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Following comments from the WHO chief that the coronavirus is only a China problem, not a global problem – which seems false given the apparent first non-Chinese death this morning in Thailand (and is perhaps only designed to maintain elevated risk asset prices around the world) – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has raised its travel warning to level 3 for China – Avoid all non-essential travel.

CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China. In response to anoutbreak of respiratory illness, Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, including buses, subways, trains, and the international airport. Additional restrictions and cancellations of events may occur.
There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas.

A novel (new) coronavirus is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness that began in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This outbreak began in early December 2019 and continues to grow. Initially, some patients were linked to the Wuhan South China Seafood City (also called the South China Seafood Wholesale Market and the Hua Nan Seafood Market).

Chinese health officials have reported thousands of cases in China and severe illness has been reported, including deaths. Cases have also been identified in travelers to other countries, including the United States. Person-to-person spread is occurring in China. The extent of person-to-person spread outside of China is unclear at this time.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. There are several known coronaviruses that infect people and usually only cause mild respiratory disease, such as the common cold. However, at least two previously identified coronaviruses have caused severe disease — severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

China CDC Reveals 30,453 People Under Observation As Germany Reports First Confirmed Coronavirus Case

January 27, 2020

China CDC Reveals 30,453 People Under Observation As Germany Reports First Confirmed Coronavirus Case

Update (1830ET): While China currently has about 3,000 total cases as reported earlier, according to the latest report from China’s Center for Disease Control, the real number of infections may be substantially higher, because as of Jan 26 (the update for Jan 27 is due shortly) some 30,453 people are currently under observation for the coronavirus. Needless to say, it is very likely that a substantial number of these people will end up positive for the disease, even as the total of people under observation grows by thousands every single day.

Earlier in the day, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, China’s Hubei Province, is opening up 100,000 hospital beds in an effort to contain the disease, the province’s vice governor announced on Jan. 27. In a press conference on Jan. 27 evening, Hubei vice governor Yang Yunyan said authorities have designated 112 medical institutions to treat patients with the deadly novel coronavirus, according to Chinese state media. They have freed up around 100,000 hospital beds in the province, with 3,000 of them in Wuhan city alone, where the disease first broke out. As the Epoch Times observes, “The urgency and scale of the authorities’ orders have raised fears that the outbreak has spread far more widely than authorities admit.”

Meanwhile, in the latest news on the coronavirus global spread, Germany’ DPA news agency reported that the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Germany. According to the infectious diseases task force of the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, the male patient from the district of Starnberg is clinically in “good condition” and is being monitored while in isolation. Those who have been in close contact with him have been informed and infection control measures have been implemented. Naturally, the Task Force and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have said they consider the infection risk to the Bavarian population to be low.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

CDC Calls CoV “Serious Emerging Public Health Threat”, Confirms 5th US Case

January 26, 2020

CDC Calls CoV “Serious Emerging Public Health Threat”, Confirms 5th US Case

Summary:

5th US Coronavirus infection confirmed by CDC in 4 states (AZ, CA, IL, WA)
CDC calls the virus an “emerging public health threat,” adding that the threat is “serious.”
2082 cases, 56 Official deaths
Incubation is asymptomatic, contagious, and can be as long as 14 days
5M may have left Wuhan for Lunar New Year
1st case was Dec 1 NOT Dec 31 so infect pop may be much bigger
US, Russia, Thailand begin plans for evacuation
Premier Li Keqiang charged with leading government’s task force
3 Beijing hospitals using AIDS drugs to treat virus

* * *

Update (1510ET): CDC reports that a fifth infection has been confirmed in the US (in Arizona), calling the coronavirus an “emerging public health threat,” says threat is “serious.”

Situation Summary

CDC is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (termed “2019-nCoV”) that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and which continues to expand. Chinese health officials have reported more than a thousand infections with 2019-nCoV in China, including outside of Hubei Province. Infections with 2019-nCoV also are being reported in a growing number of international locations, including the United States, where 5 cases in travelers from Wuhan have been confirmed in four states (AZ, CA, IL, WA) as of January 26, 2020.

Source and Spread of the Virus

Chinese health authorities were the first to post the full genome of the 2019-nCoV in GenBank El , the NIH genetic sequence database, and in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID Z ) portal, an action which has facilitated detection of this virus. On January 24, 2020, CDC posted in GenBank the full genome of the 2019-nCoV virus detected in the first U.S. patient from Washington state.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Global Health Officials On High Alert As Wuhan Virus Makes US Landfall

January 21, 2020

Global Health Officials On High Alert As Wuhan Virus Makes US Landfall

Update (1600ET): Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Henan, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Brisbane, Taipei – and now Washington State.

