July 11, 2009
Obama Warns of Return of Swine Flu in the Fall
By DONALD G. MCNEIL JR.The Obama administration warned Americans on Thursday to be ready for an aggressive return of the swine flu virus in the fall.

Canadian Doctor. H1N1 Vaccination: A Eugenics Weapon for “Massive & Targeted Reduction of the World Population.” - by Kurt Nimmo - 2009-07-10

New Wave of Disinformation: "Pigs at Risk" of Contracting the H1N1 Swine Flu - by Michel Chossudovsky - 2009-07-10

I am going to print this article out, as my weight is much overweight these days and hopefully that shall allow
me to be saved.

I am ready willing and able to roll up my sleeve for 2 of these shots and the normal flu shot

one thing is for certain-any year I got the flu shot, I never got the flu
the one year I didn't get the shot recently, I got the flu
that is 100% success rate.

Graham
Start taking 2000 units of Vitamin D daily to begin to shore up your immune system. The reason why the flu hits so
hard in the Fall and Winter months is due in part to Vitamin D deficiency - people not getting out in the sun for a daily
uptake.
I started taking Vitamin D two months ago and am going to continue at that amount through the winter. Even if I wind up
getting exposed to the flu, Vitamin D will help the immune system ward off the full brunt of it. And by Fall, it is likely going to
be Tamiflu resistant. The vaccine may not be ready before late Fall/early Winter- and you don't want to be one of the first
guinea pigs for it.

Obese people at risk of severe complications and death from H1N1 ...
By Pharma Service Provider
This report summarizes the clinical characteristics of a series of 10 patients with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection and ARDS at a tertiary-care ICU in Michigan. Of the 10 patients, nine were obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥30), ...

Pharma Pipeline News - http://pharmapipeline.blogspot.com/ Download free CDC: Fatality Rate for H1N1 Slightly Higher Than ...
By admin
These contradicts what some upbeat officials hit been locution - that the H1N1 virus is no more nonindulgent than seasonal flu. Dr. Anne Schucat also says there are 200 grouping hospitalized with swine contagion and more deaths are ...

Computer Programming Ebooks collection - http://4ebooks.org/ Ear To The Ground: Genetic analysis of A/H1N1 flu virus finds a ...
By Tom
Prior posts have noted that many of humankind's diseases were acquired from domesticated animals. What is interesting about the recently emerged "swine flu" is its mixture of components, which suggests that monitoring of animal diseases ...
Ear To The Ground - http://eartotheground.typepad.com/

Florida, U.S. brace for marathon fight against swine flu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-iAKvY3eKc...feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS_f3wetAo0...feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXfXuk6aWJc&feature=fvw

Will H1N1 infections rise in Canada this fall?
CTV.ca - Canada
By Shereen Dindar, CTV.ca News About one third of the North American population may become infected with the H1N1 virus this fall, according to a Canadian ...


US to spend another $1 billion for flu vaccine
Reuters - USA
... Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a July 23 advisory panel meeting to discuss clinical trials of the vaccines against the H1N1 influenza virus. ...

Swine Flu Threat Not Gone, US Warns
CBS News - New York,NY,USA
(CBS) It's the middle of summer and the springtime outbreak of the H1N1 virus, also known has swine flu seems like a distant memory. ...


Obesity emerges as possible risk factor in H1N1 virus
Detroit Free Press - United States
"Clinicians need to be aware that severe complications can occur in patients with the novel H1N1 virus, particularly in extremely obese patients," said Dr. ...

Children and Pregnant Women Targeted in U.S. Swine Flu Mass Vaccination Program

A sore throat ... and 48 hours later Chloe was dead: Swine flu kills healthy girl aged six and a doctor
By Daniel Martin
Last updated at 4:04 AM on 14th July 2009

Chloe Buckley: Her family doctor thought she had tonsillitis


Parts of Britain were in the grip of a swine flu epidemic last night as the first healthy child died of the virus that is sweeping the country.

Chloe Buckley, six, died within 48 hours of complaining of a sore throat and just a day before her seventh birthday.

She was not given the anti-viral drug Tamiflu after her doctor apparently misdiagnosed her illness as tonsillitis.


On the same day, it was announced that Dr Michael Day, a 64-year-old GP who had been treating swine flu victims, had died after contracting the virus.

Both the little girl and the doctor are believed to have been perfectly healthy before succumbing to swine flu.

