Posted on 07/28/2005 1:51:35 PM PDT by WestVirginiaRebel
BEIJING-The number of people infected by what Chinese authorities believe is a pig-borne bacterial disease has jumped from 31 to 141, state media said on Thursday as officials insisted the outbreak could be contained.
The World Health Organization said it was watching developments closely, but a spokesperson said the disease appeared to be localized and posed no threat nationally.
China's Ministry of Health said the death toll in rural Sichuan province had risen to 31, the official Xihua news agency said.
"We have the technology and procedures to bring the disease under control," the China Daily quoted an unidentified ministry official as saying on Wendesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...
How bad it really is.
Do you really want to know? If so, I'll gladly post it.
This 'outbreak' is part of testing being done to develop avian and swine flu viruses that have specific incubation periods.
These viruses will then be sold to any group with the money to pay for it.
The Muslim Extremists, terrorists, whatever you want to call them, have been waiting for an avian virus that can be used to infect citizens of the US, with an incubation period that delays action until it is too late and the outbreak spreads at an exponential rate.
Note that two people, so far, have died of an avian virus in the US.
I recently got a copy of a blog that was iitercepted from China where the conversation was revolving around the army siezing people.
Conventional Wisdom holds that since the Chinese lied about SARS that there is no reason to believe that they will come clean about bird flu.
This ain't over, it is just beginning!
Semper Nervous
I just found this. Now, if farmers will just comply, and quit wasting valuable antibiotics on 50 cent chickens...
FDA Bans Use of Baytril in Poultry
WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of the antibiotic Baytril in poultry because of concerns the drug could lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in people.
The agency's commissioner, Lester M. Crawford, on Thursday ordered that approval for use of the drug, known generically as enrofloxacin, be withdrawn effective Sept. 12.
Baytril is in the same family as the popular drug Cipro, which is used in humans.
Crawford cited particular concerns about campylobacter bacteria, a growing source of serious illness in humans.
Antibiotics used to treat it can be less effective if the germ has already developed resistance to Baytril, the FDA said.
Margaret Mellon, director of food and environment at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the FDA's move was "a big deal."
"It's the first time FDA has withdrawn a veterinary drug on the basis of antibiotic resistance concerns, fearing that use of the drug in animals is going to erode the effectiveness of the drugs in human medicine," she said.
Dr. David Wallinga, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Project at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, praised the FDA "for acting decisively to protect the public's health."
Campylobacter is commonly found in the intestinal tracts of turkeys and chickens, where it does not generally cause illness, Crawford said in his order.
Use of enrofloxacin in poultry does not eliminate campylobacter from the birds, but instead results in the development of bacteria resistant to this type of drug, Crawford said.
Resistant bacteria may be present in poultry sold at retail outlets. Crawford noted that since the drug was introduced for poultry in the 1990s, the proportion of resistant campylobacter infections in humans has risen significantly.
That can prolong the length of infections in people and increase the risk of complications, Crawford said. Complications can include reactive arthritis and blood stream infections.
The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine first proposed to pull the drug from use in chickens and turkeys in 2000, but the manufacturer, Bayer, asked for a hearing. Crawford acted after reviewing the results of that hearing.
Bayer has 60 days to appeal Crawford's decision to a federal appeals court.
Bayer spokesman Bob Walker said the company was surprised and disappointed by the decision. He said officials are reviewing the decision from a scientific and legal position before deciding on further action.
According to the interest group Keep Antibiotics Working, many top poultry producers have announced that they no longer use such drugs in chickens produced for human consumption. Such producers include Tyson, Gold Kist, ConAgra, Perdue, Foster Farms and Claxton.
Major chicken purchasers, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Domino's, Hardee's, Popeye's, Subway and Bon Appetit, have instructed their suppliers to stop using this class of drugs in chickens they purchase.
""We have the technology and procedures to bring the disease under control," the China Daily quoted an unidentified ministry official as saying on Wendesday."
Gas chamber and an incinerator come to mind...Everyone know's how they deal with problems...
The symptoms from this 'flu' are remarkably similar to Ebola. Please go to the first of the two links I posted above and read about this disease.
IT'S A BIOWEAPON, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
Well shoot, I could've told you that.
I have stated similar...look at some of the Marburg posts...
Someone is not playing nicely with their Jr bio-chemist set...
WHOOPS! Comment #10 was posted on the wrong thread! Sorry, please ignore. >_<
I've asked the mods to pull it.
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