Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
I called the Medics, who came and picked him up and took him to the hospital. Next day I checked on how he was - only to be told that since they couldn’t understand his babbling, they put him in the psycho ward.<<<
It has not changed any, a few months ago a friend went back in for a year, and came out as a very unhappy man.
He too was involved in training.
At times I have thought that the military is designed for self defeat.
And yet, over the years, I have known Navy Corpsmen that trained as hard as any doctor and wanted to be the “Best” they could be, so as usual, it is the group on that day, who gets talked about.
You think babbling got him in trouble, as the wife of a Navy man stationed on a Submarine, we had a Navy Doctor to call for help.
As usual when I took new foster kids, they brought a disease with them, that year, it was mumps and I spent Christmas with 4 or 5 kids and MYself, all full mumps. And of course a husband at sea.
The Navy Doctor did not have a clue on how to treat a woman with the mumps, when I called, he said he only treated men with mumps and I would need to go to the Navy Hospital.
Think of how I could have spread it further....
“Remember I said it standing here, if you don’t remember anything else I said,” Biden continued. “Watch, we’re going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.<<<
Take a look at post 6999, it gives an idea as to the financial reach of a pandemic.
I suspect that it is correct, as in one of those googles that I did, there were several countries that had already blocked imports from Mexico.
I have posted several related posts with out pinging them, as I did not want to clog your ping file.
I suspect that this the page for the martial law plan, they are all pdf and I have too many tabs open to attempt a pdf...
http://www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/#overview
HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan
Visit PandemicFlu.gov for one-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information. HHS is responsible for Pandemic Influenza Planning, outlined below.
PandemicFlu.gov
Documents in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. If you experience problems with PDF documents, please download the latest version of the Reader®.
The HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan is a blueprint for pandemic influenza preparation and response. It provides guidance to national, state, and local policy makers and health departments.
The HHS Plan includes an overview of the threat of pandemic influenza, a description of the relationship of this document to other Federal plans and an outline of key roles and responsibilities during a pandemic. In addition, it specifies needs and opportunities to build robust preparedness for and response to pandemic influenza.
The HHS Plan has three parts, the first two of which are contained in this document. Part 1, the HHS Strategic Plan, outlines federal plans and preparation for public health and medical support in the event of a pandemic. It identifies key roles of HHS and its agencies in a pandemic and provides planning assumptions for federal, state and local governments and public health operations plans. Part 2, Public Health Guidance for State and Local Partners, provides detailed guidance to state and local health departments in 11 key areas. Part 3, which is currently under development, will consist of HHS Agencies’ Operational Plans. Each HHS component will prepare, maintain, update and exercise an operational plan that itemizes their specific roles and responsibilities in the event of a pandemic.
PLEASE NOTE: Since the initial release of the HHS Plan in 2005, HHS has updated guidance on several topics covered in the original plan. The most current information on Pandemic planning and preparation can be found at PandemicFlu.gov. Direct links to updated guidance on Community Planning and Antiviral Drug Use are provided below:
* Interim Pre-pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States - Early Targeted Layered use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions
* Proposed Guidance on Antiviral Drug Use during an Influenza Pandemic
View and Print Plan by Section
* HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan Fact Sheet
* Overview of Plan
* Part 1 – HHS Strategic Plan
* Part 2 – Public Health Guidance for State and Local Partners
or
View and Print Entire Plan (PDF)
(396 pages, 6MB)
[Many pdf links follow]
>>>Navy Corpsmen that trained as hard as any doctor and wanted to be the “Best” they could be<<<
Sometimes they carry things too far though.
When i was at Ft. Wolters, TX, a number of doctors were behind in certain procedures - they needed X number of them to maintain their proficiency.
So, the next 16 men who came in, got Spinal Taps - then next batch got appendectomies. Need it or not!
Big blow up over that one... ‘Troop, report to room 2354 at the Base Hospital... You are scheduled for a procedure.’ was the order of the day till the IG, Base Commander, and 4th Army Commander all gathered and officially put a stop to it.
Just needed a few cadavers to practice on to maintain proficiency... They were US.....
Shots were something else too... being STRAC mobile, we had to be prepared to leave at the drop of a hat for anywhere in the world there was a problem. So we got shots on top of shots. Typically you would run the gauntlet getting two shots in each arm. Everything from Yellow Fever to Tetanus to Beri Beri - My shot record was FULL and they even attached a second card on all of ours.
Worst time was when man ahead of me fainted - I caught him under the arms, and while he was out, they gave him all 4 of his shots - while still holding him, they gave me my 4.
You cannot imagine the feeling of a needle being jabbed into an extremely tight muscle and the serum injected. It was 3 or 4 days before I could even lift my arm to salute. Had to do some maneuvering to dip my head low enough to give a salute by lowering my head rather than raising my arm. (of course the guy who was out, felt no pain and no aftermath) I must be doing something wrong... Next time he can go all the way to the floor and get them there... Then let those medics pick him up! I’ll just put my reflexes on hold.....LOL
Latest pandemic news:
Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation
http://pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/commitigation.html
http://www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/
—
News site for Gov on flu:
http://www.getreadyforflu.org/pg_faq.htm
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For more about the Get Ready campaign, see our About Us page.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=6270
723 - Remarks Upon Signing the National Swine Flu Immunization Program of 1976.
