MILLION HIT BY 'PLAGUE WORSE THAN SWINE FLU'

Plague is a general term in the English dictionary. If you happen to have access to the dictionary they showed you in middle school, you can check it out. The reference to a pneuomonic plague is exactly correct in the nontechnical terms appropriate for a general readership newspaper, which was one of the sources cited. I find it interesting to see your earlier casual remarks about ‘whether the matter is true or not’ — but more intent on denigrating the intellect, motives and character of someone you’ve never met than addressing the substance of the articles. Your niggling for sophomore debating points distracts from the discussion. Perhaps that is your intention. Oh, by the way, if a “plague” of locusts flies through your campus, be sure to check whether they are mutating into Democrats.

Apparently the prime minister of the country doesn’t agree with you. But I’m sure if you send her a telegram, she along with the Ukrainian parliament, their health ministry that declared an emergency, and the surrounding countries who closed off border crossings will be greatly reassured that you think it’s all “bunk.”

Yes, you're right. It's all "bunk." Better let the EU know about your conclusions. It'll let everybody sleep well tonight.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2009/11/04/Ukraine-flu-outbreak-worries-EU-neighbors/UPI-70081257359934/

Ukraine flu outbreak worries EU neighbors

BRUSSELS, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- An explosive outbreak of influenza in Ukraine is worrying EU member nations that border it, observers say. Kiev has issued a call for international help in obtaining anti-viral drugs, saying 71 people have died in the past week and another 240 people hospitalized in serious condition among more than 250,000 reported cases of flu-like infection, the EUobserver reported Wednesday. The publication said blood tests have not confirmed the presence of the H1N1 variety known as "swine flu," but the rapid pace of the infections have prompted a high level of concern among Ukraine's neighbors. "The priority is to obtain the Tamiflu anti-viral drug, as well as antibiotics, respirators, protective masks and test kits for identifying the A/H1N1 virus," the Ukrainian government said in a statement Wednesday. EU countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania that share land borders with Ukraine are worried, and are offering help. The EUobserver reported that Polish newspapers are saying Slovakia has already sent 200,000 protective masks to Ukraine. Warsaw is also reportedly concerned about the flu situation in Belarus because of that country's closed, authoritarian government. The publication said critics contend Belarus is concealing a large flu outbreak.

Interesting to see the extent of ad hominem attacks this item is drawing. Must be something to it for the slash-and-burn, we-are-so-smart brigade to be out T-Ping the campus like this. Now as to some core substantive questions:

1. Do you have any nifty explanations, perhaps even backed up by factual citations, for why Baxter International, Inc. mixed live, genetically engineered avian flu viruses in vaccine material shipped to 18 countries? A "mistake" that is virtually unknown in a bio-safety three facility with numerous key safety systems that would have had to be breached? Can you address with any real authority or experience the allegation: "It simply can’t be done without direction from the inside. They did not send out the wrong vial – they produced dozens of gallons of biological-weapon agent (genetically engineered live H5N1 / Bird flu virus), then sent it out as a “vaccine”."

Anything substantive to add to why Mr. Moshe, a microbiologist, was "gangbanged" by a brigade of cops after reporting that Baxter’s Ukrainian lab was in fact producing a bioweapon disguised as a vaccine. He claimed that the vaccine contained an adjuvant designed to weaken the immune system, and replicated RNA from the virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic Spanish flu, causing global sickness and mass death. Do you have any actual facts to illuminate this issue?

Or just personal put-downs of someone whose education, experience, motives and character you have not the least glimmer. If it's only the latter, I think most readers here understand your purpose. And honestly, we're much more interested in the two questions above, not your name-calling to distract from them.

That’s old news. They’ve since tested 34 samples and found only typical H1N1:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_11_16/en/

From reading the latest news reports it sounds more like Ukrainian politicians hyping things up during their election campaign. There is no doubt that H1N1 is hitting the Ukraine hard and their health system is nowhere near as good as ours so it’s no surprise that there is panic. But there isn’t any confirmation of any plague. The EU is probably still concerned because they haven’t rolled out the vaccine in great numbers yet.

The only mutation people are concerned about at the moment is this new resistance to anti-virals like Tamiflu, but that doesn’t really come as much of a surprise either since scientists were already talking about resistant strains last year before the latest outbreak occurred.

So, yeah, nothing to see here except more swine influenza. There is a potential for a nasty mutation, sure, but it ain’t happen yet.

Yup and note that CDC has listed H1N1 cases as being on the decline so our pattern is indeed following that of Australia’s ( which has already gone through their season). It hit earlier than usual, lots of folks got it, the usual candidates did not die, and onece it hit it was over.

I had predicted based on that info that ours would decline by Nov 15th...not so far off as a predictor

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