Avian (Bird) Flu - H5N1 Virus

roorichard

roorichard

Chrono Cadet
I am going to start keeping up with this new flu virus and posting relevant articles. I realize that this has nothing to do with Time Travel but since this virus could mutate into a form where it could be transmitted from humans to other humans and kill potentially millions among millions, I felt as if opening up a thread was the right thing to do. I will look out every day for new articles concerning the Avian Flu.

Background on the Avian Flu - H5N1 Virus
Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and is now known to exist worldwide.

Infection
The causative agent is the avian influenza (AI) virus. AI viruses all belong to the influenza virus A genus of the Orthomyxoviridae family and are negative-stranded, segmented RNA viruses.

Avian influenza spreads in the air and in manure. Wild fowl often act as resistant carriers, spreading it to more susceptible domestic stocks. It can also be transmitted by contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing; however, there is no evidence that the virus can survive in well cooked meat.

The incubation period is 3 to 5 days. Symptoms in animals vary, but virulent strains can cause death within a few days

Avian Influenza in Humans
While avian influenza spreads rapidly among birds, it does not infect humans easily, and there is no confirmed evidence of human-to-human transmission. Of the 15 subtypes known, only subtypes H5 and H7 are known to be capable of crossing the species barrier.

The symptoms of avian influenza in humans are akin to those of human influenza, ie. fever, sore throat, cough and in severe cases pneumonia. Human deaths from avian influenza were unknown until 1997, when six people in Hong Kong died from the particularly virulent H5N1 strain.

In January 2004, a major new outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza surfaced again in Vietnam and Thailand's poultry industry, and within weeks spread to ten countries and regions in Asia, including Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and China. Intensive efforts were undertaken to slaughter chickens, ducks and geese (over 40 million chickens alone were slaughtered in high-infection areas), and the outbreak was contained by March, but the total human death toll in Vietnam and Thailand was 23 people.

It is feared that if the avian influenza virus undergoes antigenic shift with a human influenza virus, the new subtype created could be both highly contagious and highly lethal in humans. Such a subtype could cause a global influenza pandemic, similar to the Spanish Flu that killed over 20 million people in 1918. In February 2004, avian influenza virus was detected in pigs in Vietnam, increasing fears of the emergence of new variant strains.

Fresh outbreaks in poultry were confirmed in Ayutthaya and Pathumthani provinces of Thailand, and Chaohu city in Anhui, China, in July 2004.

In North America, the presence of avian influenza was confirmed at several poultry farms in British Columbia in February 2004. As of April 2004, 18 farms have been quarantined to halt the spread of the virus. Two cases of humans with avian influenza have been confirmed in that region.

In August 2004 Avian Flu was confirmed in Kampung Pasir, Kelantan, Malaysia. Two chickens were confirmed to be carrying H5N1. As a result Singapore has imposed a ban on the importation of chickens and poultry products. Similarly the EU has slapped a ban on Malaysian poultry products. A cull of all poultry has been ordered by the government within a 10KM radius of the location of this outbreak

Prevention and Treatment
Avian influenza in humans can be detected reliably with standard influenza tests. Antiviral drugs are clinically effective in both preventing and treating the disease. Vaccines, however, take at least four months to produce and must be prepared for each subtype.

Increasing Virulence
In July 2004 researchers, headed by H. Deng of the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Harbin, China and Professor Robert Webster of the St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, reported results of experiments in which mice had been exposed to 21 isolates of confirmed H5N1 strains obtained from ducks in China between 1999 and 2002. They found "a clear temporal pattern of progressively increasing pathogenicity".

Bird Flu Background Link

Latest article from Jan. 23, 2006
Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu has killed two more people, bringing the total number of deaths since the virus emerged in humans to at least 82, the World Health Organization said today on its Web site.

The deadly H5N1 virus that causes avian influenza has infected 151 people since 2003, when the first bird-to-human transmission occurred in eastern Asia, the WHO said. The most recently confirmed deaths occurred in Indonesia, the group said.

Bird flu has spread from Southeast Asia to the fringe of Europe in recent weeks, heightening concerns that it may mutate into a form that can be passed from one person to the other. Such a virus may touch off a flu pandemic similar to the one that killed as many as 50 million people in 1918.

