Posted on 04/25/2009 5:51:39 AM PDT by FreedomFighter1013
In a discussion this morning with a cell biologist and medical doctor working at Johns Hopkins, my friend thought this 4-part flu combination is highly unusual and looks like it could be man-made. Especially because it has an avian strain. My doctor friend (he's Taiwanese) explained that in Asia, it's common for a avian-swine-human flu to happen naturally, but this virus first showed up in Mexico, where pigs and ducks are not usually raised together. Also, recombination of more than 2-different flu viruses is extremely rare. I'm just repeating what he said as an expert in the field. He says the CDC needs to explain if there is a possibility that we are under a bio-weapon attack.
From CDC via Wikipedia: Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that the American cases were found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses -- North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe. For two cases a complete genome sequence had been obtained. She said that the virus was resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, but susceptible to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).[22][23][24] Preliminary genetic characterization found that the hemagglutinin (HA) gene was similar to that of swine flu viruses present in U.S. pigs since 1999, but the neuraminidase (NA) and matrix protein (M) genes resembled versions present in European swine flu isolates. Viruses with this genetic makeup had not previously been found to be circulating in humans or pigs, but there is no formal national surveillance system to determine what viruses are circulating in pigs in the U.S.[25] The seasonal influenza strain H1N1 vaccine is thought to be unlikely to provide protection.[26]
Am I to understand this MAY be a combination of swine and avian flu? I’m not up on these various strains- but I don’t remember learning about a combination type. Odd.
Thanks for passing on your conversation.
Cue the movie “Twelve Monkeys.”
ping
Uh oh.
Here’s more from AP via Seattle Post Intelligencer: http://www.seattlepi.com/health/1500ap_med_swine_flu.html?source=rss
The worrisome new virus - which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before - also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U.S.
“We are very, very concerned,” World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. “We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human ... It’s all hands on deck at the moment.”
Interesting perspective but it looks like there is only a 2% mortality rate so far. I would think a bio terrorist bug would kill more people. Unless of course this is just a test run.
engineered
unless there is a plausible reason for it to appear in 4 different parts in Mexico among people with no known risk factors for exposure to combined livestock, and that it kills adults in prime age (such as military men)
or a lab screw up in testing a vaccine that was intended to protect against combined strains and had a live strain in it
?? live bird flu was “accidentally” sent out in a test vaccine by a lab in Austria this winter
The quickness of CDC to jump on this suggest incompetent alarmists at CDC or foreknowledge of a time bomb waiting to go off
______________________________________________
WHO and CDC know more than they are saying.
Probably a right-winged extremist plot. Waiting for those words from Mz. Napoliano at HLS to justify her recent rantings.
This does look like a man-made pathogen...perhaps destined for our southern border?
Our crack DHS Sec. will probably be on CNN soon telling us there is absolutely no link to terrorists, and that will make everyone feel safe.
Lots of flu is resistant. If you wanted to kill people, the LAST thing you would do is engineer a strain susceptible to tamiflu.
bump and ping
RR I’m off to work, keep me posted. I have a co-worker who has been rally sick like down in the bed all week. Scary!!
No, the only way that the admininstration will allow the words "biological terrorist attack" to be used would be if they can squarely rest the blame on the Bush administration.
Mark
I dont think its the first. Everyone has been watching the h5n1 for awhile and expecting something to happen at anytime. We will have to wait and see if this was enigneered or naturally occuring.
Captain Trips...
And you have what kind of proof?? Nothing.
Didn’t know about the specific types, but yes, the possibility of bio terrorism was discussed here last night. Disperse it in Mexico or Central America where it won’t be detected too quickly. Let it spread there knowing that it would soon be brought across the border in no time. Spring being the perfect season with Americans going down to Mexico for Spring Break and vactions and illegals coming north for the planting season. We’ve already had confirmed cases in CA, AZ and TX and it’s in Canada. Yesterday, up in Queens, a private school had 75 students being tested.
From Reuters via Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-flu-box25-2009apr25,0,5114253.story
The CDC has analyzed samples of the H1N1 virus from some of the U.S. patients, all of whom have recovered, and said it is a never-before-seen mixture of viruses from swine, birds and humans.
Have you placed a call to Jack Bauer yet?
