South Florida warned about meningitis strain that has killed 4

South Florida warned about meningitis strain that has killed 4

www.miamiherald.com

BY FRED TASKER
[email protected]
Miami-Dade health officials are warning residents about a rare and deadly strain of meningitis that has killed four people in South Florida and infected eight others in the past six months.

The strain, called W135, is fast-acting and can kill a person within hours of symptoms arising, said Dr. Vincent Conte, senior physician at the Miami-Dade Department of Health.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This sure does not sound good. The strain W135 can kill within 4-6 hours of first developing symptoms!

It is easily treated with antibiotics, however how many people would think to seek out a doctor and get treatment with in 4-6 hours of first noticing symptoms of what comes on like a common cold and headache?

Some busy pharmacies take 4-6 hours to fill a prescription. Most emergency rooms take 4-6 hours just to see a doctor!

What a perfect population reduction illness. All one would need to make sure they remained not at risk is a supply of antibiotics on hand and to be forearmed with knowledge of the symptoms. The average person would be dead before they hardly knew they were sick.

This is scary!


www.miamiherald.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

oh hell no!!! That's a scary disease especially since I'm a South Florida resident.

www.miamiherald.com...
Q. How is it spread?

A. Coughing, kissing, sharing drinking utensils, touching hard surfaces previously touched by someone who is infected. Dr. Gordon Dickinson, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Miami School of Medicine, says the strain can live up to two days on a hard surface.

Q. How contagious is it?

A. It's contagious but less so than, say, the flu. Some people can have it without becoming ill.

Q. How can I keep from getting meningitis?

A. Avoid those with symptoms, wash your hands frequently, clean hard surfaces around those who are infected.

Guess we here in South Florida have to be extra diligent in boosting our immune systems now.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
oh hell no!!! That's a scary disease especially since I'm a South Florida resident.

www.miamiherald.com...
Q. How is it spread?

A. Coughing, kissing, sharing drinking utensils, touching hard surfaces previously touched by someone who is infected. Dr. Gordon Dickinson, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Miami School of Medicine, says the strain can live up to two days on a hard surface.

Q. How contagious is it?

A. It's contagious but less so than, say, the flu. Some people can have it without becoming ill.

Q. How can I keep from getting meningitis?

A. Avoid those with symptoms, wash your hands frequently, clean hard surfaces around those who are infected.

Guess we here in South Florida have to be extra diligent in boosting our immune systems now.

You and me both my friend! I am glad I keep a supply of anti-biotics in my Hurricane Kit.

I already have a call in to my doctor to see what type she recomends for this. 4-6 hours is just too small of a time frame!

Thanks for posting and sharing.

Meningitis outbreak in Florida.

Swine Flu in California.

Does anyone think that this might have to do with those pathogens that may have gone missing at Fort Detrick? Or am I jumping the gun on this?

[edit on 23-4-2009 by FreddyAuratus]

Originally posted by FreddyAuratus
Meningitis outbreak in Florida.

Swine Flu in California.

Does anyone think that this might have to do with those pathogens that may have gone missing at Fort Detrick? Or am I jumping the gun on this?

[edit on 23-4-2009 by FreddyAuratus]

It's entirely possible my friend that they might be linked. Though in this case here in South Florida it seems like the first case might have been six months ago?

I don't know if that rules your time frame out or not?

It would stand to reason though that these variants are being introduced from somewhere.

Thanks for the post.

reply to post by FreddyAuratus


No, I have thought about all these new illnesses too. Now there is a virulent respiratory outbreak in Mexico they are warning about. The pathogens that went missing in MD is actually equine encephalitis.

Now I know this probably doesn't have anything to do with it but what about those 21 horses that died in FL?

Originally posted by DDay
reply to post by FreddyAuratus

 

No, I have thought about all these new illnesses too. Now there is a virulent respiratory outbreak in Mexico they are warning about. The pathogens that went missing in MD is actually equine encephalitis.

Now I know this probably doesn't have anything to do with it but what about those 21 horses that died in FL?

As of today they are claiming that the Vitamins the horses were given were tainted with a poison.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- An official at a Florida pharmacy said Thursday the business incorrectly prepared a supplement given to 21 polo horses that died over the weekend while preparing to play in a championship match.

Miami Herald

Not to mention the value of the lives of the horses but each horse was valued at 250K-400K. It's pretty amazing that one slip up at a pharmacy could kill 21 of them?

Good point. I didn't realize the gap in time.

Still, it mentioned that pathogens may have gone missing from 1987 to 2008. That's 21 years of potentially mysterious outbreaks in the U.S. and abroad, that could be linked to this?

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Thank you for posting this, as I have something of interest to add. A close family member of mine, who lives further up the US eastern coast, contracted menengitis FROM THE HOSPITAL after a visit!!!

I thought this was highly suspect to begin with, and then I see this article you've posted. My personal belief is that this is no accident.

reply to post by DDay


Good call. Maybe a test run, since meningitis and encephalitis are similar afflictions?