August 12, 1976
http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2001/fall_globalhealth_barks-ruggles.aspx
Old and New Disease Risks
In December 1999 the National Intelligence Council released an unprecedented unclassified assessment of the threat that new and reemerging diseases pose to the United States and other countries. The report highlighted a few key facts. First, infectious diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for one-quarter to one-third of all deaths globally in 1998. Second, 20 diseases that had been in decline reemerged or spread geographically between 1973 and 1999, including new multiple-drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera. And third, 29 previously unknown diseases were identified in the same period, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and hepatitis C. There are no cures for many of these diseases.
The United States, despite its sophisticated medical care and infrastructure, has not been immune to this trend. Between 1980 and 1999, deaths due to infectious diseases doubled. Multiple-drug-resistant forms of TB and staphylococcus alone kill more than 14,000 Americans annually. HIV/AIDS is experiencing a resurgence, especially among minorities and women. In 1999, new HIV infections rose from 40,000 annually to 46,000, according to the Institute of Medicine. However, only 70 percent of Americans infected with HIV know their sero-status, and many who do know are failing to protect and educate themselves. Unprotected sex in some high-risk gay communities has risen to 50 percent, and a survey released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in December 2000 found that 40 percent of the 5,600 Americans questioned believed that AIDS could be transmitted by sharing a glass with or being coughed on by an infected person.
Though some lessons have been learned from the struggle against HIV/AIDS, the U.S. health care system is ill equipped to deal with large-scale outbreaks of new or rare diseases. As evidenced by the outbreak of West Nile virus in New York in August 1999, an unknown and relatively weak virus can easily gain a foothold and quickly spread. Although only 82 people had been infected by the end of 2000 and only 8 had died, more than 4,000 birds and 59 horses had tested positive or died from the virus. Even though the CDC alone spent nearly $10 million in 1999 and 2000 to contain West Nile virus, it spread from 3 states in 1999 to 12 states and the District of Columbia by the end of 2000, and its spread continues.
Crops and Animals at Risk
The risks posed by new and reemerging diseases are not limited to humans. Crop and livestock diseases can exact steep health and economic costs. As seen during recent disease outbreaks in Europe, global trade’s transfer of products, animals, and people around the world can speed the spread of infection. The British government anticipates paying around 1 billion pounds to farmers in compensation for culling animals potentially exposed to foot-and-mouth disease. With large parts of the countryside closed to both foot and vehicle traffic, losses to Britain’s tourism industry are expected to top 5 billion pounds. More than 4.5 million animals in Britain have been slaughtered, and others have been killed in France, the Netherlands, and other European countries where the disease spread. Likewise, in Britain, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow” disease) killed nearly 200,000 cattle. Nearly 5 million more were preemptively slaughtered. As of last November, 90 people had died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a malady linked to eating animals infected with BSE. By December, the cost of BSE in the United Kingdom alone was estimated by the British government to exceed 1.5 billion pounds.
The United States is the world’s largest food producer and exporter. Agricultural products contributed more than $97.2 billion to the U.S. economy in 1997, and the Agriculture Department estimates that farm exports alone contributed more than $49 billion to the U.S. economy in 1999. The potential for harm to the nation’s agricultural industry from alien pests and diseases is enormous.
Lethal Tourists and Cargo?
According to the Agriculture Department, the number of passengers traveling to the United States increased from 27 million in 1984 to 66 million in 1996. More than 400 million U.S. border crossings were recorded in 1996, and in 1998 more than 422,000 cargo-bearing aircraft were inspected on landing in the United States. This flood of people and goods has exacerbated the already difficult job of controlling who and what enters and exits the nation. Each incoming passenger and cargo load could harbor new and deadly diseases or pests. With the increasing globalization of American food sources, including snow peas from Guatemala, apples from Chile, and mangoes from India, the threat from diseases and pests to American crops and people is growing. According to the Department of Commerce, farm imports into the United States increased 65 percent between 1991 and 1999, and that trend is expected to continue as the food supply becomes more global.
In addition, invasive species?both plant and animal?that are controlled or balanced in their native environments increasingly threaten indigenous species in the United States. Conservation researchers cited by the Agriculture Department have found that invasive alien plant infestations cover more than 100 million acres in the United States and are spreading at the rate of 14 percent a year. The department estimates that its agents intercept more than 1.8 million illegal agricultural products a year, stopping more than 52,000 plant and animal pests and diseases from entering the United States. But inspecting bags and cargo and destroying their contents may not keep out viruses and bacteria. Carried by humans, animals, plants, soil, foodstuffs, water, and the very planes and ships that bring foreign people and products to the United States, some diseases do not wait to pass inspection.
Are Diseases Gaining the Upper Hand?
continued.
http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/
Update on Swine Influenza, April 25, 2009
Media outlets are reporting this afternoon that confirmed and probable cases of the new strain of H1N1 swine influenza have been discovered in Kansas, New York, and California. These reports have not been independently verified by public health officials or diagnostic testing at the time of this writing. Reportedly the cases are clinically mild. Read the rest of this article on the Clinicians’ Biosecurity Network.
