The largest production facility in the US is in Missouri, which involves 3 or 4 “farms” each with north of 100,000 Hogs.

As I recall, other major areas include Iowa, and along the Virginia-North Carolina border.

What to do with the pig-doo is a big environmental issue in the US, because the new agricultural model for Hog farming is huge facilities raising over 50,000 head at a time in a single location.

As to Smithfield – it wouldn't be the first time -

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-724749.html

And – knowing that environmental controls in Mexico are non-existant…

It's very possible they just dumped the waste next to a town.

Also it IS related to commercial pig farming in the U.S. in THAT Smithfield owns the plant in Mexico where the 'culprit' has been “tracked.” Although not directly.

(I say that with a boo-hoo-hoo and a little tear, as my own trip to Mexico is probably going to have to be cancelled. Whaaaaaah!)

good point. for example, the cases in san diego county have occurred in a primarily white, north county private school. i haven't heard of ANY cases in san ysidro (border town on the u.s. side).

our fear buttons are too easily pushed.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/1284…

Why blame immigrants? As the post suggested, it sure looks, walks and quacks like racism to me.

If it were undocumented workers swimming the Rio Grande, why wouldn't the entire US-Mexico border be clustered with cases?

Essentially the same thing happened with SARS, only then the scary images were of Asian folks wearing masks. Enough to ignite the ever present smoldering xenophobia-racism combo that seems to be present in all of us here in the US of A: black, brown, white, whatever.

They always eventually find someway to blame it on the continent.

Has “the source” been determined yet?

Is Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork packer and hog producer, linked to the outbreak? Smithfield operates massive hog-raising operations Perote, Mexico, in the state of Vera Cruz, where the outbreak originated. The operations, grouped under a Smithfield subsidiary called Granjas Carroll, raise 950,000 hogs per year, according to the company Web site.

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-25-swine-f…

Google Mapping of swine flu cases (H1N1)

Also – got this from 43rd State Blues: The story on Smithfield in the Rolling Stone mag in 2006. If I remember correctly, Smithfield workers were striking at one point, but I don't if that's mentioned in the article. I read it long ago and will have to reread.

yes. the ignorantly loud-mouthed fear-mongering is incredibly racist and–as usual–COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. i'm in san diego, and our local news has been very measured in its response to this situation. i'm proud of the local anchors here who have decided NOT to follow the lead of the national media in this instance.

The largest production facility in the US is in Missouri, which involves 3 or 4 “farms” each with north of 100,000 Hogs.

As I recall, other major areas include Iowa, and along the Virginia-North Carolina border.

What to do with the pig-doo is a big environmental issue in the US, because the new agricultural model for Hog farming is huge facilities raising over 50,000 head at a time in a single location.

As to Smithfield – it wouldn't be the first time -

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-724749.html

And – knowing that environmental controls in Mexico are non-existant…

It's very possible they just dumped the waste next to a town.

Also it IS related to commercial pig farming in the U.S. in THAT Smithfield owns the plant in Mexico where the 'culprit' has been “tracked.” Although not directly.