Deaths not linked to H1N1 vaccine: WHO

Hey folks,

I have to comment on this. There is so much Health and information out there the last couple of days, I need to discuss a few things. First up, this. According to Reuters - Deaths not linked to H1N1 vaccine: WHO By Stephanie Nebehay Stephanie Nebehay – Thu Nov 19, 1:27 pm ET

GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said on Thursday the H1N1 vaccine had been cleared of blame for 41 deaths which health authorities worldwide had investigated after suspicions they might have been caused by the inoculation.

OK. Now as I said before. I'm NOT telling you NOT to get the Swine Flu Shot. I'm not telling you you should. As for me and my own, we are not. Why? My reason stays the same. It really is not tested.

Some say it's safe, some say they are more worried about the Vaccine than they are the actual flu. As I pointed out to you, I DO agree that these vaccines need to be tested FULLY before they are mandated for use. Right now Swine Flu is easily treated and most recover from it. There IS history of bad things happening in the 70s from the Swine Flu vaccines. I posted Video of this HERE. Now, we have 41 people, that was alive, took the shoot, and who are NOT. Facts folks. Just facts.

The U.N. agency reaffirmed that the pandemic vaccine is as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine used for more than 60 years. It also voiced concern that some pregnant women and others at risk were shunning it because of a fear of side-effects.

"No new safety issue has been identified from reports issued to date ... Reporting so far reconfirms that the pandemic flu vaccine is as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine," Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's top vaccine expert, told a telephone conference.

Governments have so far reported that 65 million vaccine doses have been administered against H1N1, known as swine flu, in 16 countries, but the true figure is probably higher since immunization campaigns are under way in 40 countries, she said.

So they do not even now how much has been given?

Side-effects commonly reported include swelling and redness or pain at the injection site, although some had fever or headache, and all symptoms usually disappear after 48 hours.

Yes, and 41 people have DIED. Would they have if they had NOT taken the shot? Why did the shot effect them fatally and not others? The article says that there were, wait, here it is.

A "small number of deaths" had been reported, she said, and a WHO spokeswoman later put the figure at 41 in six countries.

"Although some investigations are still ongoing, the results of the completed investigations reported to WHO have ruled out that the pandemic vaccine is the cause of death," Kieny said.

Authorities in China -- where 11 million people have been vaccinated -- have reported 2 deaths following inoculation and 15 cases of severe side effects, the WHO said in a statement.

"Thorough investigation of these deaths, including a review of autopsy results, determined that underlying medical conditions were the cause of death and not the vaccine," it said of China.

WHAT "underlying medical conditions" did they have? Do you not think it would be good to know? It's like whenever you see a drug advertised on TV. You always see things like "Pregnant Women or Women that could become Pregnant, If you have High Blood Pressure, should not take this,," Should we not have something like that for THIS?

Fewer than a dozen suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome had been reported following pandemic vaccination, she said. "Only a few of this Guillain-Barre may be linked to the pandemic vaccine .... and patients have recovered," she added.

Wait a second. Do you know what Guillain-Barre syndrome is? PARALYSIS! Remember the 70s? It is frequently severe and usually exhibits as an ascending paralysis noted by weakness in the legs that spreads to the upper limbs and the face along with complete loss of deep tendon reflexes.

"Only a few of this Guillain-Barre may be linked to the pandemic vaccine?" How many is a few? She claims they have recovered? Proof of this? At least they are telling us the truth here. I'll give them that. They may be down playing it, but they are telling us the truth.

Now do not misunderstand me here folks. I understand that these numbers are EXTREMELY low. VERY small in the number of people who have taken the shot. I understand that most that take the shot, will most likely have only mild side effects and it may help them from getting the Flu. However, again, for me and mine, the risk is just to great. You have to make your own decisions as to if you will take it or not. Do the research yourselves and YOU weight the FACTS. YOU decide what is best for you. The best decisions are fully informed and educated decisions.
Peter

Sources:
Reuters - Deaths not linked to H1N1 vaccine: WHO

Not Enough H1N1 Vaccine Production

Yet, 10 percent of what IS produced will go to foreign countries.

Hey folks,

In this weeks Health and Science Segment, we are going to check in on the Swine Flu, H1N1 vaccine production. With three deaths right here in Sunny South Florida, and many more across the country OUTSIDE of Flu Season, many are concerned about what will happen when Flu Season comes back in full force.

On August 31 of this year, we got some bad news. It may be worse than we thought RIGHT NOW. Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 virus. According to WHO, there are now 12 Countries, including China and Singapore, reporting a mutation in the virus. That is NOT good folks. Such cases have also been found in Japan, US, Hong Kong, Denmark and Canada.

Still, the Experts say we need to take the New H1N1 Flu Shot. Problem two? There may not be enough to go around. According to Reuters - H1N1 vaccine production far less than forecast: WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) – Annual production of H1N1 vaccine will be "substantially less" than the 4.9 billion doses the World Health Organization (WHO) previously forecast was possible, a spokesman said on Friday.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said that based on clinical test results from some 25 drugmakers, weekly production was less than 94 million doses, although it seemed one dose would be enough to give immunity against the swine flu strain.

MAYBE. But then again, Do we KNOW that it is SAFE?

"The real figure will be substantially less than 4.9 billion," Hartl told reporters.

The WHO previously forecast one third of the world's nearly seven billion people could be affected by the H1N1 pandemic, but so far the vast majority of victims are suffering only mild symptoms.

Hartl gave no exact new forecast but noted WHO's previous estimate of 4.9 billion had been based on drugmakers switching all production of seasonal flu vaccine to the new vaccine against the H1N1 strain and getting good yields.

In a statement, the WHO said current supplies of pandemic vaccine are "inadequate for a world population in which virtually everyone is susceptible to infection."

So the experts were wrong again. Big surprise. It's out there. It's coming. TRUST me folks, if you start feeling ill. DO NOT WAIT! Go see your Doctor NOW. I waited. I was down for 10 days. Take precautions. Wash your hands. If you are around someone that appears ill, LEAVE. In line at a store? get out of line and wait. Do not mess around with this. If you do start feeling ill. STAY HOME! Do not infect anyone else. This is not the common cold we are talking about. This is serious stuff. Be smart, be cautious, be well.
Peter

Sources:
Indiatimes.com - Drug-resistant H1N1 reported in 12 countries
Reuters - H1N1 vaccine production far less than forecast: WHO

Flu Vaccine Trials to Include Pregnant Women

Is there a better way to test this? What happens if this is BAD?

Hey folks,

In this week's Health and Science Segment, I want to ask an honest question. I understand that Swine Flu, Bird Flu, just the average Flu is out there. I understand, and may have even contracted some form a Flu in Miami. I have been sick since Thursday afternoon. I'm just now starting to feel better. It was horrible.

So I understand why people want the Flu Shot. As we talked about last week. I'm all for a new Flu Shot to protect against Swine, or H1N1. But I want to make sure it is safe. So how do we test it? Well, according to US News and World Report - Flu Vaccine Trials to Include Pregnant Women by Deborah Kotz. Is THIS really a good idea?

As predicted, pregnant women are, indeed, on the government's list of the first folks to be vaccinated against the H1N1 "swine flu" virus. The panel of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended yesterday that the new vaccine be provided first to pregnant women and adults with compromised immune systems, who face a greater risk of complications, and others, like children and health-care workers, who are at higher risk of becoming infected, says Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Some 159 million people fall into these high-priority groups, and whether there will be enough vaccine for all of them when it first becomes available isn't known.

