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UCLA life scientists and their colleagues have discovered the first evidence of the H1N1 virus in animals in Africa. In one village in northern Cameroon, a staggering 89 percent of the pigs studied had been exposed to the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu. "I was amazed that virtually every pig in this village was exposed," said Thomas B. Smith, director of UCLA's Center for Tropical Research and the senior author of the research. "Africa is ground zero for a new pandemic. Many people are in poor health there, and disease can spread very rapidly without authorities knowing...

WHAT: Secondary infections with bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, were a major cause of death during the 1918 flu pandemic and may be important in modern pandemics as well, according to a new article in the Journal of Infectious Diseases co-authored by David M. Morens, M.D., senior advisor to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers examined 13 studies published between 1918 and 1920. During this time, many scientists erroneously believed that influenza was caused by bacteria, not a virus. As a result, researchers...

The Bird Flu Breakdown Part 1: Two Children in Vietnam Liam Scheff - Wednesday, May 24th, 2006The much anticipated bird-flu plague has yet to emerge, despite much hue and cry. This comes as no surprise to those of us who are familiar with the machinations of the WHO (World Health Organization), CDC and NIH, and their pharmaceutical partners. But, for those more trusting of public health authorities who wish to know more about the making of public health policy, I thought I’d review some of the bright and shiny inconsistencies that have come into view on the bird flu.Stray...

The 1918 influenza virus, the cause of one of history's most deadly epidemics, has been reconstructed and found to be a bird flu that jumped directly to humans, two teams of federal and university scientists announced yesterday. It was the culmination of work that began a decade ago and involved fishing tiny fragments of the 1918 virus from snippets of lung tissue from two soldiers and an Alaskan woman who died in the 1918 pandemic.

Two teams of federal and university scientists announced today that they had resurrected the 1918 influenza virus, the cause of one of history's most deadly epidemics, and had found that unlike the viruses that caused more recent flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968, the 1918 virus was actually a bird flu that jumped directly to humans. The work, being published in the journals Nature and Science, involved getting the complete genetic sequence of the 1918 virus, using techniques of molecular biology to synthesize it, and then using it to infect mice and human lung cells in a specially equipped, secure...

Scientists who re-created the 1918 Spanish flu say the killer virus was initially a bird flu that learned to infect people. Alarmingly, they find that today's H5N1 bird flu is starting to learn the same tricks. The work involves researchers from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), the CDC, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Jeffery K. Taubenberger, MD, PhD, chief of molecular pathology at the AFIP, is one of the study leaders.

Deadly Flu Outbreak: Is History Repeating Itself?An out-of-control outbreak of influenza which has killed as many as 700 people and felled almost 23,000 victims is ravaging Madagascar and health authorities fear that if the disease is not confined to the huge island it could spread around the world. Madagascar which is larger than France and has a population of 16 million people is located off southeast Africa. World Health Organization (WHO) officials have said that samples taken from victims of the illness have shown it to be Type A influenza, a strain of flu believed to have devastated the world...

Davos. That's just about all you need to know. Those who do not have a relationship with Christ should be terrified at the direction the influencers in the world are going, where privacy will be sacrificed for health and where movers and shakers predict that man and machine will become one. The pursuit of a blissful and rewarding eternal life will not be achieved by man, unless he surrenders his pride and arrogance to the only One who can grant it. Otherwise, while they will exist eternally, just not in the way they choose and without excuse or escape.

We all know that this year’s flu season is bad. I have been pouring over numbers and reports over the past few days, and it’s actually even worse than we’re hearing about. Tens of thousands of Americans are dying. It’s now worse than the 2009 swine flu outbreak and is on track with the 2014-15 strain. And it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Despite this, the media is downplaying the severity of the flu and the government makes the statistics pretty difficult to find. Are they trying to avoid a panic? Do they know something we don’t? Here’s...

While we’ve had over fifty Super Bowls with each accompanied by a more frenzied, fantastic wave of hype and mass marketing than the last, there is an annual event that is actually closing the gap on the NFL’s crown jewel when it comes to over-the-top hyper-marketing and product merchandising to Americans.Enter: The Flupocalypse.Each year it just gets bigger and bigger, with literally billions on the line as vaccine companies look to seize every opportunity to further their narrative that “vaccines are safe and effective, we should all vaccinate ourselves and our children, and anyone not getting with the State/Corporate program...

