Swine flu cases continue to appear around the world, and a Google Map has been created to track the locations and basic information about the incidents.  Unfortunately, doesn’t give a clear picture of where the epidemic might spread next or more importantly how and where it started. The source of the outbreak has largely been ignored by the media, as I mentioned previously, but slowly reports are emerging that ground zero for the H1N1 virus (the strange mix of pig, bird and human flu virus now circulating the globe), looks to be a hog farm in La Gloria, Mexico.

Smithfield Foods, the Virginia-based owner of the factory farm, typically denies the connection, despite the evidence that neighboring residents were the first to show symptoms of swine flu, and at least one child was shown to carry the previously rare virus.  The conditions of the pig farms in the area are atrocious (Warning: Photos are graphic), and despite one farm claiming that they adhere to sanitary requirements, many of them have massive cesspools of pig feces that contaminate the groundwater.  Disturbingly, this is common practice for many industrial animal farms, even in the U.S., and countless other health threats can be traced back to this criminal negligence, including the recent outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli.

Containing the spread of swine flu is obviously of great importance, but we need to begin seriously addressing the factory farms that are generating these health risks.  The pork industry is a powerful force, and with government officials stepping in to protect them from finger pointing, we need an independent analysis of the threat posed by these unscrupulous farms.

Stay tuned for further updates.