CHR fears killer flu is here

<http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=200C5550-5950-42D4-B165-E358E224ED6E>

A new severe strain of influenza that has killed as many as seven Canadians, including one child, is likely circulating in Calgary, says the city's deputy medical health officer.

Sixteen Albertans have tested positive for A Fujian -- the strain responsible for most of the severe influenza cases across North America right now -- said Dr. David Strong.

"It is almost certainly (in Calgary) because it's in virtually all the other health regions elsewhere in the country," he said.
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And whats up with the State department issuing a warning for a Spanish Influenza outbreak that might occur in the coming spring? Even though no case have been reported in 90 years?

Snip:

"The A Fujian strain is to blame for the early start to the Calgary flu season, said Strong, adding the flu vaccine offered by health regions doesn't provide full protection.

"It's not clear exactly how much protection you're getting (from A Fujian)," said Strong, who urges Calgarians get a flu shot this year."

I was just gonna say, time to get that vaccination.

is promoted every year.

Just more fear mongering.

Within the last week, Wierd cases have already shown up in Australia, Britian and here in the US.

How do I know? Ask a substitute teacher or a school attendance clerk.

My friend is a professional sub; he'd like to go back to teaching HS physics, math and chem, but the local districts have the foot ball coaches and the english majors doing those (which is for another thread.)

Most weeks, year in and year out, he works 2-3 days a week; he occasionally gets a long call but that's rare.

This year he has had 1 school day off since Oct 17. That was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The students are out sick, too. My district has a 5 day or you fail attendance policy (if you miss more than a week total, excuse or no, you fail the semester) that they had to rescind... because the entire senior class probably would have failed to graduate by the time this is over.

The few deaths have been among the elderly, but the Forensics team that I judge for had their two champs in the hospital for a couple days with flu.

This is gonna be a bad, bad flu year.

Politicat

life with the flu. it was completely disabling. i'm still coughing a bit, and it's been 3 weeks.

good luck to anyone who gets this thing. drink a lot of water, stay in bed, and don't spread it to anyone unnecessarily.

It progressed to the point where I now have pneumonia, and I'm a healthy guy in the prime of life, as the saying goes. I can easily imagine this thing, which has caused me to cough so hard I re-injured my back and pulled several muscles in my rib cage, killing the old or the infirm. It's nothing to fool around with.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/weekly.htm


Antigenic Characterization: CDC has antigenically characterized 77 influenza A (H3N2) viruses submitted by U.S. laboratories since September 28. Of the 77 A (H3N2) viruses tested, 17 (22%) were similar antigenically to the vaccine strain A/Panama/2007/99 (H3N2), and 60 (78%) were similar to the drift variant, A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2), that predominated in Australia and New Zealand during the recent Southern Hemisphere influenza season. This drift variant is related to the vaccine strain, A/Panama/2007/99. Antibodies produced against the vaccine virus cross-react with A/Fujian/411/2002-like viruses, but at a lower level. Vaccine effectiveness depends, in part, on the match between vaccine strains and circulating viruses. Although vaccine effectiveness against A/Fujian/411/2002-like viruses may be less than that against A/Panama/2007/99-like viruses, it is expected that the current U.S. vaccine will offer some cross-protective immunity against the A/Fujian/411/2002-like viruses and reduce the severity of disease.

It was awful. Still not completely over it and I've been sick since Halloween.

<http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id=9F994C56-8AF1-49C8-8024-1512EE90066B>

Federal and provincial health officials are finalizing a new pandemic influenza plan that could call for the stockpiling of huge amounts of anti-viral drugs and the establishment of old-fashioned "fever hospitals," last seen during the Spanish Flu of 1918.

The plan would stop short of ordering mass flu vaccinations, sources say.

"If a killer strain hits us, there won't be time to get a workable vaccine ready," said a senior Ontario health official. "SARS gave us a taste of what to expect."
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look sick? Feel Sick? Prepair to be quarentined.

and now we got shit left.

Oh well, whats a few million less people

We've ripped the guts out of the public health infrastructure!

Look at last year's reported flu cases compared to this year's for Colorado. It's startling.
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/influenza/lab_chart.PDF

That's quite a change from last year...
here are the 2000-2002 graphs...

http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/Influenza/lab_chart01-02.pdf

it is mother nature pushing back. Over populated and polluted, the planet is like any organism trying to expell the invader virus. We, unfortunately, are the virus.

maybe in Bangladesh or some place like that, but Colorado ain't that populated. I used to live there.

:argh:

you mean the anthrax-related people?

1.5 yrs that have been "killed or murdered"....it seemed odd...and it came at the time when many were talking of anthrax and post anthrax

Microbiologists With Link to Race-Based Weapon Turning Up Dead
<http://www.americanfreepress.net/08_09_03/Microbiologists_With/microbiologists_with.html>

"Race-based weapons" are specifically tied to PNAC.

Microbiology: The Most Dangerous Area of Inquiry in the World
<http://www.cryptogon.com/2003_07_13_blogarchive.html>

Nice compilation from several sources.

The mysterious deaths of top microbiologists
<http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/deadbiologists.html>

A summary.

"focus their attention elsewhere"

the sky is not falling.

Both my daughters had this during our Eid holiday (of course). The night before Thanksgiving I was in the kitchen cooking and both my girls were :puke: upstairs.

My youngest is just now feeling better.

Fortunately, my wife and I had the flu shot the week before this hit. While it didn't prevent it completely (my wife got a sore throat) it genuinely has protected us.

Get a flu shot and just keep your eye on anyone who gets ill with this.

The UAE has been badly hit too with this.

They've already started calling MDs back from R&R to handle the case load. And flu shots are free here for children and the elderly.

Pediatricians and hospital emergency rooms are also being overwhelmed with a big outbreak of bronchiolitis.

Two epidemics for the price of one.

French medical authorities still haven't triggered the "White Plan" which would allow hospitals to open more beds and requisition health care providers. But--after the heat wave last summer--they're already beginning to talk about it. Given the lives of these diseases, they say we won't be over the hump until the end of January.

AP Wire


Now here's a guy that's elderly and really out of shape. I really hate to wish the worst for anyone, but just this one time, maybe just maybe the rest of the world will get lucky.

yes, it lasts about 5 days. i didn't get it tho (knock on wood)

has been a LONG week and 103 temps!

for about a week now. Getting better, but not gone by any means. We're very healthy people who haven't been sick for a few years.

We've never gotten them before, but I'm taking everyone this year. My older son's in middle school and just can't afford to miss a week. Last year it was really bad in the middle schools here.

our labs requested holding off on samples because they've been overwhelmed recently with docs checking for (and finding) flu. It's the H3N2 fuji strain here, too. Get your flu shots even though it's not complete coverage - the damn bug drifted! But this is a nasty one, and it looks like potentially a big outbreak. Be interesting to see if there'll be political fallout.

I am just coming down with it.... All around me, folks are sick.....

It sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

has died of influenza in my town this week. Basketball player.

Terror! Disease! Run to Big Daddy Government for protection! You're doomed otherwise!