Biosecurity News in Brief: April 24, 2009
Swine flu cases without exposure • Mexico closes schools in flu scare • Unique meningitis outbreak in U.S. • Japan’s H5N1 vaccination Policy • Significant improvements in hospital disaster preparedness • Mobile phones to tackle infectious disease • Human trials of malaria vaccine • Missing samples likely destroyed • Malaria • Why are anti-HIV antibodies ineffective? • More meningitis vaccine needed in West Africa • NIH Grants $35 million to UNC-CH. Read Now.
Sign up now to receive news and developments related to biosecurity and other 21st century threats.
Sign up for Biosecurity Briefing
What’s New
Hospitals Rising to the Challenge: The First Five Years of the U.S. Hospital Preparedness Program and Priorities Going Forward: Since 2002, states, territories, and major cities have received nearly $3 billion from the federal government’s Hospital Preparedness Program to improve the readiness of U.S. hospitals for mass casualty disasters. The Center has just completed a year-long evaluation of that program, through which we found that U.S. hospitals and their surrounding communities have achieved significant improvements in preparedness. Executive Summary | Full Report
(posted April 23, 2009).
WMD Commission Appoints Colonel Randall Larsen as Exec. Director. Col. Randall Larsen, the national security advisor to the Center for Biosecurity, has been appointed as Executive Director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism (WMD Commission), which was recently extended for 1 year. Led by former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), Chairman, and former Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), Vice-Chairman, the bi-partisan Commission was established to address WMD proliferation. The December 2008 report, World At Risk, presented the Commission’s findings. Press Release | Bio for Col. Larsen (posted April 16, 2009).
U.S. Biosecurity and the Center’s Work: This series of interviews with Tara O’Toole, Tom Inglesby, DA Henderson, and senior staff of the Center was broadcast on March 17, 2009, on Homeland Security Inside and Out, co-hosted by Col. Randy Larsen and Dave McIntyre. Listen online (posted April 2, 2009).
New Center Publications
Biosecurity Memos to the Obama Administration: In response to the new administration’s stated commitment to strengthening American biosecurity, the Center has offered strategic recommendations regarding priorities for U.S. biosecurity as well as an array of specific program recommendations. These memos appear in the March issue of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism. Read the memos (posted March 27, 2009).
.
Yes, some groups are brainless and even more so in the medical fields.
My son in law, a career Army man is dead, he is one of those that got shots from the same needle as all the other guys, and wound up with hepatitis, the bad one that killed his liver and he died while waiting for a transplant.
At least you are lucky, it does not sound like they used the square needle for your shots.......they use it a lot in the Navy.
LOL
I was getting a series of shots for a suspected staph infection at the Navy Hospital, the Corpsman of the day gave the shot and the needle broke off in my arm.........he went screaming and would always refuse to give me a shot in the future visits.
If only people actually will start to pay attention. I think if Obama’s government takes over, whether using the economy or a flu as an excuse, people won’t bat an eye.
BTW, happy 7000th! <<<
Martial law will wake a few up and so will the concentration camps.
All those folks that are laughing at those who have been buying food supplies, will soon be begging, for with the shut down, there goes the trucks and trains bringing in food and there will not be anyone to get it out of the field.
coast to Coast Am is on the radio, Eian has a scientist on the air now, a Dr. Ridenhour, he says :
He says to look for:
More outbreaks
restriction of travel
when the Pres. comes on the air and says it is not too bad, then look for real trouble.
Mexico city already has real restrictions going on and the Dr. says to look for riots in the near future.
He said the quarantines will not work, for people will not want to stay put, and will leave.
Sounds ugly to me.
Could get real dangerous.
http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/website/resources/publications/2009/biomemo/index.html
Center Articles and Publications
Special Feature from Biosecurity and Bioterrorism
Biosecurity Memos to the Obama Administration
On inauguration day, President Obama posted his administration’s biosecurity priorities on the agenda page of the White House website. In the following memos, the Center for Biosecurity offers its views on an array of biosecurity challenges confronting the new Administration.
The first memo, by Tara O’Toole and Tom Inglesby, offers recommendations regarding strategic priorities for U.S. biosecurity. The memos that follow, by the Center’s senior staff and analysts, provide program recommendations in key areas: the biosecurity budget, prevention, biosurveillance, medical preparedness, public health preparedness, community engagement, and medical countermeasure development and manufacturing. These memos are intended to be of strategic and pragmatic value for the incoming officials in the Obama Administration who have responsibility for biosecurity in the White House and in the federal agencies.
