Must watch video,this is an older video but now we have a hot spot of H5N1 and H1N1....

N95 masks
plastic tight gloves
cotton balls for ears
goggles for eyes
shower caps(hats,ear muffs)
think about extra clothing(stuff that can be bleached or thrown out)

have a plan for a sick room and a 10 day room if you have to go outside for supplies

bring in lots of extra bleach for cleaning and most of all be mentally prepared for all of this

this hot spot may not turn out to be anything but I want all of you who have been following my program to take the time to be pandemically insured....you never know what evil lurks around the next corner and in my little corner it always better to be safe then sorry

GET PREPARED NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCwXlY-2ias


Study Finds Virus to Be Fast Learner on Infecting


Viruses regularly evolve new ways of making people sick, but scientists usually do not become aware of these new strategies until years or centuries after they have evolved. In a new study published on Thursday in the journal Science, however, a team of scientists at Michigan State University describes how viruses evolved a new way of infecting cells in little more than two weeks.


The report is being published in the midst of a controversy over a deadly bird flu virus that researchers manipulated to spread from mammal to mammal. Some critics have questioned whether such a change could have happened on its own. The new research suggests that new traits based on multiple mutations can indeed occur with frightening speed.

The Michigan researchers studied a virus known as lambda. It is harmless to humans, infecting only the gut bacterium Escherichia coli. Justin Meyer, a graduate student in the biology laboratory of Richard Lenski, wondered whether lambda might be able to evolve an entirely new way of getting into its host.

The standard way for lambda to get into a cell is to latch onto its outer membrane, attaching to a particular kind of molecule on the surface of E. coli. It can then inject its genes and proteins into the microbe.

Mr. Meyer set up an experiment in which E. coli made almost none of the molecules that the virus grabs onto. Now few of the viruses could get into the bacteria. Any mutations that allowed a virus to use a different surface molecule to get in would make it much more successful than its fellow viruses. “It would have a feast of E. coli,” Dr. Lenski said.

The scientists found that in just 15 days, there were viruses using a new molecule — a channel in E. coli known as OmpF. Lambda viruses had never been reported to use OmpF before.

Mr. Meyer was surprised not just by how fast the change happened, but that it happened at all. “I thought it would be a wild goose chase,” he said.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/scien ... .html?_r=1

Mexico ups swine flu screening as cases increase

Mexico's newspapers are warning of an alarming increase in swine flu for the first time since a pandemic shut down much of the country three years ago, while the government insists there's no need for another international scare.

Federal and state health officials agree there is an increase, but they say the number of cases is within the range of a normal flu season.

The Mexican health ministry, however, has listed confusing numbers on its website, and it hasn't specified the rise in cases despite repeated requests from the Associated Press.

The federal education ministry said Wednesday it was instituting screening measures in all elementary schools for the H1N1 flu strain, commonly called swine flu when the first outbreak was discovered in Mexico in March 2009. The ministry revised its message later to say screenings are in place only at schools where children exhibit symptoms.

Local media reported a handful of schools in Mexico City have closed. The education ministry said they were private schools shuttered by administrators and parents, not by official government action.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that while Mexico is seeing more cases of the H1N1 virus, the U.S. is seeing more case of a different strain, H3N2. Antibodies for both are part of this year's flu vaccine. H1N1 is now considered a seasonal flu.

"We are not aware of any unusual changes in the virus in Mexico that would be concerning," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said in an email to the Associated Press.


http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2012 ... s-increase




INFLUENZA (04): JAPAN (SAITAMA), NOSOCOMIAL
*******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Fri 27 Jan 2011
Source: Japan Today [edited]
http://www.japantoday.com/category/nati ... a-hospital


One dead, 2 critical following flu outbreak in Saitama hospital
---------------------------------------------------------------
One person has died and 2 are in a critical condition after 39 people were infected by a flu outbreak in a Saitama hospital, officials said on Thu 26 Jan 2012. According to an Ageo Central General Hospital spokesperson, both patients and staff have been affected by the nosocomial infection(while visiting or being in the hospital). In total, 20 patients and 19 staff members are believed to have contracted the virus, TV Asahi reported. 31 of those stricken have tested positive for influenza type A virus [infection].

http://www.promedmail.org/?p=2400:1000: ... 702832:::::


(Ruh roh...have to do some digging about his one,he was thought to have died of H5N1,but when they got the test results back he had actually died of H1N1)



AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (15): INDONESIA (JAKARTA), NOT
*****************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Fri 27 Jan 2012
Source: The Jakarta Post [edited]
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012 ... istry.html


Tangerang man positive for swine flu: Health Ministry
---------------------------------------------
The 18-year-old man in Tangerang, who was suspected of being infected with bird flu [avian influenza H/(H5N1) virus infection] and who died on Wednesday [25 Jan 2012], has tested positive for swine flu [influenza A/(H1N1)pdm virus infection], the Health Ministry said. The Ministry's head of research and development, Trihono, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday [26 Jan 2012] that the man had contracted the H1N1 virus which caused a pandemic in 2009.

http://www.promedmail.org/?p=2400:1000: ... 702832:::::

here is earlier report about his death...


