Showing posts with label avian flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avian flu. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Beware TAMIFLU

UPDATE: September 2009
Following on reports of dosing and packaging problems with children's Tamiflu, we now learn that water treatment is unable to keep your water free from another drug that may have harmful side effects.

It certainly appears that makers of Tamiflu failed to include water quality considerations as they promote their product, with problematic issues.
Tamiflu Detected in Sewage Discharge and River Water in Japan

Another Comment on Swine Flu Vax Of 2009 - Unlicensed And Untested
--------------------------------------------------
Originally posted October 2005 -

For several years I have posted information on the risks of flu vaccines and medical treatment related to flu. This year (2006-present) we seem to have a high alert to drive citizens to the jab by fear more so that in the past. I would encourage you to take the following information under serious consideration.

FLU VACCINE HAS RISKS.

You can find more on leaflady.org about immunity, colds, flu, prevention and help. If you need further information send your request here: http://www.leaflady.org/feedback.htm


Human-To-Human H5N1 Transmission During Tamiflu Prophylaxis

By Dr. Henry L. Niman, PhD
Recombinomics.com

"An H5N1 influenza virus, A/Hanoi/30408/2005, was isolated on 27 February 2005 from a 14-year-old Vietnamese girl (patient 1) who had received a prophylactic dose (75mg once a day) of oseltamivir from 24 to 27 February and was given a therapeutic dose (75mg twice daily) for 7 days starting on 28 February. No virus was isolated from specimens after the administration of increased doses of oseltamivir. The patient recovered and was discharged from hospital on 14 March 2005.

The timing of infection in these two patients, together with the lack of known interaction of the girl with poultry, raises the possibility that the virus could have been transmitted from brother to sister."

The above comments from a pre-released Nature paper raise serious questions about the prophalactic use of Tamiflu and human-to-human (H2H) of H5N1. The sister, Nguyen Thi Ngoan, of the index case, Nguyen Si Tuan, was taking the FDA approved prophylactic dose of Tamiflu, 1 pill per day. However, even while on Tamiflu, she developed H5N1 bird flu symptoms. Genetic analysis of the virus suggested that she was infected by her brother, even though she was taking Tamiflu.

The above paper focuses on resistance markers in isolated clones from the sister. However, the brother and sister were part of a large case cluster of H5N1 infections. The grandfather of the two patients also tested positive for H5N1 antibodies. Although H5N1 was not isolated, it is not clear if the grandfather was taking Tamiflu when his grandson was in the hospital.

Similarly, the index case's nurse developed avian influenza. He maintained that he had no exposure to poultry, yet developed laboratory confirmed H5N1. It is not clear if the nurse was taking Tamiflu at the time of his infection.

There was a second nurse who developed bird flu symptoms. She tested negative for H5N1 by PCR. Results from serum tests were not disclosed.

The effectiveness of Tamiflu against H5N1 was also raised in in vivo mice experiments. Mice were given the equivalent of 20 pills of Tamiflu per day. This high level was justified by observations on species specific differences in metabolism. However, even after correcting for species differences, the mice were treated with an equivalent of two pills per day. However, the dose was based on treatment, even though the mice were give the drug four hours before infection. However, even with these favorable conditions, 50% of the mice died if treated for 5 days. If treated for 8 days, the percentage dead fell to 20%..These mice studies raised dosing questions for oseltamivir against H5N1. Use at the FDA approved level, priced less than ideal results.

Similarly, the cluster of human cases described above raises dosing question. The H5N1 appeared to be susceptible to a doubled dose of Tamiflu and the isolated H5n1 was sensitive to Relenza. However, nations are stockpiling Tamiflu, and the above results suggest that the FDA approved dose for prophylaxis may be inadequate.

Similarly, Tamiflu resistance is another concern. The number of H5N1 cases in Vietnam is still relatively small. It is unclear how many people in Vietnam are on Tamiflu. The identification of a Tamiflu resistant variant in the small number of people being treated is cause for concern. Similarly, prophylactic treatment in health care workers and family members may not have been sufficiently high to prevent H5N1 infections.

Thus, the proper dose of Tamiflu and the frequency of resistance in Vietnam remains unclear. Similarly, the impact of wider use of Tamiflu in Indonesia is another area of concern.

webmaster@recombinomics.com ©2005 Recombinomics. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tamiflu dangers reported
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has asked Swiss drug maker Roche AG to warn consumers of possible health risks linked to its influenza drug Tamiflu, the health department said on Wednesday.

Ottawa took the step after receiving international reports of side-effects such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, including self-harm. The reports include cases involving children and teenagers, primarily in Japan.

"Health Canada has requested that the manufacturer ... update the Canadian prescribing information for Tamiflu to include this new information," the department said in a statement.

According to Health Canada, there have been 84 reports as of November 11 of Canadian patients having adverse effects when using Tamiflu. Ten of those cases involved fatalities...


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Thursday, September 10, 2009

Dual Standard at FDA

Remember SARS?

I do, and back in 2002(2003 and 2004) there was a similar campaign by the FDA to ban any information about natural products useful for respiratory illnesses including the mass marketing of SARS.

Sound familiar? Seems like another mass marketing campaign is underway on the latest version of a created respiratory illness. The same ploy seems to be apparent according to Marc Ullman's article below about Alli and competing products from the natural products industry.

This has been a repetitive behavior for decades now, includes the tryptophan / Prozac war and a few other events.

I happened to have been attacked by the FDA when the SARS controversy was raging. In typical government style due process was absent and the charge of the light brigade was in full force.

How I learned about it was from an article in the Seattle PI where reference was made to the product I offered for flu at that time (and still offer) that may be helpful. The PI staff writer quoted me yet never made any effort to contact me and speak with me directly. I tracked him down and eventually after getting to the top gun managed to get a retraction in the on-line version of the PI.

