Free Republic

LONDON: An 11-day-old baby girl died after her mother unwittingly infected her with the virus which causes cold sores, probably through a kiss or breastfeeding, a coroner ruled. An inquest on Thursday found newborn Jennifer Schofield died from Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Her mother Ruth, 35, probably caught it late into her pregnancy, the coroner said, most likely for the first time in her life, meaning she had not developed immunity and nor had her child. The virus attacked the baby’s major organs and she died within days. Schofield fell ill with flu-like symptoms a few days before giving birth,...

  Navy Shows Off Next-Generation Vessel By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USAAmerican Forces Press Service Alexandria, Va., April 2, 2004 -- The huge vessel looks quite out of place among the small yachts and sailboats at a shallow pier. Neighborhood people on their morning jogs and dog walks looked amazingly at the HSV 2 Swift on its four-day port call here March 30. The HSV 2 Swift may one day become the Defense Department's transformation into the future. The Swift floats on two sleek, wave-piercing catamarans and can travel at speed of 42 knots or 85 plus kilometers...

It still may be an experimental ship, but a new, high-tech support vessel the Corps is testing for future amphibious operations already has gotten its first taste of combat operations. Just hours after Operation Iraqi Freedom began, the High Speed Vessel X-1 “Joint Venture” sped into the shallow Persian Gulf waters near the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, acting as an afloat forward staging base for Marine Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Teams and Navy SEAL commandos. In one of the first raids of the war, the HSV deployed a commando team March 20 in Mark V and Rigid Hull Inflatable...