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— The number of reported cases of a novel swine influenza virus has risen to 12 since July, encompassing 5 states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus includes a gene from the human pandemic strain and affects mostly children. The infections in question involve a variant of the A(H3N2) virus that circulates among pigs. It contains a gene from the pandemic 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus that codes for matrix proteins found in the viral shell. In 3 of the 5 states where the A(H3N2)v virus has surfaced — Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maine —...

<p>ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Every winter, the capital of Pakistan's Islamic republic is overrun by what is many Muslims' worst nightmare: sounds of screeching wild pigs.</p> <p>Motivated by hunger, the reviled animals descend each night from neighboring hills to feed on the garbage bins of Islamabad's most exclusive addresses — from high-end hotels to the capital's embassies and even the president's residence. On their way to feeding grounds pigs cause traffic accidents and send locals hurrying for cover. Some Islamabad residents have reportedly been injured or even killed by belligerent hogs.</p>

Not even President Obama can resist making fun of his Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking of Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Wednesday, the president pointed out that "he has a Nobel Prize in physics." Then, off-script, Obama said, "He actually deserves his Nobel Prize." Chuckles.

It was hardly noticed at the time, but its consequences could be catastrophic. Late last September, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which assigns internet domain names, approved a huge change in the way it operates. Europe and North America will now have five seats on its Board of Directors, instead of ten, and a new "Arab States" region will have five seats as well. How big a deal is this? ICANN at the same time took a reference to "terrorism" out of its Draft Applicant Guidebook. Why? Because Arab groups complained. And so now jihad terror...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California regulators on Thursday approved the first system in the nation to give polluting companies such as utilities and refineries financial incentives to emit fewer greenhouse gases. The Air Resources Board voted 9-1 to pass the key piece of California's 2006 climate law — called AB32 — with the hope that other states will follow the lead of the world's eighth largest economy. State officials also are discussing plans to link the new system with similar ones under way or being planned in Canada, Europe and Asia. California is launching into a "historic adventure," said Mary Nichols,...

Breaking: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski wins re-election to Senate as write-in candidate

I just got my flu shot on Tuesday and for the past couple of days I have been lightheaded and having mild nasuea. I checked and discovered that the swine flu strain was included in this years vaccine, even though I asked the nurse if this was for the seasonal flu only. This is also the first time I have ever had a reaction to a vaccine.

STOCKHOLM – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is suspected of rape in Sweden, where authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, officials said Saturday. The 39-year-old Australian denied the allegations on WikiLeaks' Twitter page, saying they "are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."

STATE OF MICHIGAN 95TH LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION OF 2010 Introduced by Reps. Huckleberry, Tyler, Byrum, Rocca, Hansen, Neumann, Valentine, Espinoza and Terry Brown ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 5822 AN ACT to amend 1976 PA 328, entitled “An act to regulate animals running at large; to provide for compensation for damage done by animals running at large; to prescribe penalties; and to repeal certain acts and parts of acts,” by amending section 1 (MCL 433.11) and by adding section 4a; and to repeal acts and parts of acts. The People of the State of Michigan enact: Sec. 1. As used in...

The swine flu pandemic didn't turn out to be the scourge international health agencies predicted. On Jan. 29 the World Health Organization declared that even though the H1N1 virus is still spreading in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, the number of confirmed cases worldwide is declining. About 14,000 deaths from swine flu have been reported. That's a tragic loss, but it's a small number considering that the run-of-the-mill seasonal flu kills up to 500,000 people each year, according to the WHO.

Officials with RiverStone Health in Billings confirm that two employees were fired, one resigned and one retired after refusing to get flu shots. RiverStone Health ...policy ...included both the seasonal flu shot and the swine flu shot... Pat Leikam...said her work didn't include contact with patients.

A nurse herself for many years, the 47-year-old Milliken has spent the last 38 days in medical care. Her boyfriend and family said she may have been struck down by what's called Guillain-Barre Syndrome -- which starts with pain and ends with paralysis. Milliken's family said they believe the H1N1 flu shot she received in the first week of November may be to blame for her suffering. "Right now, she's in a lot of pain, mostly in her extremities. A lot of nerve sensations such as burning in her legs is what she's feeling," said Milliken's daughter Michelle Mellett. The...

