NEWS: Mysterious Disease Kills Nine In China

Latest on the 20 infected...

Xinhua News reported an unknown disease struck 20 villagers in Ziyang, Sichuan, between June 24 and July 21. They all began with a high fever, fatigue, nausea and vomiting and became comatose later with bruises under the skin.
The patients, 19 men and a woman, are all farmers aged 30 to 70. They all butchered sick pigs or sheep before coming down with the strange disease, a preliminary investigation has found. By July 21, nine patients died and one has recovered. Ten more are still being treated. Their close contacts have not been infected

HK govt has posted brief info:
www.news.gov.hk...

I don’t know why people would be surprised that China would be secretive about the full extent of the latest bird flu outbreak.

There are a number of stories surfacing around duck meat exported from China to Japan that was found to be contaminated. It is already being suggested that possible future outbreaks in neighbouring countries and even as far south as New Zealand and Australia due to migrating birds is a very real possibility. Doesn’t augur well for local Asia Pacific relationships, which have China at the centre of so many business deals. This could be a real disaster for a country who is already VERY secretive about many, many aspects of their being.

Some interesting links:

www.planetark.com...

news.bbc.co.uk...

www.abc.net.au...

asiaagri1.pnpsolutions.net...

www.askted.com.au.../WebSite/AskTedArticles/familyHealth/Health_N ews/

www.scidev.net...

Originally posted by gman55
Latest on the 20 infected...

Xinhua News reported an unknown disease struck 20 villagers in Ziyang, Sichuan, between June 24 and July 21. They all began with a high fever, fatigue, nausea and vomiting and became comatose later with bruises under the skin.
The patients, 19 men and a woman, are all farmers aged 30 to 70. They all butchered sick pigs or sheep before coming down with the strange disease, a preliminary investigation has found. By July 21, nine patients died and one has recovered. Ten more are still being treated. Their close contacts have not been infected.

This could be serious, if true.

I am no medical expert but I didn't know that any form of influenza causes "bruises under the skin", as stated in the quote. This sounds more like a form of hemoragic fever (ie. ebola, dengue, marlburg, etc) than influenza.

I'm particularly concerned since pigs and sheep, especially pigs have immune systems very similar to those of humans making inter-species tranmission of certain viral infections very easy (ie., "swine" flu).

Just what we need...A New Plague!

[edit on 24-7-2005 by Bhadhidar]

Chill. Influenzas infect the lungs, they don't bruise the skin. The report said that close contacts have not been infected, so it isn't that easily transmitted.

Assuming, of course, the Chinese aren't holding back on any info.

Here's a bit of info regarding the mutation of the Avian Type A Influenza (H5N1)

All Type A Influenza viruses are well known for their propensity to easily mutate over time and space. A mutation is defined as a change in genetic information. Changes in genetic information can lead to changes in the actual structure of the virus, leading to new subtypes or strains. For example, the Type A Influenza virus of humans undergo frequent mutations leading to permanent antigenic changes in the virus. An antigen is a foreign substance, generally a protein that causes an immune response. The Influenza Virus looks like a ball studded with “spikes” on the surface of the virus. The spikes consist of molecules of two proteins (antigens), hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, on the surface of the virus.

All Type A Influenza viruses, which includes those that infect humans and birds, mutate easily because the virus lack mechanisms that prevent changes in its genetic code during replication. The virus also cannot repair any changes should there be any. As a result of these uncorrected errors, the genetic composition of the virus changes (mutation) during replication, and the existing strain is replaced with a new mutant virus, properly known as an antigenic variant. These constant, permanent and usually small changes in the antigenic composition of Influenza A Viruses are known as “antigenic drift”.

The danger in antigenic drift is that Influenza Viruses that are “mildly pathogenic” can mutate into forms that become “highly pathogenic”. This has been shown during a 1983-84 epidemic of Avian Flu Virus in the United States. During this period, Avian Flu Virus Subtype H5N2 initially caused low mortalities in poultry. But within six months, the virus had mutated into a highly pathogenic form as demonstrated by high mortalities approaching 90%.

