Costa Rica Records First Victim of H2N2 Virus

The seasonal flu virus called H3N2 has claimed its first victim of the year in Costa Rica, when a 30 year old man from Curridabat, died on on Wednesday.

Maria Ethel Trejos, director of Vigilancia de la Salud (Ministerio de Salud), said the man was asthmatic and suffered from an immune deficiency problem.

The young man was in Perez Zeledon, who died in the Escalante Pradilla hospital.

This death is in addition to the two H1N1 deaths of January 12 and 14, the latter, after the pandemic, became a seasonal influenza virus.

Trejos said that in the three cases the patients sought medical treatment too late and that is important for the public not to let down their guard and practice good hygiene and sneezing and coughing protocols.

The Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 (also H3N2) is not new. It is a subtype of viruses that causes influenza (flu). H3N2 Viruses can infect birds and mammals. In birds, humans, and pigs, the virus has mutated into many strains. H3N2 is increasingly abundant in seasonal influenza, which kills thousands each year. In the last half of 2011, a dozen human cases of a new variant of the disease have been found in the U.S. This new variant is called H3N2v.

The H3N2 appears to be transmissible among humans.

Flu vaccines are based on predicting which mutants of H1N1, H3N2, H1N2, and influenza B will proliferate in the next season. Separate vaccines are developed for the northern and southern hemispheres in preparation for their annual epidemics. In the tropics, influenza shows no clear seasonality. In the past ten years, H3N2 has tended to dominate in prevalence over H1N1, H1N2, and influenza B.

http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynew ... 012701.htm



NSABB explanation of decision to recommend censoring of bird flu research expected soon

Published on January 30, 2012 at 11:21 AM



The NIH is expected on February 1 to release a statement explaining how the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) reached a decision late last year to recommend "that two scientific papers describing research that created strains of bird flu potentially transmissible in humans should be published only if key details are omitted," for fear "that terrorists or hostile nations could learn how to cause a pandemic," a New York Times editorial by Philip Boffey, Times science editorial writer, states.

"The document is unlikely to settle the argument. It deals only with the threat posed by publishing details of the research, not with the even greater risk should the virus escape or be stolen from the laboratory," Boffey writes, adding, "We believe in robust research and almost always oppose censorship. But in this case the risks -- of doing the work and publishing the results -- far outweigh the benefits. Scientists and the public need to see how many eminent experts are less worried about censorship than about evildoers using the information to wreak havoc" (1/28).

http://www.news-medical.net/news/201201 ... -soon.aspx


Monday, 30 January, 2012, 12:04
Flu cases increase but still not epidemic



The number of flu cases reported to Swiss doctors increased in the third week of January, but still sit below “epidemic” levels.

The Federal Office of Public Health reported today 64 cases were reported per 100,000 residents, slightly below the epidemic level of 67 per 100,000.

The week before that the rate was just 40 per 100,000.

Most of the cases affect 15 to 29-year-olds.

http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/wrsnews/f ... html?28794



Flu epidemic declared in three Bulgarian municipalities
30 January 2012 | 18:37 | FOCUS News Agency

Home / Bulgaria

Sofia. A flu epidemic has been declared in the municipalities of Burgas, Shumen and Lukovit on Monday, announced the Healthcare Ministry.
In the past week a flu epidemic was declared in the districts of Montana, Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik and Sofia. The disease is taking a light and moderate course. The ministry has provided the necessary antiviral medicines to ensure timely treatment and prevention of complications.

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n269787


Flu cases reported at two local hospitals


For weeks, infectious disease specialists wanted to be do their Paul Revere imitations: The flu is coming, the flu is coming. It has to be, they figured. It's supposed to flu season, after all.

Finally, it is.


On Monday, both the University of Rochester Medical Center and Rochester General Hospital reported laboratory-confirmed cases of the seasonal scourge.

URMC reported two cases and RGH one. They beat the groundhog by just a few days.


"It's a little bit later than we see in most years," said Dr. Alexandra Yamshchikov, hospital epidemiologist and infectious disease physician at RGH. "Usually we see the first cases by the holidays in December."

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... /201300327


Flu Season May be Underway in Monroe County


Rochester, N.Y.-- The flu season is off to a slow start this year.That's according to Dr. John Treanor, an infectious diseases doctor at Strong Memorial Hospital.

"It certainly is an unusual flu season because of the lack of activity so far," says Treanor.

Typically by January, there are a number of flu cases, but then again,Treanor says flu seasons can be unpredictable.

