Tag Archives: China

International

World War 3, Gun Control Front: Near total gun ban fails to prevent multiple killings in Shanghai!

23 June 2013 (12:53 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Sha’ban 1434/02 Tir 1391/16 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

In China’s Shanghai Municipality, Baoshan District, a 62 years old factory manager beat one co-worker to death, then got hold of a gun and shot five others to death on 22 June 2013.  One of those killed was a security guard.

Another security guard and a cop were among four people wounded by the rampaging old man.   The man is director of the general office at the factory, and supposedly got into a fight about transferring equipment to another factory.

In China individuals are not allowed to own any long guns (rifles, shotguns, military type)!  You can own a handgun for hunting/government pest control  purposes only, and must get government license to do so.  Licensing includes background checks, which include checking the likelihood of family violence!

Gun training is required for licensing, and each gun must be registered with the government.  Ammo is also tracked.

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, Economic Front: Sears revenues down because of shuttered stores! Kmart slave labor! Sears Canada begins closing stores! Sears sells out to Lowe’s?

19 June 2013 (21:59 UTC-07 Tango 18 June 2013)/10 Sha’ban 1434/29 Khordad 1391/12 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

Illinois about to lose the Mount Vernon Sears.  Sears Holdings officials gave the usual bullshit reason for the closing: “As a part of the ordinary course of business, we close stores for a variety of reasons. The store closures are part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base and accelerate the transformation of our business model. These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail – at the store, online and in the home.”

A woman who bought Halloween decorations at a Kmart store that has since closed, discovered a letter inside one of the boxes containing the decorations.  It was a plea for help from a Chinese slave laborer.  The New York Times confirmed the letter by finding the actual slave laborer.  He has since been freed, but was held in a Chinese slave labor camp for his outlawed religious beliefs.  The company that supplied Kmart with the decorations denied they were made by slave laborers.

Sears Holdings reported a loss of $279 million USD during the quarter that ended 04 May 2013.  Ironically Sears is blaming part of the drop in sales on the fact that they’ve closed so many stores: “Domestic store closures accounted for approximately $375 million of the decrease from the prior year quarter.”-Sears Holdings First Quarter 2013 report

Sears Holdings is also blaming Sears Canada for ongoing losses: “Sears Canada’s comparable store sales declined 2.6% in the quarter”

They also blame the value of the U.S. dollar: “First quarter revenues also included a decrease of $19 million due to foreign currency exchange rates.”

On 14 June 2013, it was announced that Sears Canada will start closing stores in the Great White North.  Canadian news media report that two to three major Sears stores in the Toronto area will be closed.  Sears Canada officials blame the owners of the property, saying the landlords offered to pay Sears at least two hundred million in CAD (CAnadian Dollars) to vacate the premises.  (in January Sears Canada closed two distribution centers, ending 700 jobs)

On 17 June 2013, California based Orchard Supply Hardware went bankrupt.  OSH was bought by Sears in 1996.  Sears began selling stock in OSH in 2012.  Now reports say Lowe’s (a hardware competitor) is looking to become the new owner of OSH.

Here’s the updated list of U.S. Sears/Kmart store closings since the end of 2011:

Arizona: Scottsdale Sears/Great Indoors, Chandler Sears/Great Indoors.

Alabama: Gadsden Kmart (50 jobs lost), Mobile Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Auburn Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Anniston Kmart (no word yet on how many jobs lost).

California:   El Monte Sears (at least 40 jobs lost. Damien Arrula, El Monte’s economic development director, said the store manager had lied about what was going on: “The general manager of the store had just indicated to me that they were remodeling.”), two San Diego Sears (at least 80 jobs lost), Pleasant Hill Kmart (more than 50 jobs lost), Torrance Kmart.

Colorado:  Broomfield Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Glenwood Springs Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lone Tree Sears/Great Indoors, Longmont Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Pueblos’ South Side Kmart (52 jobs lost),  Denver Kmart (number of jobs lost have not been made public at this time, but could be at least 40).

Georgia: Macon Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Buford Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Douglasville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Atlanta Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Columbus Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Jonesboro Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Cartersville Kmart (74 jobs lost).

