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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, 2009 H1N1 Novel Pandemic influenza, the illness
3 commonly referred to as "Swine Flu", is a combination of human
4 and animal strains of the influenza virus; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus is a human influenza
6 virus that is spread from human to human; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
8 indicates that the 2009 H1N1 influenza currently circulating
9 among humans is a "novel" flu strain, with a genetic makeup
10 that is unique and has not been seen before in humans, birds,
11 or pigs; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Since last spring and the onset of the 2009 H1N1
13 influenza outbreak in humans, the USDA has consistently asked
14 the media to stop calling this "novel" pandemic virus "swine
15 flu"; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
17 Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have
18 both pledged to cease using the term "Swine Flu"; and
 
19     WHEREAS, According to the CDC and the U.S. Department of
20 Homeland Security (DHS), human beings cannot contract H1N1

 

 

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1 influenza from eating pork products; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Pork production is a major component of Illinois'
3 agriculture industry, with cash receipts from farm marketings
4 totaling approximately $800 million in 2007; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in the number
6 of hogs and pigs on farms; and
 
7     WHEREAS, U.S. hog farmers have lost almost $4.6 billion
8 since September 2007 as feed prices rose to a record high last
9 year and the recession and the H1N1 influenza outbreak curbed
10 pork demand in 2009; and
 
11     WHEREAS, By continuing to mislabel the 2009 H1N1 influenza
12 virus that is affecting human populations around the world, the
13 media is causing undue and undeserved harm to America's
14 agriculture industry, especially pork producers; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Continued use of the term "Swine Flu" is damaging
16 to Illinois' pork industry, as well as the State as a whole;
17 therefore, be it
 
18     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
20 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge all State agencies,

 

 

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1 their representatives, and all private media outlets to cease
2 using the term "Swine Flu" and further urge them to use the
3 term "2009 H1N1 Influenza" in its place; and be it further
 
4     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5 presented to the Governor, the Director of the Illinois
6 Department of Agriculture, and the Director of the Illinois
7 Department of Public Health.