La Gloria, Mexico Named Epicenter Of Swine Flu

Residents of La Gloria, Mexico say the epicenter of the swine flu virus is a pig farm near their town. It’s almost as exciting as laying claim to the world’s largest ball of twine. 

450 of La Gloria’s 3,000 residents say they are suffering from respiratory problems due to contaminants in pig waste. The source? Pig breeding facilities co-owned by a U.S. company. La Gloria citizens say they’ve been experiencing symptoms similar to those associated with swine flu since about late March. Explains one La Glorialists:

When we saw it on the television, we said to ourselves, ‘This is what we had. It all came from here. … The symptoms they are suffering are the same that we had here.

Much of La Gloria’s population work in Mexico City and could have easily spread the illness to the nation’s capital, if they indeed had swine flu. While the breeding farm’s manager says their pigs are clean, healthy and kept up to date with vaccinations, residents of La Gloria have long suspected that runoff from the farm has been contaminating the town’s air and water.

In response to such fears and accusations, Mexican Agriculture Department officials announced on Monday that no cases of swine flu were found among pigs in Veracruz, where La Gloria is located. However, the facility’s manager says no government inspector has paid a visit to his farm.

So… Get on that, Mexican Agriculture Department.

Some have pointed fingers at the Mexican government for either underreporting cases of swine flu within its borders or deflecting blame to the United States (in which case, the American-ownded pig farm outside of La Gloria could help with that agenda). How diligent is the government in handling the outbreak, identifying its source and ensuring that afflicted people are receiving timely and adequate medical care?

Swine flu’s ground zero? Residents say nearby farm [AP]