Why Swine Flu Is Deadlier in Mexico

(AP) - The swine flu virus has infected the immigration debate, with talk show comments like "fajita flu" and "illegal aliens are the carriers" drawing vehement protests from Hispanic advocates. The volatile immigration issue had cooled off on talk shows and in the blogosphere as the presidential election and economic crisis unfolded. Now, some are using the spread of the virus to renew arguments that immigration from Mexico is a threat to America. More»

As Americans load up on Tamiflu, shootings draw little notice

(NEWSER) - In the US and Mexico, a plague much more widespread than swine flu continues to pick off its victims, regardless of age, health, or hometown. "While federal and state authorities are preoccupied with preventing a swine flu pandemic from overwhelming the United States, the epidemic of gun violence rages on, unabated and little noted," writes Cynthia Tucker in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. More»

(NEWSER) - Countries are tightening borders and stepping up containment methods as the swine flu body count continues to rise, the New York Times reports. The disease is suspected in 152 deaths, all in Mexico; 50 US cases are now confirmed from California to New York City. Health officials in Japan and at least eight other Asian countries are now screening anyone arriving from North America. More»

(AP) - Fear of swine flu is a good reason to wash your hands, but not to take pork off the menu. Federal health officials say the virus that has triggered fears of a flu pandemic is not transmitted by food, and that all food-borne germs are killed when pork is cooked to the recommended internal temperature of 160 degrees F. There also is no evidence so far that American pigs are infected with the virus. More»

(NEWSER) - The hysteria over the swine flu pandemic has spawned its share of magic cures, and health authorities are busy combating the snake oil salesmen, the Financial Times reports. Nearly half of the warning letters sent by the FDA to manufacturers and retailers since May have been issued to those hawking products that purportedly combat the H1N1 threat. “Not only are these claims illegal but we also consider them a potentially significant threat to public health,” the FDA says. More»