Three people with no previous health problems have now died of the illness out of a total of 17 deaths across Britain.

Last night experts were reassuring the public that swine flu is no more contagious than the normal seasonal flu.

And for most of those who catch it, the illness will be mild.


'The vast majority of people will recover quickly by taking paracetamol or ibuprofen, and drinking plenty of fluids,' said Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GP committee.

'We must remember that every year there are deaths from complications of seasonal flu; this is unfortunately inevitable with any strain of influenza.'

Chloe, from West Drayton, West London, became ill on Wednesday and died on Thursday night.


The home in West Drayton where swine flu victim Chloe Buckley lived with her parents, brother and sister


Dr Day, a GP from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, died on Saturday in the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

He is also understood to have been healthy, although a post mortem is being carried out.


'Doctors have always accepted that there are risks associated with their job, Dr Buckman said.

'Obviously these are smaller than they used to be with the advent of modern medicine, but they can never be eliminated altogether.


'It is understandable that people will be worried when they hear that a GP has died but we urge them to follow the recommended advice and contact their family doctor, rather than physically going to the surgery if they have symptoms.


Worry: A parent attending a meeting at Chloe's school


'While these individual deaths are tragedies for the families concerned, it is very important that members of the public do not panic.'

Last Friday, the NHS announced the first case of a healthy person to have died of swine flu. All other deaths involved patients with underlying health problems.

The man, from Essex, who has not been named, fought for nine days before losing his battle against the virus.

Swine flu is continuing its march across the country, with London authorities expected to declare an official epidemic within the next few days.

An epidemic is declared when more than 200 people in 100,000 report symptoms to their GPs.

Last Wednesday the London figure was 180, and officials believe it is almost certain to exceed the 200 mark this week.

Last night experts said the virus was spreading so quickly that an epidemic was already under way in the capital.

Professor Hugh Pennington, bacteriologist at Aberdeen University, said there was 'no doubt' that that figure will already have been exceeded.

Dr Maureen Baker of the Royal College of GPs said NHS bosses could consider cancelling non-urgent operations, while GP surgeries may cancel regular tests they conduct on those with long-term health conditions.

The West Midlands is the second-worst affected area, with 140 people per 100,000 reporting symptoms.

Yesterday, scientists writing for the journal Nature said swine flu was closely related to strains responsible for the 1918 pandemic which killed up to 100 million worldwide.

It penetrates deeper into the lungs and can cause more damage than normal flu - explaining why it can kill otherwise healthy people.

Nearly 10,000 Britons have been confirmed with swine flu after it spread to the UK from Mexico. However, hundreds of thousands more in the UK are thought to have the virus.




Crisis meeting: A parent and child at Chloe's school yesterday

Tragedy: The letter sent to parents announcing Chloe's death

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'We have been working with the Government on robust flu pandemic plans for a number of years and we are confident that the systems we have in place will cope well with the current pandemic.'

Estimates suggest GPs are dealing with 8,000 new cases of swine flu every week. Professor Nigel Dimmock, a virologist at Warwick University, claimed half the population could come down with flu this year.

His worst case scenario suggested as many as 150,000 could die.

'The percentage of people killed who contract the virus is believed to be around 0.5 per cent,' he said.

'If half the population catch swine flu then that could mean 30 million times that percentage as a number of deaths - it's an awful lot of people.'

Health secretary Andy Burnham has moved the country on to treatment mode. This means those with flu symptoms will be asked to quarantine themselves at home and get a friend to pick up anti-viral drugs for them.






'Six-year-old Chloe was perfectly healthy'
Schoolgirl Chloe died a day before her seventh birthday


Just a few days ago Chloe Buckley was excitedly preparing to celebrate her seventh birthday with her school friends.

Healthy and happy and from a loving family, the little girl didn't have a care in the world.

But within the space of 48 hours, she developed a severe sore throat, became desperately ill and then, tragically, became the latest victim to die of swine flu.

Chloe died on Thursday, just a day before what is believed would have been her seventh birthday.

She is thought to have no underlying health issues. Her devout Roman Catholic parents, Jacinta, a child minder, and Michael, a plumber, have been left to try to make sense of what has happened along with her two older brothers, Shane, 12, and ten year-old Dillon.


The family lives in West Drayton, West London.

The speed at which the virus took hold and destroyed Chloe's immune system has left all those who knew her in shock - and fearful of who may be struck down next.