In the event that there are shortages, the panel also came up with a superhigh-priority list of those who should be vaccinated--some 41 million individuals. Once again, pregnant women are on this list. Just how many of them will rush out to get vaccinated, however, remains a mystery. Studies suggest that fewer than 15 percent of expectant moms currently get the seasonal flu vaccine, but more may be willing to get the H1N1 vaccine--and their doctors may push harder for them to have it--given the latest data showing that pregnant women infected with H1N1 are more likely to develop severe complications.

The trouble is, many pregnant women are extremely cautious about getting any shots or medicines because of the potentially harmful effects that these agents could have on a developing fetus. In fact, vaccines that contain live weakened viruses, like measles, aren't administered during pregnancy because of the possibility that they could cause a high fever in the woman--raising the risk of birth defects--or an infection in the fetus. The seasonal flu and H1N1 shots, however, contain dead viruses that don't pose either of these problems. Still, many experts agree, the H1N1 vaccine should be tested in pregnant women before it's licensed for use during pregnancy. (Studies have already established that seasonal flu vaccine is safe and effective to use at any stage of pregnancy.)

The National Institutes of Health is set to begin testing the vaccine in pregnant women in the next month or two. "We're still awaiting word from our institutional review board [which signs off on all clinical trials], so we don't yet know who will be included," says Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of NIH. Although he says there's no reason not to include pregnant women at the earliest stage of pregnancy, the review board could "out of an abundance of caution" limit the trials to women who are beyond the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Unfortunately, he adds, safety and efficacy data won't be available from those pregnant women trials when the vaccine initially becomes available in late October.

One question the trials may address is at what stage during pregnancy the vaccine should be given. Swine flu complications tend to be much worse when women get infected near the end of pregnancy as opposed to during the first 12 weeks. And there's always the possibility--no matter how remote--that something administered during those early weeks when a fetus's organs are still developing could cause birth defects. "This is a new vaccine, so we can't say whether it's safer to give during one period of pregnancy or another," says Mark Steinhoff, director of the global health center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, who has researched the use of seasonal flu vaccine in pregnant women.

By and large, there's no reason to think that the H1N1 vaccine will pose any problems for pregnant women since it's being produced in exactly the same fashion as the seasonal flu vaccine. What's more, Steinhoff adds, pregnant women who get vaccinated will probably also confer antibody protection to their newborns who are too young to be vaccinated themselves. This could prove lifesaving if H1N1 infections become extremely widespread or the virus mutates into a deadlier strain.

Pregnant women are also advised to get Tamiflu if they experience symptoms of swine flu like high fever, sore throat, and a cough. But some experts are concerned over the lack of research on the use of this drug in pregnant women infected with H1N1. "We are hugely concerned that we don't know what the right dose is for pregnant women," says Ruth Faden, director of the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University. "While it may be that the standard dose of Tamiflu is perfectly appropriate, it's at least possible that it's an insufficient dose for pregnant women at a given stage in pregnancy." That's because pregnant women's kidneys clear drugs faster from the body, which means that certain drugs may not enter the bloodstream at therapeutic levels. (This has been demonstrated with some antibiotics, but Tamiflu hasn't been tested in pregnant women.) "I think the message we should be getting out is that pregnant women should be vaccinated," she says, and that those who get infected and treated with Tamiflu should be studied in clinical trials to see if the drug is given at an effective dose. "This is a tough situation. I wish we weren't in it."

So basically that answer that I have been asking for two weeks is "We do not know." "We do not know if it is safe, but we are in an emergency situation and must give the shot now and hope for the best?"

I'm not a Doctor folks. I do not even pretend to be one on TV. But if Laura {My Wife} was pregnant, or my Son Joshua was getting the sniffles, until I see some study somewhere about the SAFETY of this Shot, I would not be having them take it. Remember what happened in the 70s?

Like I said, I have been EXTREMELY ill since Thursday. I am just now, Sunday, starting to feel a bit better. I've been taking decongestants, natural cold relief, Tea, drinking lots of OJ and a ton of water, at night, Equate Nite Time to sleep. I do not recommend that you do as I do, I would recommend that you go to your Doctor to get checked out if you do not feel well, but when it comes to untested, disease filled Vaccines, unless you are willing to be a Ginni Pig, I'm not sure I would recommend that either.
Peter

Sources:
US News and World Report - Flu Vaccine Trials to Include Pregnant Women

Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return

UPDATE: Swine Flu Update

Hey folks,

I'm still getting, well, before the Email Change, NEW EMAIL opntalk@gmail.com, from some of you wondering why I keep following this so closely. Here is why. Normal Flu has a season. When it turns warmer, it goes away to return during "Flu Season" then goes away again. Not with Swine Flu. It is still very much alive and is STILL Spreading. So what happens when actual "Flu Season" DOES come back around? Will it be more deadly? Will it spread MORE easily? Will it mutate to become something else? This is why it HAS to be watched. According to the AP - Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 10 mins ago

WASHINGTON – U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October with children among the first in line — at their local schools — the Obama administration said Thursday as the president and his Cabinet urged states to figure out now how they'll tackle the virus' all-but-certain resurgence.

"We may end up averting a crisis. That's our hope," said President Barack Obama, who took time away from the G-8 summit in Italy to telephone another summit back home — the 500 state and local health officials meeting to prepare for swine flu's fall threat.

No final decision has been made on whether to vaccinate Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stressed. That depends largely on studies with experimental batches that are set to start the first week of August — to see if they're safe and seem to work and to learn whether they require one or two doses.

But if all goes well, the federal government will buy vaccine from manufacturers and share it for free among the states, which must then "try and get this in the arms of the targeted population as soon as possible," Sebelius said.

First in line probably will be school-age children, young adults with risky conditions such as asthma, pregnant women and health workers, she said. Unlike regular winter flu, the swine flu seems more dangerous to these groups than to older people.

"Schools are natural places" to offer those vaccines, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.

Go home and get schools, mayors and other community leaders to spread that message, Sebelius said.

"The last thing we want is millions of parents to be surprised" the day the get-your-kid-vaccinated-at-school note comes home, she said.

Schools do occasionally team up with local health officials for special flu vaccination clinics, but it's not common. More than 140 schools around the country scheduled flu vaccination days last fall, some providing free vaccine. Some vaccinated only students bearing parent consent forms; others opened their doors to entire families.

It will be a confusing fall, Sebelius acknowledged. Doctors' offices, clinics and even grocery stores will be in the midst of dispensing 100 million-plus doses of regular winter flu vaccine — and the swine flu vaccine, which will roll out slowly, will require at least one completely separate inoculation.

"We know a mass vaccination program of even modest scale will involve extraordinary effort on your part," Sebelius told state health workers.

She also announced $350 million in grants to help states prepare, money to be used partly to brace hospitals for a surge of demand from the truly sick and the well-but-worried.

"We want to make sure we are not promoting panic but we are promoting vigilance and preparation," Obama told the gathering.

State officials welcomed the funds but had more practical questions for the feds, starting with what they learned from the chaos when swine flu first burst on the scene last spring and schools around the country closed because of sick students.

Since then, the virus has infected an estimated 1 million Americans and still is spreading, remarkable considering influenza usually can't tolerate summer's heat and humidity.

"What I need from all of you is an idea of when it is best to close, when it is necessary to close and when it's not," said Belinda Pustka, superintendent of Texas' Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District.

