Mysterious U.S. Swine Flu Probe Widens as Mexico Finds Swine Flu *updated*

Guatemala has its 1st. deceased by H1N1-A virus. A 12-year-old boy died from complications from it that caused him kidney failure and ...

From tweetdeck

Guatemala: muere paciente con gripe H1N1

Guatemala: muere paciente con gripe H1N1
Un niño de 12 años, que presentaba un cuadro de bronconeumonia, daño renal y fue contagiado con gripe H1N1, falleció.

Google translated

Guatemala: H1N1 flu patient dies
A child of 12 years, presenting a picture of bronchopneumonia, renal damage and was infected with H1N1 influenza, died.

[edit on 10-6-2009 by JBA2848]

Psychoso matic Flu Cases Putting Pressure on Hospitals

The medical system in Argentina is “near collapse” due to the number of people arriving in emergency rooms believing they have the Flu “A”. The virus causes particularly severe cough and flu symptoms in children. In the city of Buenos Aires, more than 500 parents per day are taking their children to hospital thinking they are suffering from the virus.

The emergency services telephone operator services is also “close to collapsing” according to Carlos Chiarelli, an on site doctor. “In one day, just one of the services received 10,000 calls with people requesting ambulances or advice for their children.” He also commented that the paranoia and psychosis is catastrophic for people in actual need of medical attention.

Medical authorities are asking the population to try and calm their worries. Nationally only 256 cases have been confirmed. “There are many more psychosomatic cases than real ones,” reported a spokesman from the Ministry of Health.

This is not the first time a flu panic has gripped the nation. In July last year, hospitals were overwhelmed by suspected bronchitis cases, a pulmonary tract infection which causes breathing difficulties and massive fatigue. Normally, these panics are associated with the coming of winter and colder weather but this year health officials suggest that the country is on high disease alert after Dengue and Swine Flu warnings.
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City Says 12 Flu Victims Died, but the Ill May Total 500,000

New York City officials on Wednesday reported the deaths of three more people with swine flu, and estimated that as many as half a million New Yorkers may have become sick from the virus.

Op-Ed Contributor: When Is a Pandemic Not a Pandemic? (June 11, 2009)
How a Mild Virus Might Turn Vicious (June 9, 2009)
Times Topics: Swine Flu (AH1N1 Virus)The latest deaths bring the city’s total to 12 since the outbreak began in late April. The city health department said that one of the latest victims was 30 to 39 years old, one was 50 to 59 years old and one was over 65.

The city also announced 102 new hospitalizations since its last report on Monday, bringing the total hospitalizations to 530.
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12 dead 102 new hospitalizations since its last report on Monday and estimated that as many as half a million New Yorkers may have become sick from the virus. Does that say pandemic? W.H.O. doesn't know.

[edit on 10-6-2009 by JBA2848]

reply to post by JBA2848


Three of those 12 deaths in NYC were just today.

There were also deaths reported in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Chicago.

Three confirmed deaths were in El Paso.

Yet not a peep in MSM.

Two senarios which is true?

Docs Believe Risk Level Decreasing For Potential H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic

Flemington, NJ, June 10, 2009 – A new national study among 655 physicians revealed that doctors believe the H1N1 swine flu virus is becoming less of a risk for a potential pandemic.

The study was conducted last night by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO), as part of a series of studies which were conducted on April 27, May 6 and May 21 to obtain physicians’ perceptions of the H1N1 virus. The studies are being conducted on a weekly basis to measure physicians’ perceptions regarding their personal and professional concerns.

More than one-third of physicians (35%) reported that there is no risk or little risk of a catastrophic pandemic compared to 29% in the May 21 study. When asked what top three sources they use to obtain information on H1N1 swine flu, government agency communications (77%) was rated number one, followed by the news media (69%) and medical associations (55%), similar to the previous study.
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Swine flu similarities to 1918 bug has scientists worried

WINNIPEG -- Chilling parallels between the spread of H1N1 swine flu and the 1918 Spanish flu that killed millions have disease experts bracing for an onslaught of new infections and a possible second wave of illness.