Chris Spencer, the director of Education and Children's Services at Hillingdon Council, said yesterday: 'It was an exceptional set of circumstances.



Flu shock: Worried parents attend a school meeting at St Catherine's as a school flag flies at half-mast

'This was a little girl who until a few days ago was perfectly healthy. Everybody here is in a state of shock.'

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: 'She was always playing with my daughter who is nine. On Monday after school she was just running around. She said she was having a summer fete at her school, and gave us a leaflet.

'That was the last time we saw her. She was looking fine, handing out leaflets.

'She was always playing in the close, happy and smiling.





Emergency: Health officials and parents turn up ahead of a meeting at the now closed St Catherine's School, London

'She was a very healthy girl. We are really shocked. I was crying when I heard she had died.'

This time last week Chloe was fit and well having recently enjoyed her brother Shane's confirmation party.




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• Swine flu sufferers could get two weeks off work without a doctor's note
• Coleen Nolan tells of terror for son's life as he caught swine flu
• UK's first 'fit' swine-flu victim had agonising week-long battle before he died
• Swine flu sufferers urged to check holiday insurance as policies change

But it was on Wednesday that nursery nurse Mrs Buckley, 37, decided to take her youngest child to the doctor after she developed a fever. Presumably comforted with the diagnosis of tonsillitis, she took her daughter home and put her to bed to recover.

But by Thursday morning her condition had become so alarming that accompanied by Chloe's father Michael, 40, she took her to the nearby Hillingdon Hospital.



Dr Martin Scurr has been treating patients for more than 30 years and is one of the country's leading GPs

Chloe was transferred for emergency treatment to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington but died that night.

Yesterday a family friend was answering the door at the Buckleys' home. At St Catherine's Roman Catholic Primary School, where Chloe was a year two pupil, headmistress Sara Benn was battling to stem a rising sense of panic among parents and children.

The school, which has 240 pupils between the ages of three and 11, has been closed early for the summer holidays following the tragedy.

Miss Benn paid tribute to Chloe, saying the little girl was a 'bright and tenacious student with a keen interest in sports'.

'She will be missed by her fellow pupils and teachers at the school.'

She sent a letter to all parents at the school on Friday telling them of the death.

The letter carried a black and white photo of Chloe. But it did not mention that swine flu might be the cause.

Daphne May, 62, whose granddaughter attends the school, said there had been an air of panic at a meeting held for parents yesterday.

She said: 'People are very worried and upset. We should have been told something sooner. The school knew Chloe was very ill last week, we should have been told then.'

She added: 'It's so scary, we are very concerned, parents are obviously worried for their children.'






Did GP get the virus from a patient?
17th death: Dr Michael Day died at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital on Saturday of swine flu

A swab taken after his death found he had the H1N1 virus, although the exact cause of his death has not been revealed.


Health officials last night refused to say whether he had any underlying health problems. Dr Day had been treating swine flu victims.

Friends and neighbours spoke of their shock at the sudden death of the GP, who had worked at the same surgery for 35 years.

Graham Blower, the chairman of Leighton Buzzard Rugby Club in Bedfordshire, where Dr Day was team doctor, said there had been 'no signs' of him being seriously ill.

'All I heard was that he had a bit of a cold before he went into hospital,' he said.

Mr Blower added that the GP was a 'larger than life personality'.

'On one occasion I remember him turning up at the pub wearing a rucksack full of bricks on his back so that he could get fit for canoeing,' he said. 'He always struck me as a very fit chap.'

A neighbour in Stanbridge, near Leighton Buzzard, described the keen sailor as a 'wonderful, kind, and generous man'.


The woman, who asked not to be named, said: 'He's lived in the village for more than 30 years. His family have grown up here. He had three daughters and a son and was a proper family man.

'I would described him as an eccentric character with a brilliant mind who could turn his hand to anything. He was always building things and carrying out experiments.'

Dr Day, who had grandchildren, qualified as a doctor in 1970 and worked at Priory Gardens Health Centre in Dunstable from 1974, becoming senior partner for 20 years.

He retired in March this year but returned on a part-time basis last month.


On a medical practitioner's website he described himself as an 'experienced patient-oriented GP'.

His wife Judith, 66, whom he married in 1966, was unavailable to comment at the family home yesterday. A woman who answered the door and identified herself as one of his daughters said the family was too upset to talk.

Dr Paul Hassan, senior partner at the health centre, described his colleague's death as 'tragic'.