After being treated for 5 days, a suspected bird flu [avian A/(H5N1) virus infection] victim from Tangerang died at the Tangerang General Hospital (RSUD) on Wednesday [25 Jan 2012]. Hospital spokesman Achmad Muchlis said that the patient died from respiratory failure at about 12:30 a.m.

The condition of the patient, an 18-year-old resident from Panongan district, Tangerang regency, deteriorated since he was treated in an isolation room. However, he tested negative for H5N1 [infection] in a polymerase chain reaction test conducted by the hospital. The hospital needs to conduct a test involving virus sequencing to get a more accurate result on whether the man had the deadly disease [This is unlikely to succeed in the absence of a positive PCR test. - Mod.CP]. When The Jakarta Post visited the hospital, his isolation room located next to the morgue was locked. The hospital spokesperson said his family would take his body home soon.

http://www.promedmail.org/?p=2400:1000: ... 702832:::::


and I quote lightly...

this is were we may have the cesspool of swirling virus' that could combine to make this one huge nasty monster in the closest...


Commentary

Fatal Suspect H5N1 Case In Tangerang Indonesia
Recombinomics Commentary 12:45
January 25, 2012

Patient suspect bird flu, Rohmat (18), resident of RT 09/03, Ciodeng Village, Village Blooms Jaya, District Panongan, Tangerang regency, died after being treated for five days in critical condition in RSU Tangerang District, on Wednesday.

Previously the patient's condition was critical since it first entered isolation space bird flu," said Public Relations RSU Tangerang Regency Ahmad Muchlis when confirmed on her cell phone. According Muchlis, until now is still not clear whether Rohmat died from bird flu or not. "There is no certainty. But the results of observations in the home environment Rohmat by the Health Department yesterday was negative bird flu," he said. He added that the next will Rohmat shrouded corpse in the mortuary. Chances are, he said, Rohmat not take home to his family home. "The possibility is not taken home, but immediately buried," explained Muchlis.

The above translation describes the death of a suspect H5N1 case (18M) in Tangerang, Indonesia, which is on the northwest side of Jakarta. The death follows a confirmed H5N1 cluster in North Jakarta, as well as suspect fatal cases in Cengkareng, which is adjacent to Tangerang, as well as Bekasi, which is on the east sided of Jakarta.

Although the three most recent cases have not been H5N1 confirmed, the second case (5F) in the North Jakarta cluster tested negative multiple times before H5N1 confirmation at autopsy, raising concerns about the sensitivity of the H5N1 for the bird flu currently circulating in Indonesia.
False negatives in Indonesia are common because patients are tested after the start of Tamiflu treatment, which lowers the RNA level. Patient who recover continue to test negative and are not reported as confirmed cases, while those who die have increasing H5N1 RNA levels, which eventually test positive. This testing procedure accounts in part for the high case fatality rate, which ha been near 80% in Indonesia since the first confirmed cases were reported in 2005.

However, at least two the three cases adjacent to Jakarta have tested negative, even though the patients have died with H5N1 symptoms, and have been quickly buried, per protocol for confirmed H5N1 cases.
These recent fatalities and the failure to link the cases to infected poultry, has raised concerns that the H5N1 in Indonesia is being transmitted more efficiently, as seen in the confirmed cluster in North Jakarta as well as the Bali cluster.


http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01251 ... g_18M.html


here is a release about a 3year old that has also died and they thought it was H5N1 but test results came back negative and the child could have died of H1N1 but no tests for the were done... this is a translation of the orginal artical


Quote:
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Suspected cases of bird flu on a boy aged three years who is a citizen of the initials RV Cengkareng, West Jakarta, was not evident after the three test results come out. But unfortunately, the soul of the RV was not helped and been buried on Monday (1/23/2012) ago.