"Closing school is a last resort not a first resort," Duncan stressed, but he said schools need to plan how they'll keep students learning if they do have to close for extended periods.

Pustka's schools posted assignments online. But Sue Todey of Wisconsin's Department of Public Education said that between rural geography and poverty, many students don't have the necessary Internet access and she's exploring using public television or old-fashioned sending home of paper assignments.

An even bigger problem: When schools close and working parents need to stay home — or any worker gets sick — too often, they don't get paid, said Paul Jarris of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. So they come to work, spreading infection.

"How are we going to assist people who don't have benefits?" he asked.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she was working with the Labor Department to address that question, and she urged employers to allow telecommuting and make other provisions should swine flu hit their workplaces this fall.

Swine flu outbreaks in the fall are all but certain given its continued spread here — 50 outbreaks in children's summer camps so far — and abroad, with major problems in parts of the Southern Hemisphere.

What doctors can't predict is how bad it will be during the U.S. flu season, but Obama's team of heavy-hitters spent Thursday warning against complacency.

Even if swine flu proves no more deadly than regular winter flu, that kills 36,000 Americans a year — and with swine flu, teenagers and young adults are being disproportionately hit, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And both types could very well spread at the same time this fall.

"If it doesn't happen, we'll be fortunate," Sebelius added.

CDC Update Case count on their site?

Alabama 400 cases 0 deaths
Alaska 122 cases 0 deaths
Arizona 762 cases 11 deaths
Arkansas 42 cases 0 deaths
California 2461 31 deaths
Colorado 146 cases 0 deaths
Connecticut 1364 cases 6 deaths
Delaware 347 cases 0 deaths
Florida 1781 cases 7 death
Georgia 138 cases 0 deaths
Hawaii 722 cases 1 death
Idaho 115 cases 0 deaths
Illinois 3259 cases 14 deaths
Indiana 273 cases 0 deaths
Iowa 156 cases 0 deaths
Kansas 136 cases 0 deaths
Kentucky 130 cases 0 deaths
Louisiana 183 cases 0 deaths
Maine 107 cases 0 deaths
Maryland 686 cases 2 death
Massachusetts 1328 cases 4 deaths
Michigan 489 cases 8 deaths
Minnesota 634 3 death
Mississippi 188 cases 0 deaths
Missouri 68 cases 1 death
Montana 67 cases 0 deaths
Nebraska 215 cases 0 deaths
Nevada 327 cases 0 deaths
New Hampshire 237 cases 0 deaths
New Jersey 1289 cases 10 deaths
New Mexico 232 cases 0 deaths
New York 2582 cases 52 deaths
North Carolina 312 cases 2 deaths
North Dakota 58 cases 0 deaths
Ohio 147 cases 1 death
Oklahoma 150 cases 1 death
Oregon 403 cases 4
Pennsylvania 1794 cases 6 deaths
Rhode Island 177 cases 2 death
South Carolina 176 cases 0 deaths
South Dakota 34 cases 0 deaths
Tennessee 213 cases 0 deaths
Texas 4463 cases 21 deaths
Utah 953 cases 14 deaths
Vermont 50 cases 0 deaths
Virginia 306 cases 2 death
Washington 636 cases 4 deaths
Washington, D.C. 45 cases 0 deaths
West Virginia 179 cases 0 deaths
Wisconsin 6031 cases 4 death
Wyoming 99 cases 0 deaths
Territories
Guam 1 case 0 deaths
Puerto Rico 18 cases 0 deaths
Virgin Islands 15 case 0 deaths
TOTAL (54)* 37,246 cases 211 deaths

We need to keep watching this so we have ANY kind of hope in dealing with it if it DOES mutate. Diligence and readiness is key.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

New York Assistant Principal Died of Swine Flu

Update: Swine Flu still predominant

Hey folks,

Just because H1N1, AKA Swine Flu, is not front page news anymore, does not mean it is not STILL out there and STILL killing people. Hence the reason I continue to watch this VERY closely and continue to update you.

According to the Boston Globe - NYC school official's death tied to swine flu

NEW YORK - An assistant principal died yesterday, the city's first fatality linked to the swine flu virus.

Mitchell Wiener, 55, who worked at Susan B. Anthony middle school in Queens, had been sick for nearly a week before his school was closed Thursday. He had been hospitalized and on a ventilator.

He had been overwhelmed by the illness despite treatment with an experimental drug, said Ole Pedersen, a spokesman for Flushing Hospital Medical Center, where Wiener had been a patient since Wednesday.

His death was the sixth linked to swine flu in the United States. Most of the other victims were suffering from other health problems. The New York Times reported that Wiener suffered from gout, but it was unclear whether that complicated his condition.

The city's first outbreak of swine flu occurred three weeks ago, when about 700 students and 300 other people associated with a Catholic high school in Queens became ill after the return of several students from vacations in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Five more city schools will close today because of concern for swine flu, bringing the total to 11. Those schools in Queens - four public and one Catholic - would close for up to five school days, city officials said. Three of the public schools are in the same building.

Each school had students with flu-like illness last week. There were no documented cases of swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, at any of those schools, said Jessica Scaperotti, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Besides Wiener, no one else in New York City has become seriously ill from the virus.

CDC Update: Last update was 11 am May 15, 2009. So I'm not sure who is in charge over there, no new updates. According to this piece, Now 6 deaths. Closing of schools in New York. More cases daily. Yet, NOTHING from the CDC. I will update you as soon as they update us.

Just because this is not being discussed in depth, please do not think that this is over. As this case in New York proves. Be careful, be well, and I will try to get an official CDC update tomorrow.
Peter

Preview for Sunday 051009

Happy Mother's day to all Moms out there.

Hey folks,

Welcome to the Big Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog. Glad you could stop by. My Mom is on a Camping Trip with my Step-dad, my Son Joshua, my Niece, and a friend of her's Sky. Don't worry folks, it is in a air conditioned Cabin. My Mom loves going camping and couldn't wait to get Josh into it. I would have loved to go with them, but, as usual, I have other obligations. So I will be taking my Aunt to Mom's Day Breakfast at this place I tried for the first time just a couple of weeks ago called the "Sunny Day Cafe." GREAT PLACE!

I found a Mother's Day poem that I want to share with you. It's by Tomee Lee Sloan. It really hit me when I read it, because it truly does represent my true feelings and thoughts of my Mom. That's coming right up in just a few minutes.

Coming up today?

Happy Mother's Day!

A Commonsense Approach To The Energy Issue

More Serious Sleep Disorders

Legislation will support research, surveillance, planning and interagency coordination

IWA for Sunday 051009

All that in just a few seconds. First up, did you see this yesterday? On his continuing Socialistic march, Obama's next target, as I told you, is the Credit Card Companies. Another Private industry, being dictated to by the Federal Government. For your own good, of course. And of course, the MMD {Mainstream Media Drones} are playing it up. According to ABC News - Are Taxpayers Bailing Out Troubled Banks Twice? By DAVID MUIR and SIDNEY WRIGHT IV May 9, 2009

The federal government is taking up the fight against credit card companies accused of taking advantage of consumers.

In taking aim at what he called "abuse that goes unpunished," President Obama has asked Congress to send him a bill by Memorial Day that prevents credit card companies from suddenly raising rates on everyday customers.

"Americans know they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe," Obama said. "But they also have a right to not get ripped off by sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties and hidden fees."

UH, Mr. President? THEY SIGN A CONTRACT to get these cards. It is THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to live in their means. Not the Credit Card Companies, not the Government to see to it that they do not get themselves into problems.

