http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/04/swine-flu-experts-big-pharmaceutical
The end results of a conflict of interest.
World wide taxpayer rape
Trio of scientists who urged stockpiling had previously been paid, says report
Scientists who drew up the key World Health Organisation guidelines advising governments to stockpile drugs in the event of a flu pandemic had previously been paid by drug companies which stood to profit, according to a report out today.
An investigation by the British Medical Journal and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the not-for-profit reporting unit, shows that WHO guidance issued in 2004 was authored by three scientists who had previously received payment for other work from Roche, which makes Tamiflu, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), manufacturer of Relenza.
City analysts say that pharmaceutical companies banked more than $7bn (£4.8bn) as governments stockpiled drugs. The issue of transparency has risen to the forefront of public health debate after dramatic predictions last year about a swine flu pandemic did not come true.
Showing posts with label Swine flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swine flu. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
WHO to review its handling of H1N1 flu pandemic
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BL2ZT20100112
The WHO and the CDC, both lost their credibility from this one.
God help us if a pandemic really does occur, because no one will believe a thing they have to say now.
Obama committed America to a 4 billion dollar effort to handle it's onslaught.
Most of that money went into research, of what I'm not sure, since after month 1 the CDC was no longer counting how many people actually had contracted it.
The World Health Organization is to examine its handling of the H1N1 pandemic, the group said on Tuesday, after accusations by some politicians that it exaggerated the dangers of the virus under pressure from drug companies.
The WHO and the CDC, both lost their credibility from this one.
God help us if a pandemic really does occur, because no one will believe a thing they have to say now.
Obama committed America to a 4 billion dollar effort to handle it's onslaught.
Most of that money went into research, of what I'm not sure, since after month 1 the CDC was no longer counting how many people actually had contracted it.
The World Health Organization is to examine its handling of the H1N1 pandemic, the group said on Tuesday, after accusations by some politicians that it exaggerated the dangers of the virus under pressure from drug companies.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Major Victory with Swine Flu Scandal
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Non-food/Disease/major_victory_with_swine_flu_scandal_191120090720.html
Swine flu was just a money making hype,
European scientists and health authorities are facing angry questions about why H1N1 flu has not caused death and destruction on the scale first feared, and they need to respond deftly to ensure public support.
Accusations are flying in British and French media that the pandemic has been "hyped" by medical researchers to further their own cause, boost research grants and line the pockets of drug companies.
However, in Britain, health authorities' original worst-case scenario -- which said as many as 65,000 could die from H1N1 -- has twice been revised down and the prediction is now for around 1,000 deaths, way below the average annual toll of 4,000 to 8,000 deaths from seasonal winter flu.
But this is the horse of a different color that's being covered up.
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11170902/Ukraine_328.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXcPr3QzChs
Swine flu was just a money making hype,
European scientists and health authorities are facing angry questions about why H1N1 flu has not caused death and destruction on the scale first feared, and they need to respond deftly to ensure public support.
Accusations are flying in British and French media that the pandemic has been "hyped" by medical researchers to further their own cause, boost research grants and line the pockets of drug companies.
However, in Britain, health authorities' original worst-case scenario -- which said as many as 65,000 could die from H1N1 -- has twice been revised down and the prediction is now for around 1,000 deaths, way below the average annual toll of 4,000 to 8,000 deaths from seasonal winter flu.
But this is the horse of a different color that's being covered up.
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11170902/Ukraine_328.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXcPr3QzChs
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ukraine epidemic
Beware my friends, the epidemic victims in the Ukraine have doubled their numbers,
those that have contracted the virus as well as the death toll it's self.
Last Wednesday 450,000 people had it, now the victim count is 900,000. The death toll last Wednesday stood at 86, now over 150 people have died. Their hospitals are over flowing and a call for International help has gone out and has been heard and is being responded to by their close neighbors.
Air travel will spread this world wide, this is not the swine flu or a mutant strain of it.
It would be prudent to put away some extra groceries and any medications that are imperative to your well being.
Better to be safe my friends than sorry.
http://www.tymoshenko.ua/en/article/x8a7cnu5
those that have contracted the virus as well as the death toll it's self.
Last Wednesday 450,000 people had it, now the victim count is 900,000. The death toll last Wednesday stood at 86, now over 150 people have died. Their hospitals are over flowing and a call for International help has gone out and has been heard and is being responded to by their close neighbors.
