WHO Drops 'Swine Flu,' Now Calls It H1N1

The World Health Organization will stop using the term "swine flu" and instead call the virus by its technical name, H1N1 influenza A, reports the Times of London. The UN agency made the move after nations began slaughtering pigs and banning pork products in a misguided effort to stem the outbreak. Pork is safe to eat, a point the pork industry has been lobbying hard in recent days to drive home, notes Advertising Age.

For their part, health officials say consumers need more information about the virus, regardless of what it’s called. “You can point to the sun and call it the moon, but it’s still the sun,” one crisis-communications expert said. As yet, there are no data on how the outbreak is affecting pork-product sales. (More swine flu stories.)