You’ve got to love stories like this. If you have looked at the news or even had the most basic of human contact in the last few months then you will know about the swine flu. Well over in Israel, where the flu is simply called “H1N1” because pigs are seen as unclean, they have come up with a rather innovative way of combating the virus. See if you can see a flaw in this plan, you’ll have to really pay attention to spot it:

A group of rabbis and Jewish mystics have taken to the skies over Israel, praying and blowing ceremonial horns in a plane to ward off swine flu.

 

About 50 religious leaders circled over the country on Monday, chanting prayers and blowing horns, called shofars.

 

The flight’s aim was “to stop the pandemic so people will stop dying from it”, Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri was quoted as saying in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

 

Now obviously their mistake here is one of instrumentation. As you all no doubt know ceremonial horns are used for fighting bacterial infections while consecrated pan pipes are the musical instrument of choice when dealing with viruses. But despite this fundamental mistake it seems it may have been effective.

“We are certain that, thanks to the prayer, the danger is already behind us,” added Mr Batzri was quoted as saying.

 

Well you can’t argue with that.