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Baby P doctor removed from medical register by GMC

2011-02-11T14:51:00.001-08:00

Baby Peter Connelly Peter Connelly suffered more than 50 injuries before he died in 2007 at the age of 17 months

A doctor who said she failed to spot that the abused toddler Peter Connelly, known as Baby P, had a broken back has been removed from the medical register.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat was facing action at the General Medical Council (GMC) over the care of the 17-month-old, who died in 2007.

But a GMC panel granted her request for "voluntary erasure" from the register, meaning she avoids a full hearing.

It also means that she can still practise outside the UK.

Peter died in Haringey, north London, after suffering months of abuse.

A post-mortem examination found he had suffered multiple injuries.

He had received 60 visits from authorities.

He was already on the local child-protection register when he was seen by Dr Al-Zayyat, a locum consultant community paediatrician at St Ann's Hospital in Tottenham.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Jane Hughes Health correspondent, BBC News

This ruling means Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat avoids a full public airing of the very serious allegations against her - to the regret of the GMC, which felt this would be in the public interest.

Many will say she has got off very lightly. Although she won't be able to practise in the UK, there is nothing to stop her working as a doctor elsewhere.

However, the health problems which prevented her appearing before the GMC may rule that out.

Dr Al-Zayyat has not worked for the last three years, and a doctor told the GMC her chances of ever being able to contemplate practising again were "vanishingly slim".

She is said to have been suicidal and her psychiatric condition is described as permanent.

The GMC panel quoted a letter from the doctor, written last October, in which she said: "I am deeply sorry from the bottom of my heart [for] the tragic death of P."

She went on: "His death will be with me until the last day of my life.

"I am extremely sorry with regret as I failed the child and let my patient down.

"I fell below the standard expected of me on the day," she wrote.

"I thought my decisions and actions on that day at that moment of time were reasonable but in hindsight my decisions were wrong."

The doctor's barrister, Mary O'Rourke QC, said she was suicidal, had suffered panic attacks and could not attend the GMC disciplinary hearings.

Peter's mother Tracey Connelly, 28, and her partner Steven Barker were ordered to serve minimum jail terms of five and 12 years for causing the death of a child.

Jason Owen, Barker's brother, was jailed for three years for the same charge.

Swine Flu on the return as children set to go back to school

2011-01-03T14:17:00.001-08:00

As the holiday period ends with the highest flu numbers in Europe, United Kingdom authorities are bracing for a considerable rise in H1N1 flu (swine flu) cases when children go back to school this week. The National Health Service (NHS) and the HPA (Health Protection Agency) are urging parents to be especially vigilant to the threat of flu.

At risk groups can still be vaccinated, health experts reiterated today - it is not too late to receive the jab.

According to Professor John Oxford, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospital, history has shown that a rise in flu case numbers nearly always coincides with a return to school. The big question this time, with flu rates already extremely high for this time of year, is not whether there will be a surge, but how long it will last.

Oxford said:

"This virus is not going to go away next week. Even if it's already peaked, it's still going to be around for the next couple of weeks and it's still worthwhile being vaccinated at this stage."

Any child who develops flu-like symptoms should be kept away from school, British experts are urging parents and guardians.

Several sources say the current flu epidemic in the UK has not yet peaked, even though enormous numbers of children have become infected. The H1N1 flu virus (swine flu), like all H1 viruses, spreads rapidly among children.

British media are reporting today that the NHS is struggling to cope as vacant intensive care beds for children become extremely scarce. The Daily Mirror reports that swine flu among children has reached epidemic levels. Reports have come in all over the country of ambulances desperately trying to seek out hospitals with available beds for seriously ill infants - some ambulances had to travel over 100 miles to find a bed.

England has 28 dedicated pediatric intensive car units, which are reportedly "not coping" with the numbers of patients.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the UK government is facing serious criticism for not preparing itself properly enough for a flu epidemic.

738 patients with flu are currently reported to be in intensive care, 17 of whom require life support because their lungs and heart have failed.

Of the 39 people who have died of flu so far, 36 were infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus.

The Health Care Bill Becomes Law - Video

2010-03-28T09:32:00.001-07:00

Pain in upper right quadrant under rib cage discussion

2010-03-26T11:44:00.002-07:00

Hi I am a 38 year old and have pain in the upper right quadrant under my ribRib cage pain cage which radiates to the center of my back. I excercise 3 to 4 times a week at the gym with cardio and mild weight. I am still about 15 lbs over weight (I was more over weight 2 years ago). This pain actually started about 8 years ago. About 6 years ago I had my gall bladder removed.
The pain did go away for several years. After the gall badder surgery, the surgeon did make a comment that my liver kept getting in his way and he had to move it a couple of times and that it is big, but he said it did not look abnormal. I was in a lot of pain after the surgery and he kept me overnight in the hospital. The URQ pain started up again about 4 years ago. I have had all kinds of tests in the past year. A hida scan (no CCK since I do not have a gall bladder) was normalNormal saline flush, bariumBarium enema
Barium ingestion
Upper gi and small bowel series
Barium sulfate swallow (I do have GERD and hiatalHiatal hernia
normal liver etc... I also had a sonogram of my stomach, liver and pancreas - all normal. I have had 2 blood tests in the past year for my liver and pancreas- both came back normal. This info is not directly related, but wanted to mention that I had a total hysterectomy in Nov 2003 but this URQ pain had started up again prior to this surgery. Sometimes its a dull ache, sometimes it feels like I have ran for too long (but I haven't), sometimes it feels like a mild charlie horse (it actually spasms).

My doctor has just prescribed Reglan a few days ago (I haven't started it yet). What other tests can be done, do you know what could be causing this pain? It's gotten worse in the past 8 months.

Thank you,

One consideration would be Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. This is a condition that can occur in those without a gallbladder.

Typically, Sphincter of Oddi manometry done in conjunction with an ERCP would be needed for diagnosis. If present, surgery or endoscopic procedures can be done to correct this.

The upper endoscopy would rule out many of the major upper GI diseases. You can consider a 24-hr pH study to evaluate for GERD or esophageal motility studies to look for motility disorders.

These options can be discussed with your gastroenterologist.

This is a continuation of my earlier post. I should include that I have been tested for H Pylori - negative. I had the upper GI test and abdominal X-rays - all tests came back normal. I have IBS symptoms (bowel symptoms). My appetite is healthy and I have occasional nausea when I miss my prevacid dose (my stomach burns). Thanks, Lena
by cherio, Mar 29, 2009 12:00AM
I am a 39yr old women and for the past three weeks I have been having pain in my upper abdoman , ribs and shoulder blades. I have had a CT scan and blood work and they could not find any problems with my Gallbladder ,liver and or Kidneys. I have also had soft stools. has anyone had this before
by meg818, Apr 06, 2009 12:00AM
I have had this exact same problem. I am 22 years old, of average weight and no other serious medical conditions. I have had this problem for a few years now. The pain is in my upper-most abdominal region. The pain is most prevalent when I'm laying down and have to urinate. In the mornings the pain is sometimes so severe it wakes me up out of a sound sleep. Even though I urinate, sometimes the severe pain persists. During the day it is not as painful, but still a dull pain. My doctor doesn't even know where to start since he thinks I am making this up. What should I do?
by slowzuki, Apr 08, 2009 12:00AM
My wife is having similar problems, don't start questioning youself as to if you're making it up. She had a rude doc say something along those lines while she was in the hospital and it was devastating on her morale. My wife's problems have not yet been diagnosed but hopefully over time we will solve it.
by gailatwork, Apr 27, 2009 12:00AM
I have had a dull nagging pain under my bottom right rib for several years. At first my doctor blew it off as nothing. This year he guessed it was gall bladder related - referring to the - "fair, fat and forty" connection. However after an ultra sound - that was not the case. They thought they saw kidney stones but after an x-ray test with dye in the kidneys that was ruled out.