The viral pneumonia-like lung illness first discovered late last year in Wuhan, a mid-sized Chinese city in the center of the country, has Beijing’s leadership – who are already grappling with slowing economic growth and continuing trade pressure from the US – very much on edge.

It’s clear now that Beijing’s initial response to reports of a new SARS-like virus was to dissemble. After initially insisting that there was no evidence that the virus could be spread by humans, health officials have now admitted that they were “wrong”, and that human-to-human transmission is possible, meaning that there’s no telling yet just how contagious this thing really is.

It’s already spread rapidly: In just a few weeks, it’s gone from a few isolated cases in Wuhan to nearly 300 confirmed cases, not just in Greater China, but also across the Asia-Pacific region, and now in the US. The fact that the CDC has already identified the first case in Washington State suggests that this is an aggressive pathogen, and health officials are duly concerned.

It has already confounded expectations. The fact that 139 cases – roughly half the total number reported – were only just identified over the weekend is especially unnerving, because now infected hosts have had time to scatter back to wherever they’re from, potentially spreading the virus across the planet.

According to Bloomberg, the US case has been revealed to be a man in his 30s who returned to the US last week, but not before visiting a public market in Wuhan…

The sudden spike in cases has prompted airports in the US, Australia and elsewhere to tighte illnesses has prompted tightened borders and a rapid attempt to trace contacts of those who have become ill.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

SLOPPY: CDC Shuts Down Military Lab Studying Ebola, Plague, etc. Amid Fears It’s GETTING OUT Through Wastewater

August 8, 2019

SLOPPY: CDC Shuts Down Military Lab Studying Ebola, Plague, etc. Amid Fears It’s GETTING OUT Through Wastewater

We may not have to wait for a traveler from the Democratic Republic of Congo to visit the United States for an Ebola outbreak. It just might be brought to us by our own military along with the plague and other horrifying germs.

The laboratory at Fort Detrick, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, has been sent a cease-and-desist order by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention after a second inspection showed sloppy handling of deadly germs and viruses.

The CDC inspected the military research institute in June and inspectors found several areas of concern in standard operating procedures, which are in place to protect workers in biosafety level 3 and 4 laboratories, spokeswoman Caree Vander Linden confirmed in an email Friday.
The CDC sent a cease and desist order in July.
After USAMRIID received the order from the CDC, its registration with the Federal Select Agent Program, which oversees disease-causing material use and possession, was suspended. That suspension effectively halted all biological select agents and toxin research at USAMRIID, Vander Linden said in her email. (source)

At this time “no infectious pathogens, or disease-causing material, have been found outside authorized areas.” The New York Times reports that the CDC could not provide more specific details due to “national security reasons.”

What was USMRIID doing wrong?

The laboratory, which is located in Frederick, Maryland, studies different deadly bugs for biological warfare purposes. They have failed inspection specifically by the Federal Select Agent Program, which oversees the possession, use and transfer of biological select agents and toxins that could potentially pose a severe threat to public, animal or plant health.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

94% of Americans who grew up during the era of leaded gasoline found to be lead poisoned and brain damaged

January 11, 2019

94% of Americans who grew up during the era of leaded gasoline found to be lead poisoned and brain damaged

(Natural News) A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 94 percent of Americans who were exposed to leaded gasoline in childhood may show signs of lower IQ scores and socioeconomic status in adulthood.

Health experts pooled data from blood samples of than 500 participants who grew up in the era of leaded gasoline. Research showed that participants who had more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood at age 11 had significant reductions in IQ points in adulthood. Researchers said participants who had high lead exposure exhibited IQs that were 4.25 points lower than less-exposed individuals at age 38.

The study also found a dose-dependent effect of lead exposure on the participant’s IQ levels. According to the study, each 5-microgram increase in blood lead levels coincide with up to 1.5 IQ point loss in participants. Lead gasoline exposure in childhood was also associated with lower socioeconomic status in adulthood. Researchers said study participants who had more than 10 micrograms of lead in the blood obtained occupations with socioeconomic status four-tenths lower than those who had less exposure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current lead exposure value that requires public health intervention is five micrograms per deciliter. Data from the longitudinal study showed that 94 percent of participants in the study exceeded this rate. The CDC also found that four million American households have children who are exposed to high levels of lead. According to the CDC, approximately half a million U.S. children ages one to five exhibit blood lead levels higher than five micrograms per deciliter.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Predicting the next global pandemic

November 22, 2018

Predicting the next global pandemic

The nature and likelihood of the next pandemic presents many challenges to governments and health organisations, as it could be an unknown pathogen that the world is ill-equipped to contain. The risks associated with such a pandemic has secondary effects as it not only affects human health, but also causes severe disruptions in economic, political, and social areas.

