World Health Organisation in touch with Beijing after mystery viral pneumonia outbreak

SCMP ^ | 1 Jan, 2020 | Kristin Huang

[HK_Kai_Chung]

The World Health Organisation said it is in ongoing contact with authorities in China over an unidentified outbreak of viral pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, amid concern it may have been transmitted from animals.

Wuhan health authorities on Tuesday said 27 people – most of them stallholders at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market – had been treated in hospital, with seven said to be in serious condition. Pathology tests were under way to try and identify the virus, officials said. Hong Kong medical authorities were also on alert.

[null and void]

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[null and void]

A belated welcome to FR!

[neverevergiveup]

Human metapneumovirus, identified initially in 2001, has been a problem over the last few years, and shows how new viral threats can develop. Unlike the usual ‘cold’ viruses that cause upper respiratory illness, HMPV can also cause lower respiratory illness (e.g. pneumonia). Patients with this can have extreme fatigue, require hospitalization, and the symptoms can last for a significantly long period.

My point is just that there are lots of viruses out there, and they mutate frequently, so it's hard to know what is coming at us at any given time. If you add to this the possibility that there are those making efforts to weaponize viruses by genetic engineering, the risk of highly lethal viral outbreaks becomes a very big concern.

Consider that Chinese scientists have already used CRISPR technology to alter genes in humans, and you can appreciate how the use of genetically engineered viruses as weapons is a definitive possibility and huge concern.

[silverleaf]

SARS is back...

[roadcat]

Consider that Chinese scientists have already used CRISPR technology to alter genes in humans, and you can appreciate how the use of genetically engineered viruses as weapons is a definitive possibility and huge concern.

Huge concern. Because China has owns the market on medical goods, about 90 percent of drugs and ingredients come from China. If a new virus spread in the West, China could withhold disease-fighting drugs and we would succumb by the tens of millions (or more). Definite possibility.

[tired&retired]

Even when you can get the vaccinations they can be very expensive.

I just got a Japanese Encephalitis vaccination as I’m headed to an area where it is common. Two shots cost $900!

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Infectious Disease - unidentified virus(viral pneumonia) - Wuhan, China
Believed to be spread by possible cross-over by unknown vector

The World Health Organisation said it is in ongoing contact with authorities in China
over an unidentified outbreak of viral pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan,
amid concern it may have been transmitted from animals.

Wuhan health authorities on Tuesday said 27 people – most of them stallholders at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market – had been treated in hospital,
with seven said to be in serious condition.
Pathology tests were under way to try and identify the virus, officials said.
Hong Kong medical authorities were also on alert.

Wuhan authorities ordered the closure of the market on Wednesday. Local media
said the market sold other animals, including birds, raising concern
after the 2002-03 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in China killed several hundred people and is thought to have jumped from animals to humans.

Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said that although the Wuhan case had similarities to the 1997 outbreak of bird flu and the Sars epidemic, there was no need for people to panic though they should remain alert.

Other thought provoking posts occur:
Post #4by FReeper neverevergiveup
Post #6 by FReeper roadcat

[DannyTN]

Wuhan Flu?

Has a ring to it.

[bert]

Go ,to Walmart and buy vitamin D3 and take a large daily dose.

I’ll not define large

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

I really wanted to italicize the last part of the article for emphasis,but chose not to do so,
where is is stated :
"..although the Wuhan case had similarities to the 1997 outbreak of bird flu
and the Sars epidemic,
there was no need for people to panic though they should remain alert."

[Silentgypsy]

I wonder if the authorities merely supervised the removal of the products, or if they ascertained their destruction. Can you visualize the vendors selling their products at a deep discount on the black market? Furthermore, the authorities’ supervising the removal is no guarantee that bribery won’t occur. Just an idea....

[tired&retired]

“Health authority in central China city says updates will be published online in due course”

Apparently one Hong Kong woman is ill and in the hospital in quarantine after visiting Wuhan.

[tired&retired]

Per Yahoo News

Medical authorities in Hong Kong, which is about four hours from Wuhan by high-speed train, said late on Tuesday they had stepped up border screening and put hospitals in the city on alert.

“The situation in Wuhan is unusual, and we are not sure about the reasons behind the outbreak yet,” Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said after a meeting with officials and experts on New Year’s Eve.

“Since we are now in the holiday season, and Hong Kong has close transport ties with Wuhan, we must stay alert.”

Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said that although the Wuhan case had similarities to the 1997 outbreak of bird flu and the Sars epidemic, there was no need for people to panic though they should remain alert.

[wgmalabama]

Is mother Abigail still on this forum? I haven’t seen her post since 2006 or 2008 time frame. Does anyone know what happened. They just stopped posting.

[21twelve]

Resurrecting this old thread - the first one that was posted as far as I can tell about the corona virus (from January 1st).

I did a search, and Mother Abigail’s last post was in 2012. I thought I remembered her doing sort of a “good bye” post (in a cryptic manner) - but I can’t find that, so perhaps I’m wrong.

I followed her posts a lot back in the day.

[MinorityRepublican]

Too late.

[CJ Wolf]

There was a recent tribute to mother abagail on a later thread. I’d have to dig for it. Some probably will get to it before me.

[Paul R.]

“If, I knew then, what I know now!”

(Old song lyric)