The only thing they found in the ultra sound was "fatty liver" a lesion on my liver. Liver function is normal. I've been taking statins for over 10 years for high cholesterol and I have to wonder if this long term use has caused a lesion.

It sounds like this typd of URQ pain is fairly common and hard to pin down the actual source.

by showtruck, Apr 29, 2009 12:00AM
I have very similar symptoms, except I am a 31 year old male. I first notice symptoms during a long distace car drive (Oct. 2005). It started with back pain directly behind the gallbladder, which felt like muscle strain. Within two weeks, I had a sunburn sensation below my right ribcage that has never ended. The sensation is always there with varying intensity. Two weeks after the sunburn sensation began (about 1 month after the original back pain), a physical, knotting pain in the gallbladder area of my abdomen. It felt as if I had a bloated organ, so I went to an ER. There, they did a complete blood count, urine test, multiple x-rays, and a CT scan only to say that nothing was wrong, other than a small amount of white blood cells in my urine (ie, kidney or bladder infection). Since then, the pain has intensified (knotting internal pain, sunburn sensation, and back pain) and I have went to a second ER. This time at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. They too, took a blood and urine sample and confirmed that all counts were within normal limits. This doctor did however palpate the abdomen and pressed on the exact spot that hurts internally, which caused elevated pain. He identified this spot as the area where the gallbladder and liver is located and said that I may have a growth/tumor on the gallbladder or possibly, gallstones. He suggested I go to a family practioner for ultrasound, since there was no emergency to be addressed at the ER.

I have not noticed an increase or decrease of intensity before or after eating. Also, when I sleep at night, it is more comfortable to sleep on the affected side.

Since Jan. 12, 2009, I have seen my family physician who sent me to a gastrointestinal doc for gallbladder testing and probably removal. After a hidascan, colonoscopy, an endoscope, and many blood test, there are still no answers- everything was normal. My GI specialist referred me back to the family doc for musculo-skeletal conditions. Not sure what other test should be done, will take any recommendations and let you know what we find out!
by jamoo, May 04, 2009 12:00AM
I have been having pain in the upper right side of my stomach and a buldge on the right side at my navel and my right side has been swollen since Sept. 2005. I have had every kind of test that is offered. My Doc. has told me that I may have to have my gallblader (gallbladder) removed and I have an appt. with a surgeon, but the Doc. still cannot explain the buldge I have, he told me the 1st time it was probably fat! Well, I'm not overweight. Something is wrong with me & I want rid of it. I have looked on the Web and noticed info. on a Mass, which seems to explain the pain and buldge, it read:usually with a mass-buldge there is some type of infection in the white blood cells and my Doc. told me the 1st time that my white blood count was slightly high,and I recently asked him about this and he still said he didn't know what is wrong with me, except PROBABLY my gallbladder, BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS BULDGE THAT HURTS!? Hopefully I will get a better diagnosis from the surgeon
by tlvillo, May 23, 2009 12:00AM
Unfornately - I am so glad I'm not alone. I've had the same URQ pain that everyone is talking about for the past 2 years. I had an utrasound and they determined I had gall stones. I have recently had my gall bladder removed (2 weeks ago) and the pain is now worse. It's a continuous subtle pain but at times is pretty bad. The pain actually wraps around to the right side of my back under my rib cage. I guess my only option is to go back to the doctor and start the blood and urine tests all over again. I also had a CT-Scan that showed nothing wrong with my kidneys or liver.
by NYgirl12566, May 24, 2009 12:00AM
I was looking on this site and found this condition. I suffered with the same pain for years and could not find a doctor to help me. I had my gallbladder removed years ago and still continued with the pain. I finally found a doctor to give me an ERCP and they found I had stones and sludge in my bile ducts. The ducts are connected to where your gallbladder used to be. They performed a sphinctorotomy (?spelling?) - it's when the cut the bile duct and put a stint to drain the bile. It is very minor and done under a local (like an endoscopy - the ERCP is almost the same exact procedure). Good luck.
by Enchante, May 27, 2009 12:00AM
The first time I noticed this pain in the upper quadrant, right side of my stomach was on a 10 hour trip and then again back home, another 10 hr drive. I have seen 2 doctors about it and one said it was too much stomach acid ( with out any tests) and the other wants me to have xrays and other tests. I have no gall bladder, also experience no heart burn yet the doc gave me Proactin which I have taken 3 doses of and no help there.
by Enchante, May 27, 2009 12:00AM
The first time I noticed this pain in the upper quadrant, right side of my stomach was on a 10 hour trip and then again back home, another 10 hr drive. I have seen 2 doctors about it and one said it was too much stomach acid ( with out any tests) and the other wants me to have xrays and other tests. I have no gall bladder, also experience no heart burn yet the doc gave me Proactin which I have taken 3 doses of and no help there.
by weathers, May 30, 2009 12:00AM
I have been stuck in this seamingly never ending cycle of testing for very similar problems. I have had horrible pain under my right rib cage that usually causes back pain as well. The pain in my rib cage is constant, burning, and feels like I have swelling of an organ. I have had hyda scans, drank berium, numerous sonograms, blood work, urine work, and test done on my stool (I guess to rule out bleeding ulcers). I am 26 years old, I am within normal height & weight range. I eat healthy and really don't have any other health problems. My most recent doctor thinks I'm nuts and that there is not a problem. He said that my gall bladder works fine and at this point has ordered no further testing. I have had this problem for 14 years. My attacks used to only happen once a year and last for 24 hours, but now they happen once every couple of months and last for 2-4 days. Often times they will cause vomiting and keep me completely unable to eat or sleep. I have tried removing fatty foods from my diet--I rarely eat anything fried. I have tried removing caffiene as well. Does anyone have any suggestions on a test I should press for from my doctor--or how to get him to send me to a gastro-intestinal specialist. Even any suggestions on possible diet changes or herbal remedies that have helped any of you. I am really becoming desperate and will be looking for a new doctor soon for help. Thanks.
by Brad2195, Jun 05, 2009 12:00AM
Is breathing difficulty present?.....I to have the sensation of burning in the rib cage area....other times it feels "knotted up" with the :sunburn" sensation.....anyways it's been 6 months and the pain with the difficulty getting a free deep breath is getting me a little worried.....mostly it's just annoying having to deal with pain from the moment I wake to the moment I fall asleep.......
by MrsNied, Jun 06, 2009 12:00AM
Hi... I have had the same pain in rib cage area about 4 years ago, been to several gastronologist's and they found nothing. My pain in the rib area started about a week after I had an appendectomy, was in and out of the emergency room and they could never find anything no matter how severe my pain was.