Dr. Ethan Rubinstein, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba, said experts believe the H1N1 influenza will follow the same pattern as the 1918 pandemic, as the virus continues to spread in more countries and causes a disproportionate amount of severe illness in First Nation communities.

In the past week, the H1N1 virus has erupted in the northern Manitoba First Nations communities of St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill -- both remote reserves with poor access to health care, overcrowded homes and a lack of running water.

Similarly impoverished aboriginal communities were hit hard by the 1918 outbreak. In Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, nearly one in five people died from Spanish flu.
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reply to post by MikeboydUS


Im sure they sat on the numbers because of the WHO meeting today, and the CDC only reports anything on Fridays now.

reply to post by JBA2848


I'd really like to know how many New Yorkers were hospitalized this time last year with the flu....it seems to me an extraordinary number of flu related hospitalizations for June. Does anyone know if these stats are available anywhere?

It is screaming "pandemic" to me....I feel the hesitation in declaring it a pandemic is sooo wrong and will cost people their lives. This is sooo obviously not a normal seasonal flu, and though many are lucky enough to escape with minor symptoms, there are far too many young people being hospitalized with this.

Will tomorrow be the day they finally declare a pandemic?

reply to post by phoenixs1


New York Influenza Activity, Surveillance and Reports

They have the links to the reports in PDF files on that page. and by May they usually have no reported influenza in New York.

reply to post by burntheships


very interesting stats...Thanks for posting!

Originally posted by Aeons

Originally posted by Jools
Baah
I have just travelled extensively to Alaska on a cruise and mixed with all sorts of nationalities. I stayed 3 extra days in Anchorage and caught flu. When I got back home...I went to walk in clinic cos my usual Dr away and the receptionist said 'no appointments for 3 days' even though I described the symptoms....and belive you me those 3 days I was really sick!!!

On going to walk in clinic there was a note posted on the door saying if you have this...this and this symptom...call this number. I went in and got an appointment - I have secondary Bronchitis...Now what I want to know is:
Is there something else that 'presents' with Swine Flu? which makes it a dead cert that it IS SWINE FLU OR is it all completely blown out of proportion? cos I HAD all the symptoms listed. I am sick and tired of hearing about it... and the impression I am getting is that it is all out of proportion and the deaths in Mexico are probably due to hygeine combined with this flu.
\my other concern is that if I have had even a mild form...I have now infected about 20 people in the walk in.

Do you know that Mexicans who died were not just poor? That some of them were from wealthy, prep-school type families?

Does that change your perception of it?

I guess I went on something I read in the media and yes it would change my opinion - sorry!
Boy have I been sick though......am able to type but have hardly been able to lift duvet and even when I have brushed my hair man it hurts.....I have to say whatever it is it's nasty....anyone who even gets a mild form...TAKE CARE of yourself!

reply to post by Aeons


My 80 yr old MOm is just starting to present with cold/flu like symptoms today...naturally I am worried and will keep my eye on her so my opinion of the flu jab is somewhat playing on my mind. I will look after her and hope she doesn't get any worse. It took 3 days of incubation from when I was at my most infected I guess.

ps i am on 1000mg of biaxin plus ventolin a day!

Originally posted by Jools
reply to post by Aeons

 

My 80 yr old MOm is just starting to present with cold/flu like symptoms today...naturally I am worried and will keep my eye on her so my opinion of the flu jab is somewhat playing on my mind. I will look after her and hope she doesn't get any worse. It took 3 days of incubation from when I was at my most infected I guess.

You would have been shedding the virus for a couple of days before you started having symptoms. She probably got it before you started showing symptoms, or when you just started and it has been increasing her viral load until she became symptomatic today.

This is why any flu would be difficult to contain. You are more likely to give it to someone when you are having projectile spit and mucous coming out of you from coughing and sneezing, but that doesn't mean you aren't infectious before and AFTER that point too.

[edit on 2009/6/10 by Aeons]

Originally posted by Jools
ps i am on 1000mg of biaxin plus ventolin a day!

