The Chupacabras Flu

The panic seems to be behind us. We are not in the midst of the 21st century's version of the Black Death. But could this news cycle have been put into some kind of different perspective? Is it too late to rename the flu?

Maybe someone should have thought more clearly about the name used for this near-pandemic media-driven panic. Certainly, a short survey of what the most apparent association that comes to folks' mind has hinted at a waiting and willing candidate.

I, therefore, with no disrespect to the eyewitnesses to this cryptid or the sufferers of this influenza, nominate for future use the moniker: The Chupacabras Flu.


At Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, just a block from the Jardin in the Centro, in Mexico, one may observe the many murals and galleries that line the arched walls. One of them is the above Chupacabras mural. Note the panic in the people. Source.

"Even the mask-wearers tell you the whole thing could well be some big nothing cooked up by the media and reminiscent of the mythical beast Chupacabra[s] — Mexico’s bloodsucking equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster." ~ Helen Popper, Reuters.

"Some Mexican citizens are looking at the health scare through a political prism. 'Remember all the arguende (hoopla) about the chupacabras?' said Oscar Sanchez. Like the stories of the mythical blood-sucking beast that captured hefty media attention a few years back, the Ajijic deliveryman suspects that extensive coverage on the spread of swine flu will serve as a smokescreen to downplay some disturbing national news that is on the horizon. 'It’s the kind of hype that politicians use to distract people from really bad things that are happening around them.'" ~ Michael Forbes, Guadalajara Reporter.

"Others refused to believe the severity of the outbreak, including soft drink and cigarette vendor Maria Bautista Flores, who compared the current panic to the mythical Chupacabras that terrorized rural Mexico in the mid-1990s through tales of an alien creature snatching goats and sheep." ~ ~ David Agren, For Canwest News Service.

"Others wonder aloud if it’s an outright government fabrication to distract the Mexican people from the recession, poverty, national debt, violent crime, drug wars and corruption that face the U.S.’ southern neighbor, much like the 'computer breakdown' which wiped out an opposition candidate’s lead in the 1988 presidential election or the fabricated Chupacabras and 'contaminated milk' scandals of the 1990s." ~ Alexis Charbonnier, Special to the Daily Journal.

Do I hear a second to my nomination of The Chupacabras Flu?

P.S. "Chupacabras" is the singular and plural form of the noun, which is a Spanish word meaning "goatsucker."

Although Wikipedia uncritically lists the 2007 claim of a Puerto Rican comedian and entrepreneur that the word “chupacabras” was coined by him in 1995 (!), a much earlier origin was referenced on the Cryptomundo blog in 2005.

The word "chupacabras" was spoken on television in the year 1960, in an episode of the TV western, "Bonanza." The word “chupacabras” was said by a Mexican character who was talking with one of the Cartwright family characters about a creature that sucked the milk from goats, hence it being one of the “goatsuckers,” and may have been an allusion to the birds, whippoorwills.

Zoologically, night jars and whippoorwills are members of the Caprimulgiformes (goatsuckers) and thus are called “Chupacabras” in Spanish. It seems a natural extension of this usage that a cryptozoological creature, a new cryptid sucking the blood from goats, would also be called a Chupacabras.

“Chupacabras: It’s sort of like Jennifer Lopez, kind of cross-cultural.” - Loren Coleman, as quoted by ABC News, 1999.


Of course, the more appropriate cartoon now might be a Chupacabras chasing a pig.

:-) Thank You.

Ah-Chu: Advance Man With Obama In Mexico Had Swine Flu?

A member of the U.S. delegation that helped prepare Energy Secretary Steven Chu's trip to Mexico City has demonstrated flu-like symptoms and his family members in Anne Arundel County have tested positive for swine flu. Chu and Obama were in Mexico City together during the mid-April trip.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday, April 30, 2009, that three members of an aide's family are being tested to see if they have the same strain of swine flu that is threatening to become a pandemic. The aide worked in presidential advance, which is responsible for planning and preparing trips.

Gibbs said that Secretary Chu has not experienced any symptoms. The spokesman also said that President Barack Obama also has had no symptoms of the virus and doctors see no need to conduct any tests on his health.

The individual – an advance security staffer for Energy Secretary Steven Chu –appears to have spread the flu to his wife, son and nephew. All three have tested probable for swine flu, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Gibbs, who avoided naming the aide, remarked that he did not work closely with Obama, did not fly on Air Force One and has resumed his work at the Energy Department.

