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

First swine flu death reported in Spokane County

The first death related to swine flu in Spokane County has been confirmed, the Spokane Regional Health District announced today.

The person was a visitor to Spokane who had “multiple underlying health conditions,” the health district said in a news release. The woman, who was in her 40s, died at a Spokane hospital on July 16.

Only people who are seriously ill are being tested for H1N1 influenza virus, otherwise known as swine flu, the health district said.

“Sadly, this is an example of how H1N1 flu can have very serious consequences,” Dr. Joel McCullough, the district’s health officer, said in the release. “We are now intensively planning and preparing for the anticipated spread of the virus in the fall.”
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Washington?

Infectious Diseases Society of America

First time I have heard of this group.
They have some useful links to information.

Klamath Country Man Dies Of H1N1 Swine Flu

The 33 year old Klamath County man who was hospitalized with Pandemic H1N1 Influenza (originally referred to as "swine" flu) has died.

According to the Klamath County Department of Public Health, the man died Saturday to complications from Pandemic H1N1 Influenza. The patient's name has not been released.

Earlier reports were that the man was being treated at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford.
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Oregon

Mass graves included in flu pandemic plan

Emergency plans for a flu pandemic that could kill about 700,000 people will be set out today.

Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, will unveil the National Pandemic Flu Framework, which sets out how emergency workers would cope with the huge death toll.

Swine flu: British government draws up contingency plansMass graves, inflatable mortuaries, 24-hour cremations and "express" funerals could all be used, government papers show.

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reply to post by JBA2848


Check the date:

2008. Old news

reply to post by infinite


Monday 27 July 2009 Thats the date at the top of the page.

I didn't notice this date.
By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
Published: 9:20AM BST 12 Apr 2008

But seeing the recent articles on how they are thinking of useing ancient catacombs to house bodies I believed this story might of been where they decided not to do something so creepy. Ill watch the dates closer but I do believe I have been doing a good job so far.

Woman Dies From Viral Infection That Killed Brother

CINCINNATI -- An Indiana woman died Monday from H1N1, the same virus that killed her brother last month.

Relatives confirmed that 26-year-old Mindy McIntosh, of Dearborn County, had lost her battle with the viral infection.

Her 19-year-old brother, Matthew McIntosh, died June 30 from the virus at University Hospital after collapsing near a barn at his family's home..

Third swine flu victim in Palm Beach County id'ed as DCF employee

BELLE GLADE — Palm Beach County's third swine flu victim, who died nine days ago, was a 46-year-old mother and longtime employee of the state Department of Children and Families' west county office, a family member said today.

Onetta Willis of Belle Glade, who worked for DCF for more than 25 years, was the woman identified last week as the county's third victim of the H1N1 swine flu virus, her daughter confirmed.

Willis' daughter declined to comment other than to confirm her death.

Willis, a native of the Glades area, died July 18 after falling ill and succumbing quickly to symptoms, a county health department spokesman said last week. She was the 26th person is Florida to die from swine flu complications.
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Alaska records first swine flu-related fatality

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Fairbanks woman with underlying medical conditions has died of complications of swine flu in Washington state - the first swine-flu related fatality of an Alaskan, state health officials said Monday.

The Department of Health and Social Services said the woman was in her 40s and died on July 16 died in a Washington state hospital. The woman had existing heart and lung conditions, agency spokesman Greg Wilkinson said.

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2 more swine flu-related

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts health officials say the swine flu virus has now killed seven people in the state following the deaths of two more people.

The state Department of Public Health on Monday described the latest victims as a 62-year-old person from Middlesex County and a 53-year-old resident of the Worcester County.

Both victims had underlying health conditions that made them more susceptible to complications from the flu.

Woman was Alberta's 5th swine-flu fatality

A middle-aged woman in the Calgary area who had swine flu and other health issues died earlier this month — the fifth fatality in Alberta linked to the H1N1 virus.

Officials Alberta Health Services revealed Monday that the woman, between 40 and 60 years old, died about 10 days ago in a local hospital. Her name was not released.

