Quarantine

The Kabul Zoo has decided to quarantine the only pig in Afghanistan in reaction to the outbreak of the H1N1 virus (previously known as swine flu). Afghanistan, of course, is a devoutly Muslim country, where pork and related products are banned for religious reasons. Aziz Gul Saqib, the zoo's director, told Reuters: "For now the pig is under quarantine. We built it a room because of swine influenza. We've done this because people are worried about getting the flu." While the pig's treatment might seem to be a bit extreme, it avoided the fate of its cousins in Egypt. There the government ordered the slaughter of about 250,000 pigs inside the country, pigs which would have been eaten by Egypt's Christian minority.