The aide arrived in Mexico on April 13, Gibbs said, and became ill on April 16. He developed a fever on April 17, the day Obama left Mexico for the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. The person in question flew back commercially to Dulles on a United flight on April 18; Gibbs had no details yet on whether people on that flight have been notified.

The man visited his brother on April 19 and his nephew became ill. In the next two days, the aide's wife and son also became ill, Gibbs said.

Nevertheless, that security aide was apparently at a working dinner Obama attended with Mexican officials on Thursday, April 16, 2009. The staff member “was asked specifically if he ever came within six feet of the president, and the answer to that was 'No.' "

“The president has not experienced any symptoms,” Gibbs repeated to the media. He said Obama and other staff members are “highly, highly, highly unlikely” to develop such symptoms now because of the time that has passed since Obama’s visit on April 16 and 17, 2009, and the relatively short incubation period allegedly for the flu virus, known as H1N1.

The question remains...who were the attendees at the April 16th dinner in Mexico?

The following is the official White House memo, "Update on the H1 N1 Influenza and Suggested Protective Measures" that has been disseminated to those who traveled on President Barack Obama's recent trip to Mexico:

The White House Medical Unit has been in regular contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding any possible or confirmed cases in the Washington Metropolitan area. We have learned that an individual who traveled to Mexico City to support the U.S. delegation that accompanied the President to Mexico City came down with flu-like symptoms associated with his work in Mexico. Three members of the individual’s family tested positive for Type A influenza, and tests are currently underway to determine if they contracted the 2009 H1N1 influenza strain. Individual family members suffered mild to moderate symptoms and received no medication and were not hospitalized. There have been no known instances of anyone working at the White House complex who has tested positive for a flu strain in the past month. We are providing this information so that you are aware of the CDC guidance that has been provided to the general public and the federal workforce.

As you may already be aware, the CDC has confirmed 91 cases of H1N1 Flu outbreak in the United States. Twenty states, including one in the National Capital Region, have probable or confirmed cases. Within the United States, the CDC expects the number of cases to increase, and illness severity may also increase. Unlike seasonal influenza, the H1N1 influenza virus currently circulating cannot be prevented through vaccination. Fortunately, individual members of the Executive Office of the President can protect themselves and their co-workers through simple actions that reduce virus transmission and assist public health authorities.

Influenza is transmitted through respiratory droplets that travel between 3 to 6 feet when an affected individual coughs or sneezes. In addition, the influenza virus may survive approximately 2 hours when affected individuals wipe their hands on surfaces such as doorknobs or tables. Limiting influenza exposure within the buildings at the White House Complex will allow normal operations to continue even if the world-wide influenza outbreak becomes more widespread.

Acute respiratory symptoms that are normally considered minor take on added importance in the setting of a novel influenza virus outbreak. If you experience a new cough, runny nose, congestion, sore throat, body aches, or fever, stay home and see a physician before returning to work. The physician will diagnose and treat your condition. If you have influenza, antiviral medication can shorten the course of the illness.

In addition, the physician will take a sample and send it to the local health department to determine if you have the new H1N1 virus. This information is critical for public health officials who can evaluate close contacts of H1N1 cases. Any individual diagnosed with influenza should not return to work for one week to avoid transmitting the virus to co-workers.

Because of their population density, workplaces are susceptible to the spread of illness, so it is always good to take common health precautions. Employees who are not sick should wash their hands frequently with soap and/or gel sanitizers. They should avoid close contact with individuals exhibiting acute respiratory symptoms. If a household member becomes infected with the new H1N1 virus, guidance for home care is available at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance_homecare.htm.

EOP staff members experiencing symptoms, or are susceptible to infection, or are needing to care for sick family members are encouraged to take leave. Please consult with your component administrative supervisor regarding this capability. Further, the Office of Personnel Management has guidelines for staff and supervisors during a pandemic health crisis. http://www.opm.gov/pandemic/agency/index.asp

Please also consult with your component administrative supervisor regarding the potential for tele-working capabilities.

Additional general information on the H1N1 virus is also available on the CDC website.

Further information will be provided as this situation develops.

Thank you.

