World takes drastic steps to contain swine flu. From Egypt's order that all 300,000 pigs in the country be slaughtered to travel bans and putting the kibosh on kissing, the world is taking drastic - and some say debatable - measures to combat swine flu. [News Source]

Egyptian Christians riot after swine flu cull. Egyptian leaders ordered the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of pigs today to help protect against swine flu, prompting angry protests from the poor Christan farmers who feed their animals with a country's food scraps. [News Source]

Federal officials pressured to tighten border crossings amid swine flu outbreak. Pressure mounted on federal officials Wednesday to tighten health screening or even close border crossings with Mexico to stem the spread of a new strain of influenza. [News Source]

WHO says swine flu pandemic is imminent. Global health authorities warned Wednesday that swine flu was threatening to bloom into a pandemic, and the virus spread farther in Europe even as the outbreak appeared to stabilize at its epicenter. [News Source]

Containing flu is not feasible, specialists say. Experts on the global movement of flu say the world must bow to the inevitable: closing borders would not only fail to stop the virus, but would also cause economic collapse and possibly add to the death rate. [News Source]

Egypt bird flu: Bird flu blamed in Egypt child’s death. The death of 6-year-old Ali Mohammed Ali brought mystery, health inspectors and truckloads of police to a poor Cairo neighborhood. [News Source]

Cities consider ordinances for urban livestock. As some combination of the locavore craze, the growth of immigrant communities with traditions of raising hens and the recession has made the idea of free eggs or milk in the backyard attractive, cities and suburbs around the country are reviewing all manner of critter ordinances. [News Source]

On alert. Texans are used to dealing with the uncertain threats posed by capricious Gulf Coast weather. The best course of action is to stay calm and heed the directives of civil authorities relayed through the news media as events warrant. The same stance is equally valid in reacting to the current swine flu alert. [News Source]

And after much effort, Man created swine flu. As swine flu spreads, and fear spreads faster, it is worth remembering that this, and other animal-to-human viruses, are partly man-made, the outcome of our hunger for cheap meat. [News Source]

Why should we worry about swine flu? This is by far the most extensive person-to-person spread that we've seen from a swine-origin virus. [News Source]

Factory hog farms breed infectious viruses. Peach Bottom Township is engaged in a showdown with state officials over a proposed factory hog farm. [News Source]

Avian Flu Research Sheds Light On Swine Flu Outbreak (Medical News Today) A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about. As of now, avian flu viruses can infect humans who have contact with birds, but these viruses tend not to transmit easily between humans. [News Source]