I had just had throat surgery about 4 weeks ago, due to swollen lymph nodes in my right side of neck and throat all the time. I went to an ENT and I was diagnosed with an ulcer in the back of my throat. Ever since 4 weeks ago when I had my surgery I have been having bad pain under my rib cage again. Also pain in the chest, behind breast bone, pain between shoulder blades, stomach aches and soreness. Not to add the pinching and stabbing pains in my heart I get to where I can't even breath. I was so scared I was having a heart attack one day that I went tgo emergeny room and they ran some test to check out my heart and the doctor says my heart was fine. I went to my PCP and he has been my doctor since I was a child, and I am now 32 years old. Everything my PCP has ever diagnosed me with he has always been right on. He diagnosed me this time with GERD!! I am still having swollen lymph nodes in my neck though and pain everywhere even after a week after the medicine. Hopefully with more time my symptoms will lessen. I hope this information will be helpful.
by MsMatthews, Jun 06, 2009 12:00AM
I too have been suffering from this.
For several years I can only describe the sensation as a balloon being blown up under my right lower rib cage, then slowly the air being let out. It is very uncomfortable for me. It has escalated into ruining my life.
Several months ago I started feeling bad, run down, I would get up out of bed from sleeping several hours, use the bathroom and literally go back to bed for severa more hours. I hurt everywhere. I was throwing up all the time.
That is the worst part, everytime I start to vomit, I have the taste of rotten eggs or sulfur in my mouth.
Last night I had another attack.
I talked to my Mother, she says she thinks it is my gall bladder.
That it sounds like what my sister had happen to her.
Well, I dont know. Because 4 or 5 weeks ago, my symptoms got so bad I could hardly stand it and I wound up in the ER.They did a complete CBC, LFT, X rays; the doctor said the only thing he could find wrong with me was my whiteblood count was slightly elevated. So he wrote me a general antibiotic for Septra and Cipro. ( I thought I had mono it was so bad )
Now, those medicines are really strong combined together.
The fever and extreme tireness are gone.
But, I am still hurting all over, have a horrible taste in my mouth, vomiting.
Short of going back to the ER, I dont know what to do. My doctor already thinks I am a hypocondriac.
by beautifulashes_777, Jun 13, 2009 12:00AM
Hi...I unfortunatley am experiencing similar problems but only for about two months now. For me it's been slightly different though. When it began I felt extremely full and couldn't eat anything for a few days and I tasted copper all the time. I've fought with constipation for about 4 years until a few days after I started feeling full, which all the sudden turned to extreme diarrea (diarrhea) but only lasted about an hour. My bowel movements are soft and fairly regular now but there is pain in my upper right abdominal under my rib cage. The pain has continued to 'grow' if you will, jumping around to all different areas, which I did not see mentioned above. At times it's under my right rib cage but other times it's below my stomach on the left, beside my navel on the right and in my back on both sides. At times it hurts to take deep breaths. I went to the doctor and my abdomin (abdomen) was sore in several places but mostly beside my navel on the right during the first exam. He ordered a sonogram of my gallbladder and liver, normal. A hidascan of my gallbladder, also normal. He checked my thryoid and pancreas, also normal. I had a CBC, normal. He checked for hepatitis and a few other things, all came back normal so he's referred me to a GI doctor. The doctor says he believes me but doesn't know what it could be but if the GI doctor doesn't find anything for me to come back and we would keep doing tests until we find the problem. He did give me Nexium to try but it didn't help; he also gave me some meds for IBS but they make the pain worse and last longer. If anyone has any advice or knows anything please let me know! After reading all the messages here I'm wondering if it will ever be figured out. (oh, and just so ya know...it does hurt worse when I eat but also hurts when I've not eaten. I do have the burning sensation and sometimes even a more pinpointed pain. Soemtimes it feels as if my ribs are pushing in on my organs or something...so I know how most of you feel) I had began to wonder if I were crazy or something myself so reading all this makes me feel better. Oh, I've also been referred to a Neurologist for possible Multiple Sclerosis so the doctor said it may have something to do with that but after reading this...I don't think so.
by XTexasStarX, Jun 14, 2009 12:00AM
I was here earlier while searching for an answer to the pain I have had under my ribs on the right side. I then went to another site and found an answer that made the pain better in a matter of a minute. I won't put a link, I'll just tell you what I learned. I'm not doing an ad :)

First I had my gallbladder out 17 years ago.

The page I read said it may be something called trigger pain. It said to feel along the ribs until you find the spot that is tender. Then massage that area. I did it and the pain was better with in a minute. I can take a deep breath now. I balled my hand into a fist and kind of leaned into my fist on my side, massaging the area.

This will not be the answer for everyone, but why not give it a try.

Texas Star
by bedders, Jun 16, 2009 12:00AM
I am also suffering with similar annoying symptoms for months now. Pain/dull ache in right rib cage and below like nad stitch. Comes and goes with no prior warning. Ranges from uncomfortable to excruciating. When it is bad it fels like it is hurting all across my chest and back. Had blood tests on liver and kidney, scan for gallstones and now a chest x-ray. All clear but still waiting on chest x-ray results.

I suffer really badly with my sinuses and getting colds and it appears to be worse when my sinuses are bad, but the doctors have said there is no medical link. Also seems to be worse if my sleep pattern is disturbed?
by NormalGuy, Jun 16, 2009 12:00AM
I was having the exact same problem as most of you are speaking about since I was nearly 11 years old. There was never anything anyone was able to do to correctly diagnose any of the problems I had. It seemed that if all I ate was fruit, it would go away for a while, but then inevitably, after some time (maybe months or weeks), it would be back once again. And I was in the category that a lot of you are in where the pain was so bad at times, that if I had a gun, I am sure I would have done something permanent to myself.

For relief, I have found that alternating between almost scalding hot showers and sitting silent on the toilet in the normal position, to work to stop the pain in about 30-60 minutes most times.

Over the years (31 years old now) I have managed to fast a few days, and it would be gone for a while. Through doing my own research and observation, and through sheer cooincidence, a friend that has problems with constipation let me try a few tablets of his. From a place online named GHC health:

http://www.ghchealth.com/health-products/product_info.php?ref=167669&products_id=28

I have now been a full time user of these tablets, and while taking them, I have not had any more occurrences of the pain. When I went through a dry spell, and was not taking them, I found that too many espressos or coffee drinks brought the symptoms right back within a few weeks. But it I just moderated my coffee intake, I could get away with only using the tabs every few months or so.

I have recently bought a Green star Juicer, and have found that I can get the same great results simply by going on a juice fast for one week, every 6 months.

My assumption of this problem is that it has something to do with constipation, or some form of obstruction of the large intestine. The reason I say this, is because there was a time when I was having a nice hot shower, and the pain started shifting from upper-right abdomin (abdomen), to center, to left, then started to drop as though it was descending towards the backside to be pooped out! The process took about 30 minutes from the start ofthe pain's movement, to ready to dump.

