I cannot think of a worse thing for this thing to be called.

They say that since it has nothing to do with pigs, it has no actual effect on the hog industry.

I really hate being at the mercy of this hog market crisis, and this really takes the cake.

Who in the world woke up one morning and decided to call this thing swine flu?

Don’t get me wrong. I know how serious this is – especially in Mexico. Mass diseases like this are scary for everyone. The weird thing is, there are only a handful of cases here in the Prairies, which are mild and most of us are outraged at the name of this global sickness.

Not only does it seem ridiculous to have this particular title, but it also takes away from the fact that it is a global illness to be reckoned with and this name alone is responsible for the rush of false information on how to deal with it. Taking the focus off the real thing is making it much more difficult to get it under control.

I know one thing. God is not the author of confusion. He can see the bigger picture of this whole thing. He can even see how this misnomer is affecting my farm and the neighbour’s farm and the neighbour’s, neighbour’s farm and so on.

Nope. I don’t get it. But God does. So I’ll just keep watching the news to see what’s going on.

I’ll wash my hands and cough in my sleeve to try to avoid it.

And I’ll try not to shake my head in wonder at this strange turn of events affecting an industry that can’t take much more.

Roxanna Martens farms with her husband near Steinbach, Manitoba Their 1,500-sow operation has been empty since September. Her blog can be

found at: www.roxannamay@blogspot.com

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