Birdflu Mailing List: Additional report to evaluate

[William Weir (wweir1]

Swine Flu Pandemic Breaking Out?

Very bad news.<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu>

MEXICO CITY – A unique strain of swine flu is *the suspected killer of
dozens of people in Mexico*, where authorities closed schools, museums,
libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an
outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic. The worrisome
new virus — which *combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in
a way researchers have not seen before* — also sickened at least eight
people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U.S.

Following up on my previous email, I invite you to also consider information
offered in this report


A recombination of genetic elements from influenzas that infect different
species holds the possibility of a much more deadly virus. Hybrids are bad.
Some end up looking unlike any flu our immune systems have resistance to.
Plus, they can contain mutations that make them especially lethal. The massive
killer 1918 influenza pandemic originated in
pigs.<http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/032197/1918flu.htm>(correction:
The
1918 virus probably originated in
birds<http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/353/21/2209>)
That 1918 outbreak also was of type H1N1 and it killed from 2.5-5% of the
world human population <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic>.

We are talking about lots of
mixing.<http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/apr2409swine.html>

Richard Besser, MD, the CDC's acting director, told reporters today during a
press teleconference that the development is worrisome. "Our concern has
grown since yesterday, based on what we've learned," he said. "We do not
know if this will lead to the next pandemic, but our scientists are
monitoring it and take the threat very seriously."

The swine flu A/H1N1 strain has been confirmed in one more US citizen, a
child from San Diego who has recovered, raising the total number of US cases
to eight, Besser said. *The virus contains gene segments from four different
influenza types: North American swine, North American avian, human, and
Eurasian swine.*

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the case. The
CDC says this influenza does not usually infect
humans.<http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/>

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type
A influenza that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine
flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however, human infections with
swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses
has been documented. See General Information about Swine
Flu<http://www.futurepundit.com/flu/swine/general_info.htm>
.

>From December 2005 through February 2009, a total of 12 human infections
with swine influenza were reported from 10 states in the United States. *Since
March 2009, a number of confirmed human cases of a new strain of swine
influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in California, Texas, and Mexico have
been identified.* An investigation into these cases is ongoing. For more
information see Human Swine Flu
Investigation<http://www.futurepundit.com/flu/swine/investigation.htm>
.

*General Information about Swine
Flu<http://www.futurepundit.com/flu/swine/general_info.htm>
*
Questions and answers and guidance for treatment and infection control
*Human Swine Flu
Investigation<http://www.futurepundit.com/flu/swine/investigation.htm>
*
Information about the investigation of human swine flu By Randall Parker at
2009 April 24 06:32 PM  Pandemic
Signs<http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/cat_pandemic_signs.html>|
TrackBack<http://www.futurepundit.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=6155>