Not being alone in the number of products attacked by Mark McClellan's goons I created a web page listing the products attacked along with information about them. Most of the data on this page, except for using Echinacea, works well for the current "swine flu" issue. (Echinacea and some other natural products cause too much of a stimulation of your immune system for this created virus compound.)

The other action I took was to contact McClellan, a Harvard grad, and provide him with the clinical data about the product on my web site. This product was studied thoroughly in clinical research at Dana Farber, the well known cancer institute, a part of Harvard. The product was also proven effective.

The only data that FDA allowed to be in the news was about experimental product under development at Roche, and not proven to be effective.

The mind set is that nothing can be used or considered effective against anything unless it comes from Big PhARMA. This of course is one major reason why the mainstream "health"industry is on its self-created collision course.

Now you see another instant replay over liver damaging Alli and a weight loss/diet supplement.

Another word to the wise from Natural Health News...
GSK vs. The Supplement Industry: Who Wins? Written by: Marc Ullman 8/26/2009

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FDA receives “32 reports of liver injury including 27 requiring hospitalization” in users of GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli OTC weight loss drug. FDA receives 23 reports of liver injury including one death in users of the dietary supplement Hydroxycut. Guess which one is still on the market.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 1, 2009 FDA issued an urgent alert warning consumers “to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario.” According to the Agency’s press release, it had received 23 reports of serious health problems, including one death, that appeared to be associated with the use of the dietary supplement. At the same time, Iovate issued a “voluntary recall” of 64 different Hydroxycut products, covering, according to some news reports over 9 million product units.

On June 6 and June 18, 2009 FDA updated its list of drug products it was monitoring for “potential signals of serious risks” indicating that the Agency was reviewing the status of GSK’s Alli (orlistat) OTC weight loss drug and was “continuing to evaluate this issue to determine the need for any regulatory action” Alli was, however, allowed to remain on the market. On August 24, 2009 FDA issued an “Early Communication about Ongoing Safety Review of Weight Loss Drug Orlistat” stating that the “Review includes both prescription drug Xenical and OTC drug Alli”. The “communication” stated that “FDA received 32 reports of serious liver injury in patients taking orlistat. Of those cases, 27 reported hospitalization and six resulted in liver failure. Thirty of the adverse events occurred outside the United States. The most commonly reported adverse events included yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), weakness, and stomach pain.” Despite this, the Agency advised that “consumers taking Xenical should continue to take it as prescribed, and those using over-the-counter Alli should continue to use the product as directed.”

Just in case you’re still wondering who wins as between the supplement industry and GSK, consider the following:

● In April 2004 FDA banned the sale of ephedra containing dietary supplements based upon the Agency’s conclusion that such products constituted an unreasonable risk to public health. As part of the basis for its action FDA cited a 2003 Rand Corporation study that concluded, in part, “Over the short term (four to six months), ephedrine, ephedrine plus caffeine, and supplements containing ephedra or ephedra plus caffeine promoted modest increases in weight loss, about 2 pounds per month more than the weight loss of persons taking the placebo.” This level of weight loss was found to offer no benefit to public health.

● On February 7, 2007 FDA approved the sale of Alli as an OTC weight loss remedy. The Agency took this action despite reports of severe side effects including “incontinence” (uncontrollable diarrhea) and “oily spotting” (anal leakage). Among the factors cited by FDA in support of its decision was evidence that Alli users lost 5-10 pounds over 6 months, about a 50% increase compared with diet and exercise alone. Unless FDA uses some kind of “new math” that I have yet to hear of, this amounts to slightly less than the 2 pounds a month it found insignificant for ephedra.

9 million units of recalled Hydroxycut and one ban of ephedra later, it seems that as between the supplement industry and GSK there is little doubt who wins at FDA.

Monday, August 3, 2009

2005 "Swine" Flu

Emerging Infectious Diseses, Volume 14, Number 9–September 2008
Dispatch
Human Case of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Triple Reassortant Virus Infection, Wisconsin
Alexandra P. Newman,1 Erik Reisdorf, Jeanne Beinemann, Timothy M. Uyeki, Amanda Balish, Bo Shu, Stephen Lindstrom, Jenna Achenbach, Catherine Smith, and Jeffrey P. Davis
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (A.P. Newman, T.M. Uyeki, A. Balish, B. Shu, S. Lindstrom, J. Achenbach, C. Smith); Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (A.P. Newman, J.P. Davis); Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison (E. Reisdorf); and Sheboygan County Health and Human Services, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA (J. Beinemann)

Abstract
Zoonotic infections with swine influenza A viruses are reported sporadically. Triple reassortant swine influenza viruses have been isolated from pigs in the United States since 1998. We report a human case of upper respiratory illness associated with swine influenza A (H1N1) triple reassortant virus infection that occurred during 2005 following exposure to freshly killed pigs.

http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/9/1470.htm
Suggested citation for this article
Newman AP, Reisdorf E, Beinemann J, Uyeki TM, Balish A, Shu B, et al. Human case of swine influenza A (H1N1) triple reassortant virus infection, Wisconsin. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2008 Sep [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/14/9/1470.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1409.080305
1Current affiliation: New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.

Find more articles by entering 'Tamiflu' or 'Flu' in the search window.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tamiflu dangers reported
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has asked Swiss drug maker Roche AG to warn consumers of possible health risks linked to its influenza drug Tamiflu, the health department said on Wednesday.

Ottawa took the step after receiving international reports of side-effects such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, including self-harm. The reports include cases involving children and teenagers, primarily in Japan.

"Health Canada has requested that the manufacturer ... update the Canadian prescribing information for Tamiflu to include this new information," the department said in a statement.

According to Health Canada, there have been 84 reports as of November 11 of Canadian patients having adverse effects when using Tamiflu. Ten of those cases involved fatalities...