The U.S., the European Union, Japan and others last week pledged $1.9 billion to fight the H5N1 virus that causes bird flu and prevent a pandemic should the virus adapt to humans. About 140 million fowl worldwide have died or been culled to stem outbreaks, causing more than $10 billion of economic losses.

In Turkey, the government has confirmed 21 human infections and almost 1 million fowl have died or been killed to stem outbreaks. Analysis of viral material from one patient in Turkey showed genetic mutations where the virus binds to human cells, the WHO said last week. The genetic change indicates the virus may bind more readily to human cells than to avian cells.

China's health ministry reported the nation's 10th case of bird flu infection, the official Xinhua News Agency reported today. A 29-year-old woman from Jinhua Town of Chengdu City, in China's Sichuan Province, has avian influenza, Xinhua said, citing the health ministry. The woman is hospitalized in critical condition, the news agency reported.

Latest Bird Flu Article Link

If any of you object to this then I am sorry, I just wanted to keep everyone updated on the current flu.

Also, if there are any articles that you wish to show or if there are any comments, feel free to write anything you wish.
 
well thanks for INFORMATION sources.

I'm from the future so I feel I should tell you this Avian flu turns out like SARS and the virus AFTER this one is what anyone outside of North America should really be worried about.
 
Q: What is bird flu?

Like humans and other species, birds are susceptible to flu.

There are 15 types of bird, or avian, flu.

The most contagious strains, which are usually fatal in birds, are H5 and H7.

The type currently causing concern is the deadly strain H5N1, which can prove fatal to humans.

Migratory wildfowl, notably wild ducks, are natural carriers of the viruses, but are unlikely to actually develop an infection.

The risk is that they pass it on to domestic birds, who are much more suscpetible to the virus.


Q: How do humans catch bird flu?

Bird flu was thought only to infect birds until the first human cases were seen in Hong Kong in 1997.

Humans catch the disease through close contact with live infected birds.

Birds excrete the virus in their faeces, which dry and become pulverised, and are then inhaled.

Symptoms are similar to other types of flu - fever, malaise, sore throats and coughs. People can also develop conjunctivitis.

Researchers are now concerned because scientists studying a case in Vietnam found the virus can affect all parts of the body, not just the lungs.

This could mean that many illnesses, and even deaths, thought to have been caused by something else, may have been due to the bird flu virus.


Q: Is it possible to stop bird flu coming into a country?

Because it is carried by birds, there is no way of preventing its spread.

But that does not mean it will be passed to domestic flocks. Experts say proper poultry controls - such as preventing wild birds getting in to poultry houses - which are present in the UK, should prevent that happening.

In addition, they say monitoring of the migratory patterns of wild birds should provide early alerts of the arrival of infected flocks - meaning they could be targeted on arrival.


Q: How many people have been affected?

As of 9 January, 2006, the World Health Organisation had confirmed 146 cases of H5N1 in humans in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China and Turkey, leading to 76 deaths.


Q: Fourteen cases have been reported in Turkey since the start of this year. Why this sudden cluster?

The WHO has yet to confirm all these cases, but even if it does, there may well be a simple explanation.

For instance, increased media coverage means that individuals are more aware of the disease and are simply more willing to come forward and be tested.

There is also the possibility that the infection among domestic poultry had not been properly identified in Turkey.

But the most worrying explanation is that H5N1 has mutated into a form that can jump more easily between chickens and humans.

If this is the case then it also increases the chances of the virus mutating into a form that can pass easily between humans - as it is more likely to mix with human influenza viruses.

This is the real fear. Experts believe the virus could exchange genes with a human flu virus if a person was simultaneously infected with both.

The more this double infection happens, the higher the chance a new virus could be created and be passed from person to person, they say.

Concern has also been raised by research which showed that the virus which caused the 1918 pandemic was an avian flu virus.


Q: But it can't yet be passed from person to person?

For the most part, humans have contracted the virus following very close contact with sick birds.

There may have been examples of human-to-human transmission, but so far not in the form which could fuel a pandemic.

A case in Thailand indicated the probable transmission of the virus from a girl who had the disease to her mother, who also died.