Congress is moving swiftly to comply with the president's request. A credit card holder's Bill of Rights has already passed the House. The bill would prohibit retroactive rate increases, prevent companies from issuing cards to anyone under 18 and eliminate what's called "double-cycle billing."

Double-cycle billing is a little known calculation used by many companies. The company looks at your current monthly balance, as well as your previous months' spending, and averages them both, charging you a higher interest rate.

Although the practice is considered deceptive, credit card holders often consent to it when they sign a contract.

That's my point. As this Law Professor points out. It's in the contract. If you, a private citizen wants to enter into a contract with the Credit Card Company, and Private Company, then the relationship is Private and NOT subject to Government interference.

"Most of these credit card companies have a little clause left somewhere in the back on page 28 in language that says, 'we can charge you any amount we want, at any time we want, for no reason at all,'" said Elizabeth Warren, a law professor at Harvard.

Warren chairs the Congressional Oversight Panel, an independent agency that tracks the hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars already being used to help the banks survive.

On the heels of this week's stress tests, which showed 10 of the nation's 19 largest banks will need a further injection of cash to survive, she said it's no secret where the banks will get the money.

"We've seen a sharp rise in interest rates in the last few months on good customers who are paying. It's coming from banks taking taxpayer dollars." Warren said.

Which the customers are or should be aware is a possibility. But the Government will not even take back the money from the Banks that did not even want it to begin with. They just want power and control over the said Banks. Just like they want to micro manage all kinds of Private Industries. The stress tests are a joke and they keep changing it. Ten of the 19? One more than half? Come on. that is clearly a set up to give more money that most do not even want, gaining MORE control. Now credit card companies?

Now do not get me wrong here folks, I'm not in the tank for Credit Card Companies. I have had enough problems with them myself that I decided I would have only one, and that is a Debit Card. I have the money, I can by whatever. I can rent a Hotel Room, Fly, rent a car, dine out, and do whatever I could with an actual credit card, but at the end of the month, I have no bill. No bill growing due to insane interests that makes a $10 Tee Shirt $100.00 dollars.

What's next for Obama and Crew to take over? Now that they have pretty much taken over Finances? My guess would be Healthcare.

As for your Daily Swine Flu Update, the CDC has not updated any information other than the case count went up MAJORLY. As it stands right now.

Alabama 4
Arizona 182
California 171
Colorado 41
Connecticut 14
Delaware 44
Florida 43
Georgia 3
Hawaii 6
Idaho 1
Illinois 421
Indiana 39
Iowa 43
Kansas 12
Kentucky** 3
Louisiana 9
Maine 4
Maryland 23
Massachusetts 89
Michigan 103
Minnesota 1
Missouri 10
Nebraska 13
Nevada 9
New Hampshire 4
New Jersey 7
New Mexico 30
New York 190
North Carolina 7
Ohio 12
Oklahoma 4
Oregon 15
Pennsylvania 10
Rhode Island 7
South Carolina 42
South Dakota 1
Tennessee 46
Texas 110 2
Utah 60
Vermont 1
Virginia 16
Washington 83
Washington, D.C. 4
Wisconsin 317
TOTAL*(44) 2254 cases 2 deaths

Going to fill my cup so we can get going here today. Today's favorite? Don Francisco's "Butterscotch" www.don-francisco.com Be right back.
Peter

Swine Flu Update 050909

UPDATE: Swine Flu update for Saturday 050909

CDC: Update as of May 8, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

The ongoing outbreak of novel influenza A (H1N1) continues to expand in the United States. CDC expects that more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths from this outbreak will occur over the coming days and weeks.

CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to the expanding outbreak. CDC’s response goals are to reduce spread and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.

CDC is issuing updated interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation.

Antiviral Guidance

CDC has issued guidance for health care providers on the use of antiviral medications during the current outbreak. The priority use for influenza antiviral drugs is to treat severe influenza illness and people who are at high risk of serious influenza-related conditions.

School Guidance

At this time, CDC recommends the primary means to reduce spread of influenza in schools focus on early identification of ill students and staff, staying home when sick, and good cough etiquette and frequent hand washing. Decisions about school closure should be at the discretion of local authorities based on local considerations. (See the School Guidance.)

Increased Testing

CDC has developed a PCR diagnostic test kit to detect this novel H1N1 virus and has now distributed test kits to all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The test kits are being shipped internationally as well. This will allow states and other countries to test for this new virus. This increase in testing capacity is likely to result in an increase in the number of reported confirmed cases in this country, which should provide a more accurate picture of the burden of disease in the United States.

Alabama 4
Arizona 131
California 107
Colorado 25
Connecticut 4
Delaware 39
Florida 6
Georgia 3
Hawaii 5
Idaho 1
Illinois 392
Indiana 29
Iowa 5
Kansas 12
Kentucky** 3
Louisiana 7
Maine 4
Maryland 4
Massachusetts 83
Michigan 49
Minnesota 1
Missouri 9
Nebraska 4
Nevada 8
New Hampshire 3
New Jersey 7
New Mexico 8
New York 174
North Carolina 7
Ohio 6
Oklahoma 4
Oregon 15
Pennsylvania 2
Rhode Island 7
South Carolina 29
South Dakota 1
Tennessee 36
Texas 93 2
Utah 24
Virginia 14
Washington 33
Washington, D.C. 1
Wisconsin 240
TOTAL*(43) 1639 cases 2 deaths

Second Swine Flu Death Confirmed

UPDATE: Just caught this on the way out

Hey folks,

I just caught this on my way out of the office. According to Reuters - Flu virus kills Texas woman, more cases expected

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A Texas woman with the H1N1 flu virus died earlier this week, state health officials said, the second death outside of Mexico, where the epidemic appeared to be waning.

Officials said on Tuesday the woman, who was in her 30s, had chronic health problems. U.S. health officials have predicted that the swine flu virus would spread and inevitably kill some people, just as seasonal flu does.

Last week a Mexican toddler visiting Texas also died. Mexican officials have reported 29 confirmed deaths.

The World Health Organization said 21 countries have officially reported 1,490 cases of the flu virus. The United States has 403 confirmed cases in 38 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, with another 700 "probable" cases. Canada has reported 165 cases.

Guess it wasn't a typo. See you tomorrow.
Peter

Swine Flu Update 050309

Straight from the CDC

Hey folks,

Here is your H1N1 {Swine Flu} Update for Sunday 050309

CDC:

CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to an expanding outbreak caused by H1N1 (swine flu).

CDC’s response goals are to:

Reduce transmission and illness severity, and Provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency. CDC continues to issue and update interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. This includes guidance on when to close schools and how to care for someone who is sick at home. Supplies from CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) are being sent to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.

Response actions are aggressive, but they may vary across states and communities depending on local circumstances. Communities, businesses, places of worship, schools and individuals can all take action to slow the spread of this outbreak. People who are sick are urged to stay home from work or school and to avoid contact with others, except to seek medical care. This action can avoid spreading illness further.

Arizona 4
California 24
Colorado 2
Connecticut 1
Delaware 4
Florida 2
Illinois 3
Indiana 3
Kansas 2
Kentucky* 1
Massachusetts 6
Michigan 2
Minnesota 1
Missouri 1
Nevada 1
New Jersey 7
New York 51
Ohio 1
South Carolina 13
Texas 28 1
Virginia 2
TOTAL (21) 160 cases 1 death

Plus one Pig in Canada. Be right back with some of YOUR reactions to this whole situation.
Peter

Swine Flu Reactions

Real reactions from real people

Hey folks,

Here is a compilation of real thoughts and comments in regards to the Swine, uh, sorry, H1N1 Flu. I'm posting this to show that many of you out there want the answers to be given. You do not want to settle for, "Oh no big deal." or "Not as bad as we thought." ETC. You want answers.