Chief Medical Officer of DKI Jakarta, Dien Emmawati, said the little boy was treated at Friendship Hospital since last Friday (20/01/2012). At this hospital, he had twice taken blood samples and found to negatively affected by bird flu virus.


http://translate.google.com/translat...Burung&act=url

here is the news about the H5N1 cluster in the same area(holy carp my worst nightmare come true, a hot spot for the 2 of the worst virus'...question is could H5N1 meat up with H1N1 and create a highly transmissble highly lethal combination)


Indonesian toddler has died of bird flu in Jakarta

Indonesian health officials say a 5-year-old girl has died of bird flu in Jakarta — just days after her uncle succumbed to the virus.

The H5N1 virus also claimed the lives of a man in Vietnam and a toddler in Cambodia this week. It has ravaged poultry stocks across Asia since 2003.

Indonesia's health ministry said Friday that several lab tests confirmed the girl had the virus.

She and her 23-year-old uncle lived in the same house and are believed to have been infected by sick pigeons.

http://www.wvec.com/news/world/137741628.html








Worst case scenario

The worst case scenario for a H5N1 pandemic is somewhere around 150,000,000 human deaths directly due to H5N1 infection (or two to three percent of the world's human population). No one knows what the chances are for this worst case scenario.

"Influenza viruses keep changing. They mutate. And they exchange genetic material with other flu viruses, a process called reassortment. All that's needed is a mutation or reassortment that produces a new variant of H5N1 one that's as deadly as the current strain but as easily transmitted from human to human as lots of other flu strains. Most virologists believe something like this will happen sooner or later, and many believe it will happen soon. When it does, H5N1 will inevitably spread throughout the world. Worldwide mortality estimates range all the way from 2-7.4 million deaths (the "conservatively low" pandemic influenza calculation of a flu modeling expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to 1 billion deaths (the avian influenza pandemic prediction of one Russian virologist). The estimates of most H5N1 experts range less widely but still widely. In an H5N1 pandemic, the experts guess that somewhere between a quarter of us and half of us would get sick, and somewhere between one percent and five percent of those who got sick would die the young and frail as well as the old and frail. If it's a quarter and one percent, that's 16 million dead; if it's a half and five percent, it's 160 million dead. Either way it's a big number." Pandemic Influenza Risk


http://www.avianinfluenza.org/mutated-a ... s-h5n1.php




This is dated Dec 2009 but still now we have the hot spot

Concerns Grow Over Possible H1N1-H5N1 Mutation
national | 12/2/2009 | no comments



Virologists and influenza authorities are becoming increasingly concerned that the 2009 A-H1N1 flu virus could “reassort” with the highly virulent H5N1 avian flu that’s still prevalent in parts of the world like China, and that a mutation could occur resulting in a new strain that has the lethality of H5N1 and the human transmissibility of A-H1N1

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/2009 ... -mutation/


SEPTEMBER 17, 2009, 11:31 AM
More Deadly Swine Flu? CDC Mixes H1N1, H5N1 Viruses in Tests

They never ever did release the results of the 2 virus' mutating together...

Public-health officials are breathing a small sigh of relief that the H1N1 swine flu virus hasn’t mutated to become more deadly since emerging last spring. But what are the chances it will?

To find out, scientists at the CDC recently launched experiments in the agency’s labs in which they infected ferrets with both the new H1N1 virus and the highly lethal H5N1 avian flu virus to see if they might “reassort” to create a new hybrid.

The scientists want to know whether a combination of the H1N1 virus -– highly transmissible, but not terribly deadly -– and the H5N1 flu virus could create an easily transmissible, deadly scourge. The H5N1 virus has only sickened 440 people world-wide since 2003 and generally isn’t transmitted from one person to another. But it has killed 262, or about 60%, of those people, according to the World Health Organization.

As the new H1N1 flu has spread, flu experts have kept a close eye on Egypt and parts of the world where human H5N1 infections are occurring too. The two viruses could mix if they infected the same person simultaneously. The new H1N1 virus was also detected recently in turkeys in Chile, proving that it has the capacity to jump to birds, another potential source for reassortment.

The CDC scientists don’t have results of their lab experiments in ferrets yet, said Michael Shaw, associate director for laboratory science for the agency’s influenza division. While the experiments could produce viable combinations of the two viruses, the real question is whether any could create a virus that would spread, he said. “Viability is one thing,” he cautioned. “Whether it’s easily transmissible is another.”

Other experiments conducted so far suggest the new H1N1 virus isn’t terribly prone to doomsday changes. Viruses can change through either mutation of genetic material, or by reassorting with another flu virus. The new virus is lacking certain characteristics that would allow it to mutate to become more virulent, said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC’s influenza division. “It would be difficult for this virus to acquire some of those known virulence markers,” she said.

