The Agonist - Flu (Swine, Bird, etc.)

WHO says pandemic flu on rise in China, Japan

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:23:29 -0800

Geneva | November 6

Reuters - H1N1 swine flu is on the rise in China and Japan after triggering an unusually early start to the winter influenza season in Europe, Central Asia and North America, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

According to the U.N. agency's latest official toll, which is thought to underestimate the total spread of the virus, at least 6,071 people worldwide have died as a result of an H1N1 infection since its discovery earlier this year in Mexico and the United States.

Some 359 deaths were recorded in the past week, which saw a big outbreak in Ukraine as well as ongoing spread of the virus across the northern hemisphere.

"Intense and persistent influenza transmission continues to be reported in North America without evidence of a peak in activity," the WHO said in its latest update.

"In China, after an earlier wave of mixed influenza activity (seasonal H3N2 and pandemic H1N1), pandemic H1N1 influenza activity now predominates and is increasing."

Sharp increases in pandemic flu infections continue to be reported throughout Japan, particularly on the northern island.

Ukraine has a problem ...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:41:16 -0800

The death toll in Ukraine is rapidly rising. In a country of 45 million people more than 60 people have died in a week because of some respiratory illness which could be mutated swine flu. Worse still, the epidemic area covers only a small fraction of Ukraine.

No Ukrainian laboratory is capable of testing for the presence of swine flu

To The Victors Go The Spoils

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:10:09 -0800

If the banking crisis and the bailout wasn't enough to piss you off, watch this.

B.A.R.F.F. Reminds You - Vote No On Issue 2!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:10:27 -0800

That just about sums up the Agricultural Industrial Complex's effort to take over the Ohio Constitution on Tuesday, so they can self-regulate, because, you know, it worked out so well on Wall Street and with Enron (to name 2 of, oh, a trillion examples)...

In any case, Facebook group here. Video below. Happy Monday all!

Full Disclosure: I am consulting on this effort to beat back a naked power grab to corrupt the Ohio Constitution, Ohio government and put all power to regulate livestock in the hands of 13 political appointees and corporate Agri-Cronies...

Child swine flu deaths spike in US amid vaccine shortage

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:12:25 -0700

October 31

AFP - The United States released Friday its entire stock of children's Tamiflu antivirals, a top health official said, as the pediatric swine flu toll spiked well above the annual toll for kids from seasonal flu.

"Up until now, there have been 114 laboratory-confirmed deaths among children," the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thomas Frieden, told a press conference, referring to swine flu.

The highest pediatric death toll from seasonal flu in the past three years was 88.

Along with the spike in child (A)H1N1 flu deaths, the US has seen "more hospitalizations in people under the age of 65 than in most entire flu seasons," Frieden said.

Federal health authorities were releasing the entire US stock of liquid Tamiflu antivirals for children, Frieden said.

Some 300,000 doses of liquid Tamiflu were released at the beginning of the month, and "we are now releasing an additional 234,000 courses from the strategic national stockpile," he said.

"That is the entire supply from the stockpile."

The Under-The-Radar Assault By The Agricultural Industrial Complex

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:06:31 -0700

On November 3rd, there will be a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot in Ohio. This is no ordinary ballot initiative. Its very existence and marketing has been bought and paid for--to the tune of millions of dollars-- by national and international agri-business corporations and their front groups, such as Pioneer Hi-Bred International (owned by DuPont and grantee of 100K to the effort),the National Pork Producers Council (113K), and the United Egg Producers (200K!).

(You can join the anti-Issue 2 Facebook Group and help us stop this underhanded effort)

What would it do if passed? It would create a 13-member board, 10 appointed by the Governor of Ohio (and, shockingly, they could all be from the Agricultural Industrial Complex), who would have ABSOLUTE POWER over regulating all conditions on farms in Ohio. The legislature, Dept. of Agriculture, and the people need not apply. Only another Constitutional Amendment could overturn a decision handed down by what will become our very own 18th Century House of Lords in Ohio. And if it succeeds here, expect to see it on your state ballot next.

