SARS Epidemic May Reemerge, CDC Director Warns

Reuters ^ | 6-18-03

[Prince Charles]

SARS Epidemic May Reemerge, CDC Director Warns

Wed June 18, 2003 03:04 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Like deadly flu epidemics of the past, SARS may reemerge later this year as a global health threat, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

Dr. Julie Gerberding pointed out that infectious diseases like SARS and monkeypox are spread around the world by travelers or by trade in exotic animals.

"This is the new normal: emerging infectious diseases ... that create immediate global concerns because of the movement of people and animals," Gerberding said in a speech to the American Medical Association's annual meeting.

Gerberding compared SARS to flu epidemics early in the last century that appeared to subside, only to erupt again with the change of seasons and kill millions.

"The risk is not over as any moment another patient could emerge," she said.

The World Health Organization said this week the worst was over in the battle against SARS and lifted a travel warning for Taiwan, leaving Beijing as the only place with an advisory in force.

But the United Nations agency said health authorities must stay alert for fresh outbreaks of the disease that killed almost 800 people and infected about 8,500 since it emerged late last year in southern China.

Gerberding said the number of cases was "definitely dwindling" but the Northern Hemisphere's fall and winter could witness another outbreak.

"Our next priority is to develop a rapid diagnostic test," she said. "We now know there are milder forms of the illness where people may not have symptoms. What we don't know is if these people can transmit the virus."

The monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. Midwest this spring caught health authorities by surprise, she said, and showed how the movement of people and animals around the globe posed health risks. There have been roughly 80 non-fatal human cases so far traced to pet prairie dogs, with the infection traced to a Gambian rat imported from Africa.

She said no new human cases of the deadly West Nile virus appeared in the United States so far this spring, though the CDC was tracking bird and mosquito virus carriers and expected the deadly illness to reappear this summer. Last year, there were more than 4,000 human cases and 284 deaths.

[Betty Jo]

Thanks for your tip to use Google groups.

I came up with another of his "occupations."

"Biomedical researcher"

This guy is either the most misquoted, misunderstood victim, or he is a "Spook" .

Do you have any opinions about Niman?

[CobaltBlue]

Dr. Niman does live near Pittsburgh, or at least used to. He used to coach his daughter's soccer team.

He seems to be one of those brilliant people who are hard to pigeonhole. Virology, molecular biology, technology, biotech, started a pharmaceutical company that's projected to actually go into the black next year.

He's a lot more successful than most people I know.

[CobaltBlue]

I do communicate with Dr. Niman via email.

[CobaltBlue]

I should add that I send him email to his Harvard address, and receive email from that same Harvard address.

[CobaltBlue]

>>So the man in Albuquerque had SARS, recovered, and didn't infect anyone else?<<

How does anyone know whether he infected anybody else? He could have given a lot of people mild cases of SARS. Dr. Niman (or somebody) says if it's mild, maybe call it MARS? But that's a joke.

Any infection, whether mild or serious, by SARS Co-V, is SARS. Period.

Yound and healthy people are probably not even going to notice it. It's older people and people who have pre-existing medical conditions who are at risk.

Hey, if all the geezers die off, that makes Social Security that much easier, no?

[Betty Jo]

Well, if he works at the Boston Shriners Hospital, or Mass General, or Harvard itself, he must have one heck of a daily commute from Pittsburgh to Boston.

Do you know what he did at the U of P?

Do you happen to know if there is a pix of him on the net?

You mention all his fields,do you know what he actually does as a "cancer researcher-surgery instructor-bioengineer"?

Do you know how he has time for posting all over the net about med companies and cyber troubles,and SARS and anthrax, but not about his "job" at Shriners?

When you email him, give him my regards.

[CobaltBlue]

Actually, Dr. Niman lurks on Free Republic. I haven't discussed today's exchanges with him. As I mentioned before, he has been posting on my SARSblog on Silicon Investor.
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/stocktalk/subject.gsp?subjectid=53829

He also posts on Biomaven's SARSblog on Silicon Investor.
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/stocktalk/subject.gsp?subjectid=53838

He used to post on Free Republic during the anthrax scare, but got thrown off due to something to do with The Great Satan/Clinton's a Rapist.
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/stocktalk/msg.gsp?msgid=19035444

I wouldn't mind seeing him reinstated on Free Republic.

[Logical Extinction]

Just a heads-up.