Guam:  Sears Hometown Store.

Florida: Fernandina Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Callaway Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Orange City Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost),  Deland Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Stuart Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), West Palm Beach Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Port St. Lucie Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Crystal River Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), New Smyrna Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Saint Augustine Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Pompano Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost),  Jacksonville Kmart on 5751 Beach Boulevard (71 jobs lost), second Kmart in Jacksonville on 4645 Blanding Boulevard (83 jobs lost), Ocoee Sears (102 jobs lost), Pensacola Kmart on Airport Boulevard closed in 2011, Pensacola Kmart on Mobile Highway closed in February 2013 (69 jobs lost),  Pensacola Kmart on East 9 Mile Road will close in May (73 jobs lost), Hialeah Kmart (67 jobs lost), Bonita Springs Kmart (67 jobs lost), Mount Dora Kmart (100 jobs lost), Lake Mary Kmart.

Hawaii: Honolulu Sears (owned by GGP, 372 jobs lost!!!),  Kauai Sears (41 jobs lost).

Vacant bedroom/bathroom section.

One corner of the half vacant Chubbuck, Idaho, Sears. No official closing announcement was made.

Idaho: Lewiston Sears (at least 60 jobs lost).  No official announcement, but it’s painfully obvious the Chubbuck Sears going’ down. Or, maybe it’s preps for Shop within a Shop, or one of those domestic spy data storage centers?

Indiana:  Anderson Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Saint John Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Indianapolis Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Richmond Sears (49 jobs lost).

Illinois:  Alton Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Melrose Park Sears parts and repair center (50 jobs lost), Zion Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Oak Lawn Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), McHenry Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Peru Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lombard Sears/Great Indoors (at least 40 jobs lost), Fairview Heights Kmart (81 jobs lost), Freeport Kmart (45 jobs lost), Pontiac Kmart (more than 47 jobs lost), Homer Glen Kmart (82 jobs lost), Streator Kmart (45 jobs lost), Lombard Kmart (70 jobs lost), Naperville Kmart (98 jobs lost), Calumet Sears (164 jobs lost), two Sears stores in Grand Crossing area of Chicago (247 jobs lost!), recently revealed Mount Vernon Sears (68 jobs lost). 58 Chicago area stores up for lease or sale.  By the way, Illinois elected officials gave Sears Holdings/Hoffman Estates a $150 million USD tax break to keep their headquarters in the state.  The tax break was not tied to any promise not to close stores.

Iowa:  Cedar Rapids Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Davenport Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Burlington Kmart (50 jobs lost), Coralville Sears (94 jobs lost, this is a store sold to GGP earlier in the year).

Kansas: Lawrence Sears (at least 40 jobs lost).

Kentucky: Middlesboro Sears (in September 2012 the Sears store re-opened under independent ownership, official grand re-opening scheduled for November), Winchester Kmart (back in May, Rankin Paynter bought out what was left of the inventory and gave it to charity), Hazard Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost).

Maine: Lewiston Sears (60 to 70 jobs lost).

Maryland: Ellicott Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Gaithersburg Sears/Great Indoors.

Michigan: Novi Sears/Great Indoors, Brighton Sears Grand/Essentials,  Harper Woods Sears Full line, Monroe Sears Full line, Adrian Sears Full line, Washington Township Kmart, Chesterfield Kmart, Woodhaven Kmart, Flint Kmart (46 jobs lost), Gaylord Kmart (48 jobs lost).

Minnesota: Willmar Kmart, Duluth Kmart, New Hope Kmart, White Bear Lake Kmart, Bemidji Kmart,  GGP owned Sears Auto Center in the Apache Mall closed (10 jobs lost).

Mississippi: Jackson Sears Full line, McComb Sears Full line, Columbus Sears Full line.

Missouri: Lee’s Summit Sears Grand/Essentials, Saint Louis Sears Full line, High Ridge Kmart (59 jobs lost).

Montana: Missoula Kmart (50 jobs lost).

New Hampshire: Nashau Sears Grand/Essentials, Keene Sears Grand/Essentials,  Portsmouth Kmart (30 jobs lost).