The girl's aunt, who was also infected, survived the virus.

UK virology expert Professor John Oxford said these cases indicated the basic virus could be passed between humans, and predicted similar small clusters of cases would be seen again.

It is not the only instance where it has been thought bird flu has been passed between humans.

In 2004, two sisters died in Vietnam after possibly contracting bird flu from their brother who had died from an unidentified respiratory illness.

In a similar case in Hong Kong in 1997, a doctor possibly caught the disease from a patient with the H5N1 virus - but it was never conclusively proved.


Q: What would the consequences of a mass outbreak be?

Once the virus gained the ability to pass easily between humans the results could be catastrophic.

Worldwide, experts predict anything between two million and 50 million deaths.

However the mortality rate - which presently stands at around 50% of confirmed cases - could decline as it mutates, they say.


Q: Is there a vaccine?

There is not yet a definitive vaccine, but prototypes which offer protection against the H5N1 strain are being produced.

But antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu which are already available and being stockpiled by countries such as the UK, may help limit symptoms and reduce the chances the disease will spread.

Concerns have been prompted by news that patients in Vietnam have become partially resistant to the Tamiflu, the drug that doctors plan to use to tackle a human bird flu outbreak.

Scientists say it may be helpful to have stocks of other drugs from the same family such as Relenza (zanamivir).

Q: Can I continue to eat chicken?

Yes. Experts say avian flu is not a food-borne virus, so eating chicken is safe.

The only people thought to be at risk are those involved in the slaughter and preparation of meat that may be infected.

However, the World Health Organisation recommends, to be absolutely safe all meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 70C. Eggs should also be thoroughly cooked.

Professor Hugh Pennington of Aberdeen University underlined the negligible risk to consumers: "The virus is carried in the chicken's gut.

"A person would have to dry out the chicken meat and would have to sniff the carcass to be at any risk. But even then, it would be very hard to become infected."

Q: What is being done to contain the virus in the countries affected?

Millions of birds have been culled in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease among birds, which would in turn stop it being passed on to humans.

web page
 
Here are some other questions worth reading into...

Since 1997, bird flu has killed tens of millions of birds in several countries, and claimed the lives of dozens of people. Most people became sick through close contact with infected birds. But in a few instances, the H5N1 strain of the virus, which is uncommonly lethal, appears to have spread from person to person.

So far, the cases of human-to-human transmission have been rare and self-contained. But some experts fear that as the virus continues to mutate, it may produce a new, equally deadly strain that spreads easily among people, leading to a worldwide pandemic.

This troubling scenario has raised many questions. Here, James Steckelberg, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., answers some of them.


Bird flu has been in the news a lot lately. Have governments suddenly become more aware of a potential problem, or has the threat grown more serious?

Worldwide epidemics (pandemics) of influenza aren't new; historically, they've occurred at approximately 25- to 30-year intervals and, like hurricanes and earthquakes, are natural events. Past pandemics have tended to occur when strains of influenza already present in animals adapt to human transmission.

Concern about the disease has intensified recently for several reasons. One is the appearance of several human cases of H5N1 influenza in regions previously unaffected by bird flu. Another is the news that researchers have determined that the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed 50 million people, was a bird flu that jumped to humans. And the H5N1 virus continues to spread among poultry in more and more countries.

The feeling among health officials and agencies worldwide is that it would be irresponsible not to be prepared, especially since we appear to be underprepared right now.


How long might it take for the bird flu to mutate into a serious human threat?

That's the question of the hour, and the truth is, no one knows. We do know a few important things about H5N1, the bird flu subtype that is the greatest cause for concern. First, H5N1 is particularly virulent, killing close to 100 percent of susceptible birds and more than half the people who have been infected. Second, the virus appears to be spreading, including most recently to Europe; it has now killed tens of millions of birds in a number of countries. Third, it seems to be affecting more and more species, including cats, which usually aren't susceptible to bird flu, and pigs, which traditionally have been a species that acts as a "mixing bowl" for viruses transmitted between birds and people. But whether this virus will ever make the genetic changes needed to infect humans on a mass scale, or how long that might take — there's just no way of knowing.


If the disease were to become transmissible among humans, how likely is a rapid worldwide spread?