Prof. Choo, head of Tan Tock Seng Hospital's department of general medicine has shown that - like children, patients above the age of 75 appear to suffer from a milder form of Sars when infected.

Prof Choo says that while mortality and severity of illness increase for those aged between 40 and 70, it takes a milder form after that.

Children and the elderly have weaker immune systems that are incapable of reacting actively to the virus.

[TaxRelief]

You forgot virologist. Perhaps he teaches students how to dissect viruses, uh, bioengineered microsurgery of viruses, yea, that could be it.

When he gets a chance perhaps you could cut and paste an email from Henry Lee Niman answering some of the questions.

So, why did he get banned from Freerepublic?

[Betty Jo]

I think you are pulling my leg.

In all of that in your above post, anything about Dr.Henry Niman as he is at Harvard,Mass General or Shriners?

I think,now more than early this morning, that Dr. Henry Niman is a FRAUD!

[TaxRelief]

Wait 'til you read this stuff, you'll really be convinced:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/finduser?user=niman

Oh, yea, we can see through him, now...

[Betty Jo]

Something is up, thats for sure.

Is there a giant conspiracy by someone to pretend to be a Dr.Henry Niman that works at Boston Shriners Hospital?

Is this poor, isolated man in virtual hiding?

Or, is the person posting all over the web about stocks and SARS and anthrax the one and only?

Is there a $$$$$ aspect here?

Such as he isnt doing what his contract requires him to do?

Does Shriners Hosp get any fed $$$$$$ ?

Could he possibly have a black contract, and he IS doing what his contract requires?

Maybe someone who posts at agonist will ask him all about his job at Shriners Hospital?

[TaxRelief]

I smell a ZOT coming....

To:Henry Niman who wrote (534)
From: CobaltBlue

Oh, it seems like you got thrown out for the "rogue scientist" theory on anthrax? Too bad you didn't know me back then, I've been pushing the "rogue scientist" theory from the beginning, with my fallback position being someone cut from the Tim McVeigh mold. Not that my opinion carries a lot of weight on Free Republic, but you wouldn't have been alone.

To me, the dead giveaway was sending the stuff to Daschle and Leahy. Daschle I could just barely see as an attempt at misdirection, but Leahy? He's a nobody, except that he causes some rightwingers to foam at the mouth.

Also, the terrorist MO is always to get the biggest bang for the buck. If they were going to mail it to someone, why not all the bigwigs, or all the Jews? Why no Republicans? Hence my suspicion of the Leahy mailing. But even more spectacular would have been to set it loose in the DC Metro or the NY subway or a big airport, a la Aum Shinri Kyo.

The anthrax mailings appeared to me to be a warning. They were very tightly wrapped, and the letter enclosed identified the substance and warned the recipient.

But then, I thought the DC snipers were homegrown white American nutballs, as well. Black serial killers and mass murderers are not unheard of, but rare enough. Still, I was closer than the vast majority on Free Republic, who were convinced it was the next iteration of Al Qaeda. One homegrown American nutball, one Jamaican nutball, no terrorists.

When you started posting on Docbear's SARS blog, I exchanged Freemail with a couple of Freepers - you have a good reputation among us, at least. I'd love to put in a good word for you and see if we can get you back. Especially if this SARS thing goes bad again.





To:Henry Niman who wrote (534)


From: CobaltBlue
Monday, Jun 16, 2003 1:39 PM
View Replies (1) | Respond to of 575


Oh, how this takes me back . . . . anthrax . . . . I had almost forgotten those days . . . .

[palmer]

Could be just that his name gets used a lot. His investment advice (if that was him) seemed pretty self-serving.

[Betty Jo]

Tax, in your post # 113, the fr post you quote says "Leahy"

Did you know that Dr. Henry Niman spoke at the same conference that Leahy did im 1991?

It was on Feb 21-22.

Niman was on a panel,Leahy was the keynoter.

It was " ....Frontier Foundation" at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Henry Niman of the University of Pittsburg spoke about Prodigy.

[Betty Jo]

What does ZOT mean?

[Fred Mertz]

Marking #113 and #115

[TaxRelief]

Something tells me our "good friend" Astraea Kelly may have attended that conference, too.

Leahy, Ms. Kelly, "Dr. Niman"....Hmm...

[aristeides]

Uncertainty Plagues SARS Fight: China's cover-up, questions about virus concern WHO. New Laurie Garrett piece.

[aristeides]

Does SARS have a milder, gentler cousin?.