North Carolina: High Point Sears, Moorehead Sears, Rocky Mount Sears, Statesville Sears, Durham Kmart (79 jobs lost), Asheville Kmart (53 jobs lost),  West Smithfield Kmart (59 jobs lost), Winston-Salem Kmart (69 jobs lost), Hendersonville Kmart (58 jobs lost).

North Dakota: Jamestown Kmart (45 jobs lost).

New Jersey:  Lawnside Kmart (about 80 jobs lost).

New Mexico: Las Cruces Kmart (58 jobs lost).

New York: Depew (Lancaster?) Kmart (68 jobs lost).

Ohio: Chagrin Falls Kmart, Springfield Kmart, two Toledo Kmarts, Medina Kmart, Columbus Kmart, Columbus Sears/Great Indoors, Zanesville Sears (67 jobs lost), Trotwood Kmart (71 jobs lost).   Also, Van Wert Sears franchise bought out by Kirk Berryman, owner of Computer & Networking Technologies (CNT), who plans on moving the store to a new location.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Sears (98 jobs lost, GGP owned, GGP wants a $2 million sales tax rebate, claiming it’s needed to offset capital investments needed to bring the space up to the standards for potential new tenants).

Oregon: Roseburg Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Tualatin Kmart Center (new property owner from California is tearing everything down for new shopping center, so far no indication the Kmart will be part of the new shopping center), Milwaukie Kmart (61 jobs lost).

Pennsylvania: Upper Darby Sears Full line, Pottstown Sears Full line, Pittsburgh Kmart, Wilkins Sears, Warminster Kmart (85 jobs lost), Shippensburg Kmart (46 jobs lost), Moon Kmart (143 jobs lost).

South Carolina: Sumter Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Orangeburg Sears (57 jobs lost), Columbia Kmart on Fort Jackson Boulevard in 2012, Columbia Kmart on Bush River Road in 2009, Columbia Kmart on St Andrews Road (66 jobs lost), Irmo Kmart (no info on how many jobs lost),  both Greenville Kmarts (140 jobs lost between the two).

Tennessee: Antioch Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Cleveland Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Oak Ridge Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Hendersonville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Morristown Sears (about 70 jobs lost), Clinton South Kmart.

Texas: Two Sears parts and repair centers closing in The Woodlands (117 jobs lost), rebuild center in Garland (58 jobs lost), Farmers Branch Sears/Great Indoors, Houston Sears Great/Indoors.

Virginia: Norfolk Sears (at least 40 jobs lost),  Midlothian Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Richmond Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lynchburg Sears (84 jobs lost), Fairfax Kmart (no word on how many jobs lost), Christiansburg Sears (59 jobs lost), Norfolk Kmart on East Little Creek Road (77 jobs lost), Manassas Kmart (71 jobs lost).

Washington: Walla Walla Sears Full line (in August 2012, it was reported that an independent owner of Sears Hometown stores will open a store in Walla Walla), Lacey Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Kelso Sears (47 jobs lost), Lakewood Kmart (59 jobs lost), Bellingham Sears (92 jobs lost),  Seattle Kmart (85 jobs lost), East Wenatchee Sears (59 jobs lost).

West Virginia: Oak Hill Kmart (59 jobs lost).

Wisconsin: West Baraboo Sears (at least 40 jobs lost, local village officials say the store generated 3% of local tax collections), Rice Lake Kmart (about 71 jobs lost).

On top of that, Sears Holdings sold stores to General Growth Properties (GGP), of which it has been reported that most of those stores will be closed.

Here’s the list of 11 Sears stores now owned by GGP:

Iowa: Coral Ridge Mall (it’s official the Sears is closing, see above), and Mall of the Bluffs

Texas: The Woodlands Mall (this does not involve the two repair centers being closed by Sears)

Florida: West Oaks Mall

Utah: Fashion Place, and Provo Towne Centre (note the evil British empire way of spelling town & center. Due to a favorable lease agreement the GGP owned Provo Sears will continue to stay open under Sears Holdings management)

Oklahoma: Quail Springs Mall (it’s official, the Sears will be closed, see above)

Hawaii: Ala Moana Center (will be closed, see above)

Washington: Bellis Fair Mall (Bellingham store, see above)

Minnesota: Apache Mall  (see update above, GGP will close Sears store by 2014)

Illinois: Market Place Shopping Center

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asia-Pacific Front: USMC admits Iraq, Afghanistan & War on Terror just preps for war with China!