Right now, there's no evidence of sustained, efficient, human-to-human transmission. Most cases of bird flu in humans appear to have come from contact with infected birds, not infected people. When the virus has been passed from one person to another, such as was the case with a Vietnamese mother and daughter, the illness has been confined to close family members and doesn't seem to have spread to the wider community. This indicates that at least for now, the virus hasn't discovered how to effectively move from human to human.

If the virus mutates enough so that it spreads quickly among people, the great worry — and this wasn't true in 1918 — is modern transportation. Theoretically, infected people could board a plane and unwittingly carry the virus to the other side of the world in a matter of hours.


Some public health officials foresee dire consequences an epidemic akin to the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed millions of people. Is this likely?

Some of what's driving this concern is the historical perspective. An influenza pandemic occurs when a virus mutates so drastically from previous strains that people have little natural immunity, and so large numbers of people get sick or die. Flu pandemics typically occur about once every 30 years. Because the last pandemic took place in 1968, the thinking is that we're due for another one. And because there would be little natural immunity to H5N1, the effects could conceivably be devastating.

Are effective vaccines to prevent bird flu available? If so, is there enough to treat everyone around the world?

There's no commercially available vaccine as of yet, although prototypes that may offer some protection against the H5N1 strain are being studied. Once a specific vaccine is ready to go, it could take six to 12 months or more to produce meaningful supplies.

More readily available, and the primary treatment option right now, is the flu drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which may help limit symptoms and reduce chances the disease will spread. But it's not clear how effective this drug will be against bird flu. In Southeast Asia, H5N1 strains seem to have become resistant to it fairly quickly, and resistance to anti-flu drugs is growing worldwide. What's more, Tamiflu has to be taken within two days of the appearance of symptoms, which might prove logistically difficult on a worldwide scale, even if there were enough of the drug to go around.

Nevertheless, governments are stockpiling Tamiflu, but that doesn't mean that individuals should. For one thing, the drug is in short supply, and if there were a pandemic, it would be needed to treat infected people and help control the spread of the virus.

Young children and older adults are at greatest risk of regular flu. Who is most at risk of bird flu?

The 1918 strain was most lethal in adults in the prime of life, which means that pandemic strains may behave differently from the strains of flu that normally circulate. On the other hand, children seem very susceptible to bird flu, but that may be because they are more likely to have contact with infected birds or to play on ground contaminated with droppings. So far, people of all ages have contracted and died of bird flu.

Is there anything I can do to prepare for a potential bird flu outbreak?

The best thing to do is to take reasonable precautions. For instance, continue to get annual flu shots. They won't protect you from bird flu specifically, but they will reduce the risk of simultaneous infection with human and bird flu viruses the main way that viruses swap genes, leading to new strains that can cause pandemics. Beyond that, the best protection is to wash your hands thoroughly and often and to avoid people who are sick or to stay home if you're sick yourself.

If you're traveling to areas where bird flu is prevalent, there are additional precautions you should take: Avoid rural areas, wild birds and open-air markets, and steer clear of ice cream and any other foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs because the shells may be contaminated with droppings.

What is a good way to monitor news on bird flu? How can I separate reliable information from speculation?

Two good sources for factual information are the Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).


Again, the reason I am doing this is because I feel people need to be informed on this just in case the H5N1 strand mutates into a human to human form. This particular section is the most viewed and has the most threads, so I felt that it would be the best to post this certain topic in.
 
So many people starve to death every day and I just cant get over that to start worrying about people with too many chickens on their farm.
 
Agreed but a "whole lot" of people may die everyday if this becomes serious (in which it already is according to health officials), including the people/kids who you say are starving...So you may not want to believe it will become anything worth shedding a tear over but on the other hand, it may...
 
http://www.starvation.net/

On Tuesday September 11, 2001, at least 35,615 of our brother and sisters died from the worst possible death, starvation. Somewhere around 85% of these starvation deaths occur in children 5 years of age or younger. Why are we letting at least 30,273 of the most beautiful children die the worst possible death everyday? Every 2.43 seconds another one of our fellow brothers and sisters dies of starvation. Starvation doesn't just happen on Tuesday September 11, 2001, it happens everyday, 365 days per year, 24 hours per day, it never stops.
Click to expand...