Nomad said...
wow, how did this spread all the way to NYC so fast? That reminds me, I think now would be a good time to increase my daily dosage of Vitamin C and any other kind of immune system booster I can find

3:01 AM

Anonymous said...
My suspicion is that we have a man-made virus here. Some group is trying to duplicate the deadly 1918 virus. IF that is true, then next question: Who. Three categories: Zealots who believe only they are entitled to life, and that loosing one's own life in the process is glorious! or 2)Self-hating humans who think the world would be better off without our species or with a lesser number of us, 3) a government who promised more entitlement than it can deliver........ My bet, is on No. 3. Seen news about all the ready-made graves with crypts (to contain dangerous effluents from decomposing corpses) being prepared around the country………

8:29 AM

Anonymous said...
if this is so important, then why is our president playing golf?

12:14 PM

Anonymous said...
How many students from all over the USA took their Spring Breaks in Mexico, which was a destination well advertised long before the fact?

This could be a serious attack using our own students as infected disseminators from everywhere in the USA.

12:22 PM

Anonymous said...
It's obviously bollocks,This is a man made virus plain and simple a government official even got caught on camera saying we have never seen a strain like this before which was created in the laboratory,he's on youtube saying it for christ sake

9:41 PM

THX1138 said...
Why playing golf? Same reason why Bush kept reading a story to children during 9/11: he knew it was going to happen, knows how it will play out, knows the people who are already in charge of it. His role comes later.

This is just 9/11 part 2.

12:55 PM

Anonymous said...
I agree there are many suspicious facts surrounding this latest epidemic.

1st: The Sudden Outbreak

2nd: The speedy news coverage

3rd: A very recent mysterious disappearance of 3 viral containing vials from a Top Security Lab

4th: The unimpeded ease in which the infection spreads almost as if it was constructed to do so

5th: The overwhelming reaction by the governments around the world to this latest outbreak. Do they know something we don't?

6th: A never before seen flu that is a hybrid mix of Bird, Human, and Pig viral strains

7th That not one major or minor from what I have seen has even brought up the question yet if this is possibly a result of a man made bio-weapon

8th: This epidemic is totally out of flu season. It's warm and peoples immune systems are not depleted like in winter.

9th: The readiness of certain pharmaceutical companies offering to make a vaccine and to sell us viral fighting drugs. Isn't that sweet of them that they are willing to make an absolute fortune fighting something they might have constructed in the first place. If people haven't figured it out by now know it is not in their best interests to keep people healthy but on the margins between death and vibrancy.

2:13 PM

Dave said...
lets not forget the first case of swine flu was in the late 60's at FT DIX look it up.

infowars.com

I live in VT.MY 2 kids were sick for 12 days last week constant throwing up and diereia as well as others around here both were hospitalized. and the DR. said they have no idea what it was and 13 other were admitted as well.so now I wonder

6:47 PM

Anonymous said...
Open to a jury verdict = man made look at Baxter Inc their stocks will rise Plus - the amount of scientific data gathering and information that occurs about the spreading of a pathogen is priceless- i think these are beta test runs for the 'big ones' to come - not to be cynical - if you do the math you may see the same outcome - How close is science to engineering a virus that can attack a specific genetic makeup?

7:12 PM

nevercryshytwolf said...
It's totally man made. And I do think this is weird: The first case was seen in Mexico on April 13. The outbreak coincided with the President Barack Obamas trip to Mexico City on April 16. Obama was received at Mexico's anthropology museum in Mexico City by Felipe Solis, a distinguished archaeologist who died the following day from symptoms similar to flu, Reforma newspaper reported. The newspaper didn't confirm if Solis had it or not. When you combine this and plane incident in NYC on Monday morning I think we have some sort of 9/11 going on again. What are the chances of all this in the same week. Obama in Mexico at the same time and the plane. I think the plane was some type of test to see how fast building could be evacuated. I am not saying inside job I am saying they aren't telling us something. I live in NJ and there were 5 possible case reported on Monday which was five days ago. Still no confirmation. Not on the CDC website at least but yet there are articles online from newspapers saying they have been confirmed. Misinformation and Disinformation to say the least.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090430_Nine_cases_of_swine_flu_confirmed_in_N_J___Del_.html

I have seen news footage of Delaware with confirmed cases and the person who has it. Still not on CDC website. If they aren't even reporting these I would find it hard to believe those numbers are even accurate or true.

3:11 AM

nevercryshytwolf said...
Also I saw the comment about Fort Dix. This is the first thing I rad on Saturday of last week. It actually happened on February 5 1976. This was the first thing I read. They mention in the media but not the whole story.They say oh a soldier got this, this isn't the first time, it happened in 1976 and everything was fine. What they don't tell you is it never left the base and was contained there. 250 people got it with no contact of pigs. This was before everything started happening and when I read it I instantly thought germ warfare.

3:20 AM

nevercryshytwolf said...
Oh my god. Look at this article.

Link is at bottom.

Baxter: Product contained live bird flu virus

By Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Last Updated: 27th February 2009, 3:26pm

The company that released contaminated flu virus material from a plant in Austria confirmed Friday that the experimental product contained live H5N1 avian flu viruses.

And an official of the World Health Organization’s European operation said the body is closely monitoring the investigation into the events that took place at Baxter International’s research facility in Orth-Donau, Austria.

“At this juncture we are confident in saying that public health and occupational risk is minimal at present,” medical officer Roberta Andraghetti said from Copenhagen, Denmark.

“But what remains unanswered are the circumstances surrounding the incident in the Baxter facility in Orth-Donau.”

The contaminated product, a mix of H3N2 seasonal flu viruses and unlabelled H5N1 viruses, was supplied to an Austrian research company. The Austrian firm, Avir Green Hills Biotechnology, then sent portions of it to sub-contractors in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany.

The contamination incident, which is being investigated by the four European countries, came to light when the subcontractor in the Czech Republic inoculated ferrets with the product and they died. Ferrets shouldn’t die from exposure to human H3N2 flu viruses.

Public health authorities concerned about what has been described as a “serious error” on Baxter’s part have assumed the death of the ferrets meant the H5N1 virus in the product was live. But the company, Baxter International Inc., has been parsimonious about the amount of information it has released about the event.

On Friday, the company’s director of global bio-science communications confirmed what scientists have suspected.

“It was live,” Christopher Bona said in an email.

The contaminated product, which Baxter calls “experimental virus material,” was made at the Orth-Donau research facility. Baxter makes its flu vaccine — including a human H5N1 vaccine for which a licence is expected shortly — at a facility in the Czech Republic.

People familiar with bio-security rules are dismayed by evidence that human H3N2 and avian H5N1 viruses somehow co-mingled in the Orth-Donau facility. That is a dangerous practice that should not be allowed to happen, a number of experts insisted.

Accidental release of a mixture of live H5N1 and H3N2 viruses could have resulted in dire consequences.

While H5N1 doesn’t easily infect people, H3N2 viruses do. If someone exposed to a mixture of the two had been simultaneously infected with both strains, he or she could have served as an incubator for a hybrid virus able to transmit easily to and among people.