Air travel will spread this world wide, this is not the swine flu or a mutant strain of it.
It would be prudent to put away some extra groceries and any medications that are imperative to your well being.
Better to be safe my friends than sorry.
http://www.tymoshenko.ua/en/article/x8a7cnu5
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Obama declares swine flu a national emergency
http://www.thenewstribune.com/topstories/story/928074.html
President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.
The declaration, signed Friday night and announced Saturday, comes with the disease more prevalent than ever in the country and production delays undercutting the government's initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine could be available by mid-October.
Health authorities say more than 1,000 people in the United States, including almost 100 children, have died from the strain of flu known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity. So far only 11 million doses have gone out to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.
Administration officials said the declaration was a pre-emptive move designed to make decisions easier when they need to be made. Officials said the move was not in response to any single development.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius now has authority to bypass federal rules when opening alternative care sites, such as offsite hospital centers at schools or community centers if hospitals seek permission
President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.
The declaration, signed Friday night and announced Saturday, comes with the disease more prevalent than ever in the country and production delays undercutting the government's initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine could be available by mid-October.
Health authorities say more than 1,000 people in the United States, including almost 100 children, have died from the strain of flu known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity. So far only 11 million doses have gone out to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.
Administration officials said the declaration was a pre-emptive move designed to make decisions easier when they need to be made. Officials said the move was not in response to any single development.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius now has authority to bypass federal rules when opening alternative care sites, such as offsite hospital centers at schools or community centers if hospitals seek permission
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Did drug-resistant swine flu spread between teens
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jnVhmInZ0cbrwEBAy8vNmZn9tzhAD9AKI5501
The little lies they feed you
To make you think they're way
A mutant strains insistence
When the anti-viral never worked any way
Health officials are reporting what may be the first instance of a Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus spreading from one person to another.
It happened in July at a camp in western North Carolina, where two teenage girls — cabin mates — were diagnosed with the same drug-resistant strain of swine flu.
Tamiflu is one of two flu medicines that help against swine flu, and health officials have been closely watching for signs that the virus is mutating, making the drugs ineffective.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is aware of nine U.S. cases of Tamiflu-resistance since swine flu first appeared in April, but all the others were single cases. In this instance, there seemed to be a spread.
"That was the concerning thing about these cases
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Statement
CDC Statement on Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) Resistance and Antiviral Recommendations
For Immediate Release: January 9, 2009
On December 19, 2008, CDC issued interim guidance for health care professionals on the use of influenza antiviral medications this flu season. The guidance was issued in response to early data from a limited number of states indicating that a high proportion of influenza A (H1N1) viruses are resistant to the influenza antiviral medication oseltamivir (Tamiflu®). Worldwide, the proportion of H1N1 viruses that are resistant to oseltamivir has been increasing so this development is not surprising
The little lies they feed you
To make you think they're way
A mutant strains insistence
When the anti-viral never worked any way
Health officials are reporting what may be the first instance of a Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus spreading from one person to another.
It happened in July at a camp in western North Carolina, where two teenage girls — cabin mates — were diagnosed with the same drug-resistant strain of swine flu.
Tamiflu is one of two flu medicines that help against swine flu, and health officials have been closely watching for signs that the virus is mutating, making the drugs ineffective.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is aware of nine U.S. cases of Tamiflu-resistance since swine flu first appeared in April, but all the others were single cases. In this instance, there seemed to be a spread.
"That was the concerning thing about these cases
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Statement
CDC Statement on Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) Resistance and Antiviral Recommendations
For Immediate Release: January 9, 2009
On December 19, 2008, CDC issued interim guidance for health care professionals on the use of influenza antiviral medications this flu season. The guidance was issued in response to early data from a limited number of states indicating that a high proportion of influenza A (H1N1) viruses are resistant to the influenza antiviral medication oseltamivir (Tamiflu®). Worldwide, the proportion of H1N1 viruses that are resistant to oseltamivir has been increasing so this development is not surprising
Monday, August 24, 2009
Swine Flu Campaign Waits on Vaccine
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/22/AR2009082202337_pf.html
With a campaign of this supposed importance, what happens when no one willingly stands in line to receive it? The question is: Will they force the issue?
Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope -- and in the potential for complications.
The campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country's population within months. Although more people have been inoculated against diseases such as smallpox and polio over a period of years, the United States has never tried to immunize so many so quickly.
But even as scientists rush to test the vaccine to ensure it is safe and effective, the campaign is lagging. Officials say only about a third as much vaccine as they had been expecting by mid-October is likely to arrive by then, when a new wave of infections could be peaking.
Among the unknowns: how many shots people will need, what the correct dosage should be, and how to avoid confusing the public with an overlapping effort to combat the regular seasonal flu.
To prepare, more than 2,800 local health departments have begun recruiting pediatricians, obstetricians, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and even dentists, along with a small army of volunteers from churches and other groups. They are devising strategies to reach children, teenagers, pregnant women and young and middle-aged adults in inner cities, suburban enclaves and the countryside.
"This is potentially the largest mass-vaccination program in human history," said Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who is advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it spearheads the effort.
Public health officials describe the effort as crucial to defend against the second wave of the Northern Hemisphere's first influenza pandemic in 41 years.
As schools reopen, the number
With a campaign of this supposed importance, what happens when no one willingly stands in line to receive it? The question is: Will they force the issue?
Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope -- and in the potential for complications.
The campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country's population within months. Although more people have been inoculated against diseases such as smallpox and polio over a period of years, the United States has never tried to immunize so many so quickly.
But even as scientists rush to test the vaccine to ensure it is safe and effective, the campaign is lagging. Officials say only about a third as much vaccine as they had been expecting by mid-October is likely to arrive by then, when a new wave of infections could be peaking.
Among the unknowns: how many shots people will need, what the correct dosage should be, and how to avoid confusing the public with an overlapping effort to combat the regular seasonal flu.
To prepare, more than 2,800 local health departments have begun recruiting pediatricians, obstetricians, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and even dentists, along with a small army of volunteers from churches and other groups. They are devising strategies to reach children, teenagers, pregnant women and young and middle-aged adults in inner cities, suburban enclaves and the countryside.
"This is potentially the largest mass-vaccination program in human history," said Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who is advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it spearheads the effort.
Public health officials describe the effort as crucial to defend against the second wave of the Northern Hemisphere's first influenza pandemic in 41 years.
As schools reopen, the number
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Does virus vaccine increase the risk of cancer?
http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-en...of-cancer.html
The swine flu vaccine has been hit by new cancer fears after a German health expert gave a shock warning about its safety.
Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg is a politician and a specialist in lungs, hygiene and environmental medicine. He is the chairman of the health committee in the German parliament and European Council.
Lung specialist Wolfgang Wodarg has said that there are many risks associated with the vaccine for the H1N1 virus.
He has grave reservations about the firm Novartis who are developing the vaccine and testing it in Germany. The vaccination is injected “with a very hot needle”, Wodarg said.
The nutrient solution for the vaccine consists of cancerous cells from animals and "we do not know if there could be an allergic reaction".
But more importantly, some people fear that the risk of cancer could be increased by injecting the cells.
The vaccine - as Johannes Löwer, president of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, has pointed out - can also cause worse side effects than the actual swine flu virus.
Wodrag also described people’s fear of the pandemic as an "orchestration": “It is great business for the pharmaceutical industry,” he told the ‘Neuen Presse’.
Swine flu is not very different from
The swine flu vaccine has been hit by new cancer fears after a German health expert gave a shock warning about its safety.
Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg is a politician and a specialist in lungs, hygiene and environmental medicine. He is the chairman of the health committee in the German parliament and European Council.
Lung specialist Wolfgang Wodarg has said that there are many risks associated with the vaccine for the H1N1 virus.
He has grave reservations about the firm Novartis who are developing the vaccine and testing it in Germany. The vaccination is injected “with a very hot needle”, Wodarg said.
The nutrient solution for the vaccine consists of cancerous cells from animals and "we do not know if there could be an allergic reaction".
But more importantly, some people fear that the risk of cancer could be increased by injecting the cells.
The vaccine - as Johannes Löwer, president of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, has pointed out - can also cause worse side effects than the actual swine flu virus.
Wodrag also described people’s fear of the pandemic as an "orchestration": “It is great business for the pharmaceutical industry,” he told the ‘Neuen Presse’.