Now combining that experience with understanding what the Oxy-Powder in the above link does, it makes sense to me that the pain is some form of bowel distress caused by an impaction or adhesion or something with the fecal matter.

Anyhow, I would highly recommend you try that supplement at the link above. It was kinda pricey, but the fact that it helped my pain go away on a semi-permanent basis, I couldn't put a price on that!! Also, a whole body cleansing has done me good as well, to help clean out my liver and kidneys. Here is the link to their cleansing system.

http://www.ghchealth.com/health-products/product_info.php?ref=167669&products_id=197

Please post back here if this information helps any of your conditions.
by spruefamily, Jun 26, 2009 12:00AM
I am going through a similar situation and am awaiting results of bloodwork. I just wanted to comment that my gastroenterologist tested me for celiac sprue which is inherited and my father and sister have it but it just started getting more recognized in the United States. When my father got diagnosed I did research and there is another country that tests all children for this. I remember reading that Irish and Italian descent are prone to it. Sprue is an allergy to Gluten which is wheat products which can be found everywhere. Even in chicken broth. The other poster said that the symptoms subsided when they only ate fruit but maybe it is because they stop eating gluten products.?? My father couldnt hold anything in and the doctors had no clue what was wrong with him. He always had cramps and other similar problems. He thought he was dying of cancer and then finally he went to another doctor who recognized it right away because his wife had it. My sister also has it but did not have diarhea (diarrhea),rather she just had cramps everytime she ate and even when she didnt her stomach and abdomen would bother her. You may want to investigate this. Like I said I am unsure if that is the reason for all of my pains, hopefully I will find out when the tests come back.
by jasonfish, Jun 26, 2009 12:00AM
I am a 37 year old male and have had this pain off and on for the past 3 years. I first noticed the burning sensation below my right rib, but then about a year ago, the pain started to appear below my left rib occassionally as well. Then, the pain would go away for a couple of weeks or months, and then reappear. Has anyone also had the pain on the left side as well?
by Dusklover, Jun 28, 2009 12:00AM
Hello All...I'm not a doctor but 2 weeks ago I ended up in the hospital following a bout with pain like many of you seem to have. It was diagnosed as pancreatitis. I don't know if it was acute or chronic...but it was maybe my 2nd attack. I saw my regular doctor Monday and she discussed my case with her GI friend at the PolyClinic here in Seattle. After reviewing recent blood work and her relaying my symptoms to him, he thinks it is a Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, considering my gallbladder is gone. This dysfunction can lead to attacks of the pancreas! There is an invasive surgery they can do to MAYBE relieve the problem, but I'm told it's a bad diagnosis and a bad surgery. My doctor told me today the idea is to prevent it from coming back. They believe this can be done via frequent, small, low fat meals. She suggested I see a nutrionist to assist in my diet. She left me with the comment that "you will want to be very, very good." When there is a problem with this organ it is extremely difficult for it to digest fat. If the sphincter is malfunctioning, the digestive enzymes from the pancreas will back up into the pancreas and it will digest it self. None of this is good! If I have another attack, I will be referred to one of two doctors in the Seattle area who deal with a possible Sphincter of Oddi issue. I'm scared so I will definitely stick to whatever diet I am told to stick to. So far, so good...I am eating low fat on my own, smaller, more frequent meals and I'm doing pretty good. I hope all of you find answers to the cause of your pain. You may want to mention Oddi to your doctors. I did on Monday and when my doctor called me today she started out by saying, "I wish I'd said what you said on Monday...it would make me look a lot smarter".....Good luck everyone.
by cowgirlTEXAS, Jul 03, 2009 12:00AM
I am 35 yrs. old and I have had my gall bladder taken out, I am having pain right below my right rib cage, when I bend over adn I am sitting on the floor and I lean over it is like having a charlie horse very sharp pain, if I straighten up and push on it, it feels like it moves out of the way, I am going to the Dr. Wed. but if anyone as had this please responded back please, and my back does not hurt at all.

Thank You
Texas Girl
by Bob T., Jul 09, 2009 12:00AM
To: Texas cowgirl
What did your doctor say about your charley horse pain under your rib cage. That is a similiar problem I have had and it getting worse. I've told the doctor before and he didn't know what to think. Have another appointment this coming friday.
by TexasAngel, Jul 19, 2009 12:00AM
Wow, I have been trying to explain my pains to my doctors and they just look at me like I'm crazy. Yet everyone here has pretty much summed up everything I'm feeling. I am 31 years old and had a hysterectomy at 27. About six months after my surgery I started experiencing this pain and actually ended up in the hospital for 4 days. They ran every test they could think of and everything came back normal. I just lived with the pain which is under my rib cage on the right side, right over my gallbladder. About a 1 1/2 years ago, I couldn't take it any longer and went to another doctor who diagnosed me with shingles. He prescribed Neurontin, which actually helped with the pain temporarily, then I did some research and nothing I was experiencing lead me to believe that it could be shingles. I ended up in the hospital again, they ran more tests and that doctor said it was Pluracy. I've had pluracy and this feels nothing like that. The sad thing about that is that the nurse came in and told me that that is what the doctor tells people they have when she doesn't know. (Comforting huh?) My symptoms:

Pain in the upper right of my stomach, right below the rib cage, muscle spasms and more and more frequently, I get what feels like a charlie horse (this becomes worse when I haven't eaten and happens almost everytime I sneeze or cough) . Burning sensation and the area feels numb to the touch when it's burning. The pain now often "jumps" to my lower abdomen on either the right or left side of my belly button. And seldom it does hurt on my upper left side below the rib cage, but not that often.

It is getting worse and worse and usually end up doubled over on average 10 times or more a day. Before I spend another dime with the doctors, I was curious if anyone had some sort of clue what this was. But apparently we are all in here with a bunch of pain and no answers. At least it's nice to know I'm not just crazy.
by madams, Jul 28, 2009 12:00AM
I was sitting here at work at my desk and decided to start surfing the net to find what might be wrong with me when I came across this messageboard. I was searching for pain under rib cage on right side. As i read these posts i was glad I wasn't the only one out there. I actually have been in the ER and have been told those ever so famous lines "There's nothing wrong." I have had my pain for over 9 years now. I had my left kidney removed in 1997. I had sufferred from Kidney stones for years and often thought it was my kidney.

As I got older and more familiar with my body i knew and the doctors knew it had nothing to do with my kidney. My Gallbladder has been checked and I have had numerous tests. At this point I just deal with it. Except today I decided to look once again on my own to see if i found anything new.

Right now I'm experiences a sensation as if i have bubbles under my rib cage and it's quite painful. As if they are moving around bloated. I don't have gas, and it's not constant. But it is painful when I feel it move.

I too have experienced the sunburn sensation, pain in my back, sharp pains in and around the liver and gallbladder area. This is so strange to me but i'm so glad there are many more out there who are also experiencing the exact same thing as me.
by Crampster, Jul 29, 2009 12:00AM
The pain I deal with is more like a pinching unless I have a major episode... then it is under the right ribcage and travels to the back and sometime up to the right shoulder. Have surgery on monday hope this will take care of the gallbladder issue. However I suffer from IBS also which really has not been giving me too much problem lately but I worry about something called dump syndrome which you can get after gallbladder is removed ... you eat and everything goes right through you... I need to stock up on immodium I guess.