That mixing process, called reassortment, is one of two ways pandemic viruses are created.

There is no suggestion that happened because of this accident, however.

“We have no evidence of any reassortment, that any reassortment may have occurred,” said Andraghetti.

“And we have no evidence of any increased transmissibility of the viruses that were involved in the experiment with the ferrets in the Czech Republic.”

Baxter hasn’t shed much light — at least not publicly — on how the accident happened. Earlier this week Bona called the mistake the result of a combination of “just the process itself, (and) technical and human error in this procedure.”

He said he couldn’t reveal more information because it would give away proprietary information about Baxter’s production process.

Andraghetti said Friday the four investigating governments are co-operating closely with the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Control in Stockholm, Sweden.

“We are in very close contact with Austrian authorities to understand what the circumstances of the incident in their laboratory were,” she said.

“And the reason for us wishing to know what has happened is to prevent similar events in the future and to share lessons that can be learned from this event with others to prevent similar events. ... This is very important.”

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/02/27/8560781.html

4:19 AM

Anonymous said...
OH, How our country thinks. Close the schools keep your kids at home and have no large gatherings. To keep the virus from spreading but, keep the borders to Mexico open and keep the immigration celebrations going. And Mexico has the most reported virus so, lets keep the boarder open to spread more into the united states so that we can show respect for a country that failed to report the virus two months later. Know where's the respect for our country?

3:56 PM

D.S.Harford said...
Let's not allow any good crisis to go un-exploited.

3:15 PM

If I missed any, I apologize. You can read all the comments as they appeared and my responses to them at the Original Post Swine Flu Outbreak Could Be Man Made

So if you are starting to feel that there maybe something wrong with you for questioning this whole thing, just know that you are not alone. This is just the comments left here over the past few days. This does not include all the other places I have been talking about it and all the other places people are crying up for answers. You are not alone.

Let's say we get complacent and just ignore this and go one to other stuff. Then, all of a sudden, BAM, it mutates, or another outbreak of something deadlier comes along. Will we be ready? No folks, as long as there are updates to give, even if others are moving on, we here at the OPNTalk Blog will keep an eye on this, and I will continue to bring you the latest.
Peter

Flu Fighters Warn Against Complacency, More US Schools Closed

UPDATE: Swine Flu update for 050209

Hey folks,

Here is the latest update on H1N1.

AP - Flu fighters warn against complacency, seek clues

MEXICO CITY – The leader of an international team helping Mexico face down the swine flu outbreak said it should soon learn whether the epidemic is really stabilizing in Mexico, but that many key questions about how the disease kills still need to be answered.

Dr. Steve Waterman, the head of a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also warned against taking false comfort from the fact that only one person has died outside Mexico, saying more deaths are likely as the epidemic evolves.

"That is the big question: Is it stabilizing or not? And it is too early to say, but I think we are getting systems in place where we are going to be able to get a handle on this soon," Waterman, standing amid CDC doctors and specialists at the Mexico City nerve center where officials are confronting the outbreak, said Friday.

Mexican officials have been cautiously optimistic that the worst is over here, even as the government took additional protective measures Friday by beginning a five-day shutdown of all nonessential government and private business.

In Washington, even President Barack Obama voiced hope Friday that the new virus may turn out to be no more harmful than the average seasonal flu.

"It may turn out that H1N1 runs its course like ordinary flus, in which case we will have prepared and we won't need all these preparations," Obama said, using the flu's scientific name.

AP - More schools shut as swine flu spreads in US By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer – 24 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Scores more schools shut down around the country because of the swine flu virus at week's end and Education Secretary Arne Duncan offered tips to teachers and students on how to deal with classroom interruptions.

Federal officials closely watched developments as at least two dozen new cases of swine flu were reported.

President Barack Obama, whose administration has taken a high profile to offer reassurances and advice about the threat, expressed hopes the swine flu will run its course "like ordinary flus." Health officials suggested the virus now appears less ominous than it did at first.

"I'm optimistic that we're going to be able to manage this effectively," Obama said Friday. But he said the federal government is preparing as if the worst is still to come so that it won't be caught flat-footed.

"This is a new strain of the flu virus, and because we haven't developed an immunity to it, it has more potential to cause us harm," the president said in his radio and Internet address Saturday. "Unlike the various strains of animal flu that have emerged in the past, it's a flu that is spreading from human to human. This creates the potential for a pandemic, which is why we are acting quickly and aggressively."

The government issued new guidance for schools with confirmed cases, saying they should close for at least 14 days because children can be contagious for seven to 10 days from when they get sick. That means parents can expect to have children at home for longer than previously thought.

The Education Department said that more than 430 schools had closed, affecting about 245,000 children in 18 states. That was about 100 more schools reported closed than reported on Thursday.

The latest developments in the flu scare — more intense in neighboring Mexico than in the United States — came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the virus had been confirmed in more U.S. states.

Confirmed cases had risen from 109 on Thursday to 161 Friday, the CDC said, with the flu reported in about double the number of states as the 11 reported Thursday. The U.S. death toll remained at one — the Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family and died there.

Mexico has confirmed more than 300 swine flu cases and has 16 confirmed deaths, although reports have indicated that roughly 120 may have died from it.

Worldwide, the total confirmed cases numbered more than 650, although officials believe there are many more.

The CDC said that the virus was continuing to spread, though no faster than the rate of the regular winter flu.

"We think the cases do continue to occur," said CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat. But CDC also said the new swine flu virus lacks genes that made the 1918 pandemic strain so deadly.

While emphasizing at a news conference that the closures to date represent a tiny fraction of the almost 100,000 schools in the country, Duncan instructed teachers, parents and students to be prepared if their school does close.

To teachers, Duncan said: "Think about reworking upcoming lesson plans so students can do their schoolwork at home if necessary."

To parents: "Learn about what they're learning at school. Keep them on task."

And to students: "Don't fall behind your peers at other schools that are still in session. Keep working hard."

Major U.S. airlines announced plans to curtail flights into Mexico.

Many travelers have become increasingly concerned about going to Mexico, though authorities there said new cases were leveling off.

U.S. travelers have been advised to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico. Continental Airlines Inc., the biggest U.S. carrier to Mexico, said Friday it would halve the number of seats it sells to fly there. Delta Air Lines Inc. and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines also announced plans for reduced flights to Mexico, while smaller carriers were following suit.

Though most U.S. cases have been relatively mild and have not required a doctor's visit, U.S. precautions include shipping millions of doses of anti-flu drugs to states in case they're needed, replenishing the U.S. strategic stockpile with millions more treatment courses, and shipping 400,000 treatment courses to Mexico.

CDC Update:

CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to an expanding outbreak caused by H1N1 (swine flu). CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.

CDC continues to issue and update interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. Early this morning, CDC provided interim guidance on school closures. Supplies from CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) are being sent to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.

Response actions are aggressive, but they may vary across states and communities depending on local circumstances. Communities, businesses, places of worship, schools and individuals can all take action to slow the spread of this outbreak. People who are sick are urged to stay home from work or school and to avoid contact with others, except to seek medical care. This action can avoid spreading illness further.

Arizona 4
California 13
Colorado 2
Delaware 4
Illinois 3
Indiana 3
Kansas 2
Kentucky* 1
Massachusetts 2
Michigan 2
Minnesota 1
Nebraska 1
Nevada 1
New Jersey 5
New York 50
Ohio 1
South Carolina 16
Texas 28 1
Virginia 2
TOTAL (19) 141 cases 1 death

See you tomorrow for the Big Sunday Edition. Take care of yourselves out there.
Peter

Vaccine promised as swine flu cases pass 100

UPDATE: Swine Flu update for Friday 050109

Hey folks.

