WHO wants to change disease names

[Catherine]

WHO, the World Health Organization is proposing to change certain disease names. In particular they would stop the naming of diseases for animals. This would prevent the slaughter of certain animals for no reason. In particular they are talking about Bird Flu, Swine Flu and Monkey Pox. In some cases the animals are not the source of a particular outbreak, but they are killed out of fear anyhow.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...495&at=dt0

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/...ld-5671932
There are other diseases and other names that they want to change for various reasons. I agree with their thinking. What do you think?

[LPC]

I agree with the principle - but I'm not sure that changing names will protect animals from needless slaughter, much as one hopes that this would be the result. The old prejudices will remain, blaming animals for the spread of diseases when in reality it is intensive farming and the overuse of antibiotics (causing resistant strains to multiply). The real answer is a change in farming habits. Intensive farming breeds animal diseases more than anything, as having for example thousands of chickens crammed together in one enclosed building is asking for trouble.

[Catherine]

Quote:I agree with the principle - but I'm not sure that changing names will protect animals from needless slaughter, much as one hopes that this would be the result. The old prejudices will remain, blaming animals for the spread of diseases when in reality it is intensive farming and the overuse of antibiotics (causing resistant strains to multiply). The real answer is a change in farming habits. Intensive farming breeds animal diseases more than anything, as having for example thousands of chickens crammed together in one enclosed building is asking for trouble

You are so right about the farming methods being the real problem. Changing the names of diseases won't fix that. However I can see how changing the names will change the focus a little. Future generations will only know the knew names.
Particularly with the Flu, they can give it an actual designation that has meaning. The Swine Flu is actually H1N1. I had it in 2009. I hadn't been near a pig and the person I caught it from has never been near a pig.
Naming diseases after countries or cities is also misleading. Often the disease is not really from that area.

If only the WHO was able to change unhealthy farming practices.