In 2017, scientists and public health organizations warned that the next global pandemic is imminent, and that no country is prepared to confront the coming waves of illness. If the next pandemic is anything like the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed 30 million people in six months, the global population will face unprecedented uncertainty. There is some indication that the next flu outbreak could involve the H7N9 strain, an influenza virus that is not yet highly contagious. H7N9 is a type of avian influenza; the first cases in humans began appearing 2013 in China. This particular strain of influenza has mainly spread through poultry to humans. There are growing numbers of reported cases that are expected to be a result of human-to-human contact. Scientists hypothesize that the longer the virus circulates in humans who have been infected with H7N9 , the potential exists for the strain to spread to larger populations.

At present, the Centers for Disease Control in the United States rate H7N9 as having a high likelihood of evolving into a wide-spread pandemic. Based on H7N9 cases in China, scientists know that 88 percent of those diagnosed developed pneumonia, and 41 percent of these patients died. H7N9 will not remain contained within China; as it adapts to the human body, H7N9 has the potential to possibly infect millions of people globally. The questions that remain are when will H7N9 develop these capabilities, how quickly the virus will spread, and to what degree will it contribute to social instability?

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Are We Due for a Pandemic Flu? Here’s How to Prepare Just in Case

August 24, 2018

Are We Due for a Pandemic Flu? Here’s How to Prepare Just in Case

It has been 100 years since the Spanish Flu (also known as the 1918 flu pandemic) spread across the globe, infecting 500 million people and causing the deaths of 50 million – which was three to five percent of the world’s population at the time.

Imagine the catastrophic numbers in today’s time if a similar flu hit – and how quickly it would spread from the ease in transportation modern society allows.

While you can rest easy right now knowing a global pandemic is not currently a threat, it is just a matter of time before the next one arrives.

Although modern medicine has a lot more flu-fighting tricks in its arsenal than it did several decades ago, the risk of a pandemic flu killing many is still very real.

The growing population, ease in global travel, civil conflict, a marked decrease in medical facilities in outbreak regions, and a decrease in CDC resources could all create a perfect storm for an epidemic to rapidly get out of control and become a pandemic.

In The Big One Is Coming, and It’s Going to Be a Flu Pandemic, Dr. Sanjay Gupta wrote that when a highly lethal flu pandemic comes, it will affect everyone alive today:

Pandemic flu is apolitical and does not discriminate between rich and poor. Geographical boundaries are meaningless, and it can circle the globe within hours.

Dr. Gupta goes on to explain that when most people hear “flu”, they think of seasonal flu, but pandemic flu is “a different animal, and you should understand the difference.”

Panˈdemik/: pan means “all”; demic (or demographic) means “people.” It is well-named, because pandemic flu spreads easily throughout the world. Unlike seasonal flu, pandemics occur when a completely new or novel virus emerges. This sort of virus can emerge directly from animal reservoirs or be the result of a dramatic series of mutations — so-called reassortment events — in previously circulating viruses.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

“One Typhoon Away From Full Breach” – US Nuke-Test Dome Leaking Fatal Radiation Into Pacific Ocean

February 2, 2018

“One Typhoon Away From Full Breach” – US Nuke-Test Dome Leaking Fatal Radiation Into Pacific Ocean

Before the 1970s, the United States and other nuclear-armed countries conducted more than 500 atomic weapons tests in the atmosphere.

During these tests, radioactive debris and gases were flung up into the atmosphere and traveled around the world.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that people around the world have had exposure to radioactive fallout from these nuclear tests. Even today, radioactive fallout is present in many parts of the world, but in small amounts.

In the early 2000s, the CDC released a global radioactive fallout report and found that any person living in the US since 1951 has been “exposed to some radioactive fallout, and all of a person’s organs and tissues have received some exposure.”

The costs associated with nuclear tests for any country have been quite devastating for surrounding communities. Take, for instance, the Enewetak Atoll, a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean, where the U.S. government detonated 30 megatons of weapons – equivalent to 2,000 Hiroshima blasts – between 1948 and 1958.

In total, sixty-seven nuclear bombs detonated on Enewetak Atoll and Bikini Atoll of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Beginning in 1977, more than 8,000 people worked to clean up the Marshall Islands, shifting 110,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris into a blast crater.

This thirty-foot-deep crater is called the Runit Dome, on Enewetak Atoll, also called “Cactus Dome” or locally “The Tomb.”

