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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