Gina Lang, owner of Pride and Joy Daycare in Henrietta, says she's noticed the relatively quiet flu season as well.

"It's definitely has been a lot slower," she says. "Typically we'll see a lot more flus and colds before Christmas."

In the meantime, Lang has been diligently teaching her students to wash their hands, cough in their elbows and hand sanitizer.

On Monday, Rochester General and Strong Memorial Hospital both said that they have confirmed cases of the flu. Not everyone with the flu goes to the doctor's office so there could be plenty of other unconfirmed cases.

"My expectation is that [in the next few weeks] we will see an increase in flu activity pick up," says Dr. Treanor.

Brandi Robinson says her 2-year-old daughter hasn't been sick all winter. She wonder if she has the weather to thank.

"It's been different from last year," Robinson says. "I've noticed but the weather hasn't been as cold and we've been able to get out in the fresh air."

Dr. Treanor says the weather may play a factor for the slow flu season.

"There are some interesting data that suggests particularly temperature and relative humidity do play a role in the transmission of the flu virus," he says. "You could guess the unusual warm weather has something to do with it."

If you haven't already, Dr. Treanor says it's not too late for people to get the flu vaccine.

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/ ... oZeDA.cspx




Info from 1918 pandemic

The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster.

http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/


1918 flu pandemic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic

Army on standby as temperatures plummet to -11C, keeping shivering Britain colder than Iceland

The Army has been put on standby across Britain as Arctic conditions look set to bring in a -11C big freeze in February.

Temperatures are set to plummet to well below freezing this week, making parts of the country colder than Iceland.

Around four inches of snow and ice could cover part of the country after a high pressure system hanging over Scandinavia which is pushing raw winds towards the UK.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1l1iunuaA



European cold snap kills at least 32

Ukraine, Poland, and Serbia among regions hit by extreme cold, power outages



Heavy snow and a severe cold snap killed at least 32 people across eastern Europe and many areas were under emergency measures Monday as schools closed down, roads became impassable and power supplies were cut off.

As temperatures dropped to around -20 C, authorities opened emergency shelters and urged people to be careful and remain indoors.

Concerns about vulnerable populations

Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry said 18 people died of hypothermia in recent days and nearly 500 people sought medical help for frostbite and hypothermia in just three days last week. Twelve of the dead were homeless people whose bodies were discovered on the streets.

Temperatures in some regions of Ukraine plunged to -16 C during the day -23 C during the night.

Authorities opened 1,500 shelters to provide food and heat and shut down schools and nurseries.

At least 10 people froze to death in Poland since Friday as the cold reached -26 C.

Malgorzata Wozniak, a spokeswoman for Poland's Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press that elderly people and homeless persons were among the dead and police were checking unheated empty buildings to make sure that homeless people don't freeze to death.

Early Monday temperatures fell to -26 C in southern Poland.

Until Friday, Poland has been having a mild winter with little snow and temperatures just below the freezing mark.

Power outages and emergecy shelters

In central Serbia, three people died and two more were missing and 14 municipalities throughout the country were under emergency plans. Efforts to clear roads of snow were hampered by strong winds and dozens of towns faced power outages.


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


Dozens freeze to death as temperatures plunge to MINUS 26C in parts of Eastern Europe


Heavy snow and a severe cold snap have killed at least 36 people across eastern Europe.
Poland, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have all been hit by temperatures as low as -26C - causing schools to close, roads to be blocked and power cut.

Residents have been urged to stay indoors as local authorities open up hundreds of emergency shelters in a bid to halt the rapidly escalating death toll.

Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry said 18 people died of hypothermia and nearly 500 people sought medical help for frostbites and hypothermia in just three days last week.

Twelve of the dead were homeless people whose bodies were discovered on the streets. Temperatures in parts of Ukraine plunged to minus -16C during the day and -23C during the night.

Authorities opened 1,500 shelters to provide food and heat and shut down schools and nurseries.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1l1lOg3V0

Bin wars | The big and nasty business of donated clothing

Much of the money does not go to charity

The business of collecting donated clothes, selling them in local thrift stores and shipping them overseas has become so lucrative it has created a cut-throat turf war in Ontario.

One man in the industry said competition for routes in the past two to three years has become "violent."

"People are getting beat up because these things work as a territory…We have orders from the company like don’t let competition around you," said the man, who spoke to CBC News on condition he not be identified.

He said the violence has escalated since people have found out there’s lots of money involved. "And now they are fighting with each other… people got beat up, the bins were stolen, the bins were burned out."