Inflammation. You have inflammation in your lungs. Do whatever is necessary to keep your and your mother's inflammation levels down.

reply to post by JBA2848


Thanks so much for posting that. They don't even ordinarily report any stats for June onwards.

UN set for swine flu crisis talks news.bbc.co.uk...

UN health officials have called an emergency meeting to discuss swine flu, amid rumours that the first global flu pandemic in 40 years will be declared.

The World Health Organization announced the meeting after a steep rise in the number of cases in Australia.

WHO chiefs spoke to ministers in the worst-hit countries on Wednesday to get "undisputable" evidence of its spread.

A disease is classed as a pandemic when transmission between humans becomes widespread in two regions of the world.

Analysts say calling the H1N1 strain a pandemic will make little difference to the handling of the outbreak.

But the move may speed up the production of vaccines and prompt national governments to impose measures such as travel bans.

It looks highly probable that we will see level 6 today.IMHO

Evolving situation

The virus emerged in Mexico in April and since then thousands of cases have been confirmed throughout North and South America.

The virus has spread to 74 countries but the WHO has resisted labelling the outbreak a full-blown pandemic.

WHO chief Margaret Chan talked to officials from eight countries with large flu outbreaks on Wednesday in an attempt to confirm the spread of the disease.
WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES

Flu viruses in different species
Phase 1: No infections in humans are being caused by viruses circulating in animals.

Flu virus mutation
Phase 2: Animal flu virus causes infection in humans, and is a potential pandemic threat.

Antigenic shift in pigs
Phase 3: Flu causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission.

Virus transmission to humans
Phase 4: Human-to-human transmission and community-level outbreaks.

Virus transmission to humans
Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent.

Virus transmission to humans
Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way.

Virus transmission to humans
Post-peak: Pandemic activity appears to be decreasing though second wave possible.
Post-pandemic: activity returns to normal, seasonal flu levels.



She has said she believes the situation can be regarded as a pandemic but says she wants clear evidence before making an announcement.

The WHO's move follows Australia's confirmation of more than 1,200 cases - a four-fold increase in a week.

The head of the WHO's global influenza programme, Keiji Fukuda, said the situation had "evolved a lot" in recent days.

"We are getting close to knowing that we are in a pandemic situation," he said.

Although most sufferers experience regular flu symptoms and make a full recovery, the WHO has confirmed 141 deaths from 27,737 cases.

The BBC's health correspondent, Jane Dreaper, says classifying the virus as a pandemic does not mean that the virus has suddenly become more deadly.


But it does send a clear signal to health officials and businesses to continue planning for the possibility of large numbers of people catching the virus, she says.

The WHO's emergency committee is due to meet in Geneva at 1000 GMT.

The last global pandemic was declared in 1968 over the Hong Kong flu.

www.google.com...
www.independent.co.uk...

[edit on 11-6-2009 by tarifa37]

[edit on 11-6-2009 by tarifa37]

Originally posted by JBA2848
City Says 12 Flu Victims Died, but the Ill May Total 500,000

New York City officials on Wednesday reported the deaths of three more people with swine flu, and estimated that as many as half a million New Yorkers may have become sick from the virus.

Op-Ed Contributor: When Is a Pandemic Not a Pandemic? (June 11, 2009)
How a Mild Virus Might Turn Vicious (June 9, 2009)
Times Topics: Swine Flu (AH1N1 Virus)The latest deaths bring the city’s total to 12 since the outbreak began in late April. The city health department said that one of the latest victims was 30 to 39 years old, one was 50 to 59 years old and one was over 65.

The city also announced 102 new hospitalizations since its last report on Monday, bringing the total hospitalizations to 530.
.

12 dead 102 new hospitalizations since its last report on Monday and estimated that as many as half a million New Yorkers may have become sick from the virus. Does that say pandemic? W.H.O. doesn't know.

[edit on 10-6-2009 by JBA2848]

You want to know what scares me the most about what New York is saying?
California had it "first" and they have completely stopped releasing numbers for over a month now they aren't even testing. It went out of the media and has just now resurfaced. To say what you ask? To tell us that SEVERAL people died in May from complication due to the A flu!

