Mexico swine flu deaths raise fears of global epidemic

[pepperbear]

Source: Telegraph

Mexico shut down schools, museums, libraries and state-run theatres across its crowded capital on Friday in hopes of containing a swine flu outbreak that has killed as many as 60 people and infected hundreds more.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/5217140/Mexico-swine-flu-deaths-raise-fears-of-global-epidemic.html

[cliffordu]

1. Here comes the pandemic. The timing is really weird, innit it??

:tinfoilhat:

[mrs_p]

2. not really

we are at the near end of the flu season, when host-viral interactions have been under selection pressure for months. pigs are special in that they have the same receptors for influenza that we do (and they also have bird flu receptors as well) -- likely the virus mutated in the pig and came out more virulent to humans. i research influenza actually and will be following this closely...

[cliffordu]

4. PLEASE keep us posted.

Man, I love DU. There are experts on just about anything here......

:hi:

[mrs_p]

10. thanks, but not an expert yet

still working on my phd

:blush:

[kestrel91316]

13. Wow, getting a PhD in inf dz. I have been one of the go-to people

for this sort of thing, but really unless it's a common zoonosis or an animal dz, I feel out of my league. Though I do have a BS in micro.

Where are you studying? What's your dissertation on (if you have decided yet)?

This is cool. We need people like you to help us squelch rumors and correct misinformation.

[caseymoz]

69. Good enough information to start . . .

Like Newton for physics. If I go to earn my Ph.D in viral microbiology, I'll remember his statement.

[mrs_p]

75. hi - i'm at

colorado state university in a combined dvm/phd program and am studying how influenza jumps the species barrier - i am currently focused on molecular determinants of host specificity -- so work on viral attachment and entry proteins.

glad to be part of the science pack around here... :hi:

[northernlights]

63. close 'nuff to expert for me nt

[AnneD]

78. I'm envious.....

I did very well in Micro and it has always been an interest. We had to write a paper for Micro and I wrote mine on the social changes brought about by pathogens (this was pre SARS so I tied in Spanish flu, the great plague, and threw in the Irish Potato famine just for fun). The prof took me aside and told me it was the makings of a fine phD thesis, but I told him that while I was flattered, I had a young child to support and needed to get my Nursing license to keep a roof over our heads and food in our tummies. I didn't regret the decision but I have wondered what if.....

Best of luck to you.

[depakid]

5. Here's a question

Influenza outbreaks are worse in the late fall and winter months. I've seen a couple of attempts to explain why that is.

Since we're at the tail end of the season, that should be of some benefit- but what are the prospects for this deal simply lying in a reservoir until another outbreak November or December?

[mrs_p]

9. well, i must disclose that i am still working on my

phd and not a doctor yet... but from the literature and past seasons: the answer is yes and no...

yes - if a particular influenza virus can be passed from host to host, it can find a way to evade host immune systems and may even become more virulent (basically, the virus mutates enough to be infectious the next season). this is actually why we need to get a new vaccine every year - influenza is always mutating. the difference b/w an epidemic and an pandemic is the extent of that mutation. we normally have some residual immunity in the population as a whole that combats little antigenic (gene/protein) mutations (called antigenic drift). with something like this latest swine flu, we COULD be having something called antigenic shift, where whole genes have been swapped between viruses, leaving us humans with very little residual immunity in our populations. that is why something like the 1918 flu was so devastating -- there was no immunity to the virtually new virus circulating in the population (ironically, the elders may have had a little residual immunity from a pandemic in the 1800s).

also no - influenza is an enveloped virus that is easily destroyed in the environment. it must live and replicate in host cells and then be transmitted to new hosts, or it will die. usually, host populations will eventually win the arms race against a particular strain -- but then next year comes along and viruses that are first seen in asia start coming this way and the cycle stars anew.

if anyone has anything else to add, please post...

[CoffeeCat]

34. I am wondering if Tamiflu...

...would combat the swine flu?

I know Tamiflu isn't a cure...it just stops the flu virus from replicating and worsening. That could save lives.

I'm wondering if Tamiflu works on the swine flu?

I'm also wondering if Tamiflu could be used preventatively? Could you just go on it, even if you didn't have the swine flu--and would
that give you some protection?

[Mojorabbit]

41. Right now it is sensitive to tamiflu

Problem is the seasonal flu this year was mostly resistant to it. It could pick up that resistance and that is a worry.