Swine flu is not very different from
Friday, August 14, 2009
'Tamiflu turned my children into hallucinating, sobbing wrecks'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...html?ITO=1490#
This week, it was with no small measure of satisfaction that I watched Andy Burnham, our implausibly youthful Health Secretary, squirm on the GMTV sofa.
Andrew Castle, it must be said, is no Jeremy Paxman. So when Mr Burnham agreed to take part in the show to discuss the alleged merits of Tamiflu (how it sticks in my craw even to write those words) he was doubtless looking forward to putting across the Government's point of view in the gentlest of surroundings.
What ensued was an ambush, as the visibly irate presenter revealed that his daughter Georgina had collapsed and nearly died after taking the supposedly harmless drug.
This week, it was with no small measure of satisfaction that I watched Andy Burnham, our implausibly youthful Health Secretary, squirm on the GMTV sofa.
Andrew Castle, it must be said, is no Jeremy Paxman. So when Mr Burnham agreed to take part in the show to discuss the alleged merits of Tamiflu (how it sticks in my craw even to write those words) he was doubtless looking forward to putting across the Government's point of view in the gentlest of surroundings.
What ensued was an ambush, as the visibly irate presenter revealed that his daughter Georgina had collapsed and nearly died after taking the supposedly harmless drug.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Greece to vaccinate entire population for new flu
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE56U3VV20090731
The key word is mandatory without exception on a vaccine that has been allowed to be fast tracked. The question is just who will be held responsible for the consequences?
Perhaps their government because the makes have been given immunity of responsibility of any pending deaths or damages.
This I believe is the first start of world wide enforcement to subject us all to this vaccine.
Greece will vaccinate its entire population of 12 million against the H1N1 swine flu pandemic which has swept around the world in weeks, killing hundreds of people, the country's health minister said on Friday.
The Mediterranean country, which receives about 15 million tourists every year, has confirmed more than 700 swine flu cases and no deaths, but world health experts say the true number of cases globally is far higher as only a few patients get tested.
"We decided that the entire population, all citizens and residents, without any exception, will be vaccinated against the flu," Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said after a ministerial meeting.
The key word is mandatory without exception on a vaccine that has been allowed to be fast tracked. The question is just who will be held responsible for the consequences?
Perhaps their government because the makes have been given immunity of responsibility of any pending deaths or damages.
This I believe is the first start of world wide enforcement to subject us all to this vaccine.
Greece will vaccinate its entire population of 12 million against the H1N1 swine flu pandemic which has swept around the world in weeks, killing hundreds of people, the country's health minister said on Friday.
The Mediterranean country, which receives about 15 million tourists every year, has confirmed more than 700 swine flu cases and no deaths, but world health experts say the true number of cases globally is far higher as only a few patients get tested.
"We decided that the entire population, all citizens and residents, without any exception, will be vaccinated against the flu," Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said after a ministerial meeting.
Friday, July 31, 2009
An employee at a Swine Flu call centre speaks out…
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/wi...re-speaks-out/
The UK is one of the worst countries selling the hysteria of the swine flu,
and this is the mockery of their madness.
What terrifies me is that none of us in the centre has any medical training whatsoever. There’s a lot of bullshit in our handbook about us being specially selected, but actually I just filled in a form and was given the job the next day without an interview. Because of this, I’m obviously worried we’re giving out Tamiflu to people who don’t really need it. If there was a real Swine Flu pandemic, a lot of the people we speak to would be ****** – having already taken their dosage for a cold, they won’t be allowed it again. Another concern is that basically people convince themselves that Tamiflu is preventative…
“It strikes me that the government has set up this helpline as an insurance policy. But it’s wasting huge amounts of money. I’ve heard there are 1,500 of us all over the UK working almost non-stop. We’re giving out Tamiflu to people who are panicking because of what they’ve seen on the news, all basically so the NHS can say
The UK is one of the worst countries selling the hysteria of the swine flu,
and this is the mockery of their madness.
