St. Jude study links Parkinson's, bird flu

St. Jude study links Parkinson's, bird flu

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St. Jude study links Parkinson's, bird flu
Submitted by SHNS on Tue, 08/11/2009 - 14:46 By TOM CHARLIER, Scripps Howard News Service health/fitness In a study offering tantalizing clues into the origins of a devastating and mysterious ailment, researchers concluded that people who survive a strain of bird flu have a significantly greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
Published in this week's edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study by a team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis found that mice infected with the A/Vietnam/1203/04 s

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What I find especially interesting about thes recent articles re: various flu bugs is the connection with central nervous system damage.

As has been pointed out, the swine flu shots of '76 carried a risk for paralysis - and 25 died from the shots.

When I was in the AF, we were taught how to "survive" (if you can call it that) a chem attack from nerve agents.

Of course, should you (or a buddy) be able to give you your injection, you would be paralyzed from the shot. So if they decide to run their tank over you, you would just lay there and die THAT way instead.

I am really wondering if these designer-influenzas are military-engineered. They sure sound like it to me.

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[edit on 16-8-2009 by skycopilot]

Good find! My father is developing Parkinson's, and I wonder if he ever had the flu shot? I will have to ask him...S & F!

reply to post by skycopilot


My brother has developed symptoms of Parkinsons. He has not recieved a conclusive diagnosis but he has some sort of neurological issue because he shakes all the time. He said he had not felt well and thought he had Spotted Mt. Fever prior to comming down with the trembles. I cannot help but wonder if this article and his new problems are not linked. He could have had the flu or a shot I am not sure I will have to ask.

Interesting I went to the site you listed as sources and they were gone. Hum... I smell a conspiracy. LOL. Do you have any more information? I was going to email it to my brother but I could not pull it up. Is the link broken? Could you please check it for me?

My Grandpa was born in Jamaica and joined the British Army back in the 60's. He now has Parkinson's and Alzheimers and it's hit him pretty hard the past year. He was diagnosed probably 15 years ago. Anyways about 6 years back he was telling me how when he was in the army they would give different shots to the soldiers and were never told what they were. He said a lot of guys got sick from them. He told me never to get a flu shot because he blames having Parkinson's and Alzheimers on the shots he got back then and doesn't trust vaccines.

When my sister was in grade 7 during the mid 90's she received a flu shot and a few days later she was super sick. She was so sick and for a long time, she ended up missing 75% of the school year and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. Our family doctor said it was caused by the flu vaccine.

So I know I don't trust vaccines either. Especially when you read and hear about how many people they actually affect in a negative way. It's a lot more than the official #'s would have people believe. They try to make ti sound like it's rare that people will have side effects but it's not.

reply to post by Melissa101


In a study offering tantalizing clues into the origins of a devastating and mysterious ailment, researchers concluded that people who survive a strain of bird flu have a significantly greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
Published in this week's edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study by a team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis found that mice infected with the A/Vietnam/1203/04 strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus suffered neurological damage similar to that associated with Parkinson's.
The researchers found that the virus, having replicated in the lungs, travels nerve pathways and attacks small groups of cells in the brain stem.
The infected mice developed tremors, slowness of movement and a general "pathology similar to what's seen in Parkinson's," said Dr. Richard Smeyne, associate member of St. Jude's developmental neurobiology department and lead author of the study.
The study didn't suggest that the virus causes Parkinson's, only that it leaves survivors more susceptible to the disease -- and possibly other neurological damage.
The study is significant because it establishes that viruses could be "one environmental agent that can start the cascade leading to Parkinson's," the causes of which are unknown in 95 percent of cases, Smeyne said.
"This is the first study with very direct experimental evidence that a virus that is in the environment can lead to this pathology," he said.
According to the National Parkinson Foundation, about 60,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed annually in the United States, adding to the estimated 1.5 million Americans who already have it. Usually occurring after age 65, the disease strikes when dopamine-producing cells in certain regions of the brain die, causing tremors, cognitive problems and various other symptoms.
Previous research has linked the disease to genetic and environmental factors. Just last month, for instance, a study by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center was published showing that people with Parkinson's had relatively high levels of a certain pesticide in their blood.
Haeman Jang, another of the St. Jude study's authors, said the research offers new insight as to how viruses can invade the central nervous system.
Scientists long have known that some viruses can cause neurological ailments. Survivors of the Spanish flu pandemic that began in 1918, for instance, were found to be at greater risk of developing a type of encephalitis later on.
However, there's no evidence yet that the H1N1 swine flu virus, which has spread rapidly this year, is linked to any neurological problems, researchers say.
St. Jude conducted the study because it is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds.
(Tom Charlier is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.)