Happy Friday to you. Since it is Friday, we will be going to the Emails in just a second. First up of course, here is your Swine Flu Update for Friday May 1, 2009

AP - Vaccine promised as swine flu cases pass 100 By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 53 mins ago

WASHINGTON – U.S. authorities are pledging to eventually produce enough swine flu vaccine for everyone but the shots couldn't begin until fall at the earliest.

Worries about the spread of the virus mounted Thursday as the nation's swine flu caseload passed 100, and nearly 300 schools closed in communities across the country. Federal officials had to spend much of the day reassuring the public it's still safe to fly and ride public transportation after Vice President Joe Biden said he wouldn't recommend it to his family.

Scientists were racing to prepare the key ingredient to make a vaccine against the never-before-seen flu strain — if it's ultimately needed. But it will take several months before the first pilot lots begin required human testing to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective. If all goes well, broader production could start in the fall.

"We think 600 million doses is achievable in a six-month time frame" from that fall start, Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Craig Vanderwagen told lawmakers.

"I don't want anybody to have false expectations. The science is challenging here," Vanderwagen told reporters. "Production can be done, robust production capacity is there. It's a question of can we get the science worked on the specifics of this vaccine."

Until a vaccine is ready, the government has stockpiled anti-viral medications that can ease flu symptoms or help prevent infection. The medicines are proving effective.

Reassurances from top health officials didn't stop the questions from coming.

An estimated 12,000 people logged onto a Webcast where the government's top emergency officials sought to cut confusion by answering questions straight from the public: Can a factory worker handling parts from Mexico catch the virus? No. Can pets get it? No.

And is washing hands or using those alcohol-based hand gels best? Washing well enough is the real issue, answered Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He keeps hand gel in his pocket for between-washings but also suggested that people sing "Happy Birthday" as they wash their hands to make sure they've washed long enough to get rid of germs.

Although it is safe to fly, anyone with flu-like symptoms shouldn't be traveling anywhere, unless they need to seek medical care.

The swine flu outbreak penetrated over a dozen states and even touched the White House, which disclosed that an aide to Energy Secretary Steven Chu apparently got sick helping arrange President Barack Obama's recent trip to Mexico but that the aide did not fly on Air Force One and never posed a risk to the president.

So far U.S. cases are mostly fairly mild with one death, a Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family — unlike in Mexico where more than 160 suspected deaths have been reported. Most of the U.S. cases so far haven't needed a doctor's care, officials said.

Still, the U.S. is taking extraordinary precautions — including shipping millions of doses of anti-flu drugs to states in case they're needed. The World Health Organization is warning of an imminent pandemic because scientists cannot predict what a brand-new virus might do. A key concern is whether this spring outbreak will resurge in the fall.

The CDC confirmed 109 cases Thursday, and state officials confirm 22 more. Cases now are confirmed in New York, Texas, California, South Carolina, Kansas, Massachusetts, Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Maine, Colorado, Georgia and Minnesota.

CDC Update:

In response to an intensifying outbreak in the United States and internationally caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5 on April 29, 2009. A Phase 5 alert is a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.”

The United States Government has declared a public health emergency in the United States. CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency. CDC is issuing and updating interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.

Arizona 1
California 14
Indiana 1
Kansas 2
Massachusetts 2
Michigan 1
Nevada 1
New York 50
Ohio 1
South Carolina 10
Texas 26 1
TOTAL COUNTS 109 cases 1 death

Be right back with your Friday, From the Email Segment.
Peter

Mexico plans shutdown as world flu alert raised

UPDATE: Swine Flu - CDC Raises Alert

Hey folks,

First up today is of course your Swine Flu Update for Thrusday 043009. Then I have some good news from the Energy Front. In Florida at least. Here is your Flu update.

AP - Mexico plans shutdown as world flu alert raised: "Mexico plans shutdown as world flu alert raised" By MARK STEVENSON and ANDREW O. SELSKY, Associated Press Writers Mark Stevenson And Andrew O. Selsky, Associated Press Writers – 13 mins ago

MEXICO CITY – Mexico readied a "temporarily closed" sign — taking the drastic step of ordering a suspension of nonessential federal government and private business activity as it tried to squelch a swine flu epidemic. The World Health Organization ratcheted up an alert and warned that "all of humanity" is threatened.

The dire warning showed that world health officials are very worried about the potential for massive numbers of deaths worldwide from the mutated virus, even though the epidemic so far has claimed only a confirmed eight lives in Mexico and one in the United States. Roughly 170 deaths are suspected of having been caused by the virus in Mexico.

The Phase 5 alert, indicating a pandemic could be imminent as the virus spread further in Europe, prompted Mexico to announce the partial May 1-5 shutdown, Mexican Health Secretary Jose Cordova said late Wednesday.

In Washington, President Barack Obama promised "great vigilance" in confronting the outbreak which has sickened nearly 100 people in 11 states and forced schools to close. A Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family died Monday night in Houston, becoming the first fatality in the U.S., and 39 Marines were confined to their base in California after one came down with the disease.

The virus, a mix of pig, bird and human genes to which people have limited natural immunity, has also spread to Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Austria.

"It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in Geneva. "We do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them."

In a televised address, Mexican President Felipe Calderon praised "the heroic work" of doctors and nurses and asked his countrymen to literally stay in their homes between May 1 and May 5, saying "there is no safer place to protect yourself against catching swine flu, than in your house."

"In recent days, Mexico has faced one of the most serious problems in recent years," Calderon said Wednesday night. He brushed aside criticisms that his government's response was slow, stressing several times that authorities had reacted "immediately."

School in Mexico has already been canceled until May 6. During the shutdown, essential services like transport, supermarkets, trash collection and hospitals will remain open.

Calderon said authorities would use the partial shutdown to weigh whether to extend the emergency measures, or "if it is possible to phase out some" restrictions.

The outbreak appeared to already be stabilizing in Mexico, the epicenter. Confirmed swine flu cases doubled Wednesday to 99, but new deaths finally seemed to be leveling off after an aggressive public health campaign was launched when the epidemic was declared April 23. Although 17 new suspected deaths were reported, only one additional confirmed death was announced Wednesday night, for a total of eight countrywide. The virus is believed to have sickened as many as 2,955 people across the country, though hospital records suggest the outbreak may have peaked here last week.

The WHO said the global threat is nevertheless serious enough to ramp up efforts to produce a vaccine against the virus. It declared a Phase 5 outbreak — the second-highest on its threat scale — for the first time ever, indicating a pandemic could be imminent.

In the U.S., eight states closed schools Wednesday, affecting 53,000 students in Texas alone.

Obama said his administration has made sure that needed medical supplies are on hand and he praised the Bush administration for stockpiling 50 million doses of antiviral medications.

"The key now is to just make sure we are maintaining great vigilance, that everybody responds appropriately when cases do come up. And individual families start taking very sensible precautions that can make a huge difference," he said.

Ecuador joined Cuba and Argentina in banning travel to or from Mexico and Peru banned flights from Mexico. The Panama Canal Authority ordered pilots and other employees who board ships passing through the waterway to use surgical masks and gloves. An average of 36 ships per day use the canal, most from the United States, China, Chile and Japan.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy met with Cabinet ministers to discuss swine flu, and the health minister said France would ask the European Union to suspend flights to Mexico.

