtesy of Business Week.)