Wish you luck checking in to your pain.... I don't know that I ever felt bubbles.
by nanita, Aug 07, 2009 12:00AM
WOW, it feels good to know I'm not going crazy, I've had the pain that most of you describe and the doctor doesn't seem to know what's wrong with me. Had a bone scan, checked liver, gall bladder, kidneys and nothing other than fatty substance in kidney. Couldn't see the pancreas- have been very concerened as all of my mother's sibling including her and my grandmother died of some kind of cancer... The pain at times is unberable- hadn't thought until now that when I have that pain my back hurts as well---
by Celerity, Aug 11, 2009 12:00AM
I have had similar symptons to what you all have described for years. I haven't found anything that stops it completely, but some things help. Antacids, such as Tums help take some of the pressure off and reduces the pain, but doesn't stop the pain. The pain is sometimes triggered if I go too long without eating. Then when I do eat, I become very bloated and this makes the pain worse. If I skip breakfast or wait too long to eat lunch, I can expect the pain to begin. It also triggers and is especially bad when I have been sitting too long, for example extended travel, and more so if the chair is too straight. A reclined position with lumbar support seems to help. Other times, pain seems to coincide with bouts of IBS during which times I am constipated. My IBS I generally feel is stress related.

Frequently, the pain is accompanied with all over aches and fatigue...sort of fever and flu-like symptoms even though there is no fever.
I have had a HIDA scan and the person conducting the scan indicated the gall bladder emptied very slowly, however this wasn't stated at all in the report to the doctor who told me everything was "normal."
by Deeman34, Aug 14, 2009 12:00AM
I have had the same pain off and on for the last 18 months. Dr test show nothing abmormal except a fatty liver. It bothers me more when i drink alcohol for extended periods so I thought it was my liver. I have started to take "liver restoration" vitamins and herbs and it seems to help. I think stress is a factor as well. Good luck to all.
by middleagelady, Aug 20, 2009 12:00AM
Not that this is the answer for everyone, and be sure and have all the medical test needed, but I had this problem and after many test and numerous doctor visits a massage therapist found a twisted rib. I also was diagnosed with a fatty liver. After the rib was put back into place I felt better, every now and then it acts up, usually after yard work, or other activities that involved a lot of bending and twisting.
by grumpybrat76, Aug 22, 2009 12:00AM
WOW...it is so nice to know I am not alone I am a 30 y/o female...I have been having pains like the ones described for about 5 years on and off. I have had so many tests...I should probably glow in the dark...All my tests come back normal. I am getting so aggrivated that they keep saying nothing is wrong. I am having the pains now, and had to sleep with a heating pad all night, tossing and turning.I was in bed all day yesterday in pain. It gets hard to breathe, and it feels like my rib is broken or something. I was supposed to get my gallbladder out about 4 years ago, but they decided not to do it, and after tests again, they said nothing is wrong, but there was something wrong before. I don't know what to do, I have tried to take gas pills thinking that would help, but it doesn't...any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated...thanks...
by redcloud, Aug 25, 2009 12:00AM
I am posting to this to share my experience with a very similar pain condition to posted ones(see below for pain description). My condition began about 18 years ago; treated for awhile with beta blockers etc., no help whatsoever. Eventually, I was diagnosed with hepatitis C. For several years used interferon therapy, which always reduced viral load to undetectable; during these times, pain subsided. Eventually, after three viral recurrences, the combined use of an antiviral with interferon and now HCV free for 7 years. Pain condition improved markedly, but took a long time. Even jog now - physical vibrations in a car were debilitating at height of problem during HCV infection. Point is, there were always correlations with the HCV and degree, location, and type of pain (maybe indicating swollen liver, stretched Glisson's capsule, I don't know). Now, okay, except when I a) drink coffee, b) do not get at least 7 hours sleep, c) eat spicy food, d) fasting (possibly overworking the liver - just a theory) e) mechanically jar my body excessively like in springless pedicabs jumping speed bumps, f) experiencing emotional dissonance, even just a little, g) drink alcohol, h) poke my liver with a finger. Sounds a lot like gastrointestinal problems, right? I have had my GI probed to kingdom come; all normal, looks fine. I have more theories about what is going on in my liver (which has mild necrosis from HCV), but I am not a medical professional, and will spare those. When I digress from a-g (don't think about probing my liver), the pain intensification can last on the order of an hour or so (like when getting emotinally unbalanced), or many weeks (like when drinking coffee). After HCV terminated, my tolerance for a-h is better, but I have to be very careful, always, or pay the consequences. My working solution is a healthy diet, avoid problem foods (coffee is a clear problem, alcohol is forbidden -- no way for me, not in any form or quantity). Lots of water helps when I respond adversely to coffee or tea; lots of water is good in general for my condition (I am such a dope to drink coffee ever with its effects on my condition; continually moving into an absolutely purist diet; vegan 6 years btw). This is a nasty pain, worse physical sensation I know; even when present only moderately, it undermines nearly every aspect of my consciousness like wood in fire. Still, I am not sure about this/my problem's roots and keep an open mind - been fooled before.

Develop a positive outlook once on top of this enough to have breathing room (I understand how very very very bad this sort of thing can be. The problem can be viewed as a sort of a barometer that most do not have about "wrong living" which encourages improved habits and lifestyle. Like maintaining mental equanimity, eating a good diet, etc. It is a quality of life, accept and find the balance.

PAIN DESCRIPTION: sensitive in upper right abdominal quadrant, focus under rib in region about 4-5 inches from sternum, usually dull ache which can become a burning sensation that accompanies persistent pain in right should and upper right arm (always exacerbation seems to be related to one of a-h above), radiates into back and side in the vicinity of liver, usually okay, but always a sensation inside, there broadly, under the rib. Sensitive to pressure all along lower rib, around to the side.
by phj40, Sep 05, 2009 12:00AM
I too am having similar pains in or under my ribs, mostly on my right side but sometimes on the left as well. I occurs when I bend down or over and it feels like a charlie horse. I have not seem a doctor as of yet. I thought I would research it first thinking this can't be uncommon. I am not a coffee drinker, but I do love my diet coke. I am about 20 pounds overweight and moderately active. It appears, however, that although this is common, no one has actually diagnosed this spasm. I thought it had something to do with having two children in the last 3 years. I even hired a personal trainer thinking I could work out the kink. Maybe it has something to do with the diet coke I consume. I will have to give my doctor a stab at solving this mystery and keep you all posted.
by FlankedbyPain, Sep 12, 2009 12:00AM
Hello,
I too have suffered from the very same pains all or most of you have described, for many years. When all the tests came back negative and the doctors started telling me it was in my head and started recommending anti-depressants I took my health into my own hands. After much research I decided to try the natural approach, first I started with bowel cleanses but I still had the flank pain. I found a site www.curezone.com that describes in detail and old holistic remedy for flushing the liver and the gall bladder(Dr Hulda Clarks Liver Flush). It's simple enough ..epson salts, grapefruit juice, and olive oil...simple nothing poisonous. anyhow long story short the method is simple enough, fast for a day or so and then drink a bunch of oil and grapefruit juice. The next morning you'll expel (thru your ***) a half a cup of emerald green stones. I've done it a half dozen times now over the course of three years and just about every time I get around a half a cup or so of pure emerald cholesterol stones out of my liver and gallbladder(these stones won't show up in an x-ray or soniscan). I always know it's time for another treatment when my stool starts to turn pale and light orange and the flank pain comes back, that�s the tell tell that your Liver is once again getting clogged with the stones(now they are not stones in the conventional sense they are about the consistency of a bar of soap that�s been in the bath a while). So friends take your health back and at least TRY the liver flush. At the point most of you are in (where I used to be) you have got absolutely nothing to lose. The one thing I must stress is that you must do this multiple times because your Liver and gallbladder are clogged with these things...get some out, more fall down from above. Give it a try and take a cup of the stones to your idiot of a doctor that says it's all in your head.
by terriw, Sep 17, 2009 12:00AM
You might want to visit this site that talks about
"IF YOU HAVE NO GALLBLADDER"
http://members.tripod.com/~jerrytx_2/bsd1.html