As for reassortment, so far the new H1N1 virus hasn’t shown a penchant for mixing with other common flu viruses. In a research note published in late August on the Web site PloS Currents: Influenza, scientists infected ferrets both with the new H1N1 virus and common seasonal strains of H1N1 and H3N2 flu. The new H1N1 pandemic virus didn’t reassort.
(oh yes it did,in 2011 H3N2 picked up a apart of H1N1,see story posted below this one)when I go to the orginal link they have remover it, I will bring it over from one of my earlier programs in the forum...

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/09/17/ ... -in-tests/


Dec 26 2011 Zen prep day 26 Major Seasonal Flu Alert
Twelve Swine Flu Cases Reported In Five States, Says CDC, USA


The CDC informs that it has received twelve reports of humans infected with swine flu - A(H3N2) virus. Reported cases have come in from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maine, Iowa, and Indiana. Eleven of them were children. Half of all the cases had not been exposed to swine, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) adds. All patients have made a full recovery; three had to be admitted to hospital.

One of the patients, an adult male, had been exposed to swine through his job.

more at link

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239707.php


A sample of mucus taken from the patient came back positive for influenza, according to a hospital pathologist. The virus was identified by rRT-PCR (real-time, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) as an inconclusive influenza A virus by the Indiana Public Health Laboratory. This is consistent with other A(H3N2)v infection lab results. The genome sequencing was confirmed by the CDC on October 30th as being of an "A(H3N2)v virus with the M gene from the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus" - this is similar to the ones detected in other human infections in the USA in 2011 (August).

dec-26-2011-zen-prep-day-26-major-seasonal-flu-alert-t13215.html

FROM 2009



China expert warns of pandemic flu mutation

Wed Nov 25, 2009 12:08pm EST
(Reuters) - China must be alert to any mutation or changes in the behavior of the H1N1 swine flu virus because the far deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in the country, a leading Chinese disease expert said.

Zhong Nanshan, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in China's southern Guangdong province, said the presence of both viruses in China meant they could mix and become a monstrous hybrid -- a bug packed with strong killing power that can transmit efficiently among people.

"China, as you know, is different from other countries. Inside China, H5N1 has been existing for some time, so if there is really a reassortment between H1N1 and H5N1, it will be a disaster," Zhong said in an interview with Reuters Television.

"This is something we need to monitor, the change, the mutation of the virus. This is why reporting of the death rate must be really transparent."

The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that H5N1 had erupted in poultry in Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, posing once again a threat to humans.

"First, it places those in direct contact with birds -- usually rural folk and farm workers -- at risk of catching the often-fatal disease. Second, the virus could undergo a process of "reassortment" with another influenza virus and produce a completely new strain," it said.

"The most obvious risk is of H5N1 combining with the pandemic ... (H1N1) virus, producing a flu virus that is as deadly as the former and as contagious as the latter."

Zhong told the Chinese media last week that China may have had more H1N1 flu deaths than it has reported, with some local governments possibly concealing suspect cases.

The doctor is known for his candor and work in fighting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, when nationwide panic and international alarm erupted after it emerged that officials hid or underplayed the spreading epidemic.

Cover-ups by local governments in 2003 during the SARS epidemic led to the sackings of several officials. More than 300 people died in that outbreak.

China, the world's most populous country, has reported around 70,000 cases of H1N1 and 53 death from the virus.

While some regions simply lack the technology to test for H1N1, other areas have been treating deaths as cases of ordinary pneumonia without a question, Zhong said.

"Some local healthcare authorities are reluctant, unwilling to test patients with severe pneumonia because there's some latent rule which says the more H1N1 deaths, the less effective the control and prevention work in your area," Zhong said.

Zhong said China's health minister Chen Zhu rang him up last week and agreed with his views. A notice then appeared on the ministry's website threatening severe punishment for officials caught concealing deaths from H1N1 swine flu.

WHO reported more than 526,060 laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide on November 15, with at least 6,770 deaths. However, it has stressed for months now that the figures were only the tip of the iceberg.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/11/ ... 6220091125

Mexican swine flu outbreak kills 29, infects nearly 1,500

MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) -- An ongoing swine flu outbreak in Mexico has left at least 29 people dead and nearly 1,500 others infected, health officials confirmed on Saturday. Thousands more are also ill as the country faces several types of flu this season.

Since the start of the ongoing winter season, at least 7,069 people have reported suffering from symptoms similar to those of swine flu. Lab tests are still underway and have so far confirmed 1,456 cases of the disease, which is officially known as A/H1N1.

