INOVATIVE WORLD

Swine Flew




DES MOINES, IA - As the cases of Swine Flu continue to multiply around the globe, a parallel outbreak of Swine Flew is plaguing farmers and rural residents throughout the U.S.

Iowa hog farmer David Lyons described the startling phenomena. "I came out of the house about six in the morning, and I saw three of my sows floating up in the air. They'd grown wings overnight and were flying…like really big birds. I was in such a state of shock I couldn't move, but then they just flew off over that cornfield and that's the last I seen of them."

Experiences similar to Lyons' have been reported by dozens of other hog farmers throughout the Midwest.

"Half of my hogs flew off yesterday to God-knows-where," said Ted Zigler, a Kansas hog producer. "If this keeps up, I'm going to go broke. I'll have to switch to growing Tofu."

Like so many others, Lisa Conklin of rural Wisconsin said she never thought she'd see the day when pigs could fly. "I always used to say, 'Yeah, that'll happen when pigs fly. Now they are."

Conklin expressed a concern raised by many Americans since the onset of Swine Flew. "Let's just pray that monkey's don't start flying out of our asses."


IN AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY, April 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)—New Zealand now has 14 cases of confirmed or probable swine flu, with three more people testing positive for Influenza A, health officials said Wednesday.

The government said it was working on the basis that anyone who tested positive for Influenza A and has recently traveled to Mexico or the United States is also likely to have the swine virus, which is a subset of Influenza A.

Late Tuesday, Health Minister Tony Ryall confirmed that three people among a group of 11 tested had tested positive for the H1N1 strain of swine flu.

The group, consisting of 10 students and one teacher from Rangitoto College in Auckland, had recently returned from a three-week school trip to Mexico.

"Ministry of Health is assuming that all people who have tested positive to Influenza A and traveled with the Rangitoto College party have swine flu," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, two of the cases announced Wednesday were not part of the Rangitoto College group but had traveled to affected areas in Mexico and the United States.

However, samples will still be sent to the World Health Organization laboratory based in Melbourne, Australia, for confirmation.

All 14 cases are currently in home isolation and are being treated with antiviral medication.

Although there are still no confirmed cases in Australia, the number of suspected cases has risen to 91, with authorities expecting the country will not escape an outbreak of swine flu.

"This flu is indeed moving fast and we are conscious that whatever steps we take, it may not be possible to stop this disease coming into Australia," Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.

Thermal scanners will soon be dispatched to major Australian airports, while all international flights must now inform Australian quarantine authorities of any suspected cases onboard.