The dome of death spans 350-feet across with an 18-inch concrete cap covering radioactive debris from 12-years of U.S. government nuclear tests.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Flu Is FAR WORSE Than We’re Being Told: Tens of Thousands of Americans Are DYING

January 27, 2018

The Flu Is FAR WORSE Than We’re Being Told: Tens of Thousands of Americans Are DYING

We all know that this year’s flu season is bad. I have been pouring over numbers and reports over the past few days, and it’s actually even worse than we’re hearing about. Tens of thousands of Americans are dying. It’s now worse than the 2009 swine flu outbreak and is on track with the 2014-15 strain. And it’s not showing any signs of slowing down.

Despite this, the media is downplaying the severity of the flu and the government makes the statistics pretty difficult to find. Are they trying to avoid a panic? Do they know something we don’t?

Here’s what you need to know about why this year’s flu is so dangerous.

This Year’s Flu Strain Is More Deadly

The dominant Influenza strain this year is H3N2. This particular strain has a history of causing more hospitalizations and more deaths. According to the CDC:

In the past, H3N2-predominant seasons have been associated with more severe illness and higher mortality, especially in older people and young children, relative to H1N1- or B-predominant seasons. Between 1976 and 2007, for example, CDC estimates that an average of 28,909 people died from flu during H3N2 seasons, compared to 10,648 people during non-H3N2 predominant years.

That’s a difference of 18,261 adults each year. And that’s in a good year.

In addition to H3N2 producing a more serious infection in general, this year’s particular H3N2 influenza virus is particularly virulent. The number of deaths due to influenza or complications to the flu, such as pneumonia (a secondary bacterial infection following influenza), varies from year to year.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Cycle of Disease – It’s Just our Time

January 18, 2018

The Cycle of Disease – It’s Just our Time

COMMENT: Sir,

It’s interesting, since your post on Madagascar and the pneumonic plague, I have Surveilled a site dealing with medical news once a week. What’s really interesting is the resurgence of older well-known entities such as cholera

Zambia has been hard hit with over 2000 cases of cholera with close to 50 deaths. The university is closed as well as other institutions. It has migrated from the urban areas to the suburban areas. The armed forces have been called out to help. Tanzania has shut its borders with Zambia due to this. Kenya has had 4 kid cases of hospitalization.

ProMED-mail post

Influenza strains are hitting geographic regions. The H3n2 is has hit Australia very hard and is currently hitting the UK. The US is also being infected. India has the H1N1 variant hitting them hard.

The avian flu has led to the culling of birds in the Middle East particularly Egypt and Iran. Saudia Arabia just had 6 new cases. Russia and Swiss poultry also have cases.

China has Influenza B hitting them hard but cannot confirm type nor number of cases and comparison numbers.

Patients overcrowd hospitals as flu outbreak sweeps China

When it rains…. it pours.

Keep up the good work

REPLY: The influenza virus changes its genetic makeup every year and complies with guess what – cyclical analysis! This constantly changing virus presents a cyclical challenge to medical science, and consequently, this makes it impossible to create a single vaccine to prevent the disease for life. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitor each new strain of influenza virus as it appears. They gather data and then try to predict which may be the predominant virus in the following year’s flu season. Scientists then use this data to develop a vaccine each year against the specific virus they predict will predominate.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

CDC Cancels Nuke Talk, Warns About “Widespread” Flue Epidemic

January 17, 2018

CDC Cancels Nuke Talk, Warns About “Widespread” Flue Epidemic

In late December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it would conduct a briefing on January 16 regarding the “public health response to a nuclear detonation” over the skies of the United States. Now, the CDC has canceled the nuclear briefing and focused on something much more important: the flu epidemic across the continental United States.

The agency announced the switch in topics late Friday, citing the ‘out of control’ flu cases as the main reason for the shift.

“To date, this influenza season is notable for the sheer volume of flu that most of the United States is seeing at the same time which can stress health systems,” according to a CDC statement. “The vast majority of this activity has been caused by influenza A H3N2, associated with severe illness in young children and people 65 years and older.”

A weekly Influenza Surveillance Report prepared by the Influenza Division Weekly Influenza Activity Estimates reported by State and Territorial Epidemiologists warns of a “widespread” breakout across the entire United States for the week ending Jan 06, 2018.

The originally scheduled event, titled “Public Health Response to a Nuclear Detonation,” was supposed to provide an educational framework for Americans of what do in the event of a nuclear bomb detonation.