This statistic has been around before Sep 11th. You probably read it yourself but forgot about it. If more people knew about this INFORMATION they would do something about it but it's hard I guess because people can process only so much. Memory is like a LIFO buffer (last, in, first out). Add some chemical balances to weight the priority of what is remembered and I guess people only have room for information that affects their personal survival.

Im not saying the bird flu is worth ignoring. Municipal governments had been given orders more than a year ago to practice scenario after scenario for how to deal with the bird flu if it ever gets anywhere near North America. The best thing to do in the event of a pandemic is to remain calm and trust your government officials because hey, you elected them.
 
If more people knew about this INFORMATION they would do something about it but it's hard I guess because people can process only so much.
Click to expand...

They do know. And the problem is not with those who try and help the starving "Brothers & Sisters"
of the world.The problem is with those who are greedy, heartless thieves that steal the supplies and sell them to fill their bank accounts.

And it isnt as though the thieves have been ignored. It seems that the attempts to oust them result in chaos and outrage against those sent to remove them.

And as far as the bird flu, this was foretold long ago. I wonder where this possible pandemic fits into the scheme of the end of times?

From Tsunami's, Hurricanes, Earthquakes,Flooding, Firestorms, Starvation....Hmmmmm...Perhaps, The Four Horsemen have begun their ride across the face of the Earth.
 
The problem is with those who are greedy, heartless thieves that steal the supplies and sell them to fill their bank accounts.
Click to expand...

It's a noisy channel though. It's hard to convey the point. I was a victim of excess noise.

ps. and im angry about it.
 
There would be total chaos if that got a hold and spread human to human.

These days we rely on each other via industry alot more than we did...say 100 years ago.

Civil unrest would likely get high at the point when what you rely on does not come easy to hand, like electricity and or food.

It is not worth thinking about, it's like nuclear war, of course i worry about it, but there is nothing you or i can do about it really.

Life goes on, i mean what would you do if on the news you hear "Breaking news: human to human bird flu found"
are you going to stop going to work?
And as it escalates many people will, because they are scared of leaving their house.
 
You'd all have a lot more credibility if you had a government logo on your posts you realize that don't ch'all?

I saw the dukes of hazzard the other day. It was sooo awsome, even though that director really sucked hard, the actors were able to do their own thing and really make it awsome. Made me feel like a kid again.
 
Bird Flu Spreads in Europe
By Cihan News Agency, Anadolu News Agency (aa), Ankara, Jakarta, Paris, Warsaw
Published: Tuesday, March 07, 2006
zaman.com


Bird flu (Avian Influenza) that first appeared in Asia has since spread across Europe.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization President Jacques Diouf said developed countries are late in taking precautionary measures against the deadly bird flu virus, H5N1.

Avian Influenza, discovered in many countries including Turkey, and caused many deaths and is now spreading throughout Europe.

Diouf said developed countries began taking measures against the virus after it appeared in Turkey.

Bird flu first appeared in Turkey in late 2005, said Diouf speaking to French newspaper, Le Parisien, in which he accused European governments of avoiding looking toward the future and cooperating.

The bird flu crisis actually began in 2003, he claimed. "We strengthened veterinarian services in some countries that were affected by bird flu such as Thailand and Vietnam at that time; however, developed countries thought the developments were restricted to Asia and the risk had simply been exaggerated. They only reacted once the virus reached Turkey."

Diof noted only $16 million of $1.9 billion of aid promised at an international conference in Peking reached the FAO, and declared that he was sorry that developed countries had spent millions of dollars on drugs and masks instead of forming an aid packet to prevent the epidemic.

Countries recently facing cases of bird flu and the measures they took

Austria: Two chickens and three ducks have been diagnosed with H5N1 virus in Graz.

Bosnia: Two swans were diagnosed with H5N1 virus. Bosnia Veterinary Institute president Jozo Bagaric said 4,420 fowls in 12 villages would be culled.

Bulgaria: A swan was diagnosed with H5N1 virus on the Romanian border.

Croatia: A swan was diagnosed with H5N1 on Ciovo Island.

