First it was use of the term "war on terror" that was banned by the government.
Then it was "terrorist attacks" that became "man-caused disasters."
Now it's "swine flu" that is verboten.
Despite the history of "swine flu" in the United States and the current alarm being raised over what has been estimated so far as a few hundred possible cases, the real danger appears to be what the problem is called, according to a federal report.
The Joint Staff Surgeon update today said: "[The office] has passed on per direction of the Homeland Security Council (HSC) via the National Joint Information Center (NJIC) EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY - the use of the term 'Swine Flu' should be discontinued. The current influenza situation should be referred to as 'H1N1 Flu Outbreak.'"
According to the Army News Service, "swine flu" usually occurs in pigs, but some strains can be passed to humans and from person to person.
The new strain has been reported primarily in Mexico, but there also have been cases so far in Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States.
The symptoms are similar to other strains of flu: fever, sore throat, body aches, cough, headache, fatigue and chills.
Medical officials have been on a nonstop talking tour promoting wearing masks, washing hands and the like, and say products such as Tamiflu and Relenza can be used to treat it.
But officials have worried that people will think they get "swine flu" from eating pork, which isn't the case.
"Is there a better way to describe this that would not lead to inappropriate actions on people's part?" asked Dr. Richard Besser of the Centers for Disease Control. "In the public, we've been seeing a fair amount of misconception ... and that's not helpful."
Bans on the importation of U.S. pork already have been adopted by Russia and China, and other nations were screening the products.
The Associated Press also noted complaints from Israeli officials who objected to the reference to pigs, which are offensive to Jews and Muslims alike.
Historic documentation on government websites describing the problem still, however, call it "swine flu."
"Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people," one discussion says.
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