She "did have other contributing factors, some underlying health conditions that did interact with the influenza infection to cause her death," said Dr. Gerry Predy, medical officer of health.

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Brazil already has 45 deaths from avian swine

Seven swine flu deaths were confirmed this Monday in Brazil. There were four cases in São Paulo and three in Paraná, in Curitiba all.

Not all the victims had health problems that could contribute to the worsening of the disease.

In these cases, the death toll rises to 45 in the country. . Are 20 cases in São Paulo, 16 in Rio Grande do Sul, five and four in the Rio Parana. Read more in Brazil now has 45 deaths from avian swine

Influenza A is the first three victims in Curitiba and region

Investigations showed that three people died from the virus of influenza A H1N1 in the region of Curitiba last week. The deaths were announced by Secretary of State for Health, Gilberto Martin, in press conference on the afternoon of Monday (27). With the new cases, the number of deaths by the new flu in Paraná reaches four.

Just checking in with you guys for a minute, wanted to say that my Grandpa is doing pretty good, BUT... He has had UTIs every since his illness. He is also suffering from kidney pain and has been weak.

Do we have any statistics on the longer term affects of TSF? Does it affect the kidney and urinary track?

www.brazzilmag.com...

Brazil Suggests that Neighbors Break Patents to Fight Swine Flu
Written by Newsroom
Saturday, 25 July 2009
The leaders of Argentina and Brazil speaking during the Mercosur summit in Paraguay, suggested Friday, July 25, that developing countries should be allowed to lift patent rights so they can produce more vaccines to battle the swine flu, the A/H1N1 virus flu pandemic.

"It would be very advantageous to propitiate a kind of lifting or suspension of the patents law because the World Health Organization has recognized that we're dealing with an epidemic," Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said in her main speech to Mercosur leaders.

Failing to act could mean "condemning millions of people to death" while "suspending" the patents law could save millions of lives, added the Argentine president.

"I hope this won't be misconstrued because I'm not talking about disavowing patent law," underlined Mrs. Kirchner adding that " I'm saying that given this unprecedented pandemic recognized by the WHO, many times some laboratories cannot keep up with world demand for vaccines."

However according to Brazilian news agency reports, the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was more direct and proposed that leaders discuss breaking the patents law to help contain the swine flu pandemic.

The official Brazilian government news agency said Health Minister José Gomes Temporão is negotiating with all vaccine producers to boost the vaccine's availability. "Brazil is willing to defend the health security of its population," the minister was quoted.

Brazil has been successful in recent years in convincing pharmaceutical companies to offer discounts on HIV medication. In 2007 the Brazilian government issued a compulsory license to break the patent on an antiretroviral AIDS drug made by US pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.

Mrs. Kirchner said Argentina and Brazil both have highly developed pharmaceutical industries and should be able to produce vaccine "that wouldn't be free," Argentina's state news agency, Telam, reported.

"But," Telam quoted the president as saying, "it's beyond question that we're confronting a situation in which the needs of millions of people cannot be subordinated to economic interests."

Scientists Fear Swine Flu Can Infect Brains of Unborn Babies

The H1N1 flu virus can damage the developing brains of unborn offspring, scientists have found.

They discovered that the virus changes the workings of genes that control fetal brain growth and development. Some of those genes have been implicated in mental disorders.

“Prenatal viral infection led to altered gene expression in the hippocampus, including autism and schizophrenia candidate genes,” said Hossein Fatemi, a neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota medical school, whose research paper details the results.

Fatemi’s research was carried out entirely on mice so the results need to be interpreted cautiously in terms of their implications for humans.

It was, however, prompted by other epidemiological evidence suggesting that children born to women who have suffered flu infections during pregnancy are at increased risk of schizophrenia and possibly autism too.

It reinforces existing advice that pregnant women should do all they can to avoid infection with the virus.

Trevor Robbins, professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge said the new research simply reinforced existing advice. He said: “Pregnant women should do their best to avoid all infections, especially flu.

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reply to post by antar


www.tamiflu.com...