'We are completely devastated,' he said. 'Dr Day was a work colleague and also a personal friend to everyone at the practice.'


NHS Bedfordshire, the Health Protection Agency and NHS East of England have agreed the practice will remain open.

Anyone who recently came into contact with Dr Day will be clinically assessed to determine whether they are showing symptoms of the virus and be given courses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu if necessary.

An NHS East of England spokesman said: 'The exact cause of death in this case is still unknown and the case has been reported to the coroner who will investigate it.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11...0LCd0VJJE&C

67 Air Force cadets stricken with swine flu...

STUDY: New flu resembles 1918 virus...

Commentary
1918 and 2009 H1N1 Similarities Confirm Recombination
Recombinomics Commentary 14:41
July 13, 2009


The new Nature report also assessed the immune response of different groups to the new virus. The most intriguing finding, according to Kawaoka, is that those people exposed to the 1918 virus, all of whom are now in advanced old age, have antibodies that neutralize the H1N1 virus. "The people who have high antibody titers are the people born before 1918," he notes.

The above comments are in association with an upcoming publication in Nature demonstrating that patients born prior to 1918 still have antibodies that not only neutralize the 1918 pandemic virus, but also cross react with the 2009 pandemic swine H1N1. Similarly, the 2009 pandemic strain replicates more efficiently in the lungs of experiment mice and ferrets, which may explain the frequent deaths of previously healthy young adults. The targeting of this age group also parallels data from 1918.

These data further support the observation that the 90% of the polymorphisms in sequences of all 8 gene segments from the 1918 pandemic strain can be found in a human H1N1 isolate, WSN/33 or a swine H1N1 isolate, A/swine/Iowa/15/1930. These data support a scenario that mimics the data for 2009, which involves a swine H1N1 moving into a human population and spreading efficiently.

Data worldwide identify previously healthy young adults dying from the pandemic H1N1 infection. However, as the swine H1N1 spreads throughout the human population, opportunities for adaption to human host arise via acquisition of human polymorphisms. Interestingly, many of the new acquisitions of can be found in early H1H1 isolates, raising additional concerns that the 2009 pandemic H1N1 is following a path similar to the evolutionary path of 1918.

A recent isolate from Japan, A/Sapporo/1/2009 has a genetic HA backbone matching the recent oseltamilvir resistant isolate A/Hong Kong/1269/2009, but has acquired a new polymorphism found in WSN/33 as well as an additional polymorphism found in swine/Iowa/15/1930, further supporting evolution along the 1918 pathway.

Thus, the growing list of similarities between 2009 pandemic H1N1 and 1918 pandemic H1N1 continues to cause concern.
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07130901..._2009_1918.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthne...ten-humans.html


Ebola found in pigs for first time raising fears it could mutate and threaten humans

A form of Ebola virus has been detected in pigs for the first time, raising concerns it could mutate and threaten humans, scientists report.

Swine Flu Hits Downing St ­ Nearly Makes G8 Summit

Swine Flu Vaccine To Be Given To Entire Population

Peruvian Lists 1753 Cases Of H1N1

15th UK Swine Flu Death

UK 'Everyone' Will Take Swine Flu Vaccine

100 Dead In Argentina From Swine Flu

do you get the idea that the last week or two, this has mutated into something much worse than it was, and is now going to be every bit as
bad as one feared?

also interesting is the little article about who gets the vaccine in the UK-
the article states those over 65 are first in line
yet, in the US, it says those over 60 don't need it, as they are not getting sick

are we in for another heck of a job brownie...

U.S. to Buy H1N1 Vaccine Components From Four Firms
Wall Street Journal - USA
Separately, a new study published online Monday in the journal Nature suggests the H1N1 virus is stronger than previously believed. ...


Mass. child dies of swine flu
Boston Globe - United States
But in most cases, the H1N1 virus -- reflecting the behavior of seasonal influenza strains -- has not presented a mortal threat to children. ...