ATLANTA (AP) - Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years. Health officials recommend children those ages get two doses, spaced about a month apart. Health officials say it's not clear how many doses have already been given, but they don't think...

LONDON - Swine flu is far less dangerous than originally feared, British officials said Thursday — about 100 times less lethal than the 1918 Spanish flu. To determine how deadly the virus is, the British health department tracked all reported swine flu patients hospitalized between July and November. In a paper published online in the British journal, BMJ, experts estimated that out of every 100,000 infected people in Britain, about 26 died.

http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/

Swine Flu Forces Changes In Church TraditionsNov 11, 2009 11:26 pm US/Eastern SACRAMENTO (CBS) - The swine flu outbreak has forced local Catholic churches to revamp some rituals in hopes of slowing the spread of the disease, CBS station KOVR-TV reported. The bishop of Sacramento ordered Catholic churches to make changes during mass, so parishioners will no longer drink from the cup, hold hands during the Lord's Prayer or shake hands as a sign of peace. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is also changing the holy water regularly and wiping down the bowl, and is asking sick church members...

The boogeyman will get you!" parents sometimes tell misbehaving children. With about 40% of parents saying "no!" to vaccinating their kids for swine flu, apparently health officials think turnabout is fair play. And the media seem happy to help. You see it in such headlines as "CDC Shocker: Swine Flu Killing Young People at Record Rate!" And in lines of panicked parents queued outside vaccine clinics like fans trying to score tickets to a Paul McCartney concert. And in schools closing willy-nilly, which could cost the nation tens of billions, according to a recent Brookings Institute study. Which is so...

Miss Piggy, the famed porcine muppet, knew a thing or two about mirrors. In fact, she was seldom without one. She may have been vain, but she was also one smart pig, given that researchers regard the ability to use a mirror as evidence of complex cognition. Now, it turns out, Miss Piggy isn't the only clever porker. Real pigs also understand the value of their reflection, according to new research, putting them in an elite group of animals. A team of animal welfare scientists at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom placed eight domesticated pigs (Sus scrofa),...

You Tube Video: Germany begins controversial swine flu vaccinationSpiegel: Germans Unhappy with Alternative Swine Flu Vaccine for Politicians "Damage control is the name of the game in Berlin on Monday as politicians rush to deny that they are receiving a better, safer swine flu vaccine than ordinary Germans. The first of 50 million doses arrived in Germany on Monday. One might think that the arrival in Germany of the first of 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine on Monday might be cause for celebration. But with news breaking over the weekend that top government officials in Berlin will be...

All across the country: Michigan, Delaware, California, Oklahoma, West Virginia and more.

I thought other freepers might be interested in hearing about real world swine flu cases. This is my story. My children were to get their regular flu shoots last week, but the pediatrician office ran out. They were rescheduled for next week. We opted against the swine flu vaccination. On 10/20/2009 we received a phone call from the school nurse saying that one of my children was not feeling well and wanted to come home. No fever but was at the nurses office twice in the morning asking to come home. Strange, I thought, because my child was fine in...

Video on site An American woman is convinced that a flu shot given to her has lead to a rare disorder which means she can only walk backwards. Even more strangely, she has lost the ability to talk at all - unless she is running. The woman, Desiree Jennings, took a flu jab but just ten days later, she started shaking and struggled to walk in a straight line. She can't stay still without having a spasm, but incredibly when she either walks backwards or runs forwards, she is normal again.Just two years ago, she married her childhood sweetheart Brandon,...

Well, I've come down with flu like symptoms and it's been 2 days of no fun. My major symptoms are not what I'd call life-threatening, they are what I'd call annoying. I am experiencing: 1) Major back pain and body aches. Don't look at my back, it hurts. Need advil to lie down. 2) Exhaustion. I want to lie down. I don't care if it hurts. My minor symptoms are: 1) Minor, not severe ear pain 2) Minor but gone almost immediately sore throat 3) Initial onset of headache, gone 1st night prior to other symptoms 4) Stomach quesiness but...

In late July, the CDC abruptly advised states to stop testing for H1N1 flu, and stopped counting individual cases. The rationale given for the CDC guidance to forego testing and tracking individual cases was: why waste resources testing for H1N1 flu when the government has already confirmed there's an epidemic? Some public health officials privately disagreed with the decision to stop testing and counting, telling CBS News that continued tracking of this new and possibly changing virus was important because H1N1 has a different epidemiology, affects younger people more than seasonal flu and has been shown to have a higher...