* Strategic Priorities for U.S. Biosecurity (Tara O’Toole and Thomas Inglesby) PDF | HTML
* Funding Biodefense (Crystal Franco) PDF | HTML
* Preventing the Development and Use of Biological Weapons (Gigi Kwik Gronvall) PDF | HTML
* Preparing the Healthcare System for Catastrophic Emergencies (Brooke Courtney, Eric Toner, Richard Waldhorn) PDF | HTML
* Preserving Gains from Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreements (Jennifer B. Nuzzo, Michael Mair, Crystal Franco) PDF | HTML
* Developing a National Biosurveillance Program (Jennifer B. Nuzzo) PDF | HTML
* Expanding the Public’s Role in Health Emergency Policy (Monica Schoch-Spana, Brooke Courtney, Ann Norwood) PDF | HTML
* Developing Medical Countermeasures for Biodefense (Bradley T. Smith, Michael Mair, Gigi Kwik Gronvall, Jason Matheny) PDF | HTML
* Download PDF of All Memos
Subscribe to Biosecurity and Bioterrorism at www.liebertpub.com.
[This appears to be a newsletter from 2007, I am too tired to find a later edition...granny]
This is the html version of the file http://www.gene-watch.org/bubiodefense/pages/accidents5.7.07.pdf.
Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.
Page 1
Mistakes Happen: Accidents and Security Breaches at Biocontainment Facilities
last updated on 5/7/2007
Category
Date
Location
Accident Type
Agent
Description
Reference
Environmental
Releases
4/1/02
USAMRIID (Fort Detrick,
MD)
Accidental Release,
Exposure of Personnel
Anthrax (Biosafety
Levels 2, 3 and 4)
Researcher tested positive for exposure to
anthrax spores, which were also released into
adajacent hallway and office.
David Dishneau, “Fort Detrick worker tests
postive for anthrax exposure,”
Associated Press,
4/19/2002
4/2/02
USAMRIID (Fort Detrick,
MD)
Accidental Release,
Exposure of Personnel
Anthrax (Biosafety
Levels 2, 3 and 4)
One worker tests positive for anthrax exposure
after second leak at USAMRIID.
Rick Weiss & David Snyder, “Anthrax Leaks a
2nd Time at Army Lab,”
Washington Post,
4/24/2002, B1.
3/1/03
Federal Express
(Columbus, OH)
Environmental Release
West Nile Virus
(Biosafety Levels 2 and
3)
A package containing the West Nile virus
exploded in Federal Express building, exposing
workers to possible infection & causing offices
to be evacuated.
“Package Carrying West Nile Explodes at
Columbus Airport,”
Associated Press,
3/20/2003
6/1/03
USAMRIID (Fort Detrick,
MD)
Environmental Release
Brucellosis (Biosafety
Levels 2 and 3),
Anthrax (Biosafety
Levels 2,3, and 4),
Ebola (Biosafety Level
4) and others.
U.S. Army unearthed 113 bacteria-containing
vials during an excavation to eliminate toxic
chemicals & hazardous waste (including live
anthrax and ebola) buried between 1955 and
1970.
Lois Ember, “Fort Detrick Cleans Up,”
Chemical
& Engineering News,
6/2/2003, p. 12
Intentional Releases
11/28/03
(suspected) U.S. Army
laboratories or Brattelle
Memorial Institute
(Columbus, OH)
Intentional Release
Anthrax (Biosafety
Levels 2, 3 and 4)
Anthrax spores used in 2001 mail attacks,
killing five people, contained properties that
could only be manufactured in one of a small
number of sophisticated government or
corporate laboratories.
Gary Matsumoto, “Anthrax Powder: State of the
Art?”
Science,
Vol. 302, November 28, 2003,
p.1492-97
9/11/01
USAMRIID (Fort Detrick,
MD)
Intentional Release
Anthrax (Biosafety
Levels 2, 3 and 4)
Dry anthrax spores derived from USAMRIID were
used in the Sep 2001 mail attacks that resulted
in 5 deaths.
Timothy D. Read, et al. “Comparative Genomic
Sequencing for Discovery of Novel
Polymorphisms in Bacillus Anthracis,”
Science,
6/14/2002, Vol. 296, pp. 2028-33
Containment and
Security Failures
12/2/03
Plum Island Animal
Disease Laboratory,
USDA (Plum Island, NY)
Containment / Security
Failure
None Reported
3 Hour power failure undermined containment
systems, leading workers to seal windows &
doors with duct tape, air compressors failed.
Marc Santora, “Power Fails for Three Hours at
Plum Island Infectious Disease Lab,”
New York
Times,
December 20, 2002, p. B1
6/18/97
5/7/02
A 1997 inspection of the Biosafety Level 3
facilities at NIID conducted by a biosafety
consultant to the World Health Organization
concluded that there was a “strong possibility
that NIID, through its location and activities,
could be an unacceptable risk to public health
and safety”.
“Report Finds Easy Lab Access to Deadly
Pathogens,”
Reuters,
May 7, 2002
National Institute of
Infectious Diseases
(NIID), Toyama, Japan
Facility deemed a risk
to public health and
safety
U.S. Department of
Agriculture (various
sites)
Containment / Security
Failure
Dr. Christopher Collins and Dr. David Kennedy,
“Report of an Inspection Carried Out at the
National Institute of Infectious Diseases
Toyama, 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Toykyo 162, on
18 June, 1997”
http://homepage2.nifty.com/sisibata/inspectio
n.pdf
None Reported
FBI investigation finds many USDA laboratories
that handle select agents are vulnerable to
theft, permit unauthorized visitors, and cannot
completely account for their pathogen holdings.
