Just ask the Brazilians who rank among the top exporters of pork. Brazil has already seen its pork exports plummet 20 percent this year because of the world economic crisis. Just 24 hours after news of swine flu outbreak went viral the shares of the country's main exporters, like JBS, Mafrig and Minerva, dropped between 2 and 10 percent on the São Paulo stock exchange, Bovespa. Would the double whammy of recession and contagion break this multibillion dollar industry?

Perhaps not. Outbreaks, like economic breakdowns, tend to have a devastating short term impact on global markets, but then dissipate when the initial panic subsides. By late Tuesday, the stock markets gave back a good part of the share price they'd chopped off Brazil's biggest meat dealers.

But the Brazilians weren't taking any chances. Fearing further losses brought on by a wave of consumer panic, the Brazilian pork industry trade association, known by the indigestible acronym ABIPECS, has appealed to the authorities of scientific nomenclature. Their solution: rebrand the disease.

"The denomination the World Health Organization chose for the outbreak of A/H1N1 is hurting pork producers the world over and could cause them serious losses," association director Pedro de Camargo Neto wrote the WHO today. 

The Brazilians have suggested changin the name from swine flu to Mexican flu, based on the origin of the latest outbreak. Muy amigo, as they say in these latitudes.

The vegans were thrilled.

More on that Freaky Swine Flu: This Reuters blogger has a good take on how past flu outbreaks affected the economy, and how this one might stack up. If you just can't get enough, they also have a full coverage page with all the latest updates, photos, and backgrounders your panicked heart could desire.

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