I just found this article from 2005.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7515802/
Basically it says that a 2 kits containing flu virus were sent out to Mexico and lost. All the others were supposed to be destroyed. I dont think this is just coincidence at this point.
I have been sick going on 7 weeks now (already whined on another thread-thought it was only 6 weeks and realized next week will be 8 WEEKS!!) and it’s like I’ve had all different bugs. I have NEVER been this sick in my life.
Extremely high fever, feel like I can’t breathe and I still have the nagging cough. Had the stomach part first then it has attacked every part of my upper resp. tract-almost weekly. It is the weirdest “flu” I have ever had.
I live in CT, but ended up in an ER in Raleigh NC(where I went to take care of my sister & kids because she was in the hospital w/a stomach bug as she has IBS problems)-HE had it and he said they had no idea what it was -”maybe a new strain” because nothing worked on it. And the fatigue with it is AWFUL. That was the worst for him. I couldn’t stand the feeling like I couldn’t breathe. That’s why I went to the ER, but my O2 level was fine.
So, these days, ANYTHING is possible. It is a very nasty, nasty “bug”.
Would you say who the source (Taiwanese doctor) for these claims is?
FoxNews reports:
62 dead, 1000 sick due to the flu in Mexico.
Stadiums and similar gathering places have been closed.
Drug cartels are at war with the Mexican government.
They have money to buy something like this.
and how much tamiflu is available (especially in Mexico and the rest of the 3rd world)
and who gets it when it is rationed?
govt officials? Their families? Only people in a certain age group? AIDS/HIV community? Seniors in nursing homes? School kids? Americans? or 3rd world? People who have the flu already? or people who don’t have the flu yet?
Imagine the decisionmmaking and the triage operation in your own community
you want social crisis?
Chinese bioweapon meant to be released until we pay off our debt? But released in Mexico to make it look like a natural outbreak (and thus enter the US through illegal immigrants)?
Just heard on Fox 60 dead out of 1000 infected. Looks like the mortality rate is 6% not 2%. Hmmmm.
Lovely
live viruses sent to labs in Mexico and LEBANON and never received or accounted for
How long before this shows up in Israel
Bump/Ping
If this is man-made, it has to be from professional labs with first rate scientists in a country with the ressources and brainpower to do it (or rogue scientists in such a country).
It can hardly be from some podunk backwater country.
Really- I hate to imagine her in charge of a REAL disaster- man-made or otherwise.
What I meant to say-sorry,still on Mucinex DM-is that the nurse in the ER-he had it as well-after examining me etc., said “welcome to the Club” and went on tell me they think it’s a new strain and had no idea what it was etc. But it was very bad. And the ER was PACKED with people. And it’s NEVER like that he told me-it was Easter Saturday and he told me they had run out of beds and had to use the other part of the ER/Clinic, where they see serious injuries like car accidents, gunshot stuff etc.
It feels like you have pnuemonia-you just feel like you’re dying!The sweating/fever is unreal. My hair was soaked. My sister had the stomach part real bad and I had the respiratory part really bad. But you get both. It’s crazy.
Ooops...meant border..more coffee plezzzzz!
I saw that movie “Twelve Monkeys” in a big movie theater. Do not understand what people later saw in it. The crowd in the theater didn’t seem too impressed.
I never was.
Anyway, cue the pigs. lol
I hope your dismissive response is justified. If not you may regret thinking this is all chicken little.
I’ve read there are about 2.5M Tamiflu doses stockpiled in USA. Numbers probably much lower in Mexico, if any.
However, first world health care is likely to greatly reduce the death rate just through supportive care even in absence of an effective treatment. In extreme cases, unfortunately, this is likely to require ICU treatment and there is a strictly limited number of those beds.
If we get slammed with a major flu pandemic, things will get nasty quickly. We aren’t even close to being prepared. There is no way we will be able to provide state of the art medical treatment to all who need it, which promptly gets us into “who decides?” territory. In today’s world, this will immediately become a political and liability issue.
Tamiflu is only effective within the first 24-73 hours, per a CDC spokeslady I heard on the radio yesterday afternoon.
Whoa...that IS strange.
It seems peculiar it’s breaking out in April- flu “season” is fall/winter.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE53O0MW20090425
ping
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