Tag Archives: virus

International

Coronavirus / MERS update: Corporate greed hampers search for treatment? Pisses off United Nations!

26 May 2013 (18:06 UTC-07 Tango 25 May 2013)/16 Rajab 1434/05 Khordad 1391/17 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

“We do not know the full geographic spread of this virus.”-Keiji Fukuda, UN World Health Organization

The United Nations World Health Organization is now demanding that all countries share data on new diseases.  The concern is that many countries are not willing to share info because they might lose valuable patent rights.  Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO, said new international health regulations should protect such copyrights: “WHO collaborating centers, all of them, will not take intellectual property right to stop the sharing of information and to stop or delay the development of diagnostic tests or serology tests.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia claims there was a three months delay in addressing the new coronavirus/MERS outbreak, because a European company was arguing over who gets the patent rights!

Officials with the Erasmus Medical Center, in the Netherlands, fired back saying “It is clearly a misunderstanding…”, pointing out that “….a virus cannot be patented, only specific applications related to it, like vaccines and medicines…”

Saudi Arabian health officials are now sending MERS samples to the United States.  Researchers are sure MERS evolved from the bat coronavirus.  The samples being sent to the U.S. include samples from bats and other non-human animals.

It’s been revealed that a hospital in Saudi Arabia might be the source for an outbreak that took place in April.  The Al-Moosa General Hospital, in Hofuf, saw 22 cases, with ten people dying.  No new cases reported since the beginning of May.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it already has MERS samples from sources in the United Kingdom, and has already “….developed MERS-CoV molecular diagnostics and has distributed testing kits to domestic public health laboratories through the Laboratory Response Network as well as to other groups.”

Currently there are about 44 cases worldwide, with 22 deaths.

Influenza

False Flag Bio-War? Alabama mystery blamed on mixture of viruses and bacteria!

25 May 2013 (14:16 UTC-07 Tango)/15 Rajab 1434/04 Khordad 1392/16 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

“The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Houston County Health Department have determined that the cause of a respiratory illness cluster in southeast Alabama was a combination of influenza A, rhinovirus, the virus associated with the common cold, and bacterial pneumonia.”-ADPH press release

 

Influenza

H7N9 update: Like I said before, it is human to human! More blood tests prove it’s not the chickens!

25 May 2013 (13:49 UTC-07 Tango)/15 Rajab 1434/04 Khordad 1392/16 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

“Under appropriate conditions human to human transmission of the H7N9 virus may be possible.”-Infectivity, Transmission, and Pathology of Human H7N9 Influenza in Ferrets and Pigs

“We also found that the virus can infect pigs, which was not previously known……People may be transmitting the virus before they even know that   they’ve got it.”-Maria Zhu Huachen, Hong Kong University

As I’ve been warning since I first started reporting on the H7N9 outbreak in March, it is human to human!  If you go over all my H7N9 updates, you’ll notice that very few birds are infected.  More than 90% of infected poultry were found at live markets, where they come into contact with lots-o-humans.  I’ve postulated that the chickens are getting infected from contact with humans.

To back that up, not one chicken or duck on a farm has been found to be infected.  Not one poultry sent to the industrial butcher shops has been found to be infected, just the ones in live markets.

And to add to that, China’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) just released their latest H7n9 testing data (on 23 May 2013), and yet again not one bird on a poultry farm was positive!   They’ve tested a total of 899758 samples, here’s the results: Only 53 positive results out of the hundreds of thousands of samples!  51 were in live markets.  The other two were wild pigeons.  The MOA says they are done testing birds for H7N9. 

The resulting paranoia about getting H7N9 from chickens and ducks has resulted in China’s poultry industry losing $6.5 billion USD.  Poultry markets around Asia are expected to see huge loses as more and more countries join in banning innocent but delicious chickens and ducks.

The biggest biological threat to poultry markets is still H5N1, not H7N9.

How many humans have gotten sick?  So far 132 infected with 36 deaths.  By the way, research is showing this new H7N9 is an airborne disease which means washing your hands won’t do you much good.

Influenza

False Flag Bio-War? Mystery deaths called “coincidence”, yet infections increasing! Getting sick (or vaccinated?) while pregnant will cause mental problems for the baby!