Tamiflu not effective
Relenza, Tamiflu
Tamiflu

Friday, June 12, 2009

Flu, Pregnancy and Schizophrenia

If one understands that a vaccine raises the risk you will contract the disease in the vaccine, putting pregnant women and their progeny at risk is unconscionable.

CDC Flu TARGET Group Guidelines for H1N1

Looking at the terrible state of mental health care today and the damge wrought by dangerous drugs used even more so makes a thinking person wonder what experiment will be next.

Flu During Pregnancy May Increase Risk Of Schizophrenia In Certain Offspring

ScienceDaily (2009-06-11) -- When mothers become infected with influenza during their pregnancy, it may increase the risk for schizophrenia in their offspring. Influenza is a very common virus and so there has been substantial concern about this association. A new study suggests that the observed association depends upon a pre-existing vulnerability in the fetus. ... > read full article



Make sure to read "Vitamin C Facts" for natural approaches to schizophrenia, Flu and Autism

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Homeopathy Effective for FLU

"Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05%."

Here's a good resource for more infomation.

Read more about homeopathy and FLU

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Dr. Levy on Vitamin C

Viral Poppycock - "For a population of seven million people, Hong Kong has stockpiled 20 million treatment courses of Tamiflu, a medicine to which the new swine flu virus has not yet developed resistance but it’s a toss up which is more dangerous, the swine flu or Tamiflu. Dr. Russell Blaylock writes, “I was in the military during the first swine flu scare in 1976. At the time it became policy that all soldiers would be vaccinated for swine flu. As a medical officer I refused and almost faced a court martial, but the military didn't want the bad publicity. Despite the assurance by all the experts in virology, including Dr. Sabin, the epidemic never materialized. What did materialize were 500 cases of Gullian-Barre paralysis, including 25 deaths-not due to the swine flu itself, but as a direct result of the vaccine.”Courtesy Mark Sircus

Originally posted: Saturday, October 28, 2006

VITAMIN C AGAINST THE FLU (and bird flu) SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY©

Dr. Thomas Levy is one of the world’s experts in effects of vitamin C on viruses. Here’s what he says “Regarding the bird flu, I have not found any virus for which vitamin C does not exert a virucidal effect, as long as enough vitamin C reaches the virus, such as in any acute infection. I don't know about Tamiflu, but the vitamin C is virtually devoid of negative side effects.”

Although there no studies yet published specifically treating Asian bird flu with vitamin C, immune expert Dr Robert Cathcart, who has treated thousands of cases of life threatening infectious diseases with high dose vitamin C says “Treatment of the bird flu with massive doses of ascorbate would be the same as any other flu except that the severity of the disease indicates that it may take unusually massive doses of ascorbic acid orally or even intravenous sodium ascorbate. I have not seen any flu yet that was not cured or markedly ameliorated by massive doses of vitamin C.”

Antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, work by inhibiting something called neuraminidase, produced by viruses and essential for their ability to replicate. So too does vitamin C but this is only one of more than ten ways that vitamin C knocks out viruses, both by inhibiting the virus itself, and by strengthening the body’s own immune response, for example by improving the number of function of immune cells (eg macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils), upping interferon and nitric oxide and making more antibodies which target viruses. Vitamin C also has direct antiviral effects and has been shown to inhibit viral replication in laboratory studies, such as HIV-infected immune cells. In the case of HIV viral infection was inhibited by 99% within four days, according to research published by the National Academy of Sciences. (It is really a tragedy that this research hasn’t been followed up with a large scale human trials, but the sad truth is that, even though vitamin C has been shown to outperform AZT in lab studies , there’s no money in it. So it appears that there is sufficient biological plausibility for its role against the flu, but since we don't have the controlled human trials, it’s not proven. It’s a tragedy that these studies aren’t done for life-threatening diseases such as HIV and bird flu, but the sad truth is there’s no money in it because vitamin C is cheap to make and not patentable – unlike drugs such as Tamiflu. Vitamin C, in high doses, has been well proven to be non-toxic in both adults and children over many years. The same cannot be said for this new generation of antiviral drugs.

However, we do know that vitamin C reduces the severitiy of colds and flu. Over 20 controlled trials using at least 1 gram a day against the common cold have been published, showing that the duration is typically decreased by about 25% and symptoms are much less severe. You are going to need much more than this if you contract any kind of flu. One recent human trial found that students who took hourly doses of 1,000 mg of vitamin C for the first 6 hours and then 3 times daily had a decrease in symptoms of 85% compared to students in the control group. In the case of bird flu that might well be the difference between life and death.

It’s highly likely that vitamin C would be effective against bird flu if you can get the dose high enough. Dr Mark Levine, who works for the National Institutes of Health in the US, has shown that you can get plasma levels up to 200mcmol/l with 3 grams of vitamin C six times a day, at which point vitamin C becomes profoundly anti-viral. However, with intravenous infusion of 100g a day concentration goes up to 15,000mcmol/l. No virus has yet been shown to survive at that level.

The ideal amount of vitamin C for any flu is up to ‘bowel tolerance’. Start with 1 gram an hour. If you get diarrhoea halve this dose. If you don’t, double it. There are some forms of vitamin C, notably sodium ascorbate with riboperine, and lipospheric vitamin C that allow even more to be absorbed without reaching bowel tolerance. They are marginally better than straight ascorbic acid. Some people find ascorbic acid too acidic, in which case an ascorbate, such as sodium ascorbate, can be taken. It might be useful to have a supply at hand if an epidemic does break out. There is no harm in having 100 grams a day short-term, stopping once all symptoms are gone. If even this didn’t stop the flu I’d find a doctor who could administer intravenous sodium ascorbate. The trick with any infection is not to get it in the first place by keeping your immune system strong. I take 1 gram of vitamin C twice a day. If Asian flu breaks out I’m doubling that to 4 grams – one every 6 or so hours, and taking 1 gram an hour if I get any symptoms.