The potential of the threat from the new strain of the antibiotic-resistant bacterium, which is becoming more widespread, is outlined in a study in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. Known as community acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA), it poses a significant risk outside hospitals.

German Soldiers Get Additive Free Swine Flu Shotby Paul Joseph Watson According to a report out of Germany, German soldiers have been given an additive-free swine flu shot that doesn’t contain mercury, squalene, or any of the other dangerous adjuvants associated with the vaccine, raising questions as to why this version of the shot has not been made available to the general population. An article that when translated is entitled, German soldiers gets non poisonous vaccine, explains how 250,000 German troops have been given a “friendly” vaccine made by Baxter that does not contain “controversial mercury-containing additives or preservatives”. It...

Major hospital, private practices, and large health group are not giving the swine vaccine as originally planned because of the red tape involved with the government.

GOOD NEWS!!! We Are Reaching Critical Mass ! This is all about a Consciousness Shift. It is said that the 30% level represents a tipping point. Things move slowly until the critical mass reaches 30%. After it reaches that point, things start taking off on their own---almost impossible to stop, especially when fueled by Passion and Truth and an Overwhelming Benefit to Mankind. 30% of British nurses refuse to take the Swine Flu Vaccine while 50% of New York Health Care Workers oppose the Swine Flu Vaccine. This issue is about to blow wide open. Just let them try to...

By Andrew W. Griffin Oklahoma Watchdog Posted: October 6, 2009 andrew@oklahomawatchdog.org OKLAHOMA CITY – News reports are noting today that thousands of doses of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine have arrived in Oklahoma and that these initial doses will be in the form of a nasal spray called FluMist, manufactured by MedImmune. The first community to receive shipments of FluMist will be Newcastle, in McClain County. Schools there will be targeted with a mass nasal spray vaccination program there, before it is shipped to other parts of the Sooner State. H.R. Holman, public information officer for the Oklahoma City-County Health Department,...

For the past few months I had been hearing through the alternative healing grapevine that a medical reporter in Austria had filed criminal charges against swine flu vaccine manufacturers. Curious but skeptical, I have quietly followed the story on the internet for the past few months. From Jane Bürgermeister's website: "I have filed criminal charges in Austria against Baxter and Avir Green Hills Biotechnology for producing and distributing contaminated bird flu vaccine material this winter, alleging that this was a deliberate act to cause a pandemic, and also to profit from that pandemic."

MIKE WALLACE:The flu season is upon us. Which type will we worry about this year, and what kind of shots will we be told to take? Remember the swine flu scare of 1976? That was the year the U.S. government told us all that swine flu could turn out to be a killer that could spread across the nation, and Washington decided that every man, woman and child in the nation should get a shot to prevent a nation-wide outbreak, a pandemic. Well 46 million of us obediently took the shot, and now 4,000 Americans are claiming damages from Uncle...

CAIRO — It is unlikely anyone has ever come to this city and commented on how clean the streets are. But this litter-strewn metropolis is now wrestling with a garbage problem so severe it has managed to incite its weary residents and command the attention of the president. “The problem is clear in the streets,” said Haitham Kamal, a spokesman for the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs. “There is a strict and intensive effort now from the state to address this issue.” But the crisis should not have come as a surprise. When the government killed all the...

In case of a swine flu pandemic the French government has a plan to introduce emergency measures that would gut legal protections for citizens, the daily Liberation reported Tuesday. According to documents provided to the daily by a judges' union, the plan would extend the period police can keep a suspect in detention without charge or a hearing before a judge to up to six months. Suspects would also not be able to contact a lawyer until after spending 24 hours in custody.

Like the coach said, it’s déjà vu all over again. We are charging full speed off the panic cliff one more time. There’s another round of something called swine flu (this time, AH1N1), just like in the mid 1970s. And just like 33 years ago, there’s a huge government rush to whip out a vaccine and a full-court media frenzy to get everyone and his dog immunized. Let’s all take a breather and recall some history. The first mass U.S. vaccination in 1976 was a total fiasco. Some 40 million took shots against a pandemic that never materialized. At least...