According to Mexico's Health Ministry (SSA), at least twenty-nine people have died of swine flu so far this season. While no health emergency has been declared, officials expect the death toll will rise in the coming weeks as Mexico also faces A/H3N2 and B influenza.


http://wireupdate.com/mexican-swine-flu ... -1500.html


Seasonal flu shot no help with swine flu



Jan. 27, 2012 at 11:04 PM







VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The seasonal flu vaccine provides little protection against the novel (swine) H3N2 strain of flu, Canadian researchers say.

The swine H3N2 virus, which includes the M gene of the 2009 H1N1 virus, has recently sickened 12 in five states -- Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania and West Virginia -- since August 2011.

First author Dr. Danuta Skowronski, a physician and epidemiologist with the British Columbia Center for Disease Control, said the study showed young adults had antibodies against the viruses, but antibody levels waned in middle-aged people. The study, published in Eurosurveillance, indicated the seasonal flu vaccine yielded little protection against the swine strains of flu.

Skowronski said the ferret virus used in the study was a surrogate for swine-related H3N2 viruses, including the novel strain.

"While it is not a precise match, it is useful for demarcating major age-related patterns expected with swine-origin H3N2 viruses, all of which are descended from a common ancestral human influenza virus that circulated about 15 years ago," Skowronski told the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Flu experts have said people older than age 20 should have some protection against the swine H3N2 viruses, because similar viruses were circulating in humans in the 1990s. However, this study suggested this might not be true for middle-aged people.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/01/ ... z1kqCxsBGw




Number of flu patients surpasses 1.11 million as epidemic spreads


National Jan. 28, 2012 - 04

TOKYO —

The number of influenza patients admitted to medical facilities for treatment in Japan reached 1.11 million in the week leading up to Jan 22, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases reported on Friday.

The institute says that the increase in the number of infections was due in part to the virus being prevalent among elementary and junior high school students, NHK reported. Reported infections among 5-14-year-olds increased by a factor of 4.3 over the previous week. As a result, the 5-14 age group now consitutes half of the total number of infections, the institute reported.

Admissions in some hospitals tripled during the week, the institute said. The average number of patients by prefecture was 59.88 in Fukui, 59.31 in Kochi, and 52.17 in Mie. The institute said the infection rate is especially high in the Chubu, Shikoku and Kinki regions.

More than 90% of flu cases are due to the Hong Kong influenza A virus subtype H3N2, the institute said.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is calling on children and the elderly to take extra precautions to guard against the influenza virus.

The ministry said that it expects reported cases of the virus to peak in the first half of next month and called upon children and the elderly to take extra care to wash their hands thoroughly and to wear surgical face masks in an attempt to minimize the spread of the disease.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/nati ... ic-spreads




Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012


Influenza epidemic doubles number of cases per hospital

Kyodo


An nationwide influenza epidemic is spreading, doubling the number of cases per hospital, according to data compiled through Tuesday by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Over 90 percent of the cases this flu season are due to the Hong Kong influenza A virus subtype H3N2. The data marked the first epidemic in five years of the seasonal flu virus, which can cause encephalitis in infants and gravely affect the elderly, the institute said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120126a5.html







Raytown schools to be closed Monday due to illnesses(Kansas)

Flu-like symptoms among students, staff cause Monday closure.

All 18 schools in the Raytown School District will be closed Monday because of an outbreak of flu-like symptoms among students and staff.

The district will begin today to disinfect all school buildings and buses, said spokeswoman Cathy Allie. The work is expected to continue into Monday.

Allie said the number of absences has escalated steadily since Tuesday at all schools. Attendance at Little Blue Elementary on Friday was just 65 percent, and 13 of 32 staffers were out sick.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/27/33 ... rylink=cpy#storylink=cpy


WHAT A MESS OUT THERE TRYING TO DETIRMINE WHICH VIRUS IS WHERE AND THE SUBTYPES,WE ARE IN A CESSPOOL OF VARIOUS VIRUS' THIS YEAR


U.S. seasonal flu activity picks up

ATLANTA, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Seasonal flu activity appears to be picking up in the United States but it is still relatively low nationwide, federal health officials said.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the percentage of respiratory specimens that were positive for seasonal flu inched higher to 4.9 percent for the week of Jan. 21 from 4.3 percent reported the week before, while doctor visits for flu-like illness are below national and regional baselines.

The H3N2 virus has dominated national flu activity so far this season. Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia reported regional flu activity -- but no state has reported widespread flu activity.

CDC Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin reported the highest percent -- 14 percent -- of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu.