23 May 2013 (13:55 UTC-07 Tango)/13 Rajab 1434/02 Khordad 1392/14 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

“At this time, there is no epidemiological link between these patients.”-Alabama Department of Health statement

The mystery illness in Alabama is more mysterious after health officials stated that the age of the people infected range from 20s to 80s, and has now infected a total of ten people: “Since we sent out the alert to providers last night, we have had three additional patients/cases. These patients all have the same symptoms of cough, shortness of breath and ‘something’ on their chest….”-Mary McIntyre, Alabama Department of Public Health

Also, the patients have other health problems, which complicate the diagnostics.

Health officials think this is just a bunch of cases of common colds or flus (first off the term ‘cold’ refers to many different viruses, and second flus have proven not to be ‘common’), and they don’t think this is caused by a “…new or unexpected virus…”

In a study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, historical researchers have found a link between influenza infections in pregnant woman and a nearly four-fold increase in cases of bi-polar disorders in their children.

The study isn’t new, but the release of the data is.  Researchers reviewed a ten year study done by Kaiser Permanente insurance, conducted from 1956-66.  It involves just over 19000 people in California.

Reports are suggesting this study is proof that people should get vaccinated.  A very small percentage of the study group got vaccinated.

However, another study concluded that a fetus can not identify viruses.  Remember that vaccines are viruses, grown in a controlled environment.  If a fetus can not recognize viral RNA, wouldn’t that apply to RNA viruses in vaccines?

Flus are RNA viruses (as are norovirus, MERS, SARS, SFTS),  and it has already been established that vaccines don’t work well on RNA viruses!  (as opposed to DNA viruses)

Previous studies have already linked schizophrenia to influenza viruses.  Is there a correlation between increased human brain function problems and the increased use of flu vaccines?

 

International

Coronavirus MERS update: Two more people die! More than 50% kill rate!

23 May 2013 (03:40 UTC-07 Tango)/13 Rajab 1434/02 Khordad 1391/14 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

The first person to become infected in Tunis, became the first to die.  The man came back from a trip to Saudi Arabia, sick.  His two sons are now sick and under medical observation.

In Saudi Arabia two people have died.  One man died on Monday, then (according to some reports) another man died on Wednesday.  Health officials also reported a new case of infection in a woman.

The new cases bring the total number of infections, since September 2012, to 43.  Deaths at 23.

Influenza

More mystery deaths, this time in Alabama! H7N9? MERS? SFTS? False Flag bio-war?

22 May 2013 (15:13 UTC-07 Tango)/12 Rajab 1434/01 Khordad 1392/13 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

Reports out of the U.S. state of Alabama, two people dead and five hospitalized with flu like symptoms.  State Department of Public Health officials calling it a “cluster”.

The flu like symptoms are described as fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.  These symptoms are also common with H7N9, MERS (coronavirus) or SFTS infections.

The Alabama mystery illness began 19 April 2013, however, state health officials say they were not notified until 16 May.  The U.S. CDC has been notified.

In Texas, the most recent reports say health officials are still stumped as to what killed two teenagers in March and April.

 

International, U.S.

Norovirus / Tummy Bug update, 22 May 2013: Entire school district shut down! It does kill! Cancer mistaken for stomach bug!

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 58% of all public pools tested in the United States, were swimming with E.Coli (bacteria) contaminated human shit (fecal contamination)!    The CDC concluded that many ‘mericans aren’t very clean.

In Ohio U.S.A., 11 schools were closed in Brunswick.  The epidemic started at a 07 May teacher appreciation lunch.  It’s been spreading since then.  All schools were closed because so many students are sick that even those students not sick have siblings that are sick.  Several dozens of teachers and students are sick.  Local media incorrectly called norovirus the stomach flu and/or food poisoning.

In Missouri U.S.A., the Cole County Health Department now saying last weeks’ outbreaks in local elementary and junior highs, were caused by norovirus.