So if unaccountable government (think "TARP"), wasted taxpayer money, corporate-controlled legislating, E. Coli, environmental degradation, animal cruelty, and bankrupted family farms are not your thing, you would probably be against this.

What can you do? Once again, join our Facebook group. Vote against this travesty if you live in the Buckeye State. If you don't, call and email your friends in Ohio and tell them to vote against Issue 2. Tweet it. Make it your Facebook status. And if you really want to get involved in Ohio, through the Facebook group you will have no trouble finding out how to do that.

Full Disclosure: I am proud to be involved in the effort to protect all that is good and right in the world from Big Ag

President Obama declares H1N1 flu a national emergency

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:41:14 -0700

Michael D. Shear | Washington | October 24

WaPo - President Obama Saturday declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency, clearing the way for legal waivers to allow hospitals and doctors offices to better handle a surge of new patients.

The proclamation will grant Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius the power to authorize the waivers as individual medical facilities request them, officials said.

It says that Obama does "hereby find and proclaim that, given that the rapid increase in illness across the Nation may overburden health care resources and that the temporary waiver of certain standard Federal requirements may be warranted in order to enable U.S. health care facilities to implement emergency operations plans, the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in the United States constitutes a national emergency."

White House officials played down the dramatic-sounding language, saying the president's action was not prompted by a new assessment of the dangers posed to the public by the flu.

related articles here

Swine flu in Europe

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:23:21 -0700

Swine flu virus in Norway seems to kill 10 times more than in Australia.

In Germany, politicians receive a safer vaccine than ordinary citizens.

Two people died in Sweden after receiving their vaccine dose.

Swine flu detected in US pigs in Minnesota

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:57:07 -0700

Chicago | Oct 17

AFP - Pigs in the state of Minnesota may have become infected with swine flu, officials said on Friday, citing preliminary tests taken at a state fair.

If the initial results are confirmed it would be the first case of the pandemic virus detected in US hogs.

"We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

"I want to remind people that they cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products."

The pigs sampled at the fair showed no sign of illness and were apparently healthy, the agriculture department said.

However an outbreak of swine flu occurred in a group of children housed in a dormitory at the fair around the same time the tests were conducted from August 26 through September 1.

"Information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs," the agriculture department said.

Final test results are expected in a few days.

Swine flu still spreading; blamed for 76 child deaths

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:49:58 -0700

Steve Sternberg | Oct 10

USA TODAY - Swine flu is believed to have killed 19 children the week ending Oct. 3, bringing the number of pediatric deaths to 76 since the pandemic began in April, health officials reported Friday.

Sixteen of the children were confirmed to have H1N1 flu; three were believed to have died of the disease. Over the past three flu seasons, total pediatric deaths ranged from 46 to 88, says Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

"We've already had 76 children die and it's only October," Schuchat says. Flu season usually runs from December through May.

SWINE FLU CENTRAL: Latest news, videos, CDC tracking on interactive U.S. map

Swine flu affects 'virtually the entire country,' CDC expert says

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:53:22 -0700

Thomas H. Maugh II | Washington | October 9

LAT - New figures show H1N1 in 10 more states than a week ago, up to 37 now, and a rise in pediatric deaths. But areas of earlier outbreaks may be seeing some relief.

Pandemic H1N1 influenza "is here . . . in virtually the entire country," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news conference this morning. Swine flu activity is widespread in 37 states now, up from 27 states last week, said Schuchat, who is director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The figures suggest a leveling off last week was an aberration.

There have been reports that some places that were particularly hard hit last spring, such as New York City, might not suffer as severely this winter. The CDC has been looking at 50 such locations, and many of them are seeing significant increases in flu activity now. "At most, 5% to 10% of people were infected then," Schuchat said. "The vast majority of people are still susceptible."

Nineteen more pediatric deaths were reported last week, bringing the total to 76 deaths since April. In the last three flu seasons, the number of pediatric deaths has ranged from 47 to 88 per year. Now we have 76, "and it is only October," Schuchat said. Only 20% to 30% of the deaths were in children who were healthy before contracting the virus. The rest suffered from underlying conditions, such as asthma, chronic lung disease and, especially, muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.