Patrick Holford interviews Dr. Thomas Levy –

Despite hundreds of published studies, the true power of vitamin C as an infection fighter is vastly under-appreciated. Dr Thomas Levy, a doctor from Colorado, has painstakingly reviewed all of the research in his book Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable. Here, he tells me of the true proven power of vitamin C.

PH For which infectious diseases has vitamin C been proven to both cure and prevent, if given in sufficient amounts?

TL In the medical literature, more than enough evidence and data has been published to conclude that vitamin C, administered properly, has cured and can continue to cure acute viral hepatitis, measles, mumps, viral encephalitis, chickenpox and herpes infections, viral pneumonia, influenza, diphtheria, tetanus, streptococcal infections, pseudomonas infections and staphylococcal infections. Prevention against the contraction of these infections and other infections involves the daily dosing of lower amounts of vitamin C than the amounts needed to cure a given infection. This prevention can almost always be overwhelmed, however, when a large enough acute exposure of an infectious agent is encountered.

PH Let's take a look at mumps, for example, which is very much in the news as more parents choose not to have their children given the MMR vaccination. What would you recommend?

TL This is a subject of great controversy. In general, I am opposed to vaccinations, since it is clear to me that the proper use of vitamin C can easily cope with the many different agents for which vaccination is offered. However, having a good specific, antibody-armed immune system is desirable as well. Therefore, when the vaccine is preservative-free (particularly from methylmercury in the form of thimerosol), the child is old enough to have a reasonably mature immune system (2 years or older), and the child is not acutely ill and has not recently been ill, then immunisation may be of benefit. However, before the vaccination, I would give the child a gram of vitamin C a day per year of life (2 grams or more) for at least a week before the vaccination and continuing for at least a week after the vaccination. This has the effect of protecting against any acute toxic insults associated with the vaccination, while maximizing the vitamin C-augmented antibody response to the vaccine.

PH How strong is the scientific evidence to support what you are saying and why is this evidence not being acted on?

TL The scientific evidence is very strong. I can only speculate as to why it seems to be ignored, but the entire medical system worldwide is based on doctors regarding very specific and limited sources of information as being the only reliable sources of medical information. Insurance companies generally only cover mainstream treatments. A great deal of money is spent, directly and indirectly, to convince doctors and the public that anything not learned directly in medical school or later provided through very specific channels is simply not to be trusted, much less even properly evaluated.

PH If a person, or child, contracts any of these diseases, how does one know how much vitamin C to take?

TL As Dr Klenner repeatedly described in his many papers, vitamin C must continue to be administered in appropriately high doses until a positive clinical response is seen, and then lower doses can be given. In other words, Dr Klenner would use whatever dose necessary to see a positive clinical response. This meant anything from 35 to 65 grams for a first dose, given intravenously. In terms of oral supplementation, take as much as you can tolerate, starting with 2 or 3 grams every three to four hours.

PH Is there any danger in taking these kinds of amounts?

TL Unless you are a patient with advanced renal failure, the answer appears to be no. In fact, very large studies have clearly defined that vitamin C not only does not cause kidney stones in patients with normal kidney function, it will often help to dissolve stones that were already present before the vitamin C administration began.

PH Your book is immensely thorough and well researched. How are we going to get this vital, life-saving and inexpensive treatment taken seriously? How many more people have to suffer and die unnecessarily?

TL I wish I knew. I wrote the book from both a medical and a legal perspective. I wanted physicians who are brave enough to do what is best for their patients to have as much scientific backing as possible for the vitamin C-based therapies that they choose, especially if they end up having to defend what they are doing in a court of law.

PH What types of vitamin C should be taken?

TL Vitamin C comes as mineral ascorbates, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and in a liposome-encapsulated form. If administered intravenously, the sodium ascorbate form is always desirable for an acute illness. When not available, the liposome-coated form, called lipospheric vitamin C, appears to have a very high bioavailability with virtually no bowel tolerance dose [ie diarrhoea inducing], which typically impedes the very high oral dosing of vitamin C.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

SWINE FLU PRECAUTIONS

UPDATE: 10 August - Since this article was posted in April we have added numerous articles regarding this issue so please that the time to look for these new and important posts: Search for Flu, Swine Flu, Vitamin C, Dr. Levy, FluMist, Tamiflu, Relenza, Flu Shot or related titles.
---------------------------
Suggestion from orthomolecular expert Dr Phil Bate -
SWINE FLU PRECAUTIONS AND POSSIBLE AID TO RECOVERY

Besides washing your hands and wearing a mask (which isn't much good).

Vitamin C is a viricide, but it has to be taken often and in amounts to kill the virus. That means that it has to be taken at least every four hours if you are possibly exposed, and in at least 2000 mg to saturate the bloodstream.

Of course, avoid places with lots of people during this period. If you are going out during the day, take 2000 mg of C before any exposure. During exposure and immediately exposure, take C every two hours, and at the end of possible exposure.

If you get any flu symptoms, start taking 2000 mg every two hours until you get diarrhea, and then back off to just below this amount for that time until the diarrhea stops. (Start with 2 every 3-4 hours, etc)

Masks get moist and this creates a breeding ground for bacteria.

Both vitamin C and vitamin A are good to have on hand. Vitamin A in the proper high dose range for short periods will protect you from pneumonia that often accompanies flu.