18 June 2013 (16:31 UTC-07 Tango)/09 Sha’ban 1434/28 Khordad 1391/11 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

The U.S. Marine Corps has revealed a new COIN policy; kill the enemy, then kiss and make up afterwards: “Asking young Marines to kill at one time and not at the other, and being able to talk to someone immediately after coming out of a firefight…”-USMC Brigadier General Richard Simcock, Marine Corps Forces Pacific

According to several USMC sources the new policy, being run out of the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning in Quantico, Virginia, is a way of preparing Marines for future/expected military operations in the Asian-Pacific area (ie China).   The policy went into effect in October 2012.

Also, USMC non-coms will now have to ‘volunteer’ to become experts in the cultural values of certain regions of the Asia-Pacific, if they want to be considered for further promotions.

This seems to coincide with the island hopping exercises that have been taking place off the coast of California since 2010.  Those war games involve Japan, Australia, New Zealand, United States and even Canada.

I remember when soldiers and Marines considered being used as nation building Global cops abhorrent.  But in 2006, USA General David Patreaus and USMC General James Mattis revised U.S. COIN policy in FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency, saying “Soldiers and Marines are expected to be nation-builders….” 

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, says the future military adventures of the United States will require soldiers and Marines to double as diplomats.  (as a former warrior with California & Idaho Army National Guards, during the Cold War and post Cold War, I say bullshit on that!)

USMC officials have admitted that they have been given orders from the Commander in Chief, Barack Obama, to focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

USMC Major Thomas Ross stated that the experiences of Afghanistan and Iraq were instrumental in leading up to the current U.S. policy in the Asia-Pacific region.  This can only mean that the United States government is about to launch a war of control (in the name of fighting terrorism?) in that region.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asia-Pacific Front: Obama increasing military personnel in Australia! Japan & Canada increases wargames in California, preps for war with China!

14 June 2013 (12:10 UTC-07 Tango)/05 Sha’ban 1434/24 Khordad 1391/07 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

It’s been revealed that President Barack Obama is increasing the number of U.S. Marines occupying Australia.

Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, announced that they’ve agreed to allow 1150 U.S. Marines to be deployed in the city of Darwin next year.  Currently about 200 Marines spend six months a year, in the Darwin area, playing army with Aussie Diggers.  There are other U.S. military personnel stationed elsewhere in Australia.

In 2011 Obama announced he would be stationing at least 2500 Marines and U.S. Air Force airmen in Australia.

Analysts point out that the city of Darwin has a strategic advantage to quickly deploy troops against China!

In the U.S. state of California, it was revealed that for the first time ever all three branches of the Japanese Self Defense Forces are taking part in a major war game with U.S. Marines, Canadian navy and New Zealand.  Officials from Australia and Singapore are observing operation Dawn Blitz 2013.

The war games began this past week, and involve (as in recent smaller war games with U.S. Marines) the invasion and capture of islands.  If you’ve been following news out of East Asia you’d know that Japan and China are at odds over certain islands, even threatening war over them.

The U.S. sponsored Dawn Blitz wargames began in 2010, which is about when Japan began ratcheting up their claims on disputed islands.  Recently Japan took over a island and China is demanding it be returned to them.

Japanese claims are upsetting not only China, but Russia, Korea (both north & U.S. ally south) and even U.S. ally Taiwan.  The Obama administration has repeatedly stated they support Japan’s claims on the disputed islands.

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Idaho Electric rates going up, blame the demise of Pocatello’s Hoku silicone factory!

11 June 2013 (15:02 UTC-07 Tango)/02 Sha’ban 1434/21 Khordad 1392/04 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

It’s been revealed that in May, Hoku Materials laid off its last engineer at the failed $700 million USD polysilicone factory in Pocatello, Idaho.  There are now only eight security guards working at the 50 football fields long factory.

Pocatello based news media interviewed the engineer who told them they were trying to work on a way to save the factory from bankruptcy sale.

Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho. Now estimated to have cost $700 million.

Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho. Now estimated to have cost $700 million.

Today, the factory is considered officially shut down, and will likely be parted out in bankruptcy liquidation sales (who wants to buy a 50 football fields long, never been used, polysilicone factory?).

The project was started five years ago, but right away ran into trouble because Hoku Corporation didn’t really have the money to build their Hoku Materials factory.  Pocatello even gave the company a huge tax break equivalent to the value of the land the factory was being built on.

Construction was delayed several times because Hoku couldn’t pay the construction contractor on time.  Eventually Hoku sold out to a Chinese company (Tianwei).  Then commodity market prices for polysilicone crashed.  The coup de gras was given by President Obama when he imposed high tariffs on Chinese solar power companies.

Another issue was that Idaho Power, the main supplier of electricity in Idaho, cut off power several times because Hoku didn’t pay their electric bill.  Now Idaho Power is jacking up electric rates for Idahoans, partially blaming it on the failed solar power polysilicone provider.

Most of Idaho Power’s electricity comes from dams on the Snake River, but water levels are so low they must rely more on wind and gas fired plants to generate electricity this year.  Regarding Hoku, Idaho Power is trying to regain the $23 million they invested.  In other words, Idaho Power company officials made a bad investment and they’re going to make their captive customers pay for it!

Electric rates for Idahoans trapped on the Idaho Power grid will see a 12% increase, the fourth largest increase in Idaho’s history.

I’ve been following this disaster for years, here’s more on the demise of Hoku Materials:

Capitalist Commodity Markets to blame for Pocatello’s Hoku Polysilicon near abandonment!

 

 

Influenza

H7N9 update: Outbreak considered finished! Class BSL-3 virus!

10 June 2013 (20:53 UTC-07 Tango 09 June 2013)/01 Sha’ban 1434/20 Khordad 1392/03 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission considers the H7N9 outbreak over.  No new cases have been reported.  Official updates will take place once per month.   The official count is 131 human cases, 39 deaths.

On 07 June, the UN World Heath Organization reported 132 cases (one man in Taiwan) and 37 deaths.  Apparently two more people died between then and now.

The UNWHO continues to insist that it comes from poultry, even though testing doesn’t show that (Chinese officials tested a total of 899758 bird samples. Only 53 were positive!  51 were chickens in live markets.  The other two were wild pigeons.).  UN health officials admit that there were four “clusters” of possible human to human cases.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified H7N9 as a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) virus.  Laboratories around the world are now studying the virus.  The CDC also reported that vaccines don’t work against H7 viruses.  A recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study came to the same conclusion.

The MIT study also said the H7N9 contains a protein that can easily evolve to make it infectious to humans.  It then can infect you in your upper respiratory tract (nose, sinuses, throat).

What I find interesting is that it’s taken U.S. researchers this long to conclude what Japanese researchers concluded just days after the outbreak began.

A recent study by National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) says the H7N9 does not follow the currently accepted medical dogma about how flu viruses evolve.   They warn pandemic is still possible.

Influenza

H7N9 update: Easy to catch, old men are the targets!

29 May 2013 (14:45 UTC-07 Tango)/19 Rajab 1434/08 Khordad 1392/20 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

“…the low antibody levels we measured indicate that there is likely to be very little immune protection against this virus…..It is now essential that follow up studies on patients with H7N9 include serological investigations to determine what antibody levels are indicative of clinical protection…..These data will give us a better tool to gauge the size of a second H7N9 outbreak…”-Maciej F. Boni,  Center for Tropical Medicine, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Vietnam

Researchers in Vietnam are warning that H7N9 is potentially just as easy to catch as other human flu viruses, and that humans have weak immunity protection against it.

In China, researchers have released data on just who is getting sick and what are the dominant symptoms of H7N9:

100% of infected people had fevers

97% of patients had signs of pneumonia

90% had coughs

76% needed ICU treatment

68% were men

42% were aged 65 years or older

27% died

The researchers also suggested that there could be a genetic reason why some people get sick, and others do not.

 

Influenza

Coronavirus MERS update: More deaths and cases! U.S. & China join forces!