Various, at a Biosafety
Level 3 facility
The Council For
Responsible Genetics
5 Upland Roud, Suite 3
Cambridge, MA 02140
tel: 617.868.0870
fax: 617.491.5433
www.gene-watch.org
NO, I would not rely on herbs to cure swine flu, unless that was all that I had to use.
But I am all in favor of starting now to use the herbs, as a protection against getting it.
I am far too tired to try and figure out which to use, but there will be a lot to choose from the looks of page one.
granny
Granny you have provided invaluable info, try to rest as this probably will continue to be a topic of interest.
I'm not familiar with the terrain but does any of the affected areas in Mexico coincide with possible spring-break locations for u.s. college kids??
if so , and by time-line it could be widespread now.??
scary thought indeed as it seems to target 25-45 group
The Andromeda Strain... (spooky)
BTW any evidence it could be spread by currency ? or strictly airborne ??
INFLUENZA A (H1N1) VIRUS, SWINE, HUMAN - NORTH AMERICA (03)
***********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
In this update:
[1] WHO - Public Health Emergency of International Concern
USA
[2] CDC update
[3] New York City
[4] Kansas
Mexico
[5] Mexico
Elsewhere in the news:
[6] UK - flight attendant ex Mexico, suspected
******
[1] WHO - Public Health Emergency of International Concern
Date: 25 Mar 2009
Source: WHO website [edited]
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090425/en/index.html
Statement by WHO director-general, Dr Margaret Chan [25 Apr 2009]
Swine influenza
After reviewing available data on the current situation, committee members
identified a number of gaps in knowledge about the clinical features,
epidemiology, and virology of reported cases and the appropriate responses.
The committee advised that answers to several specific questions were
needed to facilitate its work. The committee nevertheless agreed that the
current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international
concern.
Based on this advice, the director-general has determined that the current
events constitute a public health emergency of international concern, under
the regulations. Concerning public health measures, in line with the
regulations the director-general is recommending, on the advice of the
committee, that all countries intensify surveillance for unusual outbreaks
of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia. The committee further
agreed that more information is needed before a decision could be made
concerning the appropriateness of the current phase 3.
Related links:
Swine influenza: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
Current WHO phase of pandemic alert:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html
International Health Regulations (IHR): http://www.who.int/ihr/en/index.html
—
communicated by:
Kunihiko Iizuka
edcvfr3464@yahoo.co.jp
******
[2] USA - CDC update
Date: 25 Apr 2009
Source: CDC website [edited]
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm
Human swine influenza investigation: [25 Apr 2009] 19:30 EDT
US human cases of swine flu infection
Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and
whether additional people have been infected with similar swine influenza
viruses.
CDC is working very closely with state and local officials in California,
Texas, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World
Health Organization. On [24 Apr 2009], CDC deployed 7 epidemiologists to
San Diego County, California and Imperial County, California and 1 senior
medical officer to Texas to provide guidance and technical support for the
ongoing epidemiologic field investigations. CDC has also deployed to Mexico
1 medical officer and 1 senior expert who are part of a global team that is
responding to the outbreak of respiratory illnesses in Mexico.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or
sneezing of infected people. There are many things you can to do preventing
getting and spreading influenza:
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.
—
communicated by:
ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
******
[3] USA - New York City
Date: 25 Apr 2009
Source: New York City Department of Health Press Release [edited]
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr015-09.shtml
Probable cases of swine influenza found in students at school in Queens
In response to confirmed cases of swine influenza (swine flu) in Mexico,
California and Texas, the New York City Health Department is working
closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess
the possibility of the spread of swine flu. Swine flu is a respiratory
infection caused by influenza type A viruses that regularly cause outbreaks
of influenza in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human
infections can occur. Human cases typically involve people who have had
direct contact with pigs, but person-to-person transmission is suspected
among recent cases in the south west.
The cases in Mexico have had a high fatality rate, but the 8 recently
confirmed cases from California and Texas have been mild. All of the
non-NYC patients have recovered.
The Health Department’s Public Health Laboratory has completed preliminary
viral testing on nose and throat swabs from 9 affected students. Eight of
the 9 tests are positive for influenza A. Because they do not match H1 and
H3 human subtypes of influenza A by available testing methods, they are
considered probable cases of swine flu. The specimens have been sent to the
CDC in Atlanta for confirmatory testing. Results of those tests are
expected on Sunday [26 Apr 2009]. (The attached chart outlines the steps
required for confirmation.)
Patients experiencing severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, should
seek health care and treatment. Otherwise, the Health Department recommends
at-home care. If affected students at the school in question have household
contacts at high risk for complications from influenza — young children,
the elderly, and people with chronic illness — those at risk should
receive preventive treatment. The most effective way to lower the risk of
transmission is for people with symptoms to stay home. All New Yorkers
should cover their mouths when they cough.
Swine influenza cannot be transmitted from eating pork or pork products.
The symptoms of swine flu in people appear to be similar to the symptoms of
regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches,
headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and
vomiting associated with swine flu. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause
a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.