French: A dead wild swan was diagnosed with the H5N1 virus in Bouches-du-Rhone, France.

Germany: German Federal Agriculture and Protection of Consumer Minister Horst Seehofer said the bird flu virus was found in 140 wild birds. Dogs are required to wear a collar, and cats are banned from going outside.

Greece: Reportedly, 17 H5N1 cases occurred in the country and the three dead wild swans found two days ago in Thessalonica tested bird flu positive.

Hungary: The virus has been found in about 10 wild birds since the first case recorded last month. The region from the River Danube's Slovakia border to Budapest was quarantined.

Italy: A swan was diagnosed with H5N1 virus in the south of the country. Health Minister Francesco Storace confirmed that in addition to two dead swans in Sicilia, other birds in various parts of the country also carry the virus.

Poland: Two swans found dead in the Vistula River, Torun were diagnosed with the virus.

Romania: Cases of bird flu were determined in about 40 villages along the Black Sea coast since the first case was discovered in October. Thousands of fowls were culled.

Russia: 24,000 chickens in seven regions died from bird flu in just one day last weekend. H5N1 was found in Dagestan, Kabardin-Balkaria, Kamikia, Adige, Krasnadar, Chechnya and Stravropol.

Slovakia: A falcon and loon were diagnosed with H5 virus of bird flu.

Slovenia: The number of wild birds that carry H5N1 virus in the entire country reached 20. Reportedly, cases were also seen in Maribor, Austria.

Sweden: All dead birds were taken for examination out of Oskarsahmn port.

Switzerland: A dead bird was diagnosed with H5N1 virus near Geneva.

Ukraine: A common commission has been formed with Russia in the struggle against the spread of bird flu, as concerns that the virus can spread faster when the hot weather onsets. Over 200,000 birds, diagnosed with H5N1 virus, have been killed since 2005.

grip_b.jpg


Webpage
 
Avian Flu: Do You Want The Good News Or The Bad News?

Author: Dr Robert Gamble

Avian Flu: The bad news first

Well, it's flu season again. Only this time, we hear everyone talking about avian flu…the Super flu which is expected to wreck havoc across our land in the not so distant months.

So what is avian flu? Avian flu is bird flu. Yes, you read that right, "Avian flu is bird flu." And why might that be such bad news?

If you pursue the news much, you will read that the deadliest disease in history is widely regarded as the Spanish Flu epidemic which killed 40 million people in just months. Scientists now believe the epidemic was an avian flu pandemic. In other words, the virus came from birds - it is believed - and a virus similar to this one -called the "H5N1" (a form of avian flu virus). Its origins? Most scientists agree it originated in Asia, as this one.

Flu comes every season. It comes in one of two forms, Type A or Type B influenza. Type A is the more potent of these kinds of flu, and avian flu is Type A. These strains kill.

The current avian flu bug is infecting and spreading throughout the poultry industry in Asia. Why so often in Asia? Simply put…and here is a key to understanding how to deal with avian flu - poultry farms are absolutely filthy. The stench from such farms, especially those throughout Asia, can be detected a mile away. Those farms are packed with animals which are weak with compromised, weakened, immune systems.

Let these two phrases sink in together: avian flu and weakened immune systems. Whether we are dealing with the aftermath of the horrible conditions and weakened immune systems of millions who survived World War I or the horrible conditions of Asian and European poultry farms and their millions of animals with weakened immune systems, the key to this potential pandemic is "weakened immune systems and avian flu".

Because of the rapid spread and highly dangerous nature of the avian flu to birds, millions of flocks have been destroyed throughout the afflicted countries. However, that is simply not working because migratory birds are carrying the avian flu to distant lands, thus spreading its contagion. Interestingly, the migratory birds are not dying like the chickens. Why? Because their immune systems are much stronger, we are told by scientists.

Let that one sink in too: avian flu is not killing those animals so readily which have strong immune systems. Hum…avian flu and immune systems…Could be we have something here.

Incidentally, there have been only about a hundred deaths from avian flu worldwide. It is almost impossible for avian flu to make the transition from bird to human easily.

