Emotions often trump common sense, which is a major bummer during flu season.

Regardless of whether we’re talking about H1N1 or seasonal flu, sick people often ignore public-health warnings to stay home.

Thanksgiving will be challenging. Who wants to miss a holiday dinner? But if you’re sick, please show some love for the rest of us and confine yourself to your bedroom.

While we’re on the subject, don’t run your germy hands over my Whole Foods Market grocery cart. Not only do I hate overusing antibacterial wipes and gels, but you’re forcing me to consider donning a hazmat suit. And if you have the cojones to cough in my face while I’m waiting to pay, I’m sure the police will regard my actions as self-defense.

Experts agree that asking the public to comply with infection-limiting measures is difficult. University of Michigan researchers conducted focus groups and found that economic concerns and distrust of the government are stopping people from “social distancing”—an important measure when we’re in the middle of a pandemic.

Study participants “also expressed concern about the feasibility of keeping children and teens isolated and the need for spiritual gatherings during a crisis,” says Susan D. Goold, MD, a professor of internal medicine and director of the U-M Bioethics Program.

“Several parents viewed staying home from work to care for children during school or daycare closures as a luxury that not all families could afford,” adds Nancy M. Baum, a doctoral candidate in public health and coauthor of the study, which appeared in this month’s edition of the American Journal of Bioethics. “Others were worried about losing their jobs if they had to stay home because they were sick or their children were home.”

Economic pressures, she notes, can also “lead to unsafe situations like children being left home unattended.”

Participants were skeptical of government interventions and said their elected officials would likely choose political expediency over doing the right thing. Many doubted the accuracy of government-provided information.

“If the public is not engaged, or feels they are not being treated fairly, the less likely they are to comply,” says coauthor Peter D. Jacobson, JD, MPH, a professor of health law and policy.

As a clinical medical editor for more than 20 years, I trust our public-health officials’ ability to provide disease-prevention strategies and vaccine protocols. I’m saddened and frustrated by the anti-science crowd that attacks the legitimacy of everything from global warming to vaccine efficacy.

As someone who embraces an organic lifestyle, where do you stand?

As we reported on Saturday, pigs on display at the Minnesota State Fair were undergoing confirmatory tests to determine whether they were infected with H1N1 (swine flu). 

Earlier today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack revealed the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus was present in samples collected at the fair. Additional samples are being tested. 

At press time, the USDA believes the Minnesota case “does not suggest infection of commercial herds because show pigs and commercially raised pigs are in separate segments of the swine industry that do not typically interchange personnel or animal stock.” 

Vilsack once again is reassuring Americans that eating pork does not pose any infection dangers. 

We’ll continue to monitor the story for you.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is testing some Minnesota pigs to confirm whether they are infected with the H1N1 virus (swine flu). 

If so, this would be the first U.S. case of H1N1 in a swine population. 

According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, pigs at the Minnesota State Fair were routinely tested between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1. Preliminary results revealed some of the pigs were infected, even though they showed no signs of illness and seemed healthy. 

“Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses,” Vilsack says. “We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza. We are working in partnership with CDC, as well as our animal and public health colleagues, and will continue to provide information as it becomes available.”

 The results may be in within the next few days.

 The pork industry is already freaking out about the PR implications, and Vilsack is working with them to remind Americans that “they cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products.”

While there was an outbreak of H1N1 in a group of children housed in a state-fair dormitory—at the same time samples were collected from the pigs—the USDA says there’s no direct link. The children, however, may have infected the pigs.

Meanwhile, the USDA is reminding pig producers to heed hygiene standards to prevent the introduction and spread of flu. The agency also urges them to participate in its swine influenza virus surveillance program, which monitors pig populations in an effort to detect illness and develop new vaccines.

Turkeys at two farms in Chile recently tested positive for the same strain of H1N1 (swine flu) that has been infecting humans, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Experts are concerned that other poultry farms around the world could be affected. 

FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth, DVM, PhD, says the Chilean incidents pose no immediate threat to humans and that veterinarian-inspected turkey remains safe. 

“The reaction of the Chilean authorities to the discovery of H1N1 in turkeys—namely, prompt reporting to international organizations, establishing a temporary quarantine and the decision to allow infected birds to recover rather than culling them—is scientifically sound,” he says. “Once the sick birds have recovered, safe production and processing can continue. They do not pose a threat to the food chain.” 

 H1N1 is a mixture of human, pig and bird genes that has proved to be very contagious, but no more deadly than common seasonal flu viruses. It could, theoretically, become more virulent if it combines with H5N1 (avian flu)—more deadly, but harder to contract. 

“Chile does not have H5N1 flu,” Dr. Lubroth explains. “In Southeast Asia, where there is a lot of the virus circulating in poultry, the introduction of H1N1 in these populations would be of a greater concern.” 

Hygienic and safe farming practices must be followed, he says. This includes protecting farm workers who care for, or work near, sick animals. 

“We must monitor the situation in animals more closely and strengthen veterinary services in poor and in-transition countries,” Dr. Lubroth says. “They need adequate diagnostic capability and competent and suitably resourced field teams that can respond to emergency needs.”

Photo courtesy of the CDC