WASHINGTON--Government health officials are urging people not to panic over estimates of 90,000 people dying from swine flu this fall. "Everything we've seen in the U.S. and everything we've seen around the world suggests we won't see that kind of number if the virus doesn't change," Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a C-SPAN interview taped Wednesday.

Is the Obama administration counting on a United Nations-touted H1N1 pandemic to wipe out Town Hall resistance to Obamacare? U.S. officials admit they expect millions of new cases of the H1N1 flu this winter, as the dreaded flu season arrives in the Northern Hemisphere. The fear of a pandemic spread of the virus is already a clear and present danger in killing off any hope of a possible economic recovery late this year or early next.

A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter. The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins. It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by...

The family of the assistant principal who was New York City's first swine flu victim has filed court papers with the intention of suing the city and its health and education departments

The government says schools should only close this fall if large numbers of students have swine flu, and sick kids could return 24 hours after a fever is gone. The decision on closing rests with local school officials, but they are looking to the federal government for advice about the new flu strain that has caused a global epidemic. The advice on sick kids returning to school is a change from previous recommendations that people with swine flu stay home for a week. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below....

Five of the US Senate's summer pages -- student-aged youngsters getting an inside glimpse of the congress -- have been quarantined because they may have "swine flu," according to officials. In a memorandum to Senate offices late Tuesday, Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer said the pages were resting comfortably "apart from their peers and will not be allowed to return to work until cleared" by doctors. The Senate's Office of Attending Physician "believes that they most likely have influenza, quite possibly the H1N1 virus," Gainer said. -Asked if there were any such cases among White House student workers, spokesman Robert Gibbs said:...

A scientist who advises the Government on swine flu is a paid director of a drugs firm making hundreds of millions of pounds from the pandemic. Professor Sir Roy Anderson sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), a 20-strong task force drawing up the action plan for the virus.

The world has been gripped with fears of swine flu in recent weeks. In an interview with SPIEGEL, epidemiologist Tom Jefferson speaks about dangerous fear-mongering, misguided, money-driven research and why we should all be washing our hands a lot more often.

Swine flu is a nasty disease, but no nastier than other strains of influenza. True, it has killed hundreds of people in Mexico (possibly for these reasons); but even there, other variants of ‘flu virus have been far more lethal. Why, then, the urgent need to inoculate the entire British population? Perhaps I’m being overly cynical, but I can’t help wondering whether we’re being pushed into a wrong-headed course of action by the health scare industry.

Reston ebolavirus (Rebov) has only been seen in monkeys and humans previously and, unlike other types of Ebola, it is not known to cause illness in people. Researchers say it is theoretically possible for the virus to mutate in pigs into a form that might sicken people. The Philippines had tested 141 people, the researchers said, and six of them who either worked on pig farms or with swine products were found with antibodies to the Ebola-Reston virus, which means they might have been infected by pigs at some time. However, they showed no signs of illness. Rebov belongs to...

By June 19, 2009, all 50 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have reported novel H1N1 infection. While nationwide U.S. influenza surveillance systems indicate that overall influenza activity is decreasing in the country at this time, novel H1N1 outbreaks are ongoing in parts of the U.S., in some cases with intense activity.

A 49-year-old man from Pflugerville is the first person in Travis County to die of swine flu and the 14th known death in Texas, health authorities said Monday.

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico emerged from its swine flu isolation Tuesday as thousands of newspaper vendors, salesmen hawking trinkets and even panhandlers dropped their protective masks and joined the familiar din of traffic horns and blaring music on the streets of the capital. There were still signs, however, of the virus that set off world health alarms. A Texas woman who lived near a popular border crossing was confirmed as the 28th person -- only the second outside Mexico and the first U.S. resident -- to die from the virus. Across Mexico, people were eagerly anticipating this week's reopening...

...Recommendations * School closure is not advised for a suspected or confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) and, in general, is not advised unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school’s ability to function. * Schools that were closed based on previous interim CDC guidance related to this outbreak may reopen...

In the matter of swine flu -- and the single dumbest response to it yet -- first prize was about to go to the government of Egypt, which last week ordered a cull of the country's estimated 400,000 pigs, never mind that the disease, name notwithstanding, is mainly transmitted human-to-human. *** snip **** So at least Mexico is making progress. As are we -- a point we too often forget amid occasional pandemic bouts of hysteria.