[mrs_p]

74. oseltamivir (tamiflu) will work as a prophylaxis, but after exposure

it needs the virus present to do anything as it interferes with another surface protein on the virus that is necessary for viral entry. i believe the article said that oseltamivir and relenza are working against this particular swine flu strain, which wasn't the case for the main human influenza virus that went around this year on which tamiflu wouldn't work.

[caseymoz]

70. Actually, according to Science News, there's a good reason why flu spreads in the winter.

The air is drier inside. This means that when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the water droplets immediately dry instead of settling. When they dry, the flu viruses remain airborne, instead of being settled on the ground if they were in water droplets.

They tell you to wash your hands and clean doorknobs and all that. It might help a little-- but the flu in the winter is airborne apparently. One thing that might help a lot if this information is correct: humidifiers.

The fact that this swine flu is spreading now is very disturbing. The Spanish Flu outbreak didn't follow the usual pattern. It killed people throughout the summer, and it also killed people of all ages, not just the old or the very young. Not all flu viruses follow the same pattern, apparently. Maybe it's dust-borne. If this one has solved the problem of being limited to the winter months, we are in for some immediate trouble.

Wouldn't it be terrible if this flu is spreading just as the Avian Flu becomes capable of spreading person-to-person?

[hedgehog]

88. Another possibility for why the flu spreads in winter:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php

[caseymoz]

111. IMHO: That probably helps it somewhat

But the article was talking about a far larger dose of vitamin D than I think would sunlight alone would produce. Vitamin D is pretty toxic if you overdo it. It might give you one benefit and make you sick with side effects.

But against this flu, use whatever means you can. I think a lot might be gained just by taking every precaution that it doesn't spread. I hope my ideas might help. Remember that viruses outside the body are pretty much like very toxic particles of dust. Humidify the air indoors, don't dust surfaces without wetting them down first. Don't vacuum until you can be certain the virus is dead. Meanwhile, take the other precautions. Cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze (it might help if somebody coughs or sneezes, turn away from them, and cover your own mouth and nose). Clean door knobs, and shared keyboards, wipe your hands with towlettes frequently.

Remember also: if you're genetically vulnerable and you don't catch the virus in the first wave, it will probably go back through the population of vulnerable people again until it finds all of them. You pretty much have to wait till they have a vaccine or antivirals available, or hope that it completely mutates.

I'll have to look at the provinces in Mexico that this has spread, and what the weather was like. If it was dry and still but a little windy, and if it spread among people in close quarters, we have a flu bug that's following rules.

The worse thing is, this has turned up overnight with a lot of cases. I don't think they can contain it.

And let's hope that the avian flu doesn't choose this time to become a person-to-person virus. If it happens, though, at least we have more of chance because there has been a lot of time to prepare.

[Control-Z]

24. You might know then -

Is it too late to get flu shots? I've called every flu clinic in my immediate area. (Pharmacies, groceries, any place I could think of) They are out/past the expiration date.

I'm kind of freaking out a little. My kids and I did not get the shots this season - and we live very close to the border.

Would it even help to get them? I actually have a girlfriend who is an MD, but I don't like to ask "those" kind of favors unless it's an emergency and I've exhausted standard methods.

[Mojorabbit]

42. The CDC said in their conference call

today that they don't think the flu vaccine this year will give any immunity. I also got this from another govt source yesterday. After more research they might change their stance but for now that is where it stands. I think the word they used was "doubtful" it would give immunity.

[caseymoz]

71. This one has developed too quickly: they don't have a vaccine.

Flu vaccines are only effective if they guess right about which strain actually spreads during that season. This thing is too new and totally unexpected.

You could get antivirals, but I'm thinking that those will be running in short supply, too.

See my post #70, one thing that might help you: get some humidifiers. If you work in contact with a lot of people, I would suggest somehow getting the boss to install humidifiers. Anything to keep the flu viruses from staying airborne. It really is an airborne virus, and humidifying the air should make it settle in water droplets. that is, if anything about this observation is true.

Of course, if it settles, it's going to be on surfaces and on the the floor. You probably should clean off surfaces with water or cleaner rather than just dusting them. They could be sucked into computers, so I would hold off on dusting off your motherboard, too. I wouldn't vacuum the floor till well after the crisis passes and the virus in the floor is safely dead, and I would clean your hands with sanitizer or with disposable towletts whenever you touch a surface.