Call It Mexican Flu

In Israel, where there is one suspected case, the deputy health minister, Yakov Litzman, said the disease will not be known as swine flu, because religious Jews do not eat pork. "We will call it Mexico flu. We won't call it swine flu," he said. ~ Guardian.

What are they calling the flu in New Zealand, where the number of cases has skyrocketed to 60 today?

The flu virus spreading globally should not be called "swine flu" as it also contains avian and human components and no pig allegedly has been found ill with the disease so far, the French group, the World Animal Health says.

A more logical name for it would be "North-American influenza," a name based on its geographic origin just like the Spanish influenza, another human flu pandemic with a non-human animal origin that killed more than 50 million people in 1918-1919, notes the WAH.

"The virus has not been isolated in animals to date. Therefore it is not justified to name this disease swine influenza," the Paris-based organization said in a statement, according to the Guardian.

But Mexican Flu is more logical, of course, and more closely identifies the country most people associate with this outbreak.

This strain of "swine flu," we are told, is "A/N1H1." That is intriguingly, since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was caused by an unusually virulent and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. Also, worthy of noting, the Spanish Flu allegedly began in Fort Riley, Kansas. In the United States the disease was first observed at Fort Riley, Kansas, United States, on March 4, 1918.

Then why is it called "Spanish flu"?

The origins of the name has everything to do with the media. Spain had freedom of the press, and it lead to correct and complete information about the epidemic being published. The Allies of World War I came to call it the Spanish flu, primarily because the pandemic received greater press attention after it moved from France to Spain in November 1918. Spain was not involved in the war and had not imposed wartime censorship.

Interesting.

Meanwhile, on the political front, my state's senator is getting a lot of media notice during the run-up to this possible new pandemic. Maine Senator Susan Collins, the supposedly moderate but known locally as a strident, attention-seeking politician, had demanded cuts in health care spending in exchange for her support of a watered-down version of the stimulus. At the time, she complained about the pandemic funding: "Does it belong in this bill? Should we have $870 million in this bill. No, we should not."

As recently as this weekend, Collins' official website highlighted the fact that she led the fight to strip the pandemic preparedness money out of the Senate's version of the stimulus measure. The emergency services that would necessarily be on the frontlines in any effort to contain a pandemic got no funding in the $50 million for improving information systems at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Senate version of the stimulus plan included no money whatsoever for pandemic preparedness.

Ooops.

Watch Swine Flu Spread In Real Time

First some humor, from 2005. I guess we knew they were going to get their revenge.

Unfortunately, this is all too real. Felipe Solis Olguin, the director for the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City, (below) gives President Obama a tour, and dies the next day from "flu-like symptoms." (Name game: Solis = Sun.) That's no joke.

Now let me turn to the further harsh reality via Google Maps, thanks to Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo. See the spread of the pandemic, in real time. Click here.

A screen capture of the swine flu map, from earlier today.

As Diaz says: "Reading the map is very simple: [x-out...We are all going to die.] The pink markers are suspect, the purple markers are confirmed, and deaths don't have a black dot in the marker. The yellow markers are negative, but I don't see any. Have fun watching. While you can."

Obama & Flu Death

President Obama's recent Mexican archaeologist host has died from flu-like symptoms.


Felipe Solis Olguin, the director for the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City, stands before a large Aztec sculpture. Condolences to his family. Photo: Robert van der Hilst/Corbis.

The Independant's Stephen Foley is reporting on Monday, 27 April 2009:

The White House says that Barack Obama is "highly engaged" in monitoring the swine flu outbreak that has spread over the border from Mexico into the US – and well he might. For a while, the President's doctors feared that he may have come closer than almost anyone in the country to contracting the virus.

According to alarming reports from Mexico City, Felipe Solis, a distinguished archaeologist who showed Mr Obama around the city's anthropology museum during his visit to Mexico earlier this month, died the next day from "flu-like symptoms."

Mr Solis met the President at a gala dinner which was held at the museum on 16 April, before Mr Obama travelled on to the Americas summit in Trinidad and Tobago.

Yesterday, the museum was shut, in common with most public attractions in Mexico City, and the nation's Health Minister confirmed that Mr Solis had died of pneumonia – but that it was not thought he had contracted swine flu.

In the US, the White House said that the President's doctors had given him an all-clear. Mr Obama showed no symptoms after the usual incubation period, his spokesman said.