However, CDC officials said for the past three weeks the 2009 H1N1 virus dominated CDC's Region 6 that includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota reported. However, these states are seeing little overall flu activity.

Federal health officials said they expect the levels of seasonal flu to increase over the coming weeks and continuing until the end of April.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/01/ ... z1kqFLS9Sb

Research into mutant flu 'must go on'

Scientist dismisses US group's fear that creation of airborne H5N1 virus could inspire bio-terrorism




One of the scientists at the centre of the controversy over the creation a highly dangerous form of bird flu which could cause a devastating human pandemic has denounced attempts by the US Government to censor the research over fears that the findings might be misused by bioterrorists.

Yoshihiro Kawaoka, virologist at the universities of Tokyo and Wisconsin Madison, said that the recommendations of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity are unworkable and would make it harder for legitimate scientists to develop vaccines and drugs against new strains of pandemic flu.

Professor Kawaoka leads one of the two teams of scientists that have created “airborne” strains of the H5N1 bird flu virus that can be transmitted in coughs and sneezes between laboratory ferrets, the standard animal “model” of human influenza.

The second team, led by Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, has achieved similar results using a different technique, and has also criticised the biosecurity board’s recommendations.

The board, composed of leading US scientists, fears that details of the two studies, which have been both accepted for publication, one by the journal Nature and the other by Science, could be used by bioterrorists or a rogue state to develop “weaponised” versions of the H5N1 bird flu virus to cause a highly lethal pandemic.

In the limited number of cases where H5N1 has already passed by direct contact from poultry to humans, it has killed about 60 per cent of the people it has infected. If it mutated into a highly transmissible virus, it easily could become one the most dangerous viruses in history.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scien ... 95929.html



INFLUENZA (05): EUROPE, H3N2 PREDOMINANT
****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Fri 27 Jan 2012
Source: EuroFlu - Weekly Electronic Bulletin [abreviated & edited]
http://www.euroflu.org/cgi-files/bulletin_v2.cgi

Influenza activity continues to rise slowly in the WHO European Region due to A(H3N2)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Virological situation: week 3/2012

Sentinel outpatient clinics collected 1469 respiratory specimens, 422 (29 %) of which tested positive for influenza viruses: 401 (95%) were type A and 21 (5%) were type B. Of the 352 influenza A viruses subtyped, 349 (99%) were influenza A(H3N2) and 3 (1%) were A(H1N1)pdm09. In the 18 countries testing 20 or more sentinel specimens, influenza positivity ranged from 0% to 85%, with a median of 22% (mean: 25%). In addition, 525 non-sentinel specimens were reported positive for influenza: 504 (96%) type A and 21 (4%) type B. Of the influenza A viruses, 189 were subtyped: 173 (92%) as A(H3N2) and 16 (8%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.

Cumulative virological data: weeks 40/2011 – 3/2012

During this period, 3436 influenza virus detections were reported: 3226 (94%) were influenza A and 210 (6%) were influenza B. Of the influenza A viruses, 2099 were subtyped: 1985 (95%) as A(H3N2) and 114 (5%) as A(H1N1)pdm09.

http://www.promedmail.org/?p=2400:1000: ... 702832:::::

Bill C-11 could bring SOPA-like online piracy laws to Canada


As the murky status of SOPA and PIPA keeps us in a fog, a Canadian digital policy expert warns us of a clandestine campaign to bring similar online piracy laws north of the border.

The Stop Online Piracy Act was effectively shelved - for the time being - by the U.S. House of Representatives last week. What has been dubbed the "largest online protest in history" appeared to ruffle some feathers in Congress, but Michael Geist, Internet and ecommerce law professor at the University of Ottawa, has warned of a SOPA-like bill to be reintroduced before the House of Commons in the near future.

In a recent post to his personal blog, Geist delves into Bill C-11, a copyright reform legislation that could allow our country to become "a prime target for SOPA-style rules."

"Lobby groups are likely to intensify their efforts to export SOPA-like rules to other countries," explains Geist. "In fact, a close review of the unpublished submissions to the Bill C-32 legislative committee reveals that several groups have laid the groundwork to add SOPA-like rules into Bill C-11, including blocking websites and expanding the 'enabler provision' to target a wider range of websites."

One of Geist's major concerns lies in an effort to expand on the "enabler provision" of Bill C-11. As Jameson Berkow explains in a Financial Post story, "groups such as the Canadian Independent Music Association and the Entertainment Software Association of Canada have been advocating for Ottawa to expand the provision to allow them to go after not just sites containing copyright-infringing content, but also those 'enabling' acts of infringement as well."