What terrifies me is that none of us in the centre has any medical training whatsoever. There’s a lot of bullshit in our handbook about us being specially selected, but actually I just filled in a form and was given the job the next day without an interview. Because of this, I’m obviously worried we’re giving out Tamiflu to people who don’t really need it. If there was a real Swine Flu pandemic, a lot of the people we speak to would be ****** – having already taken their dosage for a cold, they won’t be allowed it again. Another concern is that basically people convince themselves that Tamiflu is preventative…
“It strikes me that the government has set up this helpline as an insurance policy. But it’s wasting huge amounts of money. I’ve heard there are 1,500 of us all over the UK working almost non-stop. We’re giving out Tamiflu to people who are panicking because of what they’ve seen on the news, all basically so the NHS can say
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Swine flu hits Air Force operations in north Fla.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/flor...y/1163776.html
Oh so the military is not immune, but we're going to entrust them to take over the the vital everyday running of supporting and supplying the rest of us in our greatest hour of need.
It looks like to me if they get food transport they can't be any more relied on to deliver than the average Joe.
Swine flu has hit the Air Force's special operations command in northwest Florida.
As many as 59 airmen at Hurlburt Field are suspected of having the virus, while another four have tested positive.
First Special Operations Wing spokeswoman Amy Oliver said Wednesday they won't be testing the probable cases.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/flor...y/1163776.html
Oh so the military is not immune, but we're going to entrust them to take over the the vital everyday running of supporting and supplying the rest of us in our greatest hour of need.
It looks like to me if they get food transport they can't be any more relied on to deliver than the average Joe.
Swine flu has hit the Air Force's special operations command in northwest Florida.
As many as 59 airmen at Hurlburt Field are suspected of having the virus, while another four have tested positive.
First Special Operations Wing spokeswoman Amy Oliver said Wednesday they won't be testing the probable cases.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A new symptom of the swine flu
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/
Four children in Dallas have developed neurological symptoms caused by the new H1N1 influenza virus, commonly called swine flu. According to a report in Thursday's edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, two boys age 7 and 10 developed seizures and two older boys, age 11 and 17, developed hallucinations, difficulty standing and slowed speech. The symptoms were most likely caused by swelling and inflammation of the brain produced by the virus.
The four boys were among 405 laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 infection in the Dallas area and 44 hospitalizations. The results suggest that there have probably been many other cases elsewhere in the country that have not yet been reported to the CDC. Experts do not find the results surprising because about 5% of all childhood cases of encephalitis and similar brain problems are caused by seasonal flu.
Four children in Dallas have developed neurological symptoms caused by the new H1N1 influenza virus, commonly called swine flu. According to a report in Thursday's edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, two boys age 7 and 10 developed seizures and two older boys, age 11 and 17, developed hallucinations, difficulty standing and slowed speech. The symptoms were most likely caused by swelling and inflammation of the brain produced by the virus.
The four boys were among 405 laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 infection in the Dallas area and 44 hospitalizations. The results suggest that there have probably been many other cases elsewhere in the country that have not yet been reported to the CDC. Experts do not find the results surprising because about 5% of all childhood cases of encephalitis and similar brain problems are caused by seasonal flu.
Friday, July 24, 2009
First defense against swine flu - forget the numbers
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-S...56N3PQ20090724
What's up with the CDC no longer reporting flu cases? Rather odd behavior for being in the middle of this pandemic situation don't you think?
One can only suppose they want no proof for number correlations.
Just take the shot like a good citizen because we said so.
Schuchat said H1N1 was still circulating.
"We are continuing to see transmission here in the United States in places like summer camps, some military academies and similar settings where people from different parts of the country come together," she said.
"I think this is very unusual to have this much transmission of influenza during the (summer) and I think it's a testament to how susceptible people are to this virus."
TIP OF THE ICEBERG
The CDC said 43,771 cases of H1N1 influenza had been officially confirmed, with 302 deaths.
"But ... that's really just the tip of the iceberg," Schuchat said. "We believe there have been well over 1 million cases of the new H1N1 virus so far in the United States."
She said the CDC would no longer report cases and was working on better ways to estimate how many people had been infected.
What's up with the CDC no longer reporting flu cases? Rather odd behavior for being in the middle of this pandemic situation don't you think?
One can only suppose they want no proof for number correlations.
Just take the shot like a good citizen because we said so.
Schuchat said H1N1 was still circulating.
"We are continuing to see transmission here in the United States in places like summer camps, some military academies and similar settings where people from different parts of the country come together," she said.
"I think this is very unusual to have this much transmission of influenza during the (summer) and I think it's a testament to how susceptible people are to this virus."