Avian Flu: Now for the really bad news

Of course, as soon as there is the slightest danger -avian flu or otherwise -our government jumps into high gear to infect every one of us, if possible, with its antiviral drug program against the slightest hint of avian flu. To date, everyone of the influenza drugs have proven worthless…or worse, against avian flu or any other kind of flu.

Note this statement from the former Chief Vaccine Control at the Federal Food and Drug Administration:

There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza. The producers of these vaccines know that they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway.
--Dr. J. Anthony Morris

I wonder if this will apply to the alleged avian flu "antidote". Note: The last few decades have seen a dramatic shift in fatalities from seasonal flu (some of which are avian flu).

Researchers now know the increase in the population does NOT account for the doubling of the seasonal average death toll from flu (avian flu or otherwise). Less than 20,000 were dying per year for decades. But, since the advent of the flu shot, averages of over 40,000 people per year have been dying.

Why?

One suggestion is a combination of two factors: the continued impairment of the immune system of the average American as witnessed by the multitude of epidemic diseases among us (not present in appreciable amounts in previous decades). The second factor follows below… (like the second Horseman of the Apocalypse).

Let's see…one thing we do know about flu vaccines. They are not proven to work… No, two things we know…Yes, yes. They can kill. Just as surely as the avian flu can kill.

Many authorities believe the flu shot actually weakens the immune system…ah, there it is again…the immune system weakened.

Why is that? Let's see. The ingredients in the flu vaccine (remember this when dealing with the avian flu) include:

" Formaldehyde, you know…embalming fluid known to cause cancer.

" Aluminum, the very metal related to Alzheimer's disease, cancers of numerous types and traumatic seizures.

" Carbolic Acid: a terribly caustic poison.

" Ethylene Glycol: You will definitely need this fluid this winter, but please only use it as anti-freeze for your car, as it was designed to be used originally.

" Mercury: This is present in the vaccine ingredient called thimerosol. This is a known medical crippler and killer. It kills brain cells and immune cells and is linked to childhood brain and nervous diseases because of its use in VACCINES.

" Vaccines for use in avian flu are grown on virus strains developed from pus-laden animal tissue mixed with the above mentioned deadly chemicals. (Bulleted items: Special Report, "Bird Flu, H5N1", Dr. Richard Schulze, November 2005, p. 12. Great "avian flu" resource.)

Is it any wonder the drug companies involved sought to be legally protected from law suits by those who might use these drugs against avian flu?

Forgive my skepticism, but I have seen from the inside of the medical/drug establishment, the fanatical zeal to make money as a first priority… Been there, opposed that. Avian flu treatment will not be any different.

Don't count on the Hippocratic Oath to protect you from avian flu. There is big money in these drugs. Billions. And it is always suspicious when a drug company seeks lawsuit immunity (hum, appropriate wording here) BEFORE THE FACT (before its use against avian flu!)

Avian Flu: Now for the good news (finally).

Avian flu was not in view when this following statement was made. However, read it carefully with avian flu in mind.

In Congressional testimony concerning the potential of bio-terrorism attack upon the United States, Dr. H. Reginald McDaniel stated,

In instances of unusual, epidemic, or virulent infectious agent exposure, glyconutrient supplementation has been found effective for enhancing general immune functions and defense. When supplied at higher levels than available in nature, sugars needed for cellular synthesis can take
innate defense systems to a much higher level that are effective against infectious agents.

In other words, if we were attacked by an enemy with bio weapons -such as avian flu- we could find protection with glyconutrition. This is a powerful, non-prescriptive antidote possibility against avian flu.

Glyconutrition enhances the immune system's natural defenses so powerfully that cancers, flu, and other UNDER ACTIVE IMMUNE DISORDERS can be stopped. The evidence is already in place. There is no guesswork here. Avian flu is flu, Type A, precisely the kind of flu glyconutrition is designed to offset.

Glyconutrition is effective - presumably against avian flu too - and has no side effects. It is a food substance, proven to be vital for human survival. There are no less than four Nobel Prizes to substantiate the presence and human need for glyconutrition.

There is an abundance of evidence showing its effectiveness against all kinds of disease, including flu. It doesn't attack the flu directly. It strengthens the immune defenses - killer T cells and others - and they kill the tumors, flu, herpes simplex, shingles, strep, TB, bacterial infections, cancers, parasitic diseases… Quite a list of killers thus killed.

