nativeMama Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 This looks to me like the WHO is admitting H2H http://tinyurl.com/eeu8k Link to comment
PlanoPa Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 when this virus was found in pigs, that was the last link before going H2H...swine are a breeding ground for viruses that jump to humans...now we are facing H2H. Still on a limited scale so far, if they can contain it, but I am afraid the genie has been let out of the bottle. Q Link to comment
PlanoPa Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Seven Indonesian Bird Flu Cases Linked to Patients (Update1) May 23 (Bloomberg) -- All seven people infected with bird flu in a cluster of Indonesian cases can be linked to other patients, according to disease trackers investigating possible human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus. A team of international experts has been unable to find animals that might have infected the people, the World Health Organization said in a statement today. In one case, a 10-year- old boy who caught the virus from his aunt may have passed it to his father, the first time officials have seen evidence of a three-person chain of infection, an agency spokeswoman said. Six of the seven people have died. Almost all of the 218 cases of H5N1 infections confirmed by the WHO since late 2003 can be traced to direct contact with sick or dead birds. Strong evidence of human-to-human transmission may prompt the global health agency to convene a panel of experts and consider raising the pandemic alert level, said Maria Cheng, an agency spokeswoman. ``Considering the evidence and the size of the cluster, it's a possibility,'' Cheng said in a telephone interview. ``It depends on what we're dealing with in Indonesia. It's an evolving situation.'' The 32-year-old father in the cluster of cases on the island of Sumatra was ``closely involved in caring for his son, and this contact is considered a possible source of infection,'' The WHO said in its statement. Three others, including the sole survivor in the group, spent a night in a ``small'' room with the boy's aunt, who later died and was buried before health officials could conduct tests for the H5N1 virus. `Directly Linked' ``All confirmed cases in the cluster can be directly linked to close and prolonged exposure to a patient during a phase of severe illness,'' the WHO said. While investigators have been unable to rule out human-to- human transmission in the Sumatran cluster, they continue to search for other explanations for how the infections arose, the WHO statement said. Health experts are concerned that if H5N1 gains the ability to spread easily among people, it may set off a lethal global outbreak of flu. While some flu pandemics are relatively mild, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. So far, studies of the Sumatran outbreak and genetic analyses of the virus don't indicate the virus has undergone major changes, Cheng said. Scientists at WHO-affiliated labs in the U.S. and Hong Kong found no evidence that the Indonesian strain of H5N1 has gained genes from pigs or humans that might change its power or spreading ability, WHO said. Mutations ``These viruses mutate all the time and it's difficult to know what the mutations mean,'' Cheng said. Health officials earlier found strong evidence of direct human-to-human spread of H5N1 in Thailand in 2004. Scientists reported in the Jan. 27, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that the H5N1 virus probably spread from an 11-year- old girl in Thailand to her aunt and mother, killing the mother and daughter. People who had more casual contact with the girl didn't become infected. In the Sumatran cluster, close, direct contact with a severely ill person was also needed for spread, Cheng said. Preliminary findings from the investigation indicate that the woman who died, considered to be the initial case, was coughing frequently while the three others spent the night in the same room. One of the three, a second brother, is the sole survivor. The other two, her sons, died. ``It looks like the same behavior pattern'' of close contact and caretaking during illness with the bird flu virus, Cheng said. To raise the level of pandemic alert ``it would have to be transmissible from more casual contact.'' General Community The Indonesian Ministry of Health and international scientists are continuing their investigation to trace the origins of the infections, the WHO said in its statement. ``Priority is now being given to the search for additional cases of influenza-like illness in other family members, close contacts, and the general community,'' the WHO said. ``To date, the investigation has found no evidence of spread within the general community and no evidence that efficient human-to-human transmission has occurred.'' Source:http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aWESsJvt6CFE&refer=home Link to comment
Mother Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 This is what is officially on the WHO web site.. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_05_23/en/index.html Link to comment
arklatex Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Looks like we'd all better be getting our houses in order. This could be the big one. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 at 10:10 pst... Fox News.. question and answer session with Dr. Manny .... just jumped around every question asked! Mentioned the Sumatra family as 'yeah the family got it but they were most likely living in close quarters and they probably don't have the sanitary conditions we have'...... huh? I live in close quarters with my family! we hug, share food, and though we wash our hands and bath two times a day... how is that gonna stop me from getting the flu from, say, my daughter? when she is sick I am tending her! so I have formed my opinion... it has happened. It had gone from bird to person and from person to person.... from H5N1 to H2H! Link to comment
Mother Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 The fact that they even admit that it's possible is scary considering that they have been SO careful not to in the past even when they know it had already done that in the previous twenty plus clusters but it was only just one to one,,,,,now it's one to one to one to one.....H2H2H2H2 if you read it right... Somewhere along the way they forgot to tell us public about it though.... Now they ARE.... It's possible that they do not expect it to spread or that if it does that it won't be here any time soon and that's why our own government is not being alarmed yet but then,,,,it's also possible that they are worried as I noticed that coverage of this cluster has just been announced on our local station as well, complete with a clip of a spokesman for WHO that says they can not rule out the possibility of H2H,,,(duh!) More info on the bird flu than was ever out about the Y2K. Wonder why? Link to comment
m0naj0 Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 They were covering it on Good Morning America, this a.m., and on our local news. They didn't give it a lot of coverage, but they did give it coverage (something I haven't seen). However, when I was at Kroger's this a.m. I didn't see anyone stocking up. (BTW, Kroger's had chicken quarters on sale for .25 cents/lb - in 10# bags.) I'm going to stew the chicken this afternoon, can it, and also make chicken broth and can it. At church this a.m., for our quilting group, I talked to a friend about the news coverage, and we discussed her preps (she and her husband have about a month of food supplies, and well water (they can use even if the power is down). I worrry about her Rx drug needs if supplies are limited. Link to comment
shadypines Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I was told by a friend that the government is now saying that people should have six months of preps (including food and water)stored. Can anyone verify this? Link to comment
twilap Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Wow, it sure does sound like it has gone H2H. I am still not prepped like I want. I went to Costco today, and it doesn't appear that anyone is prepping for anything like this when you look at their baskets. Link to comment
cartoongirl Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I've been keeping an eye and an ear open....specially CNN and honestly haven't heard much?????? I find that odd. Link to comment
Mother Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 This from the Pandemicflu.gov web site..... What would be the Impact of a Pandemic? A pandemic may come and go in waves, each of which can last for six to eight weeks. http://www.pandemicflu.gov/general/ There's lots more on there, just have to dig for it. Link to comment
txcowgirl Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I said this in a post somewhere else. I was talking about my brother-in-law and his incredulous attitude. What I said was very simple. Fools mock but they shall mourn. The ostrich behavior is amazing. Cindy Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 Well, it sure got my hubby's attention! Now he wants to get life insurance and maybe even some form of insurance that would cover us even if he lost his job. He is working hard at getting our finances in order, and he is even talking about buying gold or silver. Not a ton of it, mind you, just enough to help us if we need it. May the Lord be with us all, if this indeed is the beginning of it! Link to comment
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