[mrs_p]

73. actually, a flu shot

wouldn't help in this case most likely as the strain is a combination of strains not in the vaccine this year. may be best to call your doctor, though.

[AnneD]

77. Studying pandemics has always been a hobby for me.....

I picked up on the SARS bug very quickly and was able to follow it's progress. What saved us here in the USA was that it hit Canada first and their health care system was far superior to ours as far as basic care. This has flown under the radar-even here in Texas. Our borders are porous for people-let alone diseases. This has the potential to be really nasty.

I work as a School Nurse in Houston and have pulled out my hair for years dealing with parents sending their kids to school with a fever and giving them a tylenol to mask it. I won't even go into the hygiene issues I have with kids. I have sworn it will take a pandemic or an epidemic to wake folks up. Looks like this has all the potential.

You can bet I am on the CDC site daily over this one. I just hope we can make it to the end of school without major incident.

[caseymoz]

112. The frightful thing about this one is, it came up so fast, and already has many cases.

And it is already in a fairly large geographical area. They're not ready with vaccines, and they really can't contain this.

Since you follow things like this, those provinces in Mexico, are they arid or humid? What has the weather been like? The original people who came down with this, did they live in close quarters?

It's also a bad sign that this flu is spreading at an atypical time of year. That means it's not following the rules. It's vectors might be totally different.

The best thing people could do now is just take precautions that lower its chance of infecting them, that is until they have a vaccine and enough antivirals.

[ck4829]

32. Disease follows war

Just like cholera followed the invasion of Iraq, I think this flu outbreak might be in some way linked to the drug wars in Mexico.

[northernlights]

65. when disease follows war

it's due to combined stresses such as loss of infrastructure (cholera from drinking contaminated water), lack of sanitation, poor diet, compromised immune systems, soldiers living in very close conditions, etc.

This has nothing to do with drug wars in Mexico.

[ck4829]

67. It follows the things wars cause

Yeah, it's true it has nothing to do with cartels and police fighting over drugs, but Mexico's government has taken a hit since this war started.

Wars don't cause disease, but war makes it harder for governments to prevent disease.

[mrs_p]

3. and i just read

that there is swine flu going around texas and california...

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/24/swine-flu-california-texa_n_191158.html

[deminks]

7. CDC also has a swine flu site

here

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/

[Baby Snooks]

11. It appears to be the same strain as in Mexico...

And the strain in Mexico is a combinant of two strains of swine flu and one strain of avian flu and one strain of human flu. Which apparently has all the experts baffled. They simply have not seen this before.

[mrs_p]

12. yeah, this is gonna be the talk of the

influenza world for awhile. there has been some skepticism regarding reassortment of influenza viruses in pigs. i'm gonna wait for all the data to make a conclusion, but i certainly am swayed...

[Baby Snooks]

16. Apparently three strains of swine flu...

Apparently there are three strains of swine flu in this new strain from three different continents! And it is the same strain that has been confirmed in California and Texas. And possibly in New York. So whatever it is or is not it is definitely spreading. What has everyone baffled most is they've never seen a strain of swine flu that mutated and could be passed from human to human. And has three strains of swine flu involved. You do have to wonder if this is related to the increase in mean temperatures aka global warming.

Quite a few links to the developing story on DrudgeReport.

[northernlights]

64. it has nothing to do with global warming

DNA reassortment occurs *inside* the host. It is not related to global warming.

There have been strains of swine flu that passed human to human, but they are rare.

What is baffling about it is that it combines multiple strains of swine from multiple continents.

Given the mobility of our society today, it already will have spread. Incubation periods can be up to 9 days, so by the time the outbreaks show up, people have already been walking around unknowingly spreading it for a week or so.

[AnneD]

81. If you are going to place the blame on anything, I'd blame free trade....

it is exposure, not the outside temp that causes the spread. In fact most pathogens have a very narrow survival parameters-internal temp, pH ranges, ways they spread and reproduce, etc. Of course there are exceptions so don't bust my chops over it-this is just a general rule. Global warming would be the last on my list-it's too early to be a factor.

[Delphinus]

68. Swayed into what?

Does this give you a new conclusion - something you've not seen before?