TIP OF THE ICEBERG
The CDC said 43,771 cases of H1N1 influenza had been officially confirmed, with 302 deaths.
"But ... that's really just the tip of the iceberg," Schuchat said. "We believe there have been well over 1 million cases of the new H1N1 virus so far in the United States."
She said the CDC would no longer report cases and was working on better ways to estimate how many people had been infected.
'Swine flu virus began life in lab'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64mrb-M7KE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edavidicke%2Ecom%2Fcontent%2Fblogcategory%2F30%2F82%2F&feature=player_embedded
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu has topped over a hundred thousand, with the World Health Organization calling the pandemic 'unstoppable', and suggesting mass vaccination
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu has topped over a hundred thousand, with the World Health Organization calling the pandemic 'unstoppable', and suggesting mass vaccination
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Obese Exposed as Swine Flu Collides With Fat Epidemic
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aM.7Dg3Z_msI
-- An unexpected characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat.
Doctors tracking the pandemic say they see a pattern in hospital reports from Glasgow to Melbourne and from Santiago to New York. People infected with the bug who have a body mass index greater than 40, deemed morbidly obese, suffer respiratory complications that are harder to treat and can be fatal.
With the new virus on a collision course with the obesity epidemic, the World Health Organization says it’s gathering statistics to confirm and understand this development. Drugmaker Roche Holding AG is combing through studies to determine whether heavier people should get bigger doses of its Tamiflu antiviral.
“Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in severely ill patients,” said Nikki Shindo, who is leading the investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva. “It’s a huge problem.”
-- An unexpected characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat.
Doctors tracking the pandemic say they see a pattern in hospital reports from Glasgow to Melbourne and from Santiago to New York. People infected with the bug who have a body mass index greater than 40, deemed morbidly obese, suffer respiratory complications that are harder to treat and can be fatal.
With the new virus on a collision course with the obesity epidemic, the World Health Organization says it’s gathering statistics to confirm and understand this development. Drugmaker Roche Holding AG is combing through studies to determine whether heavier people should get bigger doses of its Tamiflu antiviral.
“Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in severely ill patients,” said Nikki Shindo, who is leading the investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva. “It’s a huge problem.”
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Swine Flu May Be Human Error; WHO Probes Scientist’s Claim
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...r=worldwide #
Interesting that the CDC doesn't agree
The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus circling the globe may have been created as a result of human error.
Adrian Gibbs, 75, who collaborated on research that led to the development of Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu drug, said in an interview that he intends to publish a report suggesting the new strain may have accidentally evolved in eggs scientists use to grow viruses and drugmakers use to make vaccines. Gibbs said he came to his conclusion as part of an effort to trace the virus’s origins by analyzing its genetic blueprint.
The World Health Organization received the study last weekend and is reviewing it, Keiji Fukuda, the agency’s assistant director-general of health security and environment, said in an interview May 11. Gibbs, who has studied germ evolution for four decades, is one of the first scientists to analyze the genetic makeup of the virus that was identified three weeks ago in Mexico and threatens to touch off the first flu pandemic since 1968.
A virus that resulted from lab experimentation or vaccine production may indicate a greater need for security, Fukuda said. By pinpointing the source of the virus, scientists also may better understand the microbe’s potential for spreading and causing illness, Gibbs said.
Possible Mistake
“The sooner we get to grips with where it’s come from, the safer things might become,” Gibbs said by phone from Canberra yesterday. “It could be a mistake” that occurred at a vaccine production facility or the virus could have jumped from a pig to another mammal or a bird before reaching humans, he said.
Interesting that the CDC doesn't agree
The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus circling the globe may have been created as a result of human error.
Adrian Gibbs, 75, who collaborated on research that led to the development of Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu drug, said in an interview that he intends to publish a report suggesting the new strain may have accidentally evolved in eggs scientists use to grow viruses and drugmakers use to make vaccines. Gibbs said he came to his conclusion as part of an effort to trace the virus’s origins by analyzing its genetic blueprint.
The World Health Organization received the study last weekend and is reviewing it, Keiji Fukuda, the agency’s assistant director-general of health security and environment, said in an interview May 11. Gibbs, who has studied germ evolution for four decades, is one of the first scientists to analyze the genetic makeup of the virus that was identified three weeks ago in Mexico and threatens to touch off the first flu pandemic since 1968.