In Arlington, Virginia U.S.A., Nottingham Elementary School hit by an outbreak.  School officials only made things more confusing when they started moving students from classroom to classroom.  School officials refuse to say how many students got sick, but one parent said at least 80. Students were fearful: “Everyone was getting sick. It got me and all my friends worried, and we cleared out as fast as we could.”-Raquel Robinson, 4th grader

In Wisconsin U.S.A., more than 50 students from Minnesota got sick at a YMCA camp.  Reports say the Minnesota Department of Health said one child from the North Star State was sick with norovirus when they left home for the YMCA camp.  Once there the virus quickly spread to the other students.  Also, in Franklin, the Pleasant View Elementary School was closed and scrubbed after more than 50 students became sick with stomach bug symptoms.  Health officials are testing to determine the cause.

In Iowa U.S.A., the Siouxland District Health Department investigating what caused about three teachers and 80 students to get sick at the Bryant Elementary School.

In New York U.S.A., a woman thought she was suffering from stomach bug, because of the symptoms.  She finally went to the doctor and found out she had fast spreading stage 4 breast cancer.  She died after her first chemotherapy treatment.  Friends of the family said that the exact moment she died a double rainbow appeared in the sky.

In East Riding of Yorkshire, England U.K., ward 21 at Castle Hill Hospital closed due to an outbreak: “…new patients being brought onto the ward had to go past the infected people.”-hospital source

In Worcestershire, England U.K., the Alexandra Hospital was closed along with wards at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

In East Midlands, England U.K., an investigation into the death of a 38 years old woman last year, concluded she died from norovirus.  Pathologists also told the Chesterfield Coroner’s Court that at least 80 people died in the United Kingdom last year, because of norovirus.

A study by a Canadian insurance company found that 93% of workers in United Kingdom go to work sick.  The main reasons are fear of loss of income and/or employment.

In Highland, Scotland U.K., The County Community Hospital in Invergordon, Lawson Memorial Hospital in Golspie, and the inpatient ward in Nairn Town have all been closed due to outbreaks.

In Queensland, Australia, a man is suffering from a massive watermelon sized hernia, after he got sick with a stomach bug.  He got infected after continuing to drink from his beer after he dropped in into the river he was fishing on.  Of course he picked up unknown microbes as a result.  The anti-biotic treatments and operations didn’t help. He’s been told he’ll need six more operations, yet on his most recent trip to the Royal Brisbane Hospital he was turned away due to lack of beds!

Researchers at Texas A&M University are experimenting with an electron beam to kill norovirus and hepatitis A in oysters. Most people like eating their oysters raw.

Other researchers claim they’ve come up with a way to kill microbes (bacteria, viruses, yeasts, molds) using gold, silver and lasers.  Apparently they use micro particles of gold or silver ‘shells’ designed to trap specifically shaped microbes, and then use a laser, which somehow kills only those microbes trapped in the gold/silver shells.

 

Influenza

H7N9 / Bird Flu update: Mexico hit! Thousands of humans carriers? North Korea kills 160000!

20 May 2013 (14:01 UTC-07 Tango)/10 Rajab 1434/30 Ordibehest 1392/11 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea reporting that H5N1 bird flu has struck their poultry industry hard.  They’ve had to cull (kill) 160000 ducks, at just one Pyongyang duck farm, to try and stop the spread of the virus.  United Nations health officials were notified.

Here’s some more news to make you more fearful of the creation of new biological weapons: Chen Hualan, of China’s Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, has discovered a single gene that can make bird flus easily become deadly human flus.  She found that one of two genes from the human version of H1N1 made the bird flu H5N1 infectious to animals other than birds.

Vietnam recently declared their H5N1 epidemic fini.  Health officials report no new cases in birds or humans for the past 21 days, thanks to efforts to cull or vaccinate tens of thousands of birds.  Since 2003, 62 people in Vietnam died from H5N1, the most recent being a four years old boy in April.  123 people got sick.

Animal health officials in Nepal have been culling poultry, as two new H5N1 outbreaks hit Kathmandu.  Outbreak response teams are overstretched and officials said they are unable to respond to the latest outbreak.

Indonesia has been put on warning for new H7N9 infections.  Researchers at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture studied how farmers keep their livestock, and concluded that current Indonesian livestock practices have the potential “….to facilitate the spread of the H7N9 virus.” 