Also, the IBS symptoms can be helped sometimes with Questran from all that I've been reading.

My husband was born without a gallbladder. We found this out after a lot of testing for gall bladder problem symptoms...but all the pain under the right rib cage like so many of you describe.

I'd follow the 2nd post from the M.D. about "Sprincter of Oddi dysfunction like she said. Here is the post again.

Good luck. I'm having my husband check on Questran since he was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and now knows that he has no gall bladder.

Since he has the gall bladder syptom (symptom) pains but no gall bladder, were are checking the "oddi" dysfunction.

Good luck to all of you. I also am glad to find that there are so many with this problem. Not that, that makes me happy, but to have others say the dr's think there is nothing wrong and to now have somewhere to go with this for more ideas for help!

Terri

-----------------
Forum-M.D.-KYP
03/27/2009

Lenalittle

One consideration would be Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. This is a condition that can occur in those without a gallbladder.

Typically, Sphincter of Oddi manometry done in conjunction with an ERCP would be needed for diagnosis. If present, surgery or endoscopic procedures can be done to correct this.

The upper endoscopy would rule out many of the major upper GI diseases. You can consider a 24-hr pH study to evaluate for GERD or esophageal motility studies to look for motility disorders.

These options can be discussed with your gastroenterologist.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient
by terriw, Sep 17, 2009 12:00AM
Here are two links with some very good information:

http://health.ivillage.com/digestion/0,,670q,00.html

http://hopkins-gi.nts.jhu.edu/pages/latin/templates/index.cfm?pg=disease1&disease=12&organ=3&lang_id=1

Good luck. This sounds promising.

By the way --

Since it refers to "structural of functional disorders", I wonder if it is any relation to medications that people are on as a side affect that is so uncommon and not easily determined?

My husband had a hida scan to find his gall bladder (which we now know he was born without). They couldn't find it and gave him morphine to close up this muscle to try to back up the fluids into the gall bladder in hopes of finding the gall bladder. I wonder if other medications are having this effect on people.

It would be interesting to see if so many of you like my husband with these same symptoms are on some of the same medications. Maybe someone will do some research on it! There are just so many people with gall bladder symptoms that are not gall stone related.
by binda, Sep 21, 2009 12:00AM
I've had the same problem for over 3 years. I had gallbladder removed in 1989. pain in my right side around rib cage that radiates into my back. MRCP, CT scan, ERCP all negative. Comes and goes, can't relate to anything in particular. Can be very painful at times and it disrupts my life. Gastro doctor cant find anything wrong. Negative for Hep C, normal liver, kidneys, pancreas, etc. ERCP revealed bile ducts clear of sludge. I've been reading about something called Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction. Sounds like the symptoms that I have. Anyone been diagnosed with this condition? Where do you start to find out? Could it just be arthritic? Any information appreciated.
by Funkie, Sep 27, 2009 12:00AM
After over 3 years of intense pain, more than enough tests to "do one human in", I was still told that there was nothing "wrong" with me. Not only did I see a Gastrointerolgist, but a Specialist at UNC, Chapel Hill, NC. No reason for my pain, or the fact that I couldn't hold down food for over 9 months, and lost a total of 102 pounds. I was often dehydrated, vomiting, couldn't hold down water, and was sicker that I had ever been. I had PH Probe, Manometry, Gall Bladder Ultrasounds, Barium swallows...etc...etc...I thought I was going crazy!!! I moved to SC, saw a new Gastrointerologist, who treated me horribly, ordered another ultrasound of my Gall Bladder and stated there was nothing wrong. FINALLY, my Family Dr. said, enough is enough, let's send you to a Surgeon. The surgeon was great, but because of all tests coming back normal, was hesitant to do the surgery, and his staff wasn't too sure how to code my diagnosis. In Feb. 2009, I had my Gall Bladder removed. When the WONDERFUL surgeon came to see me in recovery, he said..." Your gall bladder was full of what looked like black motor oil, covered with adhesions, 4 gallstones, and 2/3 covered in fat, which is what an organ will do to protect the rest of the body in case it ruptures. I said to him then, "so I'm not a hypochondriac"?...he said absolutely not! What a feeling to know that I was RIGHT!!!! I knew my body better than anyone, regardless of all of the tests that came back normal. Please...if you think something is wrong...say something. For those of you on Reglan, beware, they can make your Prolactin levels rise, then some Dr.'s start treating you for that without the knowledge that the medication is doing that. Be your best advocate. EDUCATE YOURSELF! Good luck to you all!!
by brooklynpip, Sep 29, 2009 12:00AM
Hi! I've had a similiar problem for a few years now....I get a charlie horse in my left side above my stomach, more towards the middle of the stomach, under my breast. I noticed it a few years ago when I would bend over or twist my body in an weird way/ It lasts for a few sconds , then releases. I had my gall bladder removed 2 years ago. Just this week, the pain has intesified without me bending over. Its not a major pain , its just a few seconds of annoyance. Can it be a muscle spasm? I dont know of any organs in that particular area. I think though I have noticed a pattern...Im at my heaviest of my life and I think this happens when I get fatter...it may sound funny....but my stomach is really protruding...I am overweight by about 50 pounds. I havent gone to the doctor just yet...but I will soon. Any ideas? Thanks!
by brooklynpip, Sep 29, 2009 12:00AM
Hi! I've had a similiar problem for a few years now....I get a charlie horse in my left side above my stomach, more towards the middle of the stomach, under my breast. I noticed it a few years ago when I would bend over or twist my body in an weird way/ It lasts for a few sconds , then releases. I had my gall bladder removed 2 years ago. Just this week, the pain has intesified without me bending over. Its not a major pain , its just a few seconds of annoyance. Can it be a muscle spasm? I dont know of any organs in that particular area. I think though I have noticed a pattern...Im at my heaviest of my life and I think this happens when I get fatter...it may sound funny....but my stomach is really protruding...I am overweight by about 50 pounds. I havent gone to the doctor just yet...but I will soon. Any ideas? Thanks!
by brooklynpip, Sep 29, 2009 12:00AM
Hello again everyone.....If anyone who has had the "charlie horse" symptom in either the right or left side of the opening of the stomach, more like under the breast area, please post something so I know that I am not going crazy. I will schedule an appt. next week with my GP but many people have told me its either gas, hiatal hernia ,etc. I did have my gallbladder taken out 2 years ago so its not that. Thanks so much!
by Maggiey, Oct 01, 2009 12:00AM
Hi all,
First thing, dispite what your doctor says, you are not crazy or a hypochondriac. This pain is real.
I have had about 20 years of my liver enzymes going up and down when I have bloodwork done. In 2000, my family doctor diagnosed me with Gallbladder disease and I had it removed.
I have had problems off and on with not feeling well and was treated for depression. Since about the beginning of July, 2009, I have had a pain just under my right rib below my sternum which radiated to the center of my back just below my right shoulder blade. I've had a Sonogram, CT scan, an upper endoscopy and all have returned with nothing wrong.
Believe me, sometimes the pain is so bad that I've been tempted to go to the ER. In frustration, while searching the internet for what this could be, I checked out SOD (Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction). I am going to my gastroenterologist to discuss the possibility of this being my problem.

