According to the World Health Organization, the total number
of confirmed cases throughout 46 countries has reached more than 12,500, with new cases that have appeared for the first time in Honduras, Iceland and the Czech Republic. Fatalities now are nearing 100 with new casualties in Mexico,the US, and Canada.
Meanwhile, cases are still on the rise globally, in the UK and Spain, and especially in the Asia-Pacific region, where Japan’s new cases are the highest among countries that include China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, South
Korea, and Australia. However, the United Kingdom’s top virologist,
Professor John Oxford of the Health Protection Agency, has stated that
the swine flu in the UK is actually about 300 times more pervasive than
government estimates, which means that some 30,000 people may have been
infected. Similarly in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention has said that only one in 20 actual cases is officially
reported, implying a more realistic US total of over 100,000 people
with swine flu. This could mean that the government tallies for other
countries are hugely underestimated as well.
Experts have pointed out that susceptibility to epidemics like the
swine flu has grown as we continue to confine large numbers of pigs and
other animals as livestock. Supreme Master Television spoke with Frank
Allen, Sanctuary Manager of Animal Acres, a farmed animal rescue center
in California, USA, who spoke about the intelligence and rich emotional
lives of rescued farm pigs.
Frank Allen - Sanctuary Manager, Animal Acres, USA, Vegan (M):
They love to play. They’ll bring sticks down from the hill and you can
throw it and they’ll go chase it and bring it back to you. They potty
train themselves; it’s amazing. They’re extremely smart animals;
they’re extremely clean animals. You rub their belly and they’ll fall
over on their side, like a dog rolls over on their back. Cows and the
pigs really amaze you when you get to know them and befriend them and
love them. I think if most people would go out and see these animals,
and actually meet them, more people would be likely to go "Wow!" And
sad to think that what we do to them. I think of all the pork and
sausages that I used to eat and I just, it makes me want to cry. I’ve
been inside Farmer John’s slaughterhouse, and it was all I could do not
to just break up and cry every time I turned another corner.
Swine flu is just like with avian flu, a confinement issue. What they
say is: “In order to feed everybody they have to keep these animals
confined,” which means we are just going to have more and more of these
weird diseases. This swine flu should have scared a lot of people to
start thinking about their food choices, and think about going vegan. It'll be better for you, it’s better for the
animals, it's better for the planet, overall.
VOICE: Thank you, Mr. Allen, for helping us understand more of the
sentience and endearing characteristics of our porcine friends. Our
prayers for the individuals and families alike who have been adversely
affected by the swine flu, as we sorrow for those who have lost their
lives. May we all take the most effective step of adopting the
plant-based diet, which shall save both human and animal lives.
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