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission claims that no new cases of H7N9 ‘bird’ flu have been reported.  However, in a joint study by  National Health and Family Planning Commission, and the UN World Health Organization, researchers are now concerned that not only has the virus evolved to spread human to human, but that possibly thousands of people are now carriers, showing little or no symptoms.

The Mexican state of Puebla has been hit with H7N3.   The National Service of Health, Food Safety and Food Quality say the source is laying chickens brought in from surrounding states.  So far 55000 chickens have been culled.  33 million doses of vaccine have been issued.  The United Nations has been notified.

 

Influenza

H7N9 update: Health officials reluctantly admitting it’s human to human!

19 May 2013 (09:06 UTC-07 Tango)/09 Rajab 1434/29 Ordibehest 1392/10 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

A new joint statement by China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, and the UN World Health Organization, admits H7N9 has a higher chance for human to human infection than any other known ‘bird’ flu.

Also, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control revealed that the only human case in their country never showed the officially recognized symptoms of H7N9.   The case was discovered simply because the man’s doctor was suspicious because the man just returned from infected areas of China.  Health officials noted that throat swabs were conducted daily, with negative results on day four and nine, yet a positive result on day eight.

The case caused Taiwan’s health officials to change their guidelines for diagnosing H7N9.   Since then they’ve tested at least 399 people, all tested negative for H7N9.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is preparing for H7N9 in Europe.  Health officials say the virus could be brought in via illegally imported poultry, or migrating birds, or even by infected humans: “Highly significant events include: transmission in countries distant from China, isolation of viruses from domestic birds in Europe, locally acquired infections in Europe and sustained human-to-human transmission. Epidemic intelligence is crucial for detecting trigger events.”

International

Another new killer virus you never heard of: SFTS, 30% kill rate? Stop blaming ticks! Where is it coming from?

18 May 2013 (11:11 UTC-07 Tango)/08 Rajab 1434/28 Ordibehest 1391/09 Ding-Si (4th month) 4711

Today, the (south) Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five people are showing signs of SFTS, but so far have tested negative.

One person has died, two in critical condition and two considered to be recovering.  More testing has been done, with results expected next week.

Since 2009 the new killer virus, with an estimated kill rate of 12% to 30%, has been spreading(?) from China.  It’s called Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, and is thought to originate with mites/ticks.

It’s known that at least 200 people in China were infected.  97% of infections were in farmers living in grasslands and it’s assumed they got sick from ixodid ticks in their region.   However, rat mites and household dust mites do not appear to carry SFTS.

It took until 2011 before researchers identified the new virus.  Chinese researchers did admit they could not find direct connection between ticks and human infections, they only assumed the connection because most sick people live in areas with high tick/mite populations.

It was also noted that many farmers’ livestock were infected, yet there was no indication of SFTS being passed from livestock to humans.  In one example; the majority of goat herds tested showed infection, yet most of the people infected were not involved with goat farming, and only one goat herder got infected.

Then, at the beginning of this year cases were reported in Japan, at least five people died.  Several of those deaths happened at the end of 2012, but it took awhile before scientist identified the cause.   By the end of February more than 30 possible cases were being investigated.  By the end of April there were 11 confirmed cases.

Here’s the problem in Japan; unlike in China where researchers were able to trace (by assumption) the SFTS to ticks/mites, in Japan no tick has been found infected with SFTS.  Japanese researchers do not know how humans are getting infected.

Also, officials with Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases say the SFTS in their country is slightly different than the one in China.  It appears the virus is undergoing independent evolution in different Asian locations.

Health officials are warning that SFTS causes high fever, diarrhea, vomiting, consciousness degradation, elevated liver enzymes, multiple organ failure, thrombocytopenia (low blood platelets), leukopenia (low white blood cells) and death.

China has reported a new case, in Zhejiang Province.  A man checked into a hospital with fever and bleeding gums.  On 15 May he was confirmed to have SFTS.  It’s unknown how he got sick, he was not bitten by ticks or mites.

In 2010 there were studies suggesting the new SFTS is a human to human virus.

There is no vaccine or treatment for SFTS.