The probability of the Flu virus mutating into a more pathogenic form also increases the longer it circulates. This was shown in a study conducted earlier this year by the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute (Harbin, China) and the St Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, U.S). In their study, researchers reported results of experiments in which mice had been exposed to 21 isolates of Avian Flu Virus subtype H5N1 strains obtained from ducks in China between 1999 and 2002. They found a pattern of progressively increasing pathogenicity over time, with the 2002 isolates being far more harmful then those in 1999.

Read the rest..

Edit add: Lady of the Lake, or a mod, could you please shorten that link?

[edit on 7/24/2005 by QuietSoul]

Sounds to me like a little bit of biological warfare.

Maybe Russia feels like they have to thin the herd a little bit before excising...?

Or maybe to reduce backlash after using the Sino-horde for a massive assault somewhere and killing a couple million of 'em.

Neither the Russians nor the Chinese are to be trusted. By anyone.

Originally posted by DeltaChaos
Sounds to me like a little bit of biological warfare.

Maybe Russia feels like they have to thin the herd a little bit before excising...?

Or maybe to reduce backlash after using the Sino-horde for a massive assault somewhere and killing a couple million of 'em.

Neither the Russians nor the Chinese are to be trusted. By anyone.

Why does every natural occurance have to be related to some kind of global warmongering? This is science, the influenza has been mutating for CENTURIES. It's nothing new, its nothing manufactured. It's fact, and the sooner you realize it, the sooner you'll understand how bad this could get.

I swear, do people even read the links provided anymore?

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Chill. Influenzas infect the lungs, they don't bruise the skin.

Sorry. influenza can cause bleeding underneath the skin. Influenza also presents as fever, aches, joint pain, abdominal cramping and/or diarrhea.
Some actual H5N1 infections present without the classic signs, and thus are mis-diagnosed and never tested for H5N1.


In the Spanish Flu, the purple face, Septicemia, and pneumonia were the 3 dead giveaways that a patient had it.


[edit on 24-7-2005 by gman55]

Originally posted by QuietSoul

Originally posted by DeltaChaos
Sounds to me like a little bit of biological warfare.

Why does every natural occurance have to be related to some kind of global warmongering? This is science, the influenza has been mutating for CENTURIES. It's nothing new, its nothing manufactured. It's fact, and the sooner you realize it, the sooner you'll understand how bad this could get.

I swear, do people even read the links provided anymore?

Bravo, QuietSoul.

Because there is so much false information and conjecture out there I proposed a new forum decicated to the H5N1 influenza threat. Our interested posters could then have a reference of the latest news and information page to help them understand and prepare.

[edit on 24-7-2005 by gman55]

Here's an interesting article from the MSM. Maybe this will open the door for other news organizations to investigate the issue...Note the number of deaths as extraploated from prior pandemics.

Vigilance against the avian flu
Published July 24, 2005

www.washtimes.com...

Great, just what we need when the chinese government has just let the general public visit the UK as tourists for the first time, previously only buisness trips and students where aloud to visit, so along with lots of tourist pounds being spent we'll all get a dose of bird flu aswell!

If it can spread from person-to-person, the slums in China would be like heaven for the disease.

I just hope they take them away to treat them and do not slip back into their old ways.

Edit:

They probably will cover it up so panic doesn't begin. A nation of that size with that many people will do all in its power to make sure a panic doesn't start.

[edit on 24/7/2005 by Odium]

Death toll rises to 17 and 58 have been hospitalized. It doesn´t seem to spread among humans.

world.altavista.com... tml

Sichuan pig patient infects 117 examples to die 24 examples
(Abundant news on July 26, 2005)
According to the Sichuan health department reported, up to July 26 12 o'clock, the Sichuan accumulation speaker infects the pig chain coccus sickness case of illness 117 examples, laboratory diagnoses 5 examples, clinical diagnosis 71 examples, 疑似 41 examples. In these case of illness, cures leaves the hospital 5 examples, the critically ill 21 examples, died 24 examples. _ (abundant news reporter: Clearly continues) (abundant news boxun.com)

Translation as follows...