Hungary's second swine flu fatality didn't meet profile

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:23:01 -0700

Budapest | Sept 24

DPA - A 34-year-old man who died suddenly of a lung haemorrhage was found to be infected with the A(H1N1) virus, the Hungarian health minister said Thursday.

Istvan Szekely told the local news agency MTI that the death was particularly worrying, as the young man did not fit any of the risk groups described by the World Health Organization.

He had showed no sign of fever when he unexpectedly fell ill and died at home. An autopsy revealed infection with the A(H1N1) virus.

Swine flu

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:28:00 -0700

It was 10th week in the USA when the epidemic was in decline. But the number of people hospitalized increased slightly. Either there is virus around which is slightly more dangerous than earlier or those becoming sick are more vulnerable because they should be now older than the first ones who became sick.

In Sweden the epidemic is in the very beginning but the country already run out of equipment needed in treating very difficult cases which require ECMO. 60% of the infections are still acquired abroad, mostly from Spain and the UK.

All the stories in the news quote experts assuming that swine flu cases will increase soon. This is not at all certain. The 2nd wave might require a mutation in the virus.

There are now 120 deaths in EU+EFTA countries.

UN warns over swine flu in birds

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:44:07 -0700

Sudeep Chand | Aug 28

BBC -

The discovery of swine flu in birds in Chile raises concerns about the spread of the virus, the UN warns.

Last week the H1N1 virus was found in turkeys on farms in Chile. The UN now says poultry farms elsewhere in the world could also become infected.

Scientists are worried that the virus could theoretically mix with more dangerous strains. It has previously spread from humans to pigs.

However, swine flu remains no more severe than seasonal flu.

Chilean authorities first reported the incident last week. Two poultry farms are affected near the seaport of Valparaiso.

Juan Lubroth, interim chief veterinary officer of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said: "Once the sick birds have recovered, safe production and processing can continue. They do not pose a threat to the food chain."

Chilean authorities have established a temporary quarantine and have decided to allow the infected birds to recover rather than culling them.

It is thought the incident represents a "spill-over" from infected farm workers to turkeys.

Super flu fear as swine strain moves to birds

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:11:09 -0700

Valparaiso, Chile | August 23

Sydney Morning Herald - Two Chilean poultry farms are under quarantine after swine flu was detected in turkeys, the first case of the virus being found in birds, the nation's health ministry and US health officials said yesterday.

Scientists are concerned the virus may combine with the H5N1 bird flu virus, making a more dangerous and easily transmitted strain.

Avian flu has killed more than half the humans who caught it.

Sopraval SA, the Santiago-based producer of poultry, beef and pork products, said agricultural authorities identified the virus, also known as H1N1, in turkeys on two of its farms. The flu was identified after workers noticed a drop in egg production, said Jay Butler, director of the H1N1 task force for the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He said the genetic make-up of H1N1 enabled the virus to be carried in birds.

Genetic combination of the two viruses ''has not been documented, but that is certainly a concern if a bird is co-infected with both strains'', Dr Butler said. ''That's a theoretical possibility that we've known existed.''

Chile says swine flu in turkeys not a threat

Reuters, By Rodrigo Martinez, August 23

Santiago - The outbreak of H1N1 swine flu in turkeys in Chile, the first case found outside humans and pigs, was not a public health threat because the virus likely was spread via human contact, the government said on Friday.

Chile's farming and livestock agency said late on Thursday the outbreak had been controlled at the two affected farms 75 miles west of the capital Santiago and that the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, had been notified.

"This represents no risk for the public as the virus was most likely transmitted from a human to birds," said Chilean Health Ministry official Carlos Pavletic.

Authorities said laboratory results had ruled out the presence of H5N1, or bird flu virus, in the turkeys.

The government and bird producers also said repeatedly on Friday that local turkey meat was safe for consumption. Chile exports most of its bird meat, which includes turkey and chicken, to the European Union and Mexico, according to data from the Chilean Association of Bird Producers.

A senior official for the OIE, an intergovernmental organization based in Paris, said the outbreak was not cause for alarm as the presence of the virus in animals remained a minor concern compared to the pandemic facing humans.

The organization also backed Chile's claim that the birds likely got the virus from humans.