In the meantime, the only relief I have received is from an herb that supports liver health, Milk Thistle. I started taking one 200 mg capsule a day and when the pain is really bad, I take three a day(morning, noon, and night). I have had remarkable success with Milk Thistle which I purchased from GNC (General Nutrition Center). As with any herbal remedy, make sure it of good quality.

Good luck!
by cari0, Oct 02, 2009 12:00AM
I am having a similar problem. I have always been very active and healthy, I am 28 years old, I am 5'9 and 125lbs. I have no other health problems. I've been having symptoms for one year. At least 3 times a week I wake up and it hurts to move just to shut my alarm off because of my abdominal pain. It feels like somebody has been kicking me all night and has left internal bruising. It sometimes wakes me up in the early hours. It's better once I get up and around, but then the outside of my ribcage feels bruised throughout the day and it hurts to put pressure on my ribcage like it is bruised. I have a doctor appointment this Friday. From what I've been reading, it sounds like it's going to be a long haul to a diagnosis. But I will let you know what the doc says.
by binda, Oct 02, 2009 12:00AM
I know how you feel. My right ribs feel like they were punched and are very sore to the touch. The pain really affects my life but what do you do when no one can find anything wrong (not that that isn't a good thing). I cant tell if this is muscular, arthrictic or some internal organ. I'm starting to think about the possibility of Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction. Does anyone know if extreme constipation can cause such horrible pain? Good luck to everyone experiencing the same kind of pain.One thing I do find somewhat comforting is heat, I usually walk around with one of those cordless heating pads.
by mrmarbles, Oct 02, 2009 12:00AM
Hello All,
I just had to register so I could post a comment. I am experiencing the same symptoms as everyone else. I am miserable
right now, I have the pain in my upper right side and it feels like a swollen organ, when it really acts up like it is doing now
I have trouble taking a deep breath. I am tired all of the time and have no energy whatsoever. I have had kidney infections on and off for about six years now. About three years ago I had an cystoscope (sp?) and all that the doctor said was that my bladder was the size of a small watermelon! He acted like this was no big deal. I continued with infections and went to a
general practitioner who ordered an ultrasound, everything turned out normal and he pretty much blew me off. I am 45 years old and had to quit my job to take care of my elderly father so now I don't have health insurance. I am stressing about going to the charity hospital here in my city and I don't really know what to do. The pain and fatigue is ruling my life at this point and I am so tired of feeling this way and being in pain. I'm thinking about trying the liver purge mentioned in one of the posts above. Anyway, I am glad to know that I'm not alone in this but I have to say that I wish we had being millionaires in common instead of being in pain! Positive energy to everyone..
by heathmcgovern, Oct 06, 2009 12:00AM
Hi. Like every other new poster here, I too have been dealing with a similar issues under my right rib cage for the past few years. Actually have come across numerous forums just like this one which have been filled with the accounts of fellow sufferers of this mystery ailment. Unfortunately, for the most part, few of any of those whom have shared their comments, have been able to resolve the pain/discomfort. But, at least it is reassuring to know that we are not alone. It's nice to see that this board is rather current, most of the ones I've come across in the past are a few years old, and for whatever reason, closed down to any new posts.

Similar to many here, I have had many tests, including numerous ultrasounds, endoscopys, a CAT scan, etc., but have not found any conclusive diagnosis. Because their are so many organs that can be the culprit in that area, it can seem at times almost futile to try and pin the source of the pain/discomfort down. Greatest probability is the gall bladder, but then sometimes I think it could be the liver, other times the pancreas, also perhaps the colon/small intestine (IBS), than occassionally the stomach, and even once and awhile I think maybe it has to do with my heart (as I sometimes as others have mentioned have difficulty taking a deep breath which I am certain is related to this issue).

Hopefully, people continue to contribute to this board, and maybe one day we can find a definitive resolution to our problems. I'm sure that not each of us has the same issue, but I'm confident that the majority of these cases are somehow related, the symptoms are just too similar.

Pain in upper right quadrant under rib cage causes

2010-03-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

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for both hard and soft tissue. Laser MD for hard tissue reduces heat and vibration typical of drills by using a less invasive form of treatment that conserves the healthy tooth structure. For soft tissue treatment, Diode lasers can be used to non-surgically treat gum disease and remove plaque, selectively removing the infected tissues and promoting healing
.

Receiving quality dental care and restoring your smile doesn't have to be agonizing. In fact, new and innovative advancements in dental technology have made many dental procedures more precise, more convenient and more comfortable than ever. If you suffer from dental anxiety, express your concerns to your Pasadena dentist. He can help you determine the best, pain free technique for repairing and restoring all of your dental needs.

How to cope with Dental Phobia

2010-03-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

How to cope with Dental Phobia

MyLikes - Apple Tablet or MacBook Pro Contest - Sponsored Post

2010-01-23T09:17:00.003-08:00

MyLikes - Apple Tablet or MacBook Pro Contest - mylikes.com

apple really do rock dont they , I half wish they would stop bringing out new awesome stuff when ive only just got the older gadets grrr lol

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MyLikes - Apple Tablet or MacBook Pro Contest - Sponsored Post

2010-01-23T09:17:00.001-08:00

MyLikes - Apple Tablet or MacBook Pro Contest - mylikes.com

apple really do rock dont they , I half wish they would stop bringing out new awesome stuff when ive only just got the older gadets grrr lol

sponsored like

tracy collins's profile on MyLikes

Massive Johnson & Johnson recall

2010-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

A massive Johnson & Johnson recall of over-the-counter drugs including pain relievers Tylenol, Motrin and St Joseph, a children's aspirin, was extended to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after a warning from the U.S. drug agency, a local business journal reported Sunday.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a unit of the U.S. pharmaceutical giant J&J, said it was voluntarily recalling some 500 batches of the products from the UAE, the Americas and Fiji after customers reported an "unusual, moldy" odor that had been linked to gastrointestinal disorders, including stomach pain, nausea and diarrhoea, according to Arabian Business.

Consumers who have an item on the recall list have been urged to stop using the product and contact the company for a refund, the report said.

The drugmaker said it believed that the smell was related to a chemical on wood pallets used to transport and store product packaging material.

