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Swine Flu - time for an inquiry into root cause

The extent of the current swine flu outbreak is still uncertain and will hopefully decline. 

But it is surely right that governments investigate the causes - including the potential issue of farming practices.

While attention is understandably focused on how to deal with the consequences of the outbreak now, it is vital that governments put serious resources into examining its root causes as well. 

Fortunately, the avian flu outbreaks didn't turn into deadly pandemics. But unless we urgently seek to address the causes of all these outbreaks, we might not be lucky again.

We need to know if there are links between the increasing intensification of pig and poultry farming, and the spread of these viruses that originate from animals and that can be lethal to humans. It is urgent that ministers set up a commission of inquiry. The Green Party first called for this after the avian flu outbreaks a few years ago. 

Yours sincerely

Cllr. Rupert Read, Green Party MEP candidate

Comments

Joe Otten said…
How do you suggest we go about this? If you design an experiment to compare the disease potential of intensive farming with less intensive farming, that's a heckuv a lot of farming that would be part of the experiment. And the next new flu turns up somewhere else entirely.
8 May 2009 at 17:33
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