Vaccine For 'Unstoppable' A(H1N1) Virus (Scoop.co.nz) | H1N1 Alliance™
By Jonathan Halloran-Koren
New York, Jul 13 2009 6:10PM The highest body of experts advising the United Nations health agency on immunizations has determined that all countries will need to have vaccines for the influenza A(H1N1) infection, noting that the spread ...
H1N1 Alliance™ - http://h1n1alliance.org/

Study Suggests H1N1 Virus More Dangerous than Suspected
A new, highly detailed study of the H1N1 flu virus shows that the pathogen is more virulent than previously thought.
ICT - http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/

Study Suggests H1N1 Virus More Dangerous Than Suspected :: Racine ...
By Racine News Team
Madison, WI – A new, highly detailed study of the H1N1 flu virus shows that the pathogen is more virulent than previously thought. Writing in a fast-tracked report published today (July 13, 2009) in the journal Nature, an international ...
Racine News, Racine's Favorite... - http://racinenews.org/

Study: Swine flu resembles feared 1918 flu - Swine flu- msnbc.com
Jul 13, 2009 ... The new H1N1 influenza virus bears a disturbing resemblance to the virus strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic, researchers reported on ...

Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccination Alert
By Stephen Lendman
7-14-9 On July 13, a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Alert headlined, "WHO recommendations on pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccinations" suggest that universally mandated ones are coming. It stated that on July 7, the pharmaceutical industry-dominated Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization held an "extraordinary meeting in Geneva to discuss issues and make recommendations related to vaccine for the pandemic (H1N1) 2009." There's no pandemic nor until recently a single death anywhere attributable to Swine Flu. Yet WHO said the virus "is considered unstoppable," while admitting little evidence of spread so far, most cases are mild, and many people recover unaided. Nonetheless, all countries will need vaccines and should follow these priorities as initial supplies will be limited: -- immunize health care workers "to protect the essential health care infrastructure;" then -- pregnant women; children over six months of age "with one of several chronic medical conditions;" healthy young adults aged 15 - 49; healthy children; healthy adults aged 50 - 64; and finally healthy adults aged 65 or older. WTO suggested the risks in stating "new technologies are involved in the production of some pandemic vaccines, which have not yet been extensively evaluated for their safety in certain population groups..." As a result, "post-marketing surveillance" and "post-marketing safety and effectiveness studies" are essential so that countries can adjust their vaccination policies. WHO "recommendations" are binding on all 194 member countries in case a pandemic emergency is declared under the 2005 International Health Regulations Act and April 2009 WHO pandemic plan. It's crucial to understand that these vaccines are experimental, untested, toxic and extremely dangerous to the human immune system. They contain squalene-based adjuvants that cause a host of annoying to life-threatening autoimmune diseases. They must be avoided, even if mandated. It's also known that vaccines don't protect against diseases they're designed to prevent and often cause them. They should be banned but proliferate anyway because they're so profitable, and if globally mandated to the greatest extent ever. Get ready because that's precisely what's coming - universal orders to risk toxic vaccine hazards. In the coming weeks, the dominant media globally will get into high gear fear-mongering mode to convince people voluntarily to submit to jeopardizing their health and well-being. It's essential to refuse and be safe and international law absolutely allows it. Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Center for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at <mailto:lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net>lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Swine flu kills GP and girl, 6, to take British toll to 17
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor





Swine flu has been blamed for two more deaths – of a family doctor and a six-year-old girl – as the first full analysis of the virus shows it is five times more virulent than ordinary seasonal flu.

Dr Michael Day died at Luton and Dunstable hospital on Saturday, taking the UK total of confirmed and suspected deaths from the virus to 17. A swab test showed he was infected with swine flu but in a statement NHS East of England said the exact cause of death was unknown and his case had been reported to the coroner.

Chloe Buckley, six, from north west London, died on Thursday at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. Dr Simon Tanner of NHS London said a post mortem would be carried out to determine if she had any underlying medical condition but teachers said she was "perfectly healthy". On Friday, a patient from Essex became the first to die from swine flu in Britian without underlying health problems.

Chris Spencer, director of education at Hillingdon Borough Council, where Chloe attended St Catherine's School, confirmed that the school would now be closed.

Speaking outside St Catherine's he said: "It's an exceptional set of circumstances. This is a little girl who until a few days ago in all our minds was a child that was perfectly healthy so everybody here is in a deep state of shock and with just a few days to go until the end of term, we've decided it's in the best interests of all involved."

Experts said the deaths were "very sad", although not unexpected given the tens of thousands infected, but warned that any cluster of deaths could indicate the virus had mutated and become nastier.

Wendy Barclay, professor of influenza virology at Imperial College, London, said: "With so many people becoming infected we must expect that some fatalities will occur. It is very important to keep a careful look for clusters of severe cases that might indicate that a mutated virus has arisen that can be more virulent than the swine flu that has circulated until now. Each severe or fatal case should be carefully characterised using our best science to understand the reasons why this has happened."