117 Cases and 24 Fatalities Now Reported In The SiChuan Pig-Human Disease Outbreak

According to an update by the SiChuan Ministry of Health (or their Provincial equilavent), as of 12pm 26th July, 117 cases have been reported in the Pigs-to-Human "Streptococcus" outbreak. This is a cumulative figure. Of these, 5 have been confirmed via laboratory tests, 71 clinically diagnosed and 41 suspected. Of these 117 cases, 5 have been discharged, 21 still remain in critical condition and 24 have died.

www.peacehall.com...

Interesting that if this is a bacterial infection that the antibiotics are having no effect. This should also be a red flag, 117 cases in a few days when there have been less than 150 reported world wide!

As an aside note: What ever happened to the riots that broke out? The PLA was called in and we have not heard from Boxum concerning that situation? Hell we haven't heard from anybody including the orginal posters! I hope they haven't been "Quarantined" in body bags...


[edit on 27-7-2005 by gman55]

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The death toll of the pig-borne epidemic in southwest China's Sichuan Province reached 31 as of 12a.m. Thursday, according to the Chinese Ministry of Health.

The province has reported 152 cases of swine streptococosis II.Among them, 106 were confirmed cases and 46 suspected ones, said the ministry in a latest report.

Seven people have been discharged from hospital and 27 others are in critical condition.

Among the 27 newly reported cases since Wednesday, six are new and the rest are old cases found through investigation.

The epidemic broke out in late June in cities and counties including Ziyang City, Jianyang City, Lezhi County and Zizhong County in Neijiang City. All the patients had direct contact with ill or dead pigs.

news.xinhuanet.com...

Still suspicious on the death rate here. More cases now than ever reported world wide. Unusally high % mortailty too.

"Hundreds of fowl in Siberia have died of the same strain of bird flu that has infected humans throughout Asia, the Associated Press reported on Friday quoting a statement of the Russian Agriculture Ministry."

mosnews.com...

This really does show the potential this virus has of being a global threat.

Sichuan:34 deaths,123 confirmed+51suspected,28 in critical condition,12discharged
« on: Today at 10:38:21am

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death toll of pig-borne endemic rises to 34 in Sichuan

www.chinaview.cn 2005-07-30 23:03:03

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhuanet) --
The death toll of the pig-borne endemic in southwest China's Sichuan Province reached 34 as of 12 a. m. Saturday, according to the Chinese Ministry of Health.

The province has reported 174 cases of swine streptococosis II.Among them, 123 were confirmed cases and 51 suspected ones, said the ministry in a latest report.

Twelve people have been discharged from hospital and 28 others are in critical condition.

Cases were also reported from Wednesday to Saturday in cities of Chengdu, Zigong, Suining, Luzhou and Mianyang, all in southwestern Sichuan Province, totaling 26.

The endemic broke out in late June in cities and counties including Ziyang City, Jianyang City, Lezhi County and Zizhong County in Neijiang City. All the patients had direct contact with ill or dead pigs. Enditem

news.xinhuanet.com...

This thing is forming a circle from the orginal index case and they are behind this spread! They need to block off a larger radius and work into stop this thing, unless it's too late already.

BTW some Boxum reports (interview with doctor) indicate the reason this thing can't be stopped is because they use antibiotics and this doctor indicated a new tri-infection composed of and Ebloa, H5N1 and some other infecting agent.

Remember the boat from Angola in Jan. 2005 that had dead people on board and then they disappeared? The reporter on this was excuted!
He rang the alarm on Ebola!



[edit on 30-7-2005 by gman55]

Latest numbers: 200 infected and 39 killed. A butcher in Hong Kong has now been infected, but the meat he was handling didn´t appear to come from the infected areas. They fear that the disease has now spread to other parts of China.