Otherwise, take all precautions and avoid using Tamiflu and Relenza

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2007/11/warning-tamiflu-and-relenza-hazards.html

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2005/10/beware-tamiflu.html

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/flu-news.html

Meanwhile the FDA and CDC are pushing Tamiflu and Relenza as reported in Medscape News.
FDA Okays Emergency Use of Antiviral Drugs, Diagnostic Test for Swine Flu
by Robert Lowes

April 28, 2009 — State and local public health agencies will have more leeway to treat swine influenza with antiviral medications under an emergency order issued yesterday by the US Food and Drug Administration. The order also will authorize and widen the use of a diagnostic test that, unlike others in use, can precisely identify the new strain of swine flu.

To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed 64 cases of swine flu in the United States. Worldwide, confirmed cases have emerged in Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, Israel, Spain, and Mexico, which appears to be epicenter, since travel to Mexico figures into many infections elsewhere. In addition, Mexico is the only country where the influenza has resulted in death; authorities there say 152 deaths were likely caused by the virus. In the 6 other countries, infected patients generally have experienced only mild symptoms.

The FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) relaxes current restrictions on 2 antiviral medications — zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) — that the CDC recommends for preventing and treating swine influenza A (H1N1). Oseltamivir currently is approved for patients aged 1 year and older. Under the EAU, healthcare providers can administer oseltamivir to patients younger than 1 year and provide alternate dosing to patients aged 1 year and older.

The EAU did not alter the age parameters for zanamivir, approved to treat acute, uncomplicated cases of influenza in adults and children older than 7 years who have been symptomatic for fewer than 2 days, as well as prevent influenza in adults and children aged 5 years and older.

However, the FDA order allows both drugs to be distributed by a wider range of healthcare workers, including volunteers, in accordance with state and local law. In addition, both medications can be distributed without complying with the usual label requirements.

The FDA order follows a decision by the Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday to distribute one fourth of its stockpile of oseltamivir and zanamivir to state governments.

The EUA also authorizes the use of a diagnostic test called a reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swine influenza panel to test for the virus and allows the CDC to distribute it to public health agencies. Two other available tests — rapid influenza antigen and immunofluroscence — can detect the new swine influenza virus, but they only identify probable cases because they cannot distinguish between seasonal influenza A and swine influenza, which is a subtype of A. In contrast, RT-PCR can conclusively confirm a case of swine influenza.

Journalist Robert Lowes is a freelance writer for Medscape.
Medscape Medical News © 2009 Medscape, LLC

Monday, April 27, 2009

What's Keeping You Healthy and Protected from the Flu?

“There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza. The producers of these vaccines know that they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway.”- Dr. J. Anthony Morris (former Chief Vaccine Control Officer of FDA)

Here are some helpful things I suggest -

Homemade chicken soup with garlic and carrots is a very good food.

We are also suggesting the following use of the ALLI-C and ALLI-DERM garlic products we use and recommend - ORDER ALLI-C AND ALLI-DERM ON REFERRAL FROM DR. GAYLE EVERSOLE VIA THE LINK IN THE RIGHT COLUMN ON THIS PAGE.
“Although this is a new flu virus strain it appears to be related to a simple H1N1 virus line. Symptoms in patients infected in the USA and Europe appear to be relatively mild and include a sore throat, sneezing and coughing. Swine flu appears to be very easily spread by coughing, sneezing or coming into contact with someone who is already infected. Stabilised Allicin as found in Alli-C is an excellent natural antiviral agent that has been proven in double-blind placebo controlled studies to both PREVENT the onset of viral disease and to remove symptoms in people already infected.

I would ask people to supplement with 4 Alli-C capsules daily to act as a preventative. Try to avoid contact with those who are showing active infection and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and then apply a protective layer of Alliderm gel. This has been proven to prevent infectious organisms from populating the hands and face. You may also take some Alliderm gel and rub it around your nose and then insert a little into each nostril for further protection. Taking these simple and cost effective actions each day should prevent the onset of infection and keep your immune system boosted whilst this pernicious virus is trying to infect us all.”

Peter Josling
Director and formulator of Alli-C and Alliderm

and from Randall Neustaedter OMD
The flu is in the news again. This time it's the swine flu, scarier sounding than bird flu. Scary enough to cause worldwide panic. The news is brimming over with dire reports. And mega-pharmacy Hoffman-La Roche is ready in the wings with millions of doses of its drug Tamiflu to sell for a hefty profit.

The best preventive for the flu is to eat a healthy diet of whole foods and to take a few supplements that maintain a strong immune system.

For children - Immune System Supplements for Kids

Children can take a few simple, specific supplements to maintain a strong and vital immune system during the fall and winter months when colds and flus predominate.

An omega-3 fat supplement in the form of fish oil capsules or liquid fish oil will establish healthy cell membranes that prevent inflammation and resist toxins and attack by pathogens.

Vitamin D is essential for kids as well as adults to maintain immune function. Vitamin E will ensure that fatty acids are maintained at optimum efficiency once they are absorbed into cells. In addition, vitamin E has anti-inflammatory effects and increases resistance to infection. Use only natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol), not the synthetic form (dl-alpha-tocopherol). A mixed tocopherol form of vitamin E is best because children need the gamma as well as the alpha forms. An appropriate dose is 100 mg for children under two and 200 mg for children aged 2-12.

Vitamin A is needed for proper mucous membrane function. It is essential for the growth and repair of body tissues, and for efficient digestion of protein. Vitamin A promotes good eyesight, strong bones and teeth, and a vital immune system. White blood cells, T -lymphocytes, and every cell in the important mucosal barriers of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary tracts require vitamin A.

A diet containing significant amounts of fruit and fat will help ensure adequate vitamin A intake. Whole milk products, butter, and free range eggs will help maintain necessary levels of this important nutrient. Use organic sources. For those who may not be getting enough vitamin A, a supplement is essential.

The recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamin A is 1,000-2,000 IU for children, depending on their age (1,000 at one year of age, 2,000 by age nine). Primitive diets probably maintained 10 times that amount. One egg contains 300 IU, one cup of whole milk or whole milk yogurt contains about 225-250 IU of vitamin A. One tablespoon of butter contains 350 IU of A. The amount of vitamin A may vary by the season and the feed of the animals.

Colostrum is great for children as well as adults.

Zinc stimulates immune function, prevents infections, and acts as a cofactor in many enzyme reactions, including the creation of antioxidants. Normal dosage is 10-20 mg. per day. If zinc supplementation is continued over a prolonged period of time, it should be given in conjunction with copper in a ratio of ten to one to prevent copper deficiency.

Vitamin C has anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant activity, and antibiotic qualities. A daily supplement of vitamin C during the winter months will round out the immune system prevention program. Use 500 mg for children under 3 years old and 1,000 mg for older children.

The easiest way to give supplements to children is through powdered sources mixed in a blender with fruit, fruit juice, yogurt or milk (rice milk for younger children and children with milk sensitivities), and honey (for children over 12 months old). Capsules can be opened and dumped into the blender. Children can chew oil-based supplements in soft gels or you can stick a pin into them and squirt out the contents onto something they will eat.

Immune Supplements for Children—Daily Dosage

1- to 2-year-olds, 3 to 12-year-olds

Fish oil 1 tsp per 50 pounds body weight
Vitamin D 1,000, IU 2,000 IU
Colostrum ½ teaspoon, 1 tsp
Zinc 10 mg, 20 mg
Copper 1 mg, 2 mg
Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol or mixed tocopherols)
100 IU, 200 IU
Vitamin C 500 mg, 1,000 mg

Profiteering from Flu Pandemonium

Swine Flu: Bringing Home the Bacon
— By James Ridgeway | Mon April 27, 2009 Mother Jones

As the world gears up once again for a flu pandemic that may or may not arrive (it actually seems possible this time), we might want to remember some of the lessons of the last flu scare. One of these is that there are winners as well as losers in every high-profile outbreak of infectious disease. First and foremost among them, of course, is Big Pharma, which can always be counted on to have its hand out wherever human misery presents an opportunity to rake in some cash.

In 2005, I reported on the bird flu scare for the Village Voice in a piece called “Capitalizing on the Flu.” We can realistically hope that our current federal government will improve upon the bungled effort made by the Bush Administration to prepare for the onslaught of avian flu—which fortunately didn’t materialize. But certain aspects of the crisis are likely to be repeated, and profiteers will surely waste no time in gathering at the trough.

Then, as now, one of the two effective antidotes was a drug called Tamiflu. But this silver bullet came with side effects, as well as a high price tag. As I reported in 2005:
With no vaccine in sight, the U.S. government, along with others, is belatedly stocking up on Tamiflu, a drug that supposedly offers some defense against bird flu. But last week Japanese newspapers told how children who were administered Tamiflu went mad and tried to kill themselves by jumping out of windows. In a cautionary statement the FDA noted 12 deaths among children, and said there are reports of psychiatric disturbances, including hallucinations, along with heart and lung disorders. Roche, the manufacturer, is quoted by the BBC as stating that the rate of deaths and psychiatric problems is no higher among those taking its medication than among those with flu. The company is increasing Tamiflu production to 300 million doses a year to meet demand.

There are other reasons people are leery of Tamiflu. Given the rip-offs in Iraq and after the hurricanes, people are understandably interested in knowing just who is going to get rich off the plague. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, himself former CEO of drug company Searle, currently owns stock in the one company that owns Tamiflu patents—to the tune of at least $18 million. Rumsfeld says he understands why people might question his holdings, but selling them would raise even more questions. So he is hanging on to what he’s got.

A report by Citicorp at the time described which pharmaceutical manufacturers and other comapnies stood to make money:
Winners could include drug makers such as Gilead Sciences, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi-Aventis. Other possible winners are hospital chains such as Rhoen Klinikum, cleaning-products makers such as Henkel, Ecolab, and Clorox, as well as home entertainment companies such as Blockbuster and Nintendo….

In order for the pharmaceutical companies to profit from making flu vaccine in the administration’s $7.1 billion pandemic flu plan, Bush now is proposing to ban liability suits against them except in cases of willful misconduct. As for those injured by a flu vaccine, possible lawsuits remain an open question….

With a worldwide market estimated at more than $1 billion, there’s big money in a flu plague. Kimberly-Clark’s Chinese subsidiary is already ramping up manufacture of new lines of medical masks, wipes, and hand-washing liquids, according to Business Week, with consulting firms Kroll and Booz Allen Hamilton selling flu preparedness advice to companies and governments. “Crisis is an opportunity as long as you see it first,” Pitney Bowes’s Christian Crews tells the magazine.

Of course, that was then, and this is now. In the coming days we’re bound to discover who’s pulling in the pork this time. But even before the U.S. markets open this morning, early indications aren’t hard to find: “Fears of a potential pandemic are bringing down stock markets around the world today,” public radio’s “Marketplace” reports from London, ”but two big pharmaceutical companies are getting a boost from the news”:
Shares in Switzerland’s leading drug maker, Roche, are up nearly 4 percent this morning. The company says it’s scaling up production of Tamiflu. The drug’s been show to be an effective vaccine against the virus.

In the U.K., GlaxoSmithKline, which manufacturers its own vaccine against deadly flu viruses, is also gaining in the markets. Glaxo’s drug is called Relenza….

Both drug makers have been approached by the World Health Organization about their readiness to deploy stocks in the case of a pandemic. Roche says it stands ready with 3 million treatments, but warned further production could take up to eight months.

http://www.motherjones.com/print/23404

FLU: Recombinant Preparedness Alert

We suggest you consider keeping lemon and thyme essential oils for diffusion in your home and at work, you may contact us to purcahse high quality pure therapeutic essential oils. Keep adequately hydrated.