28 May 2013 (12:28 UTC-07 Tango)/18 Rajab 1434/07 Khordad 1392/19 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

“…the imminent threats are the H7N9 influenza virus and the new coronavirus emerging in the Middle East.”-Ian Lipkin, Center for Infection and Immunity

French news media reporting that the man who returned from Dubai, infected with the new bat related virus, MERS, has died.  It was that case which confirmed that MERS is airborne and can infect human to human, because another man sharing the hospital room with the MERS infected man is now sick.

In Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), a woman suffering from chronic illness was finally done in by MERS.  KSA Ministry of Health are also reporting five new cases.

By my count, the number of deaths are at 24, out of 49 cases.

The UN World Health Organization says it will now help KSA prepare for possible massive outbreak of MERS during the upcoming Islamic Haj pilgrimage (in October).

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning all U.S. medical personnel to be on the lookout, as any person who returned from the Middle East (West Asia) showing sings of illness could have MERS.

In China, a new research center is being opened by National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and the U.S. Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health’s Center for Infection and Immunity.

It’s been years in the planning and is called Joint Research Laboratory for Pathogen Discovery.  The operators say the timing is just right, since it appears the World is being hit with several new diseases right now.  Researchers believe the greatest need is finding ways to fight H7N9 and MERS.   China is paying for the new research center.

Influenza

H7N9 update: New case, more deaths!

28 May 2013 (12:00 UTC-07 Tango)/18 Rajab 1434/07 Khordad 1392/19 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

New main streamer news media reports say a new study says H7N9 is resistant to tamiflu.  No shit Sherlock,  I’ve been reporting that for weeks now (go over my past H7N9 updates)!

In China, the city of Beijing reports its second case of H7N9 human infection.  A six years old boy got sick, went to hospital where blood samples were taken.  He was allowed to go home and return to school.  It was later confirmed he has H7N9.  However, health officials say he has not shown any symptoms since being sent home.

Beijing health officials have ordered that H7N9 must be tested for in all suspected flu cases, and must be reported to officials.

Chinese news media reporting another person has died from H7N9.  China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission says 131 people have been infected, with 36 of them dying (by my count it’s 133 including the case in Taiwan, and 37 deaths).

International

SFTS update: More deaths! Finally proof that it’s Vampire Spiders!

28 May 2013 (11:23 UTC-07 Tango)/18 Rajab 1434/07 Khordad 1391/19 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

A third person has now died, possibly of SFTS (Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) in Korea.  Lab results are taking a long time to confirm whether or not the victims had SFTS.  He was suffering from fever, stomach problems and septicemia.  These symptoms could also been associated with meningitis.

The second Korean to die did so on 16 May, and has finally been confirmed to have been infected with SFTS.  He was a cattle farmer and reports say his body was covered in tick (a type of blood sucking spider/arachnid) bites.

The first Korean to die did so in August 2012.  She was only recently confirmed to have SFTS.  It took several blood tests to confirm SFTS.  She was bitten by a tick in July 2012.  One month later she suffered fever and stomach problems.  The tick bite had not healed and began swelling.  She died four days after being transferred to Seoul National University Hospital.

In Japan, at least 15 people have been infected, and eight have died from SFTS.  However, researchers were having trouble connecting the disease to ticks, because they couldn’t find any that were carrying the virus.  Finally, this past week they found a tiny 3mm tick on the latest human victim.  The tick tested positive for SFTS.

The last reports out of China said researchers were also having problems making definitive connections between ticks and humans, but assumed it was being caused by ticks.

Here’s the rub; as I’ve posted before, it seems this SFTS is evolving independently in the different countries where it’s being found (it evolved from the bunyavirus).  Japanese researchers have pointed out that their SFTS is slightly different than the SFTS in China.

The infected tick just found in Japan is reported to be the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick.  The same tick associated with Lyme disease.

Unconfirmed reports say SFTS has also been found in the Rhipicephalus microplus tick.  This tick was supposedly eradicated from the United States, but is still found in Mexico, Central America and parts of Austral/Asia and east Africa.

Breaking news update as of February 2019: Longhorn ticks are making their way back to North America!