Swine flu vaccine threatens shark species.

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Deepwater sharks at risk of extinction have been fished en masse to produce a key ingredient in the swine flu vaccine known as squalene. Squalene is naturally found in plant alternatives such as olive oil.

However, the methods used to harvest the squalene oil from shark liver include not only killing the sharks but also other marine life through the destructive practice of bottom trawling. According to Ms. Mary O’Malley, co-founder of the US-based Shark Safe Network, these fish are more vulnerable to extinction due to their slow reproduction rates combined with disregard for measures implemented in places like the European Union to limit shark fishing.

Although a number of regions’ swine flu waves appear to have subsided, many countries are still seeing high levels of activity, including <．xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Bulgaria, Switzerland, and parts of central Asia such as Kazakhstan.

In all, 20,810 fatalities have been reported globally so far due to the pandemic, although the vast majority of cases have gone untested and therefore uncounted. Countries seeing increased deaths include Egypt with 133 lives lost, 919 in India, 70 in Greece, and 410 in Canada.

We send our sympathies to the victims and their families affected by the swine flu. Our prayers that the inhumane treatment of all animals associated with such diseases is quickly halted through the simple switch to the protective and compassionate organic vegan diet.

Reference:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091229-sharks-liver-oil-swine-flu-vaccine.html

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/17/AR2009121701309.html．hpid=moreheadlines

http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx．id=2051230&Language=en

http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php．option=com_content&task=view&id=150369&Itemid=1

http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100101/157434812.html

http://www.vancouverite.com/2009/12/30/swine-flu-kills-nine-more-in-canada/