For facts about influenza, and more information about swine flu, please
visit the Health Department and CDC websites. Some specific resources:
From New York City Health Department: Facts about flu
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdinflu.shtml
From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
General information about swine flu
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm
Swine flu case definitions <http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/casedef_swineflu.htm
Swine flu infection control and patient care
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidelines_infection_control.htm
Preventing the flu http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm
Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine flu
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr015-09.shtml
Contact: (212) 788-5290
Jessica Scaperotti/Erin Brady: PressOffice@health.nyc.gov
—
communicated by:
ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
******
[4] USA - Kansas
Date: 25 Apr 2009
Source: Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) [edited]
http://www.kdheks.gov/swineflu/09-060%20Swine%20Flu%20News%20Release.pdf
KDHE reports 2 cases of swine flu in Kansas
One of the patients had recently traveled to Mexico, flying in and out of
Wichita. Both persons work in Saline County and became ill with the same
unique (H1N1) strain of swine flu that has been identified in Mexico,
California, and Texas. “It’s not yet known whether this will become the
next flu pandemic,” stated Dr Jason Eberhart-Phillips, state health officer
and director of the KDHE Division of Health. “We are working closely with
health agencies at all levels and are continuing to monitor these cases. We
are taking this situation very seriously.”
KDHE and the Dickinson County Health Department are investigating the
sources of exposure, and efforts are being coordinated with CDC.
Individuals who have been in contact with the patients are being
interviewed and tested. Local health departments and hospitals in Kansas
are being continuously updated and provided with information about the
swine flu virus.
In accordance with the Kansas Response Plan, KDHE is also monitoring and
instituting recommendations from CDC for any additional influenza disease
surveillance activities, reviewing plans to further enhance those
activities, and advising health care providers to use rapid detection tests
for persons who have symptoms consistent with swine flu, especially if they
have recently been in Mexico, and taking other steps under the plan.
The KDHE Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology received a report of
unusual flu-like illness from Dickinson County on Friday [24 Apr 2009]
afternoon. Respiratory specimens were collected from both patients and
received by KDHE later on Friday evening. At about 2 am Saturday, the
Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories at KDHE reported preliminary
results that were positive for influenza A viruses. Between about 2:30 and
3 am, KDHE notified the Dickinson County Health Department of those
preliminary results, which notified the attending physician.
Around that same time, KDHE obtained the use of Governor Kathleen Sebelius’
plane to safely and securely transport the samples as rapidly as possible
to the CDC labs in Atlanta for confirmatory analysis to determine if the
viruses were of the (H1N1) strain. A staff member with the KDHE Center for
Public Health Preparedness handed the samples to a CDC representative at
about 6:10 am on Saturday, and the samples reached the labs at about 6:30
am KDHE convened staff in its Department Operations Center at 10 am on
Saturday, and was notified by CDC of the confirmatory results at 2:30 pm.
Prior to the recent outbreak in Mexico and the US, since 2005 12 cases of
human infection with swine influenza had been reported to CDC. Swine flu
infections in humans are rare, but are related to close proximity to
infected pigs, such as in pig production barns and livestock exhibits at
fairs. Neither of the current patients in Kansas reported having contact
with pigs.
For more information and updates, please visit the KDHE website at
www.kdheks.gov
Office of Communications
Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson
Street, Suite 540, Topeka, KS 66612-1368
Contact: Maggie Thompson
mthompson@kdheks.gov
http://www.kdheks.gov
—
communicated by:
Philip Henika philiphe@yahoo.com
ProMED-mail rapporteur Mary Marshall
ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
******
[5] Mexico
Date: 25 Apr 2009 [edited]
Source: Yahoo News / Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/med_swine_flu
Mexico fights swine flu with “pandemic potential”
New cases of swine flu were confirmed in Kansas and California and
suspected in New York City. But officials said they didn’t know whether the
New York cases were the strain that now has killed up to 81 people in
Mexico and likely sickened 1324 since [13 Apr 2009], according to figures
updated late Saturday [25 Apr 2009] by Mexico’s health secretary. Tests
have confirmed swine flu as the cause of death in 20 of the cases.
Mexican soldiers and health workers patrolled airports and bus stations as
they tried to corral people who may be infected with the swine flu, as it
became clearer that the government may have been slow to respond to the
outbreak in March and early April [2009].
Now, even detaining the ill may not keep the strain — a combination of
swine, bird and human influenza that people may have no natural immunity to
— from spreading, epidemiologists say. The World Health Organization on
Saturday [25 Apr 2009] asked countries around the world to step up
reporting and surveillance of the disease and implement a coordinated
response to contain it.
Two dozen new suspected cases were reported in Mexico City alone, where
authorities suspended schools and all public events until further notice.
More than 500 events, including concerts and sports games, were canceled in
the metropolis of 20 million. Mexican authorities ordered schools closed in
the capital and the states of Mexico and San Luis Potosi until [6 May
2009], and the Roman Catholic Church announced the cancellation of Sunday
masses in the capital.