The yellow fever outbreak in Brazil has taken a backseat to the flu outbreak spreading globally. But, the death toll from yellow fever has now tripled and travelers are being warned. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday there are 35 confirmed cases of the disease, including a case confirmed in the Netherlands for a traveler who had recently visited Sao Paulo state. Sao Paulo even closed its zoo and botanical gardens Tuesday as the yellow fever outbreak that has led to 70 deaths is picking up steam. The big Inhotim art park, which attracts visitors from all over...

It started with a cold, and then it turned deadly. The grieving family of Dylan Winnik of West Palm Beach, Fla. is in shock after their 12-year old son died Tuesday from complications related to the flu. Dylan’s family said cold symptoms developed just a day after the seventh-grader was playing at a birthday party on Sunday, according to a report from Local10 News. By Tuesday, his condition worsened and a neighbor called 911. When sheriff's deputies arrived at the home, Dylan already had died. Family member Mike Medwi told the Palm Beach Post that the boy had not gotten...

Researchers Develop Universal Vaccine To Protect Against Influenza A Viruses JANUARY 24, 2018 ATLANTA—Researchers have developed a universal vaccine to combat influenza A viruses that produces long-lasting immunity in mice and protects them against the limitations of seasonal flu vaccines, according to a study led by Georgia State University. Influenza, a contagious respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat and lungs, is among the leading causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC estimates influenza has resulted in between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths annually in the U.S. since 2010....

So let's set priorities rather than setting off panics Flu fear is in the air! Emergency rooms are swamped. Sore throat? Nasal congestion? Get thee to the hospital! Now! We know we should believe this because the media tell us so. The hype: “Get Ready, Some Medical Experts Are Predicting the Worst Flu Season In History,” declares a CNBC headline. “Here’s Why the Flu Is Especially Bad This Year,” says Time. “Five Things You Should Know About This Year’s Very Bad Flu,” proclaims The Washington Post. We repeatedly hear of “deadly flu” and are told in dire terms that over...

The flu season that's already been the worst in nearly a decade is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, according to the latest report released Friday from the nation's health protection agency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu that is blanketing every state except Hawaii is growing more intense and deadly. So far this season, the flu has claimed the lives of at least 30 children, according to the latest CDC report. "The peak of flu season is in February, so we have about a month for things to get worse," Dr. Manny Alvarez,...

Humans aren't the only ones suffering from the flu this year. Canine influenza, better known as "dog flu," has been diagnosed in a number of dogs in the South Bay recently, veterinarians said. United Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital in Campbell has seen about 70 dogs with symptoms and/or known exposure to the flu, according to Stephanie LaPlume, a veterinarian with the hospital. Other South Bay hospitals, including Los Gatos Dog & Cat Hospital, also report seeing dogs with flu. The virus can't be passed on to humans, but is highly contagious among dogs, a veterinarian said. Dog owners are...

Until now, most people thought you caught the flu after being exposed to droplets from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes, or by touching contaminated surfaces. But a study released Thursday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that we may pass the flu to others just by breathing. The study — which included researchers who are now working at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley — offers new evidence on the importance of the flu’s airborne qualities and how it can easily be transmitted to others. Researchers found large quantities of infectious viruses in the...

A flu outbreak is forcing a North Texas school district to shut down for a week because the number of students, teachers, and staff exhibiting influenza-like symptoms continues to soar. The Bonham Independent School District will close its doors on Wednesday, January 17, and reopen a week later, on January 24, after cleaning crews sanitize classrooms, common campus areas, supplies, and school buses, as recommended by state public health officials. Bonham ISD Superintendent Marvin Beaty said he decided to cancel classes after so many students, staff, and faculty members manifested flu-like symptoms. Fourteen percent, or 266, of the school district’s...

A 40-year-old mother in San Jose, Calif., died two days after catching the flu, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing local media. Katie Denise Oxley Thomas, who was considered healthy and liked to run marathons, died on Jan. 4, the report said. She is the 42nd Californian under the age of 65 to die from the flu, the paper reported. “I can tell you that she seemed absolutely fine on New Year’s Eve and called a friend Tuesday morning saying that she had a sore throat, and by Wednesday she was in the ICU,” her sister told the Mercury News....

“This is the first year we have had the entire continental U.S. be the same color on the graph.” Now new strains may be coming. The influenza virus that’s sickened millions of Americans is already the most widespread outbreak since public health authorities began keeping track more than a dozen years ago. Now, with the threat of more strains emerging, it might get even worse. “Flu is everywhere in the U.S. right now,” said Dan Jernigan, director of the influenza division at the national Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “This is the first year we have had the entire...