[mrs_p]

76. swayed to the reassortment

in swine side of the debate. granted, i never thought it couldn't happen in pigs, just that there may be a lot more involved molecularly, which there still may be...

[kestrel91316]

14. In CA the cases are in the border areas, San Diego, Imperial Co.

If you know the area, it's full of Mexican immigrants, so they probably brought it up with them. The trouble in Mexico apparently started in mid-March and has had a lot more time to get established. Mortality there is apparently 6-7%, primarily young healthy adults.

[mrs_p]

6. if anyone even thinks they have influenza

go to the doctor right away (basically, a horrible cold with fever comes out of no where and hits you like a bus). after 48 hours of symptoms, the antivirals are ineffective. ironically, i got influenza this year (failed to get a shot even though i work on influenza - no excuse, just laziness). i have never felt so sick in my entire life, and that's counting the dysentery i got in india. please take care of yourselves, and do NOT come to work, school, etc. until your symptoms are gone.

[Warpy]

8. That's the big thing: IF YOU'RE SICK, STAY HOME

In all my years as a nurse, I didn't catch a single thing from a patient, ever. However, I did catch things from coworkers, some of them nasty, because they wanted to take that sick leave at the end of the year and cash it in for Xmas presents.

Allowing them to do that was stupid and counterproductive and I can only wonder how many patients went home sicker because of them.

Do us all a favor and keep the bugs at home, please.

[kestrel91316]

15. WHAT WARPY SAID!!! If this bug is as bad as it sounds, I am really gonna crack

down on employees or clients or even me coming in here with ANY fever or respiratory problem.

I hate when people bring their sick kids in with them for kitty's annual shots and the little Typhoid Mary's give their stuff to me and my staff.

[dflprincess]

40. Actually, if they're visably sick, they're not Typhoid Marys

Typhoid Mary carried the germ, but never got sick herself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mallon


I wonder if the swine flu shot I got back during the Ford Administration (the University insisted we get them) will give me any immunity?

http://www.mahalo.com/Gerald_Ford

...As well, his administration's campaign against swine flu, once seen as a dire threat, eventually became a debacle, with the government advising that every citizen be vaccinated and then failing to provide the resources to make this possible. Eventually, the threat of swine flu was shown to be overblown, and it has been estimated that more Americans died from the vaccine than the illness.

[notesdev]

17. Try saying that

in Spanish... it will do more good.

[Hannah Bell]

18. cause only spanish speakers come in sick to work.

[notesdev]

19. No, because there's an epidemic in Mexico!

Are you paying attention to what is happening at all? This stuff is going to come flowing right over our border. Before you know it it's going to be epidemic in San Diego.

[Baby Snooks]

22. OMG

The xenophobia has arrived. Stop the Mexicans! Close the borders! Avoid Mexicans! They are all plague carriers!

Some of the rich Mexicans probably have it. They have been flying in the past couple of days. They are in the swanky hotels in Los Angeles and New York and Houston. And lots of other cities.

And they, dear, speak English.

[Control-Z]

29. Yours may be one of the

most asinine accusations I've ever heard. Seriously. I live in So Cal, too close to the border for comfort. I live here by choice and have never feared my neighbors or friends, or worried about my close proximity to Mexico.

I have kids and I am concerned about their health. Yes, if this turns into something more catastrophic than what is already in Mexico, then a lot of borders will be closed. And xenophobia will have nothing to do with it. Fool.

[hedgehog]

89. I live in Upstate New York, about as far from Mexico as you can get

without entering Canada. I also worked packing onions with two young gentlemen from Mexico. Let's just say they took the scenic route, walking through the Arizona desert on their way here. Borders are pretty meaningless anymore, we all live in the same world.

[Control-Z]

118. We do all live in the same world.

That is why it is important we all protect each other and ourselves. If San Diego had the outbreak and not Mexico, I would feel little difference. Numbers and proximity are what I'm thinking about at this point. People from my neighborhood go down to Mexico sometimes weekly. It is just a short drive and convenient, (and beautiful) to get away for a few days. Same with people from Mexico, especially day workers, who come here, some daily, some weekly.

The sheer number of people crossing back and forth every day makes the possibility of future, serious outbreaks real.

[Control-Z]

38. I do want to say

that I did not see the Spanish speaking post - just your comments, until after I posted. I have no idea how that was meant. Possibly in the ugly way you've interpreted it. But there is definitely a need for clear translation in medicine - especially with an epidemic like this. My friend is a doc who studies Spanish for that very reason. I hope that was the way the poster intended.