The Mexican government issued a decree authorizing President Felipe
Calderon to invoke special powers letting the Health Department isolate
patients and inspect homes, incoming travelers and baggage. But officials
said it was designed to free health workers from possible legal reprisals
and to speed disease control efforts.
A team from the Centers for Disease Control had arrived in Mexico to help
set up detection testing for the swine flu strain, something Mexico
previously lacked. The US Embassy said the US has not imposed travel
constraints to and from Mexico but is suspending the processing of visas
and other services through Wednesday [29 Apr 2009] to avoid creating
crowds. It issued an earlier message advising US citizens to avoid large
crowds, shaking hands, greeting people with a kiss or using the subway.
While suspected swine flu cases have been reported in about 16 Mexican
states, health secretary Jose Cordova said “it has not spread to the entire
country.”
WHO director-general Margaret Chan said the outbreak of the
never-before-seen virus has “pandemic potential.” But she said it is still
too early to tell if it would become a pandemic. WHO lays out 3 criteria
necessary for a global epidemic: The virus is able to infect people, can
readily spread person-to-person, and the global population has no immunity
to it.
Early detection and treatment are key to stopping any outbreak. WHO
guidance calls for isolating the sick and blanketing everyone around them
with anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu [oseltamivir]. Now, with patients
showing up all across Mexico and its teeming capital, simple math suggests
that kind of response is impossible. Mexico appears to have lost valuable
days or weeks in detecting the new virus. Health authorities started
noticing a threefold spike in flu cases in late March and early April
[2009], but they thought it was a late rebound in the December-February flu
season. Testing at domestic labs did not alert doctors to the new strain,
and Cordova acknowledged Mexican labs lacked the necessary profiling data
to detect the previously unknown strain.
The 1st death occurred in southern Oaxaca state on [13 Apr 2009], but
Mexico didn’t send the 1st of 14 mucous samples to CDC until [18 Apr 2009],
around the same time it dispatched health teams to hospitals looking for
patients with severe flu or pnuemonia-like symptoms. Those teams noticed
something strange: the flu was killing people aged 20 to 40. Flu victims
are usually either infants or the elderly. The Spanish flu pandemic, which
killed at least 40 million people worldwide in 1918-19, also 1st struck
otherwise healthy young adults.
Even though US labs detected the swine flu in California and Texas before
last weekend, Mexican authorities as recently as Wednesday [22 Apr 2009]
were referring to it as a late-season flu. But mid-afternoon Thursday [23
Apr 2009], Mexico City health secretary Dr Armando Ahued said, officials
got a call “from the United States and Canada, the most important
laboratories in the field, telling us this was a new virus.”
“That was what led us to realize it wasn’t a seasonal virus ... and take
more serious preventative measures,” Cordova said. Asked why there were so
many deaths in Mexico, and none so far among the 11 cases in the United
States, Cordova noted that the US cases involved children — who haven’t
been among the fatal cases in Mexico, either. “There are immune factors
that are giving children some sort of defense, that is the only explanation
we have,” he said. Another factor may be that some Mexican patients may
have delayed seeking medical help too long, Cordova said. Some Mexicans
suspected the government had been less than forthcoming. “They always make
a big deal about good things that happen, but they really try to hide
anything bad,” [a Mexico City paralegal] said.
Airports around the world were screening travelers from Mexico for flu
symptoms. But containing the disease may not be an option. “Anything that
would be about containing it right now would purely be a political move,”
said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota pandemic expert.
Scientists have warned for years about the potential for a pandemic from
viruses that mix genetic material from humans and animals. This swine flu
and regular flu can have similar symptoms — mostly fever, cough and sore
throat, though some of the US victims who recovered also experienced
vomiting and diarrhea. But unlike with regular flu, humans don’t have
natural immunity to a virus that includes animal genes — and new vaccines
can take months to bring into use.
A “seed stock” genetically matched to the new swine flu virus has been
created by CDC, said Dr Richard Besser, the agency’s acting director. If
the government decides vaccine production is necessary, manufacturers would
need that stock to get started.
Mexican authorities did lay to rest one persistent doubt, after Mexican
museum director Felipe Solis died this week, just days after accompanying
US President Barack Obama on a tour of National Anthropology Museum on [16
Apr 2009]. Cordova said Solis had a pre-existing illness and died of
pneumonia unrelated to influenza.
[bylines: Mark Stevenson. (David Koop in Mexico City; Frank Jordans in
Geneva; Mike Stobbe in Atlanta; Malcolm Ritter in New York; and Maria Cheng
in London contributed to this report.)]
—
communicated by:
Sara M Volk, PhD, sara.m.volk@gmail.com
Postdoctoral Fellow, Alphavirus Pathogenesis and Evolution
Department of Pathology
Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases:
http://www.utmb.edu/CBEID/virology.shtml
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas, USA
******
[6] UK - flight attendant ex Mexico, susp
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: BBC [edited]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8018887.stm
UK monitoring swine flu outbreak
At least 81 people in Mexico are now thought to have died from pneumonia
after contracting swine flu. Swine flu is a respiratory disease that
infects pigs and does not normally infect humans. However, sporadic cases
do occur, usually in people who have had close contact with pigs.
