Mexican Residents Say Swine Flu May Have Started At Local Farms

LA GLORIA, Mexico (AP) – Residents of a rural Mexican town believe their community may be ground zero for the swine flu epidemic, though authorities deny it.

The town in the Veracruz mountains is home to Mexico’s earliest confirmed case of the deadly new strain. A 4-year-old boy is among more than 450 residents who’ve reported respiratory problems and unusually strong flu symptoms as far back as February.

The residents blame contamination by pig waste spread into the air and water from nearby breeding farms. Local health workers Intervened in early April, sealing off the town and spraying to kill flies people said were swarming around their homes.

Residents say about half the town’s residents work in Mexico City and could easily have easily spread the virus.

Some of the area’s farms are co-owned by Virginia-based Smithfield Foods. A Smithfield spokeswoman says the company has found no clinical signs or symptoms of the flu in its swine herd or its employees in Mexico.