I know, the title of this post just doesn’t make sense to most of you, but I was stunned to hear racist statements coming from fellow Malaysians who are shallow in their thinking. Why? We all know the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and now spreading fast to other parts of the world, especially in North America. The thing is swine flu caused by H1N1 virus (almost similar to H5N1, Avian Flu) is not something new. Most animals can be infected with respiratory disease just like human. Similarly, swine flu is a respiratory disease normally found in pigs and caused by type A influenza viruses.
Prior to the sudden outbreak in Mexico, reports on swine flu infection on human were documented but they were very rare just like avian flu. What causes the major outbreak is still under investigation, though some experts have suggested that pig farmers in Mexico are trying to cut cost by not using influenza vaccine to prevent swine flu on their pigs.
Now, what pisses me off is that in Malaysia, some people are trying to link swine flu with pork eaters (to be exact, non-Muslims) by spreading racist statements. I personally heard a mid-30 woman said (translated) "Never mind, we won’t get swine flu because we don’t eat pork. Let them die with their pork!" And another guy supported her by saying "Yeah, who ask them to open so many pig farms, now they deserve it!". The most annoying statement followed after that (which I don’t want to translate) "Babi betul lah babi ni, sama juga orang babi! Bagi mampos semua!" I was very very angry yet I just keep quiet because I was not in the mood to confront them at that time, was busy with some urgent matters.
But tell me, don’t you think those statements are racist? And coming from two people who are supposed to be educated, reflect just how far our nation has grown into. First and foremost, swine flu virus is airborne, meaning it can spread through air and not transmitted by food. Just because you don’t take pork, doesn’t mean you’re safe from swine flu! Second, why are those people so happy when other people are suffering from the disease? You think they want it to happen? My goodness…. Maybe they are just among the very few who have such shallow thoughts, but hearing it just hurt your ears especially in a nation that promotes racial harmony and tolerance. At the very least, we show some sympathy towards those are infected and not diverting it to some petty issues like pork eaters or pig farmers. Sad, but it’s perhaps a reality that we need to face.
You can refer to CDC website on Swine Flu or Mnistry of Health Malaysia for more info.
(Pictures courtesy of AFP)
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