[mr11]

114. LOL your comment made me laugh..

Might as well stay away from everyone!:sarcasm:
By the way I am a Mexican-American , you should not reply back I am contagious so avoid me LOL..
Surely your comment was funny:applause: :rofl:



:patriot:

[Hannah Bell]

30. cause so many spanish-speaking mexicans read DU, & also come in sick to work.

[aquart]

39. Let's wait till we hear what the 75 kids in Queens have.

<http://wcco.com/health/swine.flu.nyc.2.994094.html>

Possible Swine Flu Outbreak At NYC Prep School
Department Of Health Officials Testing 75 Students At St. Francis Preparatory School In Queens
NEW YORK (CBS) ―

New York City health officials say that about 75 students at a Queens high school have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms and testing is under way to rule out the strain of swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico, CBS station WCBS-TV reports.

The Health Department's Dr. Don Weiss said Friday that a team of agency doctors and investigators were dispatched to the private St. Francis Preparatory School the previous day after students reported fever, sore throat, cough, aches and pains. No one has been hospitalized.

The handful of sick students who remained at the school were tested for a variety of flu strains. If they're found to have a known human strain that would rule out swine flu.

Results could take several days. In the meantime, the school says it's postponing an evening event and sanitizing the building over the weekend.

-snip-

[northernlights]

66. it's already spread

With incubation periods up to 9 days, by the time an outbreak occurs it's already been spread around.

In all likelihood, outbreaks will now start appearing all over the place.

[AlphaCentauri]

83. take in account that the outbreak is in central Mexico not at the border

so expect it to arrive in airplanes

[amandabeech]

20. Well, at the moment it seems to me that Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans

with close ties to Mexican nationals, at least those who have been to Mexico recently, are the most likely to carry the virus.

I mean nothing against Mexicans and their American cousins. My comment only reflects the current assumed location where this nasty flu appears to have popped up.

I'd say that same thing if it had popped up in any other country or population, including my home state or the countries from which my ancestors came.

If this thing is contagious, then all communities will likely be infected.

[Baby Snooks]

23. OMG OMG

I thought xenophobia only affected Republicans. Believe it or not, some Americans still risk being kidnapped or beheaded by the drug cartels and enjoy their Carta Blanca in Mexico. They fly in and out. Just like the Mexicans do. And they speak English too. And some even speak Spanish.

And all of them potentially have been exposed and are exposing everyone else here.

I really cannot tolerate xenophobia. If you're so worried, run to Canada. Most Mexicans, you know, cannot walk that far.

Excuse me I am going to go throw a plate at a tree and curse you and the other xenophobe.

[notesdev]

25. How many people are you willing to see die

for your arrogance?

A potential flu epidemic breaks out and your reaction is to castigate people for "xenophobia". That's an absolutely insane reaction, and people will die for it if your view wins out. Absolutely monstrous, that you would so easily throw lives away to serve your biases.

[amandabeech]

26. It would help if you had better reading and critical thinking skills.

I suggest a refresher course at your local community college.

[Odin2005]

27. Usted estuviera infermo, estaría a casa!!!

:yoiks:

[KamaAina]

28. "enfermo"

Solamente soy nazi de ortografia en espanol. :-)

[Odin2005]

33. Doh!!! I ALWAYS misspell that!

[a la izquierda]

72. Lol...I should have you read this blurb I have

to submit for a conference in Queretero.

[KamaAina]

90. "Queretaro"

:evilgrin:

[a la izquierda]

110. Ack, I initially had the "a" in and changed it...

I should know this, as I teach Mexican history...fail on my part :)

[KamaAina]

113. Si tu viaje a Mexico, !cuidado!

Vaya con Dios... :scared:

[CrispyQ]

31. I worked for a company that had a policy like that --

if you didn't use any of your sick pay, you got it at the end of the year. The woman who sat next to me spread her cold & flu germs to everyone in our department, but she got her 6 days pay every year. :eyes: One of the other employees complained to our manager but was told that they couldn't tell the employee to go home. WTF?

[shanti]

37. too late

two of my valiant co-workers brought it to work this week. i don't feel sick yet, but my eyes are getting a bit watery...

great:(

[nodehopper]

43. I don't mean this in a snarky way, but

how do you know you only caught things from coworkers and not patients?

