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Swine flu related lawsuit and updates
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The first lawsuit related to a swine flu death may be filed soon. The husband of Judy Trunell, the first U.S. citizen to die of swine flu in this country filed a petition seeking information from Smithfield Foods Inc. (doing business as Granjas Carroll de Mexico), the part-owner of a commercial pig farm in La Gloria, Mexico where the swine flu is thought to have originated. Mr. Trunell is asking a court in Cameron County,Texas to authorize depositions of company officials, employees and agents to investigate wrongful death claims against Smithfield Foods Inc.
Judy Trunnell died of swine flu complications on May 5. The young school teacher was 8 months pregnant when she became ill, but doctors were able to deliver her daughter by Cesarean-section before her death.
According to court papers, the swine flu originated in and around “manure lagoons” of Smithfield Foods’ pig farming operation in La Gloria. Mr. Trunnell’s petition states that unsanitary conditions at the pig farm may have caused the development and spread of the flu virus. The petition asserts “that there may be evidence which links the creation of the newest strain of the deadly swine flu with Smithfield Foods’ humongous pig farm operation in Mexico, which under the joint control of Smithfield Foods, has been allowed to lapse into a breeding ground of immense unsanitary proportions for a deadly virus.”
Smithfield has claimed that its pig farming operation in La Gloria played no role in the swine flu outbreak. And over the weekend, UPI reported that health officials investigating the flu have not found a link between the virus and Smithfield Foods’ farm. Nevertheless, residents in La Gloria continue to blame that operation for a variety of other problems and illnesses.
Since the first case was confirmed in Mexico in late April, deaths from swine flu, a new strain of influenza A, have mounted around the world. The World Health Organization said total deaths worldwide had reached 79 as of May 19 to equal the record-high annual death toll from avian flu registered in 2006.
“Even though swine flu is less virulent than strains that caused past pandemics, it could inflict major damage on human health since it is highly contagious,” said Nahoko Shindo, a WHO medical officer, warning the new flu cannot be underestimated.
As of May 15, a total of 424 people had contracted avian flu since 2003 and 261 of them have died. The deaths were concentrated in Asia, with 115 confirmed in Indonesia, 56 in Vietnam and 25 in China. Forty countries had officially reported 9,830 swine flu infections as of Tuesday, including 79 deaths, according to WHO.
On May 17, a New York City school principal became the sixth death reported in the US . There have been three other deaths in Texas, one in Washington state and one in Arizona.
Swine flu has generally been a mild disease, with most patients reporting flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, aches and fatigue. However, people with underlying medical conditions - including pregnant women, diabetics, those with compromised immune systems, the elderly and children - appear to face more danger from the swine flu.
Right now, WHO pandemic alert level for the swine flu stands at Phase 5, out of a possible 6. This means there is widespread human-to-human transmission of the virus in at least two countries in one region. This current system focuses on how widespread the disease has become without regard to its severity.
To date, Florida has 103 confirmed cases and no deaths.
For more info: CDC Surveillance
Examiner.com flu updates
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