So…

Guess what I am going to take to protect my family this year against avian flu…if it develops?


About the Author: Dr. Robert Gamble is retired from a very successful medical/surgical career spanning three decades. He is now active in researching medical issues such as glyconutrition… and offers his insights for public benefit. For information about Glyconutrition: Go to http://www.glycoshare.com or write [email protected] Call Toll Free: 1866.735.5871
 
By BRIAN ROSS (ABC News)

March 13, 2006 — In a remarkable speech over the weekend, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended that Americans start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds as the prospect of a deadly bird flu outbreak approaches the United States.

Ready or not, here it comes.

It is being spread much faster than first predicted from one wild flock of birds to another, an airborne delivery system that no government can stop.

"There's no way you can protect the United States by building a big cage around it and preventing wild birds from flying in and out," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Michael Johanns said.

U.S. spy satellites are tracking the infected flocks, which started in Asia and are now heading north to Siberia and Alaska, where they will soon mingle with flocks from the North American flyways.

"What we're watching in real time is evolution," said Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And it's a biological process, and it is, by definition, unpredictable."

Industry Precautions

America's poultry farms could become ground zero as infected flocks fly over. The industry says it is prepared for quick action.

"All the birds involved in it would be destroyed, and the area would be isolated and quarantined," said Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council. "It would very much [look] like a sort of military operation if it came to that."

Extraordinary precautions are already being taken at the huge chicken farms in Lancaster County, Pa., the site of the last great outbreak of a similar bird flu 20 years ago.

Other than the farmers, everyone there has to dress as if it were a visit to a hospital operating room.

"Back in 1983-1984, we had to kill 17 million birds at a cost of $60 million," said Dr. Sherrill Davison, a veterinary medicine expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

Can It Be Stopped?

Even on a model farm, ABC News saw a pond just outside the protected barns attracting wild geese.

It is the droppings of infected waterfowl that carry the virus.

The bird flu virus, to date, has rarely been transmitted to humans. There have been lots of dead birds on three continents, but so far, fewer than 100 reported human deaths. Compare that to more than 30,000 deaths each year in the United States from seasonal flu.

Should that change, the spread could be rapid.

ABC News has obtained a mathematical projection prepared by federal scientists based on an initial outbreak on an East Coast chicken farm. Within three months, with no vaccine, almost half of the country would have the flu.

That, of course, is a worst-case scenario — but one that cannot be completely discounted.

The current bird flu strain has been around for at least 10 years and has taken surprising twists and turns — not the least of which is that it's now showing up in cats in Europe, where officials are advising owners to bring their cats inside. It's advice that might soon have to be considered here.
 
Bird flu gene split widens risk

The Times
March 22, 2006

LONDON: The virus that causes bird flu has split into two genetic subgroups, widening the gene pool from which a form that could trigger a human pandemic might evolve.

A new analysis of more than 300 samples of the H5N1 virus taken from human victims and birds has revealed that before 2005, every known human cases of avian flu had been caused by a particular subtype of the H5N1 virus which affected Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

But the H5N1 virus that started to infect people in Indonesia last year has now been found to have subtle genetic differences, which scientists likened to those between human cousins. While this mutation has not in itself made the H5N1 virus any more readily transmissible from person to person - the key step if it is to start a pandemic - the changes are worrying because they show the virus is increasing in genetic diversity.

"As the virus continues its geographic expansion, it is also undergoing genetic diversity expansion," said Rebecca Garten of the US Centres for Disease Control and Surveillance in Atlanta, Georgia, who led the study. "Back in 2003 we only had one genetically distinct population of H5N1 with the potential to cause a human pandemic. Now we have two."

Influenza viruses are separated into strains, which are labelled according to the particular versions of two proteins they carry - hemagluttinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). These strains are then subdivided into slightly different genetic groups called genotypes, and some genotypes can be separated further into smaller family units called clades.

The majority of the H5N1 viruses identified so far, including all those that have infected humans, belong to genotype Z, though three other genotypes - V, W and G - have been found in a small number of birds.

The CDC study, which was presented on Monday at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, has now picked out two distinct clades of genotype Z H5N1 among human infections.

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