[Warpy]

86. By what I caught and when, of course

Coworkers contaminated everything around them: telephones, computer terminals, counters, chart covers, door handles, equipment.

Patients only contaminated their immediate area and handwashing after contact was effective.

One idiot coming to work with the flu could infect all 3 shifts.

And did.

[xchrom]

21. recommend -- no matter how bad this gets -- or not --

some people will get very very sick, suffer badly then die.

it's not pretty.

may this be contained.

[totodeinhere]

35. This is potentially very scary. But...

aren't you glad that we actually have a competent administration now in Washington? Given the way the previous one fouled everything up including their infamous response to Katrina, at least we can hope for an intelligent and efficient response to this if it does turn into a crisis.

[glinda]

36. Husband and I bought a big box of high quality masks four years ago. I suggest

if people are worried go order some really good ones just to have on hand.

[FourScore]

44. SWINE FLU: California, Texas Residents Diagnosed With Illness, Doctors Expect More Cases

Source: Huffington Post

A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.

The worrisome new virus _ which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before _ also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U.S...

SNIP

...The WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories. It might already be too late to contain the outbreak, a prominent U.S. pandemic flu expert said late Friday.

Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the world already, said Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/24/swine-flu-california-texa_n_191158.html

[ccharles000]

45. I hope no one dies

[CHIMO]

56. 20 Deaths Already

Canadian lab confirms human swine flu cases in Mexico

The national laboratory in Winnipeg has confirmed human swine influenza virus in clinical specimens sent from Mexico for testing, Canada's health minister said Friday.

Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said Friday that 20 people were killed in the outbreak and 1,004 were infected throughout the country, prompting the World Health Organization to convene an emergency meeting Saturday.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/24/health-flu-mexico090424.html

[northernlights]

60. Actually more than 20 deaths, 60 in Mexico

as of yesterday's news. The death rate in Mexico has been about 6%. And it has not been the typical infants, elderly and immune-compromised. It has been the healthier, stronger people, so the deaths appear to be due to over-response from immune system.

[XemaSab]

46. I, for one, welcome our Captain Trips overlords

:patriot:

[Theres-a]

47. Don't fear the reaper...

It's a bird flu/stand redux?

[AnneD]

82. LOL LOL

:spray: Snarky dude, cold snarky.

[cliffordu]

48. Uh.....

"The worrisome new virus _ which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before..."

This is troubling...A brand new never seen before strain. Not an evolution of the virus, a combination making a whole 'nother country...so to speak.

[Stinger2]

51. Previous Swine Flu Outbreak Originated At Fort Dix

Previous Swine Flu Outbreak Originated At Fort Dix

http://www.prisonplanet.com/

A Deadly Virus Escapes
Sep. 05, 1994

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981359,00.html

Hybrid flu virus in near-miss escape
20 January 2007

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19325874.900-hybrid-flu-virus-in-nearmiss-escape.html

19 September 2007
Ebola Error in Wisconsin Shows Lax Federal Biodefense Oversight
Similar Violations May be Undetected Elsewhere

http://www.sunshine-project.org/publications/pr/pr190907.html



The Question is did this come from Texas to Mexico or Mexico to Texas?

[lovuian]

79. Thank you Somebody said the OBVIous this was

MAN MADE

this is a test

[AlphaCentauri]

85. Army: 3 missing disease samples likely destroyed: 2 days ago

An investigation of three disease samples missing from a Fort Detrick lab found that the samples were likely destroyed, according to Army officials.

The probe started after the samples were reported missing last year and was not connected to an inventory started after the FBI concluded that a researcher was responsible for the 2001 anthrax mailings, officials said Wednesday.

Samples of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis were discovered missing last year in an inventory of a group of samples left by a departing researcher, said Caree Vander Linden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick. VEE occurs naturally, typically in horses and mules, though it can also make humans ill, she said.

An extensive investigation found no evidence of criminal activity, said U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey. Vander Linden said the the samples were likely among those destroyed when a freezer malfunctioned.