Use the SEARCH window to locate the many articles we have posted on flu and flu vaccines at Natural Health News


Swine Flu Epidemic & Avianized Flu Pandemic
Dr Bill Deagle MD DABFP AAEM A4M
4-26-9
Zoonotic Vectors of Swine and Avian Flu

The swine flu is common in the agribusiness, and antibodies to swine flu are present in 20% of vetenarians and 5% of pig farm workes, and rarely kills pigs. However, this swine flu that has presented in Mexico, Texas, California, Queens NYC, London, Italy, etc. has genes of swine, avian, human, and asian flu.

This is without any doubt a pandemic flu with a current case fatality estimated at
10% plus, and rapidly is leaping across North America and to Europe.

Since 1997, the H5N1 flu has spread to all continents. Genetics showed that six strains had high pathogenic case fatality rates in the range of 70% average from 25% to 100% case fatality rates in humans, with some clusters of human to human spread, with close physical contact.

Defiencies in two amino acids needed to allow rapid attachment to human cells was found in all strains, but can be acquired by recombinants with H9N2 or H7N3 or H3N2 etc. endemic human stains that can also coinfect pigs, birds, agricultural animals, and animals in the wild.

Until fall 2008, the avian flu did not optimally replicate unless it was at 106 degrees or higher, but now it has acquired the capacity to replicate easily at 98.6 Farhenheit.

Drug resistance to Amantadine, Tamiflu also are the predominant strains. The current swine flu is analagous to a early 20th century steamer trunk, with stickers showing the visited countries and coastal cities. It has stamps from Asia, North America, Avian, Swine and Human genetics. This is a "Lab Creation".

Now, we must understand that this virus is behaving as if it is more lethal per case that usual flu, and can recombine in pigs, wild and domestic birds, and other animals and can thus acquire PB2 deletions, NS1 gene polymorphisms, and the polybasic six amino acids that allow it to grow in brain and CNS as well as any other target organ in human and animal hosts.

The NS1 deletion of four amino acids bypasses IL4, and thus is much more lethal with massive cytokine release at end stages. Because Avian H5N1 and the 1918 Swine Flu targeted young healthy people, the release of cytokines was more violent in the most healthy.

This first wave is likely to recombine and after Phase 1 gene to population insertion, Phase 2 will result in new superstrains with additional genetic polymorphisms allow transfer efficiently to humans. Phase 2 is the bioreactor phase.

In the emergent or Phase 3, new viral Clades of Swine /Avian hybrids will then have more efficient spreading and higher spontaneous lethality.

WHO Watchdog and Author of Pandemic FLU!
Human Life International invited Dr Bill Deagle MD to speak, March 1997, to the International Board of Doctors and Scientists. After a two hour talk, the board sat me down for a presentation of a foot of documents. Included were three distinct biological programs. The first was a plasmid anti-HCG contaminated Tetanus Vaccine, to cause first trimester sterility by spontaneous induced miscarriage in the target populations of Subsharan Africa, Phillipines, and other target WHO UN high density population countries. The second program was the US Special Virus Project, with mycoplasma RNA oncogenic viruses to cause immune failure, and premature death. It was knows as the AIDS syndrome, and was a recombinant of Visna, Green Monkey and Feline leukemia retro-RNA viruses carried by host mycobacteria. Most important as the large packet of documents on the Avian Flu Project, funded by the Rothchilds and oversean by the WHO and UN. They were in process of obtaining gene fragments from deceased whalers in Alaska with the CDC and Natl Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, supercomputer remodeled and bioengineered resurrection of the 1918 Swine Flu. They planned to insert into the genome Avian genes and spray into Asian bird populations, which would later be a gene pool when spread was complete to all continents for a new Swine-Avian Flu Pandemic.

We now see the H1N1 flu in Mexico, Canada, UK, Italy, USA and perhaps other locations, rapidly evolving. This wave is quite lethal, but with the H5N1 genetics in the wild, it is likely to come in future waves with yet more lethal genes and more rapid spread. Certainly, in the next 7 days, the presence in multiple countries, US Pandemic Flu Alert, WHO raised from 3rd to 4th level, and the pronouncements for a decade plus of coming Pandemic Flu, this was totally a UN WHO plot to release a virus that would cull the human herd.

This is - Global 2000, NSSM 1974 population threat alerts, 1996 UN Population control documents - all calling for massive reduction in World Human Populations. Last week, the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for a reduction from 60 to 30 million.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

FLU News

UPDATE: US declares public health emergency for swine flu
Tamiflu Caution
Tamiflu/Relenza Hazards
Thieves Vinegar
Millenium CF
The important thing in a pandemic: DON'T PANIC. PREPARE. BE SMART.
We encourage to to think carefully and cautiously before you consider flu vaccines. Ask questions and get all the information as required by informed consent laws. Flu vaccines have been related to greater incidence of the viruses and extremely serious side effects. We do not support vaccination as our personal choice based on the evidence. Viruses are always changing. Act to build and keep your immune system strong.

What Does The Swine Flu Outbreak Mean?
by DemFromCT (dailykos.com)
Sat Apr 25, 2009

Well, that's a loaded question, and the short answer is, we don't know yet. But here's a little that we do know about pandemics.

A pandemic is defined as: a new virus to which everybody is susceptible; the ability to readily spread from person to person; and the capability of causing significant disease in humans, said Dr. Jay Steinberg, an infectious disease specialist at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. The new strain of swine flu meets only one of the criteria: novelty.

History indicates that flu pandemics tend to occur once every 20 years or so, so we're due for one, Steinberg said.

"I can say with 100 percent confidence that a pandemic of a new flu strain will spread in humans," he said. "What I can't say is when it will occur."