In addition, take the following precautions when using TAMIFLU:

You should not take TAMIFLU if you are allergic to oseltamivir phosphate or any other ingredients of TAMIFLU.
TAMIFLU is normally not recommended for use during pregnancy or nursing, as the effects on the unborn child or nursing infant are unknown. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding while taking TAMIFLU, talk to your doctor before taking TAMIFLU.
If you have any type of kidney disease, talk to your doctor before starting TAMIFLU therapy.
The use of TAMIFLU along with an intranasal flu vaccine like FluMist®* has not been evaluated. However, due to the possibility for interference between these products, an intranasal flu vaccine should not be given within 2 weeks before or 48 hours after taking TAMIFLU, unless it is deemed appropriate by your doctor. The type of flu vaccine administered as a shot through the skin can be given at any time relative to use of TAMIFLU. :

Not sure what kidney problems Tamiflu can cause or even if he was given it . But there is a warning for it.
If you have any type of kidney disease, talk to your doctor before starting TAMIFLU therapy.

Third case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu in Japan

Japan has found a third case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu in a man who had taken the drug to prevent infection, the Tokushima prefectural office said Tuesday.
Just six cases of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu have been reported worldwide.

In a statement, the prefectural health department said the man in his 30s was given Tamiflu after his colleague was infected with the virus this month.

The Tamiflu-resistant strain does not appear to have spread beyond the man, who has recovered, the prefectural health department said.

Preventive use of Tamiflu has occasionally given rise to resistant viruses, including those of seasonal flu.

Denmark, Hong Kong and Canada also have reported one case each of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu.

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Israeli scientists fear spreading of more animal-to-human diseases

JERUSALEM, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel's health authorities have confirmed that the A/H1N1 flu played a role in the recent death of a 35-year-old resident of the Red Sea resort city of Eilat.

It is the first known death case of this influenza in the country with a population of seven million, but a high number of 1,300 A/H1N1 cases among the some 140,000 cases worldwide.

Scientists in the country say they cannot rule out more deaths in the weeks ahead. The Health Ministry has also looked into the death of a child in central Israel who showed signs of A/H1N1 flu complications, but test results later ruled the virus out as a cause.

While doctors and scientists are dealing with the A/H1N1 flu, they are painfully aware that other unknown infections could be around the corner -- and Israeli experts are warning that there is nothing to stop the transfer of more unwanted diseases from livestock to humans.

Such risks cannot be ruled out because of the density of human and animal populations and the fact that the two work so closely together, said Shimon Perk, who is with the government's veterinary institute and a lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Even AIDS spread from animals to people in some cases and adapted itself to human beings, he said, adding the A/H1N1 flu should actually now be renamed as it is a human-adapted virus.

Scientists have been surprised time and again during the last 30 years. From Legionnaires Disease and AIDS, through bird flu and the hantavirus, doctors have had to cope with many unexpected epidemics and occasional pandemics. It makes the future very hard to predict, but Perk is sure more lies ahead.

reply to post by antar


Glad to hear he is doing better...As JBA2848 posted,

I wondered to...
A lot of meds are hard on the kidneys...



Back in April, beginning of May we posted here about [url=NORTHCOM and Swine Flu...

CultureD has a thead on it...apparently the plans laid years ago are now being enacted...
abovetopsecret.com


Here are some of the links with more information....saved them from April...

Will NorthCom take over in Swine Flu Outbreak?

Back in 2002, President Bush created NorthCom, the Pentagon’s Northern Command, which has jurisdiction over the United States.

And NorthCom has been running preparedness drills in the event of a flu pandemic for at least the past three years.

Making things more alarming, NorthCom got assigned its own fighting unit six months ago—the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, which had spent much of the last five years battling things out in Iraq.

progressive.org...

Anticpating Threats key to success, commander says
www.mcguire.af.mil...

The swine flu outbreak raises a lot of fears.

Here’s one you might not have thought of yet: The Pentagon may be taking over more and more of our civil society in this crisis.

aftermathnews.wordpress.com...

Unclassified, so no worries.

US NORTHCOM FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION 09-114 SWINE FLU INFLUENZA

fhp.osd.mil...