US ‘very concerned’ about swine flu-could trigger global pandemic

by car1edb | April 24, 2009 at 08:34 am

930 views | 56 Recommendations | 10 comments

Quote

Fifty-seven people had died in Mexico City from flu-like symptoms, she said, and another three in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico. There are around 800 suspected cases, she said. Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the virus had "mutated from pigs and then at some point was transmitted to humans". The strain of flu had been confirmed in at least 16 deaths, with 44 others being tested, the government said.

bbc

Just a tad worrying...Swine flu seems to be one of many mutations seeing the light of day of recent. Wonder who comes out with a "new and improved" $ vaccine?

Swine flu case updates, outbreak map,

Bloomberg: "A previously unseen variant of H1N1 swine influenza has sickened at least seven people in California and Texas"

1976 outbreak info...

Mexico shut schools...

Global pandemic risk...

Washington post: According to scientists at the CDC, genetic analysis indicates that the virus is “highly unusual” and “It is a hybrid that resulted from a combination of four different viruses"

Quote

US medical authorities expressed strong concern Friday about an unprecedented multi-strain swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and infected seven people in the United States. “It’s very obvious that we are very concerned. We’ve stood up emergency operation centers,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Dave Daigle told AFP. One major source of concern was that the virus included strains from different types of flu. This is the first time that we’ve seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain,” said Daigle, adding that the virus had influenza strains from European and Asian swine, but not from North American swine. In 11 of 12 reported human cases of swine influenza (H1N1) virus infection in the United States from December 2005 to February 2009, the CDC has documented direct or indirect contact with swine. But the seven known cases of the previously undetected strain in the United States — five from C

AFP

Cases mount, more expected...."cases of swine flu in San Diego and Imperial counties and predicted more will surface"

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car1edb

at 11:15 on April 24th, 2009

Related NP stories: 1, 2

Roy C

at 12:02 on April 24th, 2009

The end is near! Seriously, have a large supply of non-acidic C on hand. It does wonders against systemic influenza, and I find that the zinc lozenges, sold everywhere from Walgreens to GNC, work on the upper respiratory tract attacks very, very well.

You want the C because the bacterial infection, bacterial pneumonia, piggybacks in as an opportunisitc infection precisely because you C stores are low from fighting the virus infection.

You can also try cleaning the inside of your nose with rubbing alcohol to disinfect, reducing the chance that you carry an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that will do you in.

car1edb

at 16:25 on April 24th, 2009

Human -to- human infections reported,

Deaths "confirm" start of a pandemic,

- Like Mexico didn't have enough problems already?! guess it could be easier for them to take control of the place, since the drug wars seem to be taking they're sweet time.

jazzyzazzy

at 16:13 on April 24th, 2009

good advice roy c thanks will bear that in mind.

everchanging

at 17:22 on April 24th, 2009

It is very interesting to note that if this is natures own creation of a flu ~ then it picked one of the poorest countries in the world ~ where medical care and supplies are not state of art and in short supply. I just find it interesting that nature created a strain of four types of viruses into one & outside of a lab to sicken the most healthiest of our humans ~ while a drug company already has a vaccine to fight it ??? Just an observation.

sara star

at 17:44 on April 24th, 2009

Don't eat pork.

car1edb

at 11:19 on April 25th, 2009

Reuters report they've confirmed the mexican strain is the same strain as the US, they also say its too late to contain the virus within the US. -Unconfirmed report via twitter in vancouver, bc.

car1edb

at 00:21 on April 26th, 2009

NZ case unconfirmed:

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Three teachers and 22 senior students at Rangitoto College, New Zealand's largest secondary school, on Auckland's North Shore, yesterday returned to Auckland on a flight from Los Angeles, after a three week trip to Mexico.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) said today some had symptoms of an influenza-like illness and were remaining in home isolation as a precaution while tests to exclude or confirm swine influenza were carried out.

One student was believed to be in hospital.

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car1edb

at 10:50 on April 26th, 2009

Hrmmm, weaponised/cultured H1N1 anyone??

WHO: The Swine Influenza A/H1N1 viruses characterized in this outbreak have not been previously detected in pigs or humans.

Globe&mail: “This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratory is something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified,”

AZ Star: ATLANTA — Health officials are investigating a never-before-seen form of the flu that combines pig, bird and human viruses.

BBC: Mexican Doctor: Real Figure Is 200 Dead, Situation Out Of Control - bbc comments.

NWLiberty: Interesting - Swine Flu Attack Likely A Beta Test.

News1130.com: Confirmed cases in Canada: BC, Nova Scotia.

car1edb

at 10:57 on April 26th, 2009

As always business is business and still "good" money to be made:

Tamiflu was known, if at all, as an obscure remedy for influenza, which doctors typically treat with bed rest and chicken soup. Today, with panic mounting over a potential bird flu pandemic, it's the most sought-after drug in the world. Produced by Roche, it was developed by Gilead Sciences Inc.

Reuters: The Geneva-based agency has been stockpiling doses of Roche Holding's Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, a pill that can both treat flu and prevent infection. -

Bloomberg: Roche Stock up by 3%...

Among the beneficiaries of the run on Tamiflu is former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who was chairman of Gilead from 1997 to 2001 and owns at least $5 million of the stock. Former Secretary of State George Shultz, who is on Gilead's board, has sold more than $7 million worth of Gilead in 2005.