Meningitis and encephalitis are inflammatory diseases of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord and are caused by bacterial or viral infections. Viral meningitis is sometimes called aseptic meningitis to indicate it is not the result of bacterial infection and cannot be treated with antibiotics. Symptoms of encephalitis include sudden fever, headache, vomiting, heightened sensitivity to light, stiff neck and back, confusion and impaired judgment, drowsiness, weak muscles, a clumsy and unsteady gait, and irritability. Symptoms that might require emergency treatment include loss of consciousness, seizures, muscle weakness, or sudden severe dementia.

www.ninds.nih.gov... /encephalitis_meningitis.htm

Originally posted by FreddyAuratus
Good point. I didn't realize the gap in time.

Still, it mentioned that pathogens may have gone missing from 1987 to 2008. That's 21 years of potentially mysterious outbreaks in the U.S. and abroad, that could be linked to this?

I honestly think Ft. Deidrick could have something to do with it. I find it highly suspect that they find a need to make and store those viruses in the first place.

I read a fictional novel years ago about a small Italian Mafia family looking to recapture the Herioine Trade from the Asians and one of the strategies they employed was leaning on a gambler who worked for the labs at Ft. Deidrick to give them a pathogen to introduce into the ecosystem of the Golden Triangle region.

It really would stand to reason that the CIA and others would use those pathogens from time to time if only to test them on trouble spots in Africa and the Middle East, South America and other places.

The Codex of December 2009 calls for the reduction of 4/5th of the planet's population through non conventional warfare like starvation and disease, tainted and nutritionally devoid food stuffs and the likes. We could in theory be starting to see the run out as they begin to test different pathogens within the population.

Great insight and addition to the post thanks!

Originally posted by emeraldzeus
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Thank you for posting this, as I have something of interest to add. A close family member of mine, who lives further up the US eastern coast, contracted menengitis FROM THE HOSPITAL after a visit!!!

I thought this was highly suspect to begin with, and then I see this article you've posted. My personal belief is that this is no accident.

I had a friend a few years back who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was told he had only a few short months to live. It turned out 3 hair raising months later he simply had a staff infection he had picked up in a hospital during a simple procedure that was misdiagnosed.

Of course in the meantime they bombarded him with all kinds of debilitating Cancer treatments that are needless to say pretty expensive and pretty lucrative and profitible to give to people.

I distrust the Health System and I truly think if you have a good insurance company or otherwise are a person of substantial means you have a target painted on you in hospitals and by aggressive doctors who potentially look to profit handsomely off of missery they inflict purposefully on you.

I agree with you my friend that this does not seem accidental.

Good call. Maybe a test run, since meningitis and encephalitis are similar afflictions?

I definately favor the test run theory. It's far to easy to put these viruses into the general population and then test the mortality rates and response times and public reactions to them.

We need to clean house in Washington!

It seems pretty suspicious that a new Flu with a high mortallity rate is hitting Mexico at the same time.

Florida, California, Mexico? I wonder if there are any other stories out there similiar in other regions?

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler

Originally posted by worldwatcher
oh hell no!!! That's a scary disease especially since I'm a South Florida resident.

www.miamiherald.com...
Q. How is it spread?

A. Coughing, kissing, sharing drinking utensils, touching hard surfaces previously touched by someone who is infected. Dr. Gordon Dickinson, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Miami School of Medicine, says the strain can live up to two days on a hard surface.

Q. How contagious is it?

A. It's contagious but less so than, say, the flu. Some people can have it without becoming ill.

Q. How can I keep from getting meningitis?

A. Avoid those with symptoms, wash your hands frequently, clean hard surfaces around those who are infected.

Guess we here in South Florida have to be extra diligent in boosting our immune systems now.

You and me both my friend! I am glad I keep a supply of anti-biotics in my Hurricane Kit.

I already have a call in to my doctor to see what type she recomends for this. 4-6 hours is just too small of a time frame!

Thanks for posting and sharing.

I'm from South Florida too. But hopefully I won't run into someone infected. This can be potentially bad if many party goers get infected. Especially ones still in high school. They get infected at a party and bring it into a school, we might have potentially large threat on our hands.

reply to post by thehype16

I'm from South Florida too. But hopefully I won't run into someone infected. This can be potentially bad if many party goers get infected. Especially ones still in high school. They get infected at a party and bring it into a school, we might have potentially large threat on our hands

With a four-six hour onset of symptoms to mortallity it sure is a potentially very large thread on our hands.

I don't want to say I am paranoid but I now have a bottle of antibiotics sitting next to my computer!

What a world we live in!

Thanks for the post.

Oh I absolutely believe that viruses and the like go "missing" and are released in small quantities to the general public or even foreign countries to test and note the effect.

This swine flu is a perfect example of a mixer. Pigs are vectors for humans. Test in the pig population and you have almost a guarantee for a recombination and reassortment into the human populas

Originally posted by DDay
Oh I absolutely believe that viruses and the like go "missing" and are released in small quantities to the general public or even foreign countries to test and note the effect.

This swine flu is a perfect example of a mixer. Pigs are vectors for humans. Test in the pig population and you have almost a guarantee for a recombination and reassortment into the human populas

It's a shame we have such a potentially exploitable system as the one that allows intelligence agencies to study and stock pile these pathogens.

We really need a civilian not a governmental oversight board over the intelligence communities to help ensure such abuses could never possibly happen.

Miami-Dade health officials said Thursday that they're ''stumped'' in efforts to understand the cause and course of 12 cases of a rare, virulent form of meningitis that has killed four people in South Florida since December.

An afternoon update.

Miami Herald