The first full analysis of the H1N1 virus, published in Nature, shows it causes more lung damage in animals than seasonal flu. For two strains of virus tested, five times less was needed to cause the same damage as seasonal flu. Damage to the lungs increases the risk of pneumonia which is the commonest cause of complications, severe illness and death in flu epidemics.

Professor Ian Jones, director of research at the University of Reading, said: "This complete analysis of the current H1N1 is what we've been waiting for. For a number of measures it shows that the new virus is more serious than seasonal H1N1 but that, nonetheless, the major outcome to infection is recovery. For the few cases of severe infection the data should help in the clinical management of hospitalised patients."

The British Medical Association said it was saddened by the death of GP Dr Day, and the other victims, but urged the public not to panic. Dr Day, who qualified as a doctor in 1970, had recently retired from the Priory Gardens Health Centre in Dunstable but still worked there part time as as a locum.

Dr Paul Hassan, senior partner at the health centre, said: "This news has come as such a shock to us all and we are completely devastated. Dr Day was a work colleague and also a personal friend to everyone at the practice.The news will also come as a great shock to our patients, many of whom have known him for many years."

Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said: "Doctors have always accepted that there are risks associated with their job. Obviously these are smaller than they used to be with the advent of modern medicine, but they can never be eliminated altogether.

"It is understandable that people will be worried when they hear that a GP has died but we urge them to follow the recommended advice and contact their family doctor, rather than physically going to the surgery if they have symptoms. The vast majority of people will recover quickly by taking paracetamol or ibuprofen, and drinking plenty of fluids. Anyone who is not recovering quickly should get extra advice as a small number will need more intensive treatment.

"We must remember that every year there are deaths from complications of seasonal flu; this is unfortunately inevitable with any strain of influenza."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "Dealing with the flu crisis is a mammoth task and NHS staff need access to support and advice given the anxiety that many of them may face.

"The Government needs to ensure that all frontline NHS staff are given access to flu vaccines as a matter of urgency.


http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/he...nt-1744351.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/13/swine-flu-media-hype




Swine flu: it's worse than you think
Writing off swine flu as a 'mild cold' overhyped by a hysterical media blinds people to its potentially serious consequences

To which I say: try having it. I've got swine flu, and I've never felt so ill in my life, not even when I was hospitalised with viral meningitis a few years ago. Swine flu has been pretty similar to that, and nothing like having a normal cold. On Friday, when the virus hit, my partner came home to find me shivering, sweating, coughing and unable to stand any light whatsoever. My hands went numb and it later transpired that my meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord) were inflamed.

So began the mildly Kafkaesque process of trying to figure out how to obtain medical help. "Do not go into your GP surgery, or to a hospital," said the NHS swine flu Q&A, which provided a link to a symptom checker, which said to call 999. What, so I could be driven to a hospital, but couldn't go inside it?

We did go to hospital, where they were terribly nice but made me wear a face mask – it turns out you can't actually breathe through them. Once they'd ruled out meningitis, I got a prescription for Tamiflu and a cocktail of painkillers, but when my partner tried to get it fulfilled, he discovered it's not so easy to find a chemist with Tamiflu in stock, even in London, and it can't be on the same prescription as any other drugs. "You can have the Tamiflu or the painkillers," they told him. "Choose one." Back to the hospital that we were never supposed to have visited in the first place, then.

I've clearly recovered enough to be able to type, although I still can't get to the bathroom unaided and I'm sitting here in a pool of my own sweat (my poor partner keeps changing the sheets, but it's a losing battle). I'm delighted for anyone who's shaken off swine flu quickly and easily, such as Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, but that's not going to be the case for everyone. Writing off justified concerns about the disease and its spread as media hype will not help anybody.

"Isn't this swine flu a bit overhyped?" asks one Cif poster – even as the pandemic reaches Downing Street. "Maybe we should re-name it media-flu," says another. Then there's the suggestion that anyone who comes down with it should "take some paracetamol, have a day on the sofa then get over yourself and get on with it". Over on the Daily Mail website, posters are equally unconvinced. "If people not [sic] cope with something as simple as catching what is nothing more than a heavy cold and feeling under the weather for a couple of days what hope do we have?" asks one.

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Vermont swine flu h1n1 virus & vaccine update
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It's also reported in a University of Wisconsin study that swine flu attacks the respiratory system in a more sustained way than the standard seasonal virus ...