Point number one: this is a novel, never before seen virus. Humans do not have protection, though there may be some cross protection. So, that makes it dangerous and worth watching.

Point number two: we don't know anything about how easily this particular virus spreads from person to person. That's partly because we know more about the few US cases and less about the many Mexican cases. We don't know how many reported suspected cases in Mexico are actually swine flu. Only a handful of cases in Mexico have been confirmed by US and Canadian laboratories. That still leaves us with worry, but not hard fact.

Point number three: that's about how much illness it causes. In the US, not much. For Mexico:

"Public health officials in Mexico began actively looking for cases of respiratory illness upon noticing that the seasonal peak of influenza extended into April, when cases usually decline in number," the medical alert said. "They found two outbreaks of illness — one centered around Distrito Federal (Mexico City), involving about 120 cases with 13 deaths. The other is in San Luis Potosi, with 14 cases and four deaths."

Authorities also detected one death in Oaxaca, in the south, and two in Baja California Norte, near San Diego, California.

So what do the authorities say? They say this:

"Our concern has grown since yesterday in light of what we've learned since then," said Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, during a conference call today with reporters. "This is something we're worried about and taking very seriously. We are moving quickly, being very aggressive in our approach."

and

"This has a sense of urgency about it," [William] Schaffner, chief of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt, said in a telephone interview today. "They are asking us who work in hospitals to go to our emergency rooms and our pediatric wards to gather specimens and start testing them."

But none of that means this will develop into a pandemic. It does mean we are closer now than at any time in recent memory (and it could still fizzle out. Remember, we still don't know a lot about Mexico's cases, the vast majority of which have not been analyzed.) So, as we follow the news, let's review our flu and pandemic prep advice. Here's the basics: avoidance.
~Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

~Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

~Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

~Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. (Natural Health News note: Avoid using anti-bacterial soap and alcohol based hand sanitizers, use plain castile soap like Dr. Bronner's super baby mild, and keep skin lubricated with toxin-free natural lotion.)

~Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

~Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

You can always add

~Don't travel to countries in the midst of a novel flu outbreak. (of course, the official CDC advice is go, but practice 1-6).

Here's a status note from Reuters:
The experts will not necessarily issue firm recommendations on Saturday. Once more details are clear about the virus and its risks, the emergency panel could recommend a change in the WHO's pandemic alert level — currently at 3 on a scale of 1 to 6 — or recommend travel advisories to control the flu's spread.

and from Bloomberg:
The World Health Organization is set to declare the deadly swine flu virus outbreak in Mexico and the U.S. a global concern, potentially prompting travel restrictions, said a person familiar with the matter.

An emergency committee of the WHO in Geneva will declare the outbreak "a public health event of international concern" in a 4 p.m. teleconference today, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is confidential. In response, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan may raise the level of pandemic alert, which could lead to travel restrictions aimed at curbing the disease's spread.

You can take a look at the CDC and WHO visualization of how pandemics develop and are classified. Take a look, just so you're more familiar with it, as it may come up in the weeks ahead.

Along the top are the WHO phases. We are currently in phase 3, and that corresponds with the Pandemic Alert Period. Skip the USG stages because they are not widely used. At the bottom, CDC has corresponding "intervals" for the graph, and they correspond to functional "what do I do and when" information about a potential pandemic. Moving from WHO phase 3 to 4 ("you are here") means moving from CDC interval "investigation" to "recognition". That's exactly where we are — investigation. But even so, should something untoward develop there'd be time do some preparation before we moved into the "initiation" and the "acceleration" interval, even if this goes sour some time in the near future.

However, moving from investigation to recognition (i.e., WHO phase 3 to 4, or moving to the right of the big red line) would trigger all sorts of changes and alarms and trip wires in pandemic plans developed by companies and countries, and that might have an effect on travel advisories. Some multinationals might call for ex-pats to return home, just as one example. Airlines and tourism might take an economic hit (that happened to Canada during the SARS epidemic in 2003, and Canadians are still sore at WHO for acting (in their view) too precipitously in issuing travel advisories.

All this is given to give you a flavor of the complex decision making that needs to go on. WHO will be meeting in emergency session to do just that, but it's not as easy as simply saying "be cautious", not when so many factors come into play. And for a look at school closures, I refer you to this previous post when we talked about exercises and seasonal cases in Hong Kong that closed their schools.

In the meantime, we'll be tracking it here, along with the rest of the country, and we'll update periodically as needed. And if you want to know what preparations you can take, go here. get pandemic ready.

It's a site we set up with Idaho's Emergency management team exactly for that reason.

Or download this flu prep manual.

Pandemic Influenza
Preparation and Response: A Citizen's Guide

We put it there so you could. This is an excellent opportunity to think about the unthinkable. And if nothing develops, you'll be better prepped for the next natural disaster that does happen.

† † †

UPDATE
WHO warns of flu pandemic as Mexico City frets
Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:05pm BST

By Catherine Bremer and Stephanie Nebehay

MEXICO CITY/GENEVA (Reuters) - A new flu strain that has killed up to 68 people in Mexico could become a pandemic, the World Health Organisation warned on Saturday, as Mexico's crowded capital hunkered down in fear of the disease. . . .

"It has pandemic potential because it is infecting people," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in Geneva.

"However, we cannot say on the basis of currently available laboratory, epidemiological and clinical evidence whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic. . . .

The new flu strain — a mixture of swine, human and avian flu viruses — is still poorly understood and the situation is evolving quickly, Chan said.

As far away as Hong Kong and Japan, health officials stepped up surveillance of travellers for flu-like symptoms, and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it was actively looking for new infections in the United States.

"We are worried and because we are worried we are acting aggressively on a number of fronts," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat told reporters. "The situation is serious."

Courtesy: Perelandra

Read how sauerkraut, a valuable fermented food, can help fight flu and build your immune system.

 
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