Posted on 04/25/2009 8:36:54 AM PDT by rdl6989
The swine flu virus that is responsible for an outbreak in Mexico and has been detected in the southwestern United States has the potential to cause a pandemic, a top international health official said today.
"It has pandemic potential," Margaret Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization, told reporters during a telephone briefing. "It is infecting people."
Chan held the briefing after cutting short a trip to the United States so she could rush back to the WHO's headquarters in Geneva to convene an emergency meeting of special experts to decide what steps should be taken to contain the virus. It is the first time the committee has been called upon since it was created two years ago to handle disease outbreaks.
"The situation is evolving quickly," Chan said. "We do not yet have a complete picture of the epidemiology or the risk, including possible spread beyond the currently affected areas. Nonetheless, in the assessment of WHO this is serious situation that must be watched very carefully."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
When we first started talking about the myriads of illegal aliens coming across our Southern Border, I mentioned that they were bringing with them illnesses that either the USofA had already obliterated OR new illnesses that we didn’t have any cure for.
I..........T..O..L..D..........Y..O..U..........S..O..!
And NO it doesn’t make me feel better saying that. No one listens. I’m a “racist” because I’m against “black mold” and “pig flu.”
I survived bird flu.
Close the borders, require health vaccination checks before admitting, like the old days.
Yikes! Read the BBC link.
Though this artice doesn’t mention the “flu” outbreak, one has to wonder if that isn’t part of ‘their’ motivation.
Richardson urges more funding for National Guard troops on U.S.-Mexico border
By Matthew Reichbach 4/24/09 7:32 AM
Gov. Bill Richardson and the other three governors who serve in states that border Mexico sent a letter (pdf) to congressional leaders Wednesday, urging them to “fully fund the National Guard Counter-Drug Program to add additional personnel to the four southwest border states and ensure that his funding remains sufficient to reach a significant decline in border drug trafficking and violence.”
Richardson, the only Democrat border-governor since Janet Napolitano resigned her position as Arizona governor to become head of the Department of Homeland Security, joined Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), Janice Brewer (R-AZ) and Rick Perry (R-TX) in sending the letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders.
“The support our National Guard offers federal authorities along the border is critical to stemming the flow of drugs in and weapons out,” Richardson said. “As the violence associated with drug and weapons trafficking continues to intensify, it is clear that we need additional manpower.”
So what sort of support does New Mexico get from the National Guard troops patrolling the border? From the press release:
The 109 New Mexico National Guard Counter-Drug personnel conduct air surveillance operations with three helicopters, provide the eyes to monitor remote border cameras and assist in monitoring bypass routes around main highway Customs and Border Patrol checkpoints.
The letter says that the governors “are fully confident that the flow of illegal drugs and associated violence can be best addressed by increasing the capacity of Counter-Drug Program.”
The letter says that the National Guardsman “are not employed in any form of combat or maneuver role.” In other words, the governors say, the troops are not engaged in any military behavior.
And it isn’t just along the borders either, according to the governors.
Increasing the number of National Guard personnel to support these southwestern border law enforcement agencies is a priority, but we also need to maintain, and in some areas increase, the support to local law enforcement throughout the rest of our states where cross-border drug trafficking organizations are known to exist. Currently, there is more demand for support from local, state and federal authorities than our National Guard programs can actually meet.
Is Swine flu the new Amtrax’?
Does Obama family eat Pork?
Those first hand comments are revealing.
“Amtrax”
Another good reason to fight light rail:)
Does Obama family eat Pork?
No, they don’t. Their religion doesn’t allow it.
There’s no particular evidence this disease was transmitted by illegal immigrants, though there are certainly hordes of people that desperately want it to be.
Given the typical incubation time of influenza, which is quite short, its far, far more likely that transmission between the US and Mexico (and it’s actually not particularly certain Mexico was the origin point) was through perfectly legal road or more likely, air travel, rather than someone going on foot across the border.
ok, so why is an unelected UN official envloved here. where is teh American government? should they not seal the boarder, stop teh spread, quarentine the areas effected. or is this what we can expect of obama health care? lets put more Americans at rick of sickness by being politically correct?? by not wanting to offend the offensive mexicans?
clearly obama has ceeded this probelm to the UN. he is worthless. we are under UN jurisdication evidently
of course if we had enforced our boarder laws, we would be safe. is not obama the one that changed the law allowing AIDS infested folks to enter America?? he cares more about the world than this nation, to hell with obama!!!
I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were.
Adriana, Mexico City I'm a college student in Mexico City, and I can only say that the information that the media has provided doesn't seem to be enough, we do not now how serious it is because they have failed to mention it.
you bet, I made posts along this same subject. we got illegals and legals alike, full of sickness, taking care of our kids, serving our food, cleaning our hotels.
have we lost basic deises prevention stills? even the ancients knew of the need to quarintine sickness but obama is all open boarder happy.
avoid al resturants until this thing passes. to many mexicans work in the resturant industry.
they have low hygine standards, they dont follow American health rules, dont put you life at risk!!!
wonder how many illegals with sickness will try to make it here for all the “free” health care we offer these criminal?
deport all of them now, including their anchor babies.
Oh, SPECIAL experts. That's good.
In normal times, what would be done is that travel to Mexico would be banned and the US and Guatemalan borders would be closed.
When SARS had been identified in China and before the magnitude of the Toronto outbreak was recognized, a US official was asked about travel restrictions.
"The most important thing", she said, "is to avoid stigmatization".
That's where we are in a nutshell. The MOST IMPORTANT THING not to do in an early pandemic is the ONE thing that can actually work.
Our society has chosen leaders who are suicidal.
Swine flu isn’t spread by eating pork.
As for whether it’s the new anthrax, viruses are pretty clever on mutating on their own, but it is odd that this one is a combination of several viruses (European/North American/Asian swine flu with North American avian flu + human elements).
I think that ducks are most frequently to blame for the avian portion (or at least they were in Asia a few years ago), but ducks aren’t that commonly raised either in the US or Mexico. I suppose it’s possible that some other kind of poultry could account for the avian component.
Just wait ‘til they find out nicotine kills the virus and the only people left alive on earth are cigarette smokers.
No, that would be George W. Bush.
Michael Savage has been warning about this also....now we have TB back as well as some other diseases I believe. I suppose the cheap labor and those future rat votes are more important.
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