Amidst concerns of a second wave of infections this winter, the European Commission has approved two new variations of the swine flu vaccine for distribution.

In the United States, a recent survey showed that while 58 percent of citizens believe swine flu is a serious threat to their health, only 31 percent planned to be vaccinated, citing fears of safety and effectiveness. Moreover,health care workers in the US state of New York have protested a regulation that would require them to receive the swine flu vaccine, expressing their concern that the vaccine has not been fully tested.

In China, where hundreds of thousands of people have been inoculated, there are at least 14 cases of adverse effects thus far.Officially counted cases worldwide since pandemic’s outbreak six months ago range in the hundreds of thousands, yet are known to bea gross underestimate of the true total. Israel, Hong Kong, Formosa (Taiwan), and Saudi Arabia are just a few of the governments that have recorded new human lossesto this deadly illness. With cases now from coast to coast and new deaths virtually each day, India has lost 309 lives. In all, world fatalities reached 4,292 in some 180 countries. In Europe, almost90 percent of the 548 cases counted within 72 hours came from Ireland and Germany.

We sympathize with world citizens who are suffering from swine flu or have lost loved ones. May all seek refugein the health protecting organic vegan diet, as we envision a future world freed of such widespread disease.

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