Earlier this month, the hysteria around nuclear war flourished when President Trump tweeted about the his “nuclear button” size while comparing it to North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un’s button. In response, Americans panicked and bought anti-radiation pills in droves, as drug sales skyrocketed for potassium iodide tablets.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

New Flu Strains Threaten Public as CDC Admits to Flu Medicine Shortage

January 17, 2018

New Flu Strains Threaten Public as CDC Admits to Flu Medicine Shortage

In what may be one of the most severe flu seasons in recent history, the CDC has warned more is to come. This week, CDC officials say due to the influx of the widespread flu season, there are shortages of the drug used to treat the flu. While the CDC is working to address the “spot shortages”, it does not bode well for the public who are already dealing with a severe flu season and one that could potentially get worse with new flu strains emerging.

“Even if the hopeful assessment by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bears out, there will still be an additional 11 weeks to 13 weeks of flu circulating across the country. “In general, we see things peaking right about now, but that means there is still a whole lot more flu to go,” Dan Jernigan, [director of the influenza division at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases] said. ‘In addition, there are other strains of influenza still to show up that could be a major cause of disease.’

That may already be happening. The CDC is starting to see infections caused by the H1N1 strain of the virus in states grappling with high levels of the H3N2 strain, the predominant version this season. In addition, Jernigan said, yet another type of flu caused by influenza B viruses is expected to show up later in the season.

H3N2 has compounded the damage usually wrought by the annual flu outbreak. It’s known for both its severity and ability to evade the protection provided by vaccinations that are typically more effective against the other types of flu.” (Source)

Hospitals Scrambling to Limit Exposure

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

‘Preparing for the Unthinkable’: CDC to Hold Briefing on How to Prepare the Public for a Nuclear Detonation in America

January 6, 2018

‘PREPARING FOR THE UNTHINKABLE’: CDC TO HOLD BRIEFING ON HOW TO PREPARE THE PUBLIC FOR A NUCLEAR DETONATION IN AMERICA

nuclear-war2

Amid rising tensions between the United States and North Korea, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention have scheduled a briefing for later this month that will teach healthcare professionals how to better prepare the public for a nuclear detonation in America.

The “teaching session” will target doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, pharmacists, veterinarians, certified health education specialists, laboratory scientists, and others and will be held January 16th.

A posting on the CDC website outlines the agencies “Public Health Response to a Nuclear Detonation” which details the need to be able to inform the public on how to possibly survive such an attack.

The Threat Is Real – Prepare Your Family For A Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Or Nuclear Attack (Ad)

“While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps. Despite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness,” the notice reads.

“For instance, most people don’t realize that sheltering in place for at least 24 hours is crucial to saving lives and reducing exposure to radiation. While federal, state, and local agencies will lead the immediate response efforts, public health will play a key role in responding.”

Stat News reports:

A spokesperson for the agency said planning for the event has been underway for months — in fact, since CDC officials took part in a “radiation/nuclear incident exercise” led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency last April, Kathy Harben said in an email.

“CDC participants felt it would be a good way to discuss public health preparedness and share resources with states and other partners. State and local partners also have expressed interest in this topic over time,” she said.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

US Military Admits It “Misplaced” Black Plague Samples

September 11, 2015

US Military Admits It “Misplaced” Black Plague Samples

Back in May, the US military was forced to admit that it had done something really stupid and what’s great about the story is that it requires very little in the way of explanation and/or added color to explain why what happened can be fairly classified as an example of sheer governmental incompetence. Put differently: this story speaks for itself. Here’s a recap:

According to CNN, “four lab workers in the United States and up to 22 overseas have been put in post-exposure treatment, a defense official said, following the revelation the U.S. military inadvertently shipped live anthrax samples in the past several days.” The army apparently thought they were shipping samples rendered inactive by gamma radiation last year, but that clearly was not the case because when a Maryland lab received their sample last Friday they were able to grow live Bacillus anthracis. The lab reported their concerns to the CDC. By Saturday afternoon, labs in Maryland, Texas, Wisconsin, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, New York, California and Virginia were notified that the US military had accidentally mailed them the deadly bacteria. A sample sent to a US base in South Korea was destroyed on Wednesday.

That came just a few months after the CDC admitted to mishandling an Ebola sample, potentially exposing a dozen people to the deadliest virus known to mankind.

Needless to say, the story grabbed headlines across the country as Americans struggled to understand how it’s possible that the US army could possible have managed to unknowingly jeopardize dozens of lives by FedEx-ing live anthrax to nine states and one foreign country.

Well don’t look now, but the DoD is out warning that the army might have also mishandled samples of the black plague which isn’t known to be dangerous unless you count the time it wiped out 60% of Europe’s entire population. Here’s more from CNN:

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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