In 2010, Canadian exports of worn clothes were valued at $174 million. Ontario’s share of that market is over $132 million. Most of the clothes went to African countries, India and Pakistan.

Lindsey Huculiak of Toronto was outraged when she learned that clothes she was putting in a charity bin in Mississauga where she works were likely helping to fund a very profitable private business.

"This bin is here and it's leading me to believe that it is part of a charitable organization. It almost even says so on it. So when I find out that it doesn't go to charity, I’m just flabbergasted that this can happen in my community."


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... lions.html

Mysterious noise escalates in Windsor, Ont.

Councillor wants Ottawa to address cross-border rumble


An unexplained rumbling disturbed hundreds of Windsor, Ont., residents this weekend to the extent that some thought it was an earthquake, prompting calls for Ottawa to step in.

City Coun. Al Maghnieh said he was inundated with telephone calls, emails and Facebook messages this weekend after the so-called "hum" returned, louder than ever.


Between the sound and the vibration, it was just very, very bad," Maghnieh said. "A lot of people are frustrated and to a point ... demoralized."

Residents across Windsor and neighbouring LaSalle began reporting a noise they describe as similar to an idling train or semi-trailer in February 2011.

Maghnieh said a "low-frequency rumble" seemed to peak early Sunday morning, calling it "really harsh."

He wasn't alone in this complaint


It was a rocking weekend. We actually thought an earthquake was happening," said Gary Grosse, administrator for the Windsor-Essex County Hum Facebook group.

There are approximately 800 members on Grosse's Facebook page, and he said he's aware of several more people who haven't come forward for fear of lowering their property values if they identify themselves as living within earshot of the hum.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/20 ... sland.html

No housing crash coming in Canada, BMO says

'Dramatic correction is unlikely,' bank says


The Bank of Montreal poured cold water on the idea Canada's housing market could be headed for a crash, suggesting that prices are only "moderately high across the country."

"Expect the housing boom to cool rather than crash," BMO's chief economist Sherry Cooper and senior economist Sal Guatieri said in a report published Monday.

"While the housing boom is unlikely to continue unless mortgage rates drop much further, neither is it likely to bust."

The bank says home values are indeed rising at a faster pace than they used to, but the signs are pointing to a soft landing where prices stabilize — not a hard correction where prices drop quickly by 20 per cent or more.

"In our view, the national housing market is more like a balloon than a bubble," the bank said. "While bubbles always burst, a balloon often deflates slowly in the absence of a pin."

But demographic factors, consistently low interest rates, low construction costs and an influx of foreign buyers make it likely that no such pin will materialize for the foreseeable future, the bank said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2 ... state.html

Apocalypse not now: debunking Mayan doomsday predictions

By Space.com & FoxNews.com

Published January 30, 2012


Doomsday reports have reached a fever pitch this year -- and it's all thanks to the Mayans.

On Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers fear the apocalypse will arrive -- anything from a rogue planet smashing into us to our world spinning end over end. That surge probably comes from the ancient Mayan calendar, and if you try to flip through one from December 2012 to 2013 you'll see exactly why.

According to the ancient Mayan "Long Count" calendar, next year's winter solstice marks the end of a 144,000-day cycle. This cycle, which begins at the mythical Maya creation date, has already been repeated 12 times. The 13th will end in 2012, capping a full 5,200-year Mayan cycle of creation.


Even NASA is trying to debunk the story.

"Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar," the space agency recently wrote.

This date has long been shrouded in mystery, with many claiming that it will bring destruction to our planet -- so much so that the movement has turned into a cultural phenomenon. The Mexico tourism board has even stated its intentions to use the year 2012 as a springboard for its ailing tourism industry by leveraging the world's sudden interest in Mayan history.

But will the world actually end? Experts still say no.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/ ... z1l1fUQH4Q

more at link

'We're facing a major civil emergency' warns water company boss over rocketing number of scrap metal thefts

Britain faces an 'inevitable' major civil emergency if ruthless thieves continue to cripple utility services by stealing scrap metal.

A senior boss at one of Britain's main utility companies issued the dire warning today following the spate of thefts which have seen gangs take metal from cable links, churches and even homeowners' front gates.
Thefts have been on the up as the price of scrap metal and raw material in general rises.


The gangs have been looting electrical cables - even those buried underground - so they can strip off the rubber and sell the copper at 'no questions asked' scrap metal yards.

Homes have been blacked out and businesses left in the dark by cable thefts, while those stealing cabling from railways lines cause transport chaos.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1l1kEGbzs