Chile tops South America with H1N1 flu cases
Reuters - USA
SANTIAGO, July 14 (Reuters) - Chile said on Tuesday it has confirmed more than 10000 cases of the H1N1 virus, the most cases identified in any South ...

Flu outbreak to weigh on slowing Argentina economy
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Deadly flu viruses circulate for years before pandemics
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The pairing of scientists from Saint Jude's Children's Hospital and Hong Kong University also found “that the H1N1 pandemic virus of 1918, the seasonal H1N1 ...

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 94512 cases of H1N1 flu virus worldwide, and 429 of those cases have resulted in death. Many people thought the swine flu had just gone away after everyone pretty much ...
KerryDean.com - http://www.kerrydean.com/

Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccination Alert- by Stephen Lendman - 2009-07-14

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine-flu/5828423/Has-swine-flu-started-to-mutate.html





Has swine flu started to mutate?

Does the death of a healthy six-year-old girl mean we have underestimated swine flu? Tracking the way the virus mutates is the key to controlling it, says Wendy Barclay.

WHO Chief - Swine Flu Vax Still Months Away

Labs Say Swine Flu Close To Lab Trials

Experts 'Surprised' By A-H1N1 Spread In UK

Foreign Schools Cancel Trips To UK

Journalist Beurgermeister Fired For WHO Lawsuit

1918 Pandemic Human-Swine Recombination

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Australia's "worst case scenario" 6000 H1N1 deaths Reuters - Denny Thomas, Michael Perry SYDNEY, July 16 (Reuters) - As many as 6000 people could die from H1N1 in Australia this season in a "worst case scenario" if no preventive measures or vaccines are found, Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said on Thursday.

Video: Swine flu vaccine could take some time ITN NEWS


H1N1 Swine Flu 'Likely' to Be Most Widespread Pandemic Ever CafeSentido.com

Swine Flu Vaccine Reality Check - SNY, NVS, SVA, GSK, AZN 1 comment Seeking Alpha - Following Tuesday's capitulation from the World Health Organization, any makers of a swine flu vaccine are back on investors' radars. What happened? The World Health Organization, or WHO, has determined the H1N1 'swine flu' virus is (and I quote) ...

Study Says Swine Flu Resembles Feared 1918 FluDigitalJournal.com - Carol Forsloff - A new study has found the new H1N1 influenza virus looks very similar to the strain of flu that caused the 1918 flu pandemic. Medical researchers have also determined it has a greater ability to infect lungs than other flu viruses, ...

Study Suggests H1N1 Virus More Dangerous Than Suspected
A new, highly detailed study of the H1N1 flu virus shows that the pathogen is more virulent than previously thought. Writing in a fast-tracked report ...

Malaysia: 804 cases of H1N1 « Flu News Network
By niarane
FDA warning about Fraud and H1N1 (Link) • US advise to limit travel to Argentina for H1N1 virus (Link) • Physicians' Level of Concern for H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Highest Since April (Link) • Sister of Musician is Confirmed Case of H1N1 ...
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AFA H1N1 Cases Rise to 97
KKTV 11 News - Colorado Springs,CO,USA
More cadets have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The Air Force Academy tells 11 News 97 cadets are confirmed to have the virus. Another 93 cadets remain ...

Swine Flu Renamed as Novel H1N1 Virus – Origins And Evolution
Business Exchange - USA
But new research has shed more light on the evolution of swine flu and how fatal the virus can become. The swine flu virus is now called Novel H1N1 virus. ...

Third Swine Flu-Related Death Reported in Maryland Washington Post - Maryland state health officials said yesterday that a third person has died of H1N1 flu-related illness. Health officials said the person lived on the Eastern Shore and had underlying health issues.

U.K. Flu Deaths Could Hit 63000 in Worst-Case Scenario Wall Street Journal - Laurence Norman - ‎2 hours ago‎ LONDON -- New calculations from the UK's Department of Health suggest that, in the worst-case scenario, 63000 people in the country could die after contracting the A/H1N1 flu virus in the first wave of the pandemic. ...

UK Opens Swine Flu Advice Center as Deaths Double in Week Bloomberg - Charlie Duxbury, Reed Landberg July 16 (Bloomberg) -- The UK government said it will open a swine flu advice center three months ahead of schedule after deaths from the disease more than doubled in a week. The Department of Health will open a ...