The investigation was separate from the suspension of much of the research at the lab in February while officials made sure the lab had accounted for all dangerous germs and poisons. That inventory was expected to take up to three months and Vander Linden said it was not yet complete.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h2adbPm58rqvoQr82LT3BjFYYydAD97O6VNG2

[northernlights]

59. what makes it unusual

is not that it's a combined swine, avian and human flu. It's that it's several swine strains -- from North America, Asia and somewhere else. In other words -- an intercontinental strain. That is what they've never seen before.

[moobu2]

49. NYC Heath Department: 75 kids sickened at 1 school

Apr 24th, 2009 | NEW YORK -- New York City health officials say that about 75 students at a Queens high school have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms and testing is under way to rule out the strain of swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico.

The Health Department's Dr. Don Weiss said Friday that a team of agency doctors and investigators were dispatched to the private St. Francis Preparatory School the previous day after students reported fever, sore throat, cough, aches and pains. No one has been hospitalized.

The handful of sick students who remained at the school were tested for a variety of flu strains. If they're found to have a known human strain that would rule out swine flu.

Results could take several days.

link

[vinylsolution]

50. It's Obama's fault! It's Obama's fault!

... I can hear the FOX talking heads rehearsing tomorrow's lines already.

Funny how that virus apparently 'combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans'.

Only humans could have done that, in an extremely sophisticated (and high-security) laboratory.

Seems like the anthrax terrorist has been busy lately....

[No Elephants]

54. You mean you never saw a pig and a bird doing it? I suppose you thought Snoopy and Woodstock were

just pals, too.

[northernlights]

61. that is totally false

Virus (and bacteria) dna can "mix and match" in a process called "re-assortment" once they are reproducing inside somebody.

The swine flu reservoir is normally swine, and people who get swine flu normally catch it from infected pigs. But if a person infected with a human flu strain gets swine flu, the 2 can recombine in a form that passes human-to-human. Same thing with avian flu. Plus pigs can catch avian flu from birds, and in the same way, end up with a recombined swine/avian flu that passes pig-to-pig.

DNA recombination is what enables pandemics -- via recombination, an entirely new strain emerges against which the population has no immunity.

Furthermore, there have been recombined human/swine/avian strains before. What makes this one unsual is there are something like 4 different swine strains involved, from 2 different continents. Making a kind of a multinational flu.

[tomreedtoon]

52. Combining human, pig and chicken DNA...

...gee, I wonder what process would combine human DNA with animal DNA like that. And it happened in rural California and Texas (which is all rural). Hmmmmm...

[Ghost Dog]

58. That is an interesting question

that leaps out at one, isn't it. Is Cheney behind this, too?

The options, I guess, would be: 1). natural genetic mixing; 2). man-made genetic engineering released either a). accidently or b). deliberately.

MEXICO CITY, April 25 (Reuters) - Mexican and U.S. health officials searched on Saturday for signs an outbreak of a new flu strain is spreading further, after it killed up to 68 people in Mexico and infected eight in the United States.

As Mexico shut schools and museums and axed public events, global health officials stopped short of declaring a pandemic. But they warned more cases could come to light, making up a major outbreak, as the flu spreads between people and infected some individuals who had no contact with one another. The World Health Organization said the virus from 12 of the Mexican patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in eight people in California and Texas who later recovered.

The Mexican government said the flu had killed 20 people and it may also be responsible for 48 other deaths. In all, 1,004 suspected cases have been reported nationwide.

...

Genetic analysis shows the flu strain is a never-before-seen mixture of swine, human and avian viruses.

The fact most of the dead were aged between 25 and 45 was seen as a worrying sign linked to pandemics, as seasonal flu tends to be more deadly among the elderly and the very young.

/... http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idCAN2446237920090425?rpc=44

[northernlights]

62. combining FLU dna

human *strains* with swine *strains* with avian *strains* of flu virus.

And the process is called dna reassortment and is totally natural. It's one way that new strains evolve.

Oh, wait. Just re-read the OP clip from the article. Bad editing job there :rofl:

[AnneD]

84. Well if you follow that line of thought....

we would have sheep/human viral outbreaks in rural Scotland and human/cow in rural Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Montana. Human/chicken nah...too had to chase down. Gives new meaning to the phrase animal husbandry. :rofl:

[NickB79]

91. Breathing?

:shrug:

[tomreedtoon]

115. Simple explanation: drunk fratboys on Spring Break in Mexico.

Yes, they will resort to any form of sexual release. As mentioned before, that's how AIDS got started in Africa, when a guy couldn't get a girl, but could get a monkey.