The U.S., the European Union and other countries have discouraged nonessential travel to Mexico. Some countries have urged their citizens to avoid the United States and Canada as well. Health officials said such bans would do little to stop the virus.

Medical detectives have not pinpointed where the outbreak began. Scientists believe that somewhere in the world, months or even a year ago, a pig virus jumped to a human and mutated, and has been spreading between humans ever since.

China has gone on a rhetorical offensive to squash any suggestion it's the source of the swine flu after some Mexican officials were quoted in media reports in the past week saying the virus came from Asia and the governor of Mexico's Veracruz state was quoted as saying the virus specifically came from China.

One of the deaths in Mexico directly attributed to swine flu was that of a Bangladeshi immigrant, said Mexico's chief epidemiologist Miguel Angel Lezana.

Lezana said the unnamed Bangladeshi had lived in Mexico for six months and was recently visited by a brother who arrived from Bangladesh or Pakistan and was reportedly ill. The brother has left Mexico and his whereabouts are unknown, Lezana said. He suggested the brother could have brought the virus from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

By March 9, the first symptoms were showing up in the Mexican state of Veracruz, where pig farming is a key industry in mountain hamlets and where small clinics provide the only health care.

The earliest confirmed case was there: a 5-year-old boy who was one of hundreds of people in the town of La Gloria whose flu symptoms left them struggling to breathe.

Days later, a door-to-door tax inspector was hospitalized with acute respiratory problems in the neighboring state of Oaxaca, infecting 16 hospital workers before she became Mexico's first confirmed death.

Neighbors of the inspector, Maria Adela Gutierrez, said Wednesday that she fell ill after pairing up with a temporary worker from Veracruz who seemed to have a very bad cold. Other people from La Gloria kept going to jobs in Mexico City despite their illnesses, and could have infected people in the capital.

Cordova, the Mexican health secretary, said getting proper treatment within 48 hours of falling ill "is fundamental for getting the best results" and suggested the virus can be beaten if caught quickly and treated properly. But it was neither caught quickly nor treated properly in the early days in Mexico, which lacked the capacity to identify the virus, and whose health care system has become the target of widespread anger and distrust.

In case after case, patients have complained of being misdiagnosed, turned away by doctors and denied access to drugs. Monica Gonzalez said her husband, Alejandro, already had a bad cough when he returned to Mexico City from Veracruz two weeks ago and soon developed a fever and swollen tonsils.

As the 32-year-old truck driver's symptoms worsened, she took him to a series of doctors and finally a large hospital. By then, he had a temperature of 102 and could barely stand.

"They sent him away because they said it was just tonsillitis," she said. "That hospital is garbage."

Gonzalez finally took her husband to Mexico City's main respiratory hospital, "dying in the taxi." Doctors diagnosed pneumonia, but it may be too late: He has suffered a collapsed lung and is unconscious. Doctors doubt he will survive.

Swine flu has symptoms nearly identical to regular flu — fever, cough and sore throat — and spreads like regular flu, through tiny particles in the air, when people cough or sneeze. People with flu symptoms are advised to stay at home, wash their hands and cover their sneezes.

CDC - Update:

The outbreak of disease in people caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today, CDC reports additional confirmed human infections, hospitalizations and the nation’s first fatality from this outbreak. The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the U.S. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks.

CDC has implemented its emergency response. The agency’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by the new virus. Yesterday, CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with this virus. Young children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.

Arizona 1
California 14
Indiana 1
Kansas 2
Massachusetts 2
Michigan 2
Nevada 1
New York 51
Ohio 1
Texas 16 1
TOTAL COUNTS 91 cases 1 death

Be right back with the good news from the Enery Front.
Peter

SWINE FLU UPDATE

UDATE: Emergency declared as 20th swine flu case confirmed

Continuing Update on Swine Flu

U.S. officials say the public health emergency is a precaution. Americans are told to prepare for outbreaks but not to panic. By Jim Tankersley

11:06 AM PDT, April 26, 2009

Reporting from Washington -- Federal officials today declared a public health emergency involving human swine flu, warning Americans to prepare for widespread outbreaks now or in the future, yet urging them not to panic.

In a briefing at the White House, the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Richard Besser, confirmed a 20th case of the flu, this one in Ohio. He said the government will likely find more cases -- and cases that are more severe than the relatively mild ones seen in the United States so far -- as it ramps up detection efforts.

Meanwhile, Nova Scotia's chief public health officer said today that the east coast Canadian province has four confirmed cases of swine flu. And in Mexico, the country's health minister said the disease had killed up to 86 people and likely sickened more than 1,400 since April 13.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the government would release a quarter of its 50-million-unit strategic reserve of antiviral medications, which combat the disease in infected patients, to states where outbreaks have occurred. Besser said the CDC has begun laying the groundwork to manufacture a swine flu vaccine if one becomes necessary.

The officials cast the moves as aggressive but precautionary, and they counseled calm.

Swine flu is "serious enough to be a great concern to this White House and to this government," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said on NBC'S "Meet the Press," adding that President Obama is receiving frequent updates on the situation.

"We are taking the proper precautions to address anything that happens," Gibbs said. "It's not a time to panic."

Napolitano said the "emergency" declaration was a routine move to ensure the government is prepared "in an environment where we really don't know, ultimately, what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."

A swine flu outbreak in Mexico is being blamed for at least 1,000 infections and 81 deaths. There have been 20 reported cases in the United States, none fatal. That includes cases in California, Kansas, Texas, Ohio and New York, where officials confirmed infections today in eight students of a private high school in Queens.

The U.S. patients have ranged in age from 9 to 50. All are recovering or have recovered.

Only one U.S. patient has been hospitalized so far, Besser said. But given the experience in Mexico, he said he expected "that, over time, we are going to see more severe disease in this country."

"This is moving fast," Besser added later, "but I want you to understand that we view this more as a marathon."

The symptoms of swine flu are nearly identical to the symptoms of other influenza, including high fever, aches, coughing and congestion. It appears to spread through human-to-human contact and human contact with live pigs but not by eating pork products, officials said.

Countries around the world moved quickly to limit the disease's spread today. Some issued travel warnings for the United States or Mexico. Others began screening some incoming international air travelers for signs of high fever.

Besser and other officials at the press conference stressed simple steps that the U.S. public can take to limit spread of the disease: Wash hands frequently, stay home, and don't board airplanes, if you feel sick, and keep sick children out of school.

Gibbs said it was too early to speculate about economic effects of an outbreak. And he dismissed reporters who asked if the federal response was hampered by the fact that the Senate had not yet confirmed President Obama's nominee to lead the Health and Human Services department, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.

"It's all hands on deck and we're doing fine," Gibbs said. "I would say that we hope we have a new secretary shortly."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LA Times

From the CDC

Human Swine Influenza Investigation

April 26, 2009 12:45 ET

Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection also have been identified internationally. The current U.S. case count is provided below.

U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection State # of laboratory
confirmed cases

California 7 cases
Kansas 2 cases
New York City 8 cases
Ohio 1 case
Texas 2 cases
TOTAL COUNT 20 cases

International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection

Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and whether additional people have been infected with swine influenza viruses.

CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate this investigation.

Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir and has issued interim guidance for the use of these drugs to treat and prevent infection with swine influenza viruses. CDC also has prepared interim guidance on how to care for people who are sick and interim guidance on the use of face masks in a community setting where spread of this swine flu virus has been detected. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide new information as it becomes available.

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.