Precautionary tests
Health Protection Authority statement
Meanwhile, a male British Airways cabin crew member is undergoing
precautionary tests in a London hospital after falling ill with “flu-like”
symptoms on a flight from Mexico City. He was taken to Northwick Park
Hospital, in Harrow after landing at Heathrow airport at 1400 BST (1300
GMT) on Saturday [25 Apr 2009]. A hospital spokesman said: “He has flu-like
symptoms and is responding well to treatment.”The patient was admitted
directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following
infection-control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other
individual in the hospital.” [BBC Radio News at 0900 BST 26 Apr reported
that the tests were negative. - Mod.SH]
Antiviral drugs
However, the Foreign Office recommends that anyone visiting those
destinations — or who has recently returned — should consult a doctor if
they experience flu-like symptoms.
—
communicated by:
ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
[To summarize the latest findings since the last update:
WHO is now following the guidelines established in the new International
Health Regulations (IHR 2005), having convened a meeting of the Emergency
Committee, defining the H1N1 (also known as “swine flu”) outbreak a “public
health emergency of international concern. The current pandemic alert phase
is still at level 3 (see the chart with pandemic alert phases available at
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html
with
a suggestion that this will be watched closely and may be altered depending
upon how the situation progresses.
In the USA, there have been cases identified in 2 additional states, New
York City (in New York State) and in Kansas. In New York City, there has
been an outbreak in a non-public school, with 8 probable cases out of about
200 children with an influenza like illness (ILI) — these cases had
influenza A viruses identified that did not match H1 and H3 human subtypes
of influenza A by available testing methods, so they are considered
probable cases of swine flu — and in Kansas there have been 2 cases
confirmed, one of whom recently travelled to Mexico. According to the CDC,
as of 7 PM EDT (GMT -4), there have been 7 confirmed cases in California
and 2 confirmed cases in Texas. With the addition of the 2 cases from
Kansas, there have been 11 cases confirmed thus far by the CDC. All cases
in the USA have been self limited with full recovery.
In Mexico, the case count is now 1324 (from about 1000 less than 24 hours
ago), with 81 reported deaths (up from 60 reported deaths less than 24
hours ago). Newswires describing the situation in Mexico are communicating
panic with the addition of significant political overtones, and “spin
doctors” are casting stones, blaming cover-ups and slow responses as
responsible for the outbreak “escaping”, and rumors of implicated swine
production farms as the foci where the outbreak allegedly began — an
unfortunate situation that seems to repeat itself every time there is a
major outbreak with many unknowns.
From the information that is becoming available, it does appear as though
there is significant human to human transmission ongoing of a novel
influenza virus. That translates into a large pool of susceptibles for the
virus to potentially infect. In the absence of a vaccine that will protect
against this novel strain, it is unclear if any measures could have been
effectively implemented that would have interrupted transmission earlier. A
situation that appears to be a reminder that mother nature is still the
most skilled bioterrorist out there.
The suspected case in an airline cabin crew member in the UK, having just
returned from Mexico, has — it seems — been discounted by initial tests.
According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) of the United Kingdom, as
of 25 Apr 2009 there have not been any confirmed cases of this novel H1N1
virus infection in the UK and Europe (see
http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1240646410227
for the HPA update.
That being said, there are still many unknowns — will the transmission
chain “burn out” on its own? Are the more severe cases and fatalities
reported from Mexico an indication of a more pathogenic strain for young
otherwise healthy individuals or are the reported deaths in individuals
with underlying disease? - Mod.MPP]
[see also:
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - N America (02) 20090425.1557
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - N America 20090425.1552
Acute respiratory disease - Mexico, swine virus susp 20090424.1546
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA (02): (CA, TX) 20090424.1541
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA: (CA) 20090422.1516
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - Spain 20090220.0715
2008
........................lm/mpp/sh
I see you are still up, so will alert you that I just posted the latest that came from ProMed.
My guess is yes it will spread by money, on food packages, in the air and flys and mosquitoes, once it gets to going.
The radio says that the 10 kids that traveled to Mexico, are now sick, I think this is the New York group, but did not hear him say a town on the Fox radio news.
scary thought indeed as it seems to target 25-45 group<<<
That is our Military and our child bearing age group.
At one time there was work done on bioweapons that could even choose the race to attack.
When one considers all that is going on in the world, nothing is going to surprise you.
Take care, for disasters are a lot like depressions, when the man next door looses his job, you consider it a recession, but when you loose your job it is a depression.
Here, I thought I’ve been stockpiling for the coming financial crisis that Obama is creating by devaluing the dollar.<<<
Yes, you stockpile food for a depression, but then a depression is going on for sure, when you are hungry.
One never knows when they will be glad to have stored food.
When the bird flu was a threat, there were statements that you would not be allowed to go to the grocery store, as that would be a good place to spread the disease.
I remember reading that towns could be locked down, no one in and no one out.
I posted a couple links above for the community plans and they use some strange term, like “non-medical control” to hide the fact they mean martial law.
I remember a lot of talk about it on Free Republic when it was a threat.
I sleep some, but not for long at a time, as a rule for the pains come then.
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