Similar to the proponents of SOPA, which largely consists of Hollywood film studios and major record labels, the bulk of those supporting the reintroduction of Bill C-11 earn their keep in the entertainment industry. They argue that a lack of substantial anti-piracy legislation has and will continue to put millions of industry jobs at risk.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/right-cl ... 57243.html

As opposition builds, PMO seeks to blunt charges it is going after seniors


The Harper government is moving to deflect political blowback from planned cuts to public pensions, as the opposition blasted the prime minister for putting seniors' security on the block.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper put the cat among the pigeons in a speech in Davos on Thursday, saying he intends to do to government-funded pensions what he did to health care transfers — limit their growth.

Although he was not specific, speculation had been building for weeks that Ottawa would increase the age of eligibility for Old Age Security by two years to 67 and that the measure would form part of the upcoming budget.

On Friday, the Prime Minister's Office issued talking points to Conservative MPs and supporters stressing that any changes would not impact benefits to seniors currently receiving OAS, or those nearing retirement.

"We will ensure any changes are done with substantial notice and adjustment period and in a way that does not affect current retirees or those close to retirement, and gives others plenty of time to adjust and plan for their retirement," the memo states.

But it also makes clear that the government is planning reforms and OAS, which goes to all Canadians upon turning 65, is the target Harper has in mind.

"If we do nothing, OAS will eventually become too expensive and unsustainable," the memo tells MPs to argue to defend the government.

Tackling senior pensions is as close to the third rail of Canadian politics as it gets, as Harper's predecessors from Tory Brian Mulroney to Liberal finance minister Paul Martin discovered. Both had to back down in the face of fierce opposition from an ever-increasing block of voters, most of whom cast ballots in elections.

"We put out a poll to our members when this idea was (rumoured) in December and their answer was, 'No,' and 'Hell no,' " said Susan Eng, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/pension-cuts-w ... 32130.html

Kelee...you are a treasure. So much of your time and energy has been spent getting us informed. I pray we ALL take action based on this info. I have a 'flu kit' set up in some 5 gl buckets with all the aforementioned supplies packed inside. I added sponge ear plugs as opposed to cotton balls, however. They are small and easily re-used.

European austerity measures could be 'grave' for world

Former Canadian finance minister issues warning at World Economic Forum



As the head of the International Monetary Fund warned European leaders not to cut “across the board,” Canada’s former finance minister John Manley spoke of fears of a downward spiral for the global economy.

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, spoke in Davos, Switzerland on Saturday at the annual World Economic Forum where government and business leaders gathered to discuss the ailing economies of Europe.

Manley, now the head of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, told CBC News on Saturday that he agrees with Lagarde.


When you scratch below the surface a bit and get a sense of how difficult some of those choices are going to be [in the] Eurozone … the impact that could have on global growth, it’s very grave,” he said.

Lagarde said European leaders shouldn’t come up with the same austerity programs as their neighbours, but tailor them to suit individual economies.

"Some countries have to go full-speed ahead to do this fiscal consolidation, but other countries have space and room,” noted Lagarde. “They should explore what to do ... in order to help themselves.”

While Greece and Spain have gone deep with government spending cuts and raising taxes in order to try to bring down their deficits, other countries, such as Germany, are following suit, even though they have relatively healthy economies.

Lagarde is worried that severe widespread cuts could bring the world's markets down, and so is Manley.

“We are not in one of those economies where things are faltering. Our unemployment rate is relatively low, so like everywhere, good news is not necessarily news,” said Manley about where Canada stands.

“All of the official speakers here this week have more or less said things, like, we know what has to be done, we have a consensus on how to go about doing it, this is going to be a year when there isn’t strong growth. I think below the surface there are grave concerns things could get a lot worse.”


http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012 ... urope.html

Canadian-made orange juice seized by FDA

Canadian, Brazilian products affected, U.S. government says


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has detained several shipments of imported orange juice, including some made in Canada, after finding traces of an illegal fungicide.

The juice is safe to drink, the agency said, but the fungicide, carbendazim, is not approved for use in the United States, so any juice that contains traces of it must be detained. It is used in other countries to combat mould on orange trees.


The FDA said Friday it had detained about 11 per cent of orange juice and orange juice concentrate imports since it started testing for the fungicide earlier this month. The agency detained nine out of 80 total shipments at the border, while importers withdrew two additional shipments from sale after the carbendazim was discovered.

