Dense pig populations, such as those found in food factories, allow viruses to spread and evolve very quickly.

The current swine flu outbreak originated in the small town of La Gloria, Mexico, which lies next to one of the country’s biggest pig factories. The factory’s owner, Smithfield Foods, claims their herds are healthy – but they have not shared the supporting data.

The current strain of swine flu is the same as that first identified on industrial pig farms in North Carolina in 1998 – a hybrid virus containing swine, bird and human gene segments. It is thought that this hybrid got mixed with a common flu virus to create a new strain.

Dense pig populations, such as those found in food factories, allow viruses to spread and evolve very quickly. When avian flu broke out a few years ago, similar concerns about intensive poultry farming were raised.

Image to link: Advocacy britannica

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