[Mz Pip]

53. Scary but how bad is it really?

I remember in 1977 we went through a big Swine Flu scare. The only reason I even remember this is because I was pregnant at the time and there were all these concerns about who would get it and how it would be treated. It was played up just like this - the next pandemic in the making.

It came to nothing.

We've seen SARS, Legionnaires desease, Bird Flu and Swine Flu that all are touted as some potential pandemic and ultimately a bunch of people get sick, a few die and then it goes away.

We shall see. I hope this is like all the rest and it fades away like all the rest.

[No Elephants]

55. Well, this explains Frank Perdue.

[earcandle]

57. God Damn Liars.. they invented this shit and hope it works.

methinks...

i am quite willing to be wrong.

would prefer it.

[lovuian]

80. exactky examole ANTHRAX

from FORT DETRICK MARYLAND

home of Dr Cheney evil empire of Magic potions

[PhatBrett]

87. They can't possibly know how deadly this virus is yet

There could be millions sick with influenza in mexico and 60 have died. Lets not rush to conclusions

[inanna]

92. Mexico Shuts Some Schools Amid Deadly Flu Outbreak

Source: New York Times

MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials, scrambling to control a swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 16 people and possibly dozens more in recent weeks, shuttered schools from kindergarten to university for millions of young people in and around the capital on Friday and urged people with flu symptoms to stay home from work.

“We’re dealing with a new flu virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic that so far is controllable,” Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told reporters late Thursday, after huddling with President Felipe Calderón and other top officials. He said the virus had mutated from pigs and had at some point been transmitted to humans.

Mexico’s flu season is usually over by now, but health officials have noticed a significant spike in flu cases. The World Health Organization reported about 800 cases of flu-like symptoms in Mexico in recent weeks, most of them among healthy young adults, with 57 deaths in Mexico City and 3 in central Mexico.

That is a worrisome pattern because seasonal flus typically cause most of their deaths among infants and old people, while pandemic flus — like the 1918 Spanish flu, and the 1957 and 1968 pandemics — often strike young, healthy people the hardest.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/americas/25mexico.html?em

[WriteDown]

93. Luckily our borders are like a fortress..

I'm sure there is no chance of this affecting those in the US.

[kestrel91316]

95. CDC has reported several cases in CA (San Diego and Imperial Co, IIRC).

[Hugin]

96. If it's what I had 3 weeks or so ago.

It's a doozy.

[UndertheOcean]

94. So the Pandemic is coming after all

[aquart]

97. Mexico? How soon will it be here?

[shanti]

104. it may already be here

see my post below

[Stuckinthebush]

98. Why?

Why do flu pandemics hit healthy young people the hardest?

[NickB79]

100. One theory put forth is that certain strains cause the immune system to over-react

Your body gears up to fight the virus on such a massive level that it destroys itself in the process. The healthiest people, ironically, are the ones that would be most at risk.

The official name for this is cytokine storm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm

[carlyhippy]

99. updated item from an hour ago

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/24/swine.flu/index.html

[Doctor Cynic]

101. Madagascar is closing its ports tomorrow.

[aquart]

102. ?

[FVZA_Colonel]

105. It's an internet flash game called 'Pandemic'

http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html

You design a disease, and try to have it wipe out mankind.

It's almost impossible to do, however, as the second there is even a wiff of something going wrong Madagascar closes it's port system (the only entry point to the island), and you can't win the game.


Anyone who plays for any length of time will become intimately familiar with the phrase "Fuck Madagascar!"

[shanti]

103. here in california...

a co-worker took a cruise to cozumel and her husband came back sick. my co-worker was sick the next week, and my boss, who sits next to her, has been sick for the past 3 days. all of them are "middle aged". it's definitely respiratory...i certainly hope it's not the same flu! :scared: i wonder what the incubation period is?

[CreekDog]

107. where in CA?

[shanti]

109. sacramento

n/t

[Mojorabbit]

106. They are also closing all public places. nt

[pansypoo53219]

108. butbutbut

nobody died yet.

[canetoad]

116. Just read in The Straits Times

That a group of school kids returning to New Zealand after a holiday in Mexico have been quarantined, some with 'flu-like' symptoms.

This could quickly become a bit scary.

[Blandocyte]

117. Oh Noes

it's the end of the world and stuff.