We went shopping to stock up on our usual staples Tuesday and every darned person I passed was either sweating and/or coughing. We left and I went to another store that was almost empty at the time.
Our neighbors son's work for a grocery store that has two locations here in town. The one son was called and asked if he would go and work at the other one a few days because HALF THE STORE WAS OUT SICK! He told them no way, he was sorry but he had a son to think of and going in there with all of those sick people would surely get him sick.(the guy across the street work's in the bakery there and his whole family is sick now too)

I just can't believe how far this has gotten as of late. It is like they are waiting for it to get SO bad that they can't do anything at all.

I've been very ill. WITHOUT a fever. I know that I had this flu and could not get the doctor or hospital to test me. Here are my symptoms:

Day One: Sore Throat, Chills, aches and pains all over in muscles.

Day Two: Sore Throat, Chills, running nose, pain in every muscle.

Day Three: Chills (to where I'm shaking) with NO fever, running nose,sneezing, aching muscles every where, mild cough starting up.

Day Four: Chills, shaking, low grade temp of 96.8, sneezing, muscle aches everywhere. Slight nausea.

Now here is where it got real interesting:

Day Five: Chills, low grade temp of 97.4, constant sinus drainage changing into a yellow/green color, coughing up drainage, hurting badly every where in my body. I could not get up without help. Weak, very very weak.

Day Six: Chills with low grade temp of 96.4, coughing up sinus drainage. As evening approaches I feel like there is an elephant on my chest. I cannot breathe. I feel I cannot get full air in my lungs. This came on very suddenly, the feeling I could not breathe. Dr orders me to go to hosp. They run chest x-ray and ekg. EGK normal, Chest film clear. I request a test for swine flu. They laugh me off. They totally laughed me off.
I had husband phone our dr from the ER to ask for a blood test, and he says he won't run one because I have not been running a fever the whole time.

Let me tell you.... I had every symptom, with NO fever. Maybe I am the exception.

I went home, feeling like I was on death door. Still having that elephant on the chest feeling. Could not catch breath. Coughing up some very horrible looking stuff.

ER would not prescribe antibiotic. I had a refill of Biaxin on hold at pharmacy. We had it filled and I began on it ASAP that night. I also got my batch of colloidal silver I had been waiting on and began nebulizing it that next morning. The coughing improved within two days of nebulizing.

I'm recovering now. But I do believe that I had this. And I'm disgusted that they would refuse to test me all because I did not have fever.

I have never felt this sick in all my life and never had a virus without a fever before. And I have had the flu before....

reply to post by xoxo stacie


It's been sneaky here in my state. As far as I am concerned, they are lying. I know we have more than 3 cases in my area. I've seen WAY too many sick people around me the past month. They've just stopped testing or reporting....

I am disgusted because by not reporting, they are giving people who have been worrying about this flu a false sense of security.... by making people think it's going away. We've had a couple of news articles in the past two weeks claiming it's slowing down....going away. Now today we might go to level 6.

Well I tried to open a thread about the health minister's confirming they had recieved the call and we are at level 6.But they shut the thread in less than 2 minutes and told me to go post on a speculation thread with troll's so am not going to both just going to put it here.!
Now whether they recieved the call BEFORE the meeting or during it is another question all together.

GENEVA — The World Health Organization held an emergency swine flu meeting Thursday and was likely to declare the first flu pandemic in 41 years as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.

Health officials from Scotland, Indonesia and Thailand said the agency would declare a swine flu pandemic — a global epidemic — on Thursday after a teleconference with leading flu experts. Officials at U.N. missions in Geneva also said they expected the imminent announcement of a pandemic.

"It is likely in light of sustained community transmission in countries outside of North America — most notably in Australia — that level 6 will be declared," Scotland's Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told Scottish lawmakers, adding it would be Thursday.

Indonesian health minister Siti Fadilah Supari said she had been notified by WHO that "today will be declared to be phase 6."

www.foxnews.com...