The government started testing for the chemical at the border after Coca-Cola, which owns juice brands Minute Maid and Simply Orange, reported finding the chemical in its own juice and in competing juices. Most orange juice products made by Coke and other companies contain a blend of juice from different sources including Brazil, where the fungicide is approved for use.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/201 ... icide.html

Italy and Spain’s credit ratings downgraded again as world markets slide despite rising hopes of deal on Greece's mammoth debts

The eurozone was last night rocked by the downgrade of five countries as the single currency debt crisis deepened.
Italy and Spain were among the nations to be hit by U.S ratings agency Fitch in a bitter blow for Rome and Madrid. Belgium, Slovenia and Cyprus were also cut.
The news comes despite Greece and its private creditors claimed they were 'very close' to reaching a deal over its mammoth debts.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1khfXvKbE

Europe is developing an asteroid shield… but it won’t be in time for the 19-mile wide monster hurtling past Earth next week

Scientists are trying to find a way to protect Earth from the giant rocks which travel around the Milky Way.

Run out of Berlin with funds from the EU, the NEOShield project, which will look for a way to protect earth from the space rocks, is expected to take three years to complete.
Some of the ideas being tossed around at the moment include repelling asteroids with projectiles or explosives or using gravity to change its course.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1khgI6Hk7

Contaminated drugs given to 40,000 in Pakistan


More than 100 people have died in Lahore after taking contaminated heart medicine, Pakistan officials have said.

The deaths, which span a three-week period, are linked to a batch of faulty drugs given to over 40,000 cardiac patients at a government-run hospital.

The owners of three pharmaceutical companies have now been arrested.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16770494

Davos summit ends amid unease with world economy

Crippling European debt crisis dominates global forum



The world's foremost gathering of business and political leaders wrapped up their meetings Sunday in Davos, Switzerland amid fears that economic turmoil in Europe could spread around the world.

Europe's crippling debt crisis dominated the 42nd annual World Economic Forum which was attended by some 2,500 VIPs including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

On Thursday, Harper wagged a finger at his European counterparts, urging them to institute hard reforms and accusing them of being complacent about their wealth.

He said Western nations have to decide to pursue economic growth, or risk declining fortunes.


--------------------
When the forum opened, its normally upbeat founder Klaus Schwab said he remained a deep believer in free markets but also said that capitalism needs to be fixed "to serve society."

Schwab welcomed critics' ideas of how to fix it — including from the Occupy protesters who had set up a protest camp of igloos in front of Davos city hall.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012 ... unday.html


yea right...see our PM the grand poohpa Harper shleeping it out with the common folk to ask them , "how to fix this"....you want to fix this FIRE all the stupid bankster crooks who put us in the financial jam in the first place and then charge them with fraud...just like any other person in the world...but oh no would not want to upset his biddy buddy croonies...or tell banks to lower credit card interest rates so the joe six pack can still feed his wife and 2.5 kids...

Iran official says oil could reach $150 per barrel

Comments made after EU announced ban on Iranian oil



The head of Iran's state oil company said Sunday that the price of crude will reach $120 to $150 per barrel, as officials in Tehran prepare to discuss a ban on crude sales to European Union countries in retaliation for an EU embargo.

The head of the National Iranian Oil Company, Ahmad Qalehbani, also said that Tehran would expand its capacity to refine crude domestically, instead of selling it on international markets.

The EU announced an embargo on Iranian oil last week to pressure Tehran on its controversial nuclear program.

The embargo is set to go into effect in the summer, but Iran says that it may cut the flow of crude to Europe early.

Iran says the EU accounts for only 18 per cent of its output and that it can find new customers. It says the embargo will hurt the West more than Iran, in part by causing a spike in prices.

"It seems we will witness prices from $120 to $150 in the future," Qalehbani was quoted as saying by IRNA. He did not give a time frame for the prediction, nor any other details.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude on Friday was around $99.56 per barrel.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012 ... -feud.html

Euro crisis hangs over latest EU summit


The eurozone crisis will dominate an EU summit on Monday, with an emphasis on growth and "smart" budget discipline.

The EU has more than 23 million unemployed people and there are fears that wide-ranging budget cuts will harm enterprise and training.

Cuts need to be "smart" - well-targeted - to allow room for future growth, the European Commission says.

Most member states - and not the UK - are expected to sign up to a new budget treaty, or "fiscal compact".

The goal is much closer co-ordination of budget policy in the 17-nation eurozone.

Diplomatic wrangling continues over the influence of non-eurozone countries in the new institutional set-up.

The UK opted out, in a blaze of publicity last month, but did secure observer status in the discussions.

Poland is insisting that it and other countries preparing to join the euro should be fully involved in the eurozone negotiations.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16766225