A virus that resulted from lab experimentation or vaccine production may indicate a greater need for security, Fukuda said. By pinpointing the source of the virus, scientists also may better understand the microbe’s potential for spreading and causing illness, Gibbs said.
Possible Mistake
“The sooner we get to grips with where it’s come from, the safer things might become,” Gibbs said by phone from Canberra yesterday. “It could be a mistake” that occurred at a vaccine production facility or the virus could have jumped from a pig to another mammal or a bird before reaching humans, he said.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Pandemic Risk Grows as New Cases Pop Up
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124090884691363061.html
So just exactly where did the money go and what was it used for?
The flu outbreak comes as the Obama administration seeks a new head of its Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC. The Senate on Tuesday is expected to begin debating the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as HHS secretary. Democratic and Republican aides in the Senate said they expected Senate approval.
The U.S. government is far better prepared for an outbreak than it was when SARS awakened politicians and the public to the notion that infectious diseases continue to be deadly, even with modern vaccines.
Prodded by SARS and the avian flu scare that followed, President George W. Bush in 2005 issued a pandemic flu preparedness plan. Since 2006, $6.2 billion has been appropriated to stockpile antivirals, step up surveillance and improve vaccine-making and technology.
But state and local health departments -- which are often the first to detect new infectious threats -- haven't received federal funds for pandemic flu preparedness since 2006. Many of the agencies have cut staff and services in the recession.
"You can't stand up to this kind of capacity overnight if you haven't had resources to keep people on staff," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, a public health advocacy organization.
So just exactly where did the money go and what was it used for?
The flu outbreak comes as the Obama administration seeks a new head of its Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC. The Senate on Tuesday is expected to begin debating the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as HHS secretary. Democratic and Republican aides in the Senate said they expected Senate approval.
The U.S. government is far better prepared for an outbreak than it was when SARS awakened politicians and the public to the notion that infectious diseases continue to be deadly, even with modern vaccines.
Prodded by SARS and the avian flu scare that followed, President George W. Bush in 2005 issued a pandemic flu preparedness plan. Since 2006, $6.2 billion has been appropriated to stockpile antivirals, step up surveillance and improve vaccine-making and technology.
But state and local health departments -- which are often the first to detect new infectious threats -- haven't received federal funds for pandemic flu preparedness since 2006. Many of the agencies have cut staff and services in the recession.
"You can't stand up to this kind of capacity overnight if you haven't had resources to keep people on staff," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, a public health advocacy organization.
Swine-flu outbreak could be linked to Smithfield factory farms
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-25-swine-flu-smithfield/
The outbreak of a new flu strain—a nasty mash-up of swine, avian, and human viruses—has infected 1,000 people in Mexico and the U.S., killing 68. The World Health Organization warned Saturday that the outbreak could reach global pandemic levels.
Is Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork packer and hog producer, linked to the outbreak? Smithfield operates massive hog-raising operations Perote, Mexico, in the state of Vera Cruz, where the outbreak originated. The operations, grouped under a Smithfield subsidiary called Granjas Carroll, raise 950,000 hogs per year, according to the company Web site.
On Friday, the U.S. disease-tracking blog Biosurveillance published a timeline of the outbreak containing this nugget, dated April 6 (major tip of the hat to Paula Hay, who alerted me to the Smithfield link on the Comfood listserv and has written about it on her blog, Peak Oil Entrepreneur):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_swine_flu_mexico
Greed kills
The outbreak of a new flu strain—a nasty mash-up of swine, avian, and human viruses—has infected 1,000 people in Mexico and the U.S., killing 68. The World Health Organization warned Saturday that the outbreak could reach global pandemic levels.
Is Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork packer and hog producer, linked to the outbreak? Smithfield operates massive hog-raising operations Perote, Mexico, in the state of Vera Cruz, where the outbreak originated. The operations, grouped under a Smithfield subsidiary called Granjas Carroll, raise 950,000 hogs per year, according to the company Web site.
On Friday, the U.S. disease-tracking blog Biosurveillance published a timeline of the outbreak containing this nugget, dated April 6 (major tip of the hat to Paula Hay, who alerted me to the Smithfield link on the Comfood listserv and has written about it on her blog, Peak Oil Entrepreneur):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_swine_flu_mexico
Greed kills
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