"The health effects of this chemical have not been well-studied, but no serious events have been documented in the medical literature," the company was quoted as saying in a statement.

It will stop using the pallets to ship products with the same chemicals, it added.

The recall followed a "warning letter" from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Friday, which accused the firm of failing to investigate the contamination of some of its popular over-the-counter drugs. The FDA said McNeil knew of the problem inearly 2008 but made only limited inquiries.

The move expanded an earlier recall of the Tylenol arthritis pill that was initiated in December last year after customers reported an unusual smell emanating from the products, Arabian Business said.

Swine flu was as elusive as WMD. The real threat is mad scientist syndrome

2010-01-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Let me recap. Six months ago I reviewed the latest bit of terrorism to emerge from the government’s Cobra bunker, courtesy of Alan Johnson, home secretary. Swine flu was allegedly ravaging the nation. The BBC was intoning nightly statistics on what “could” happen as “the deadly virus” took hold. The chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, bandied about any figure that came into his head, settling on “65,000 could die”, peaking at 350 corpses a day.

Donaldson knew exactly what would happen. The media went berserk. The World Health Organisation declared a “six-level alert” so as to “prepare the world for an imminent attack”. The happy-go-lucky virologist, John Oxford, said half the population could be infected, and that his lowest estimate was 6,000 dead.

The “Andromeda strain” was stalking the earth, and its first victims were clearly scientists. Drugs were frantically stockpiled and key workers identified as vital to be saved for humanity’s future. Cobra alerted the army. Morgues were told to stand ready. The Green party blamed intensive pig farming. The Guardian listed “the top 10 plague books”.

5 ways to avoid H1N1 swine flu

2010-01-15T02:32:00.000-08:00

Fortunately, the following five steps can help you stave off swine flu.

1. Wash Your Hands

Hand-washing is the best way to stay flu-free. Even if your hands are exposed to swine flu, the germs won't have a chance to enter your system if you wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth. It's especially important to wash your hands after being out in a public area.

Experts recommend scrubbing your hands with soap and lukewarm water for at least 20 seconds. If you can't get to a sink, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer to eliminate harmful bacteria.

2. Get the Swine Flu Vaccine

One way to virtually guarantee you won't get swine flu is to get the swine flu vaccine. For healthy adults, only one dose will be required; children will require two doses of the vaccine, given three weeks apart. The vaccine is due out in October.

At-risk groups are encouraged to get the swine flu vaccine as early as possible. These groups include:

* Pregnant women
* Caregivers to children younger than 6 months
* Health care workers
* Healthy people ages 6 months to 24 years
* People ages 25-64 with underlying medical conditions

Remember: The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against the swine flu. You'll need two different vaccines: one for the seasonal flu and another for the H1N1 strain.

3. Boost Your Immune System

Keeping your immune system firing on all cylinders is an important part of staying healthy. Even if you come in contact with swine flu germs, a vigorous immune system can defend against them and keep you flu-free.

Here are a few simple ways to give your immune system a shot in the arm:

* Get a good night's rest. Adequate rest relaxes your body and boosts your defenses.
* Eliminate stress. Stress wears down the immune system and makes you more susceptible to swine flu and other illnesses.
* Exercise. A brisk walk or bicycle ride can energize your immune system and fight off illness.
* Get plenty of vitamins and minerals. A well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables can do wonders for your immune system.

4. Avoid Sick People

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you see someone coughing or sneezing, steer clear. Airborne swine flu particles can travel as far as ten feet, so it's possible to become infected by breathing in someone else's harmful germs. If someone in your family is sick, limit your contact with them. Spray surfaces they touch with disinfectant and help them get over their illness faster.

5. Keep Your Home and Workspace Germ-Free

At home, the kids bring germs home from school; at work, your co-workers bring germs from their families and each other. The end result is a whole host of germy surfaces. Eliminate these germs by disinfecting any surface that is exposed to you, your family or your co-workers.

At home, use disinfectant on cupboards, tables, doorknobs, television remotes, phones, sinks and other areas you touch with your hands. At work, spray your workspace with disinfectant and wash your hands after touching doorknobs, using a public computer and especially after shaking hands.

Swine Flu scare was a "false pandemic"

2010-01-11T10:15:00.001-08:00

A leading health expert has claimed the swine flu scare was a "false pandemic" led by drugs companies that stood to make billions from vaccines.

Wolfgang Wodarg, head of health at the Council of Europe, said, major firms organised a "campaign of panic" to put pressure on the World Health Organisation to declare a pandemic.

He has branded it "one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century", and has called for an inquiry.

An emergency debate on the issue will be held by the Council later this month.

Dr Wodarg said: "It's just a normal kind of flu. It does not cause a tenth of deaths caused by the classic seasonal flu.

"The great campaign of panic we have seen provided a golden opportunity for representatives from labs who knew they would hit the jackpot in the case of a pandemic being declared.

"We want to clarify everything that brought about this massive operation of disinformation. We want to know who made decisions, on the basis of what evidence, and precisely how the influence of the pharmaceutical industry came to bear on the decision-making."

"A group of people"

He added: "A group of people in the WHO is associated very closely with the pharmaceutical industry."

Soda Fountains Squirt Fecal Bacteria, Study Finds

2010-01-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

Those soda fountain machines found in restaurants and fast food joints may be squirting out liquids contaminated with fecal bacteria, a small study found.
Photo: Fecal bacteria found in soda fountains
Those soda fountain machines found in restaurants and fast food joints around the world may be squirting out liquids contaminated with fecal bacteria, a small study found.
(Getty Images)

Whether it was self-serve or behind the counter, nearly half of all sodas dispensed from a sample of 30 machines in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia had coliform bacteria -- a group of bacteria banned in drinking water by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it indicates the possibility of fecal contamination.

"The EPA regulates our drinking supply, and there can be some bacteria, but one of the things that is not allowed is coliform bacteria," said Renee D. Godard, professor of biology at Hollins University and a co-author of the paper published in the January print issue of the International Journal of Food Microbiology.

"We can't have that in our drinking supply. But they're coming out of these soda fountain machines," she said.

Millions of doses of swine flu vaccine to be off-loaded

2010-01-09T03:53:00.001-08:00

What do you do with vaccine that no-one needs?

That is the question currently puzzling the Department of Health. Back in May the government signed contracts with two suppliers - GSK and Baxter - to supply 90 million doses of H1N1 pandemic vaccine.

That was on the basis that two doses would be needed to provide protection. Swine flu has turned out to be far milder than was initially feared and so the government is going to be left with a huge amount of unused vaccine.

The Department of Health has revealed that it has a break clause in its contract with Baxter which had been asked to supply 30 million doses, but it appears there is no get-out clause in the deal with GSK, set to provide 60 million doses. GSK has so far delivered 23.9 million doses to the government and Baxter five million.

That is more than enough to vaccinate all the at-risk groups and the government made clear there are no plans to extend immunisation.

The Head of Immunisation at the Department of Health, Professor David Salisbury said: "The Baxter contract has a break clause. We are in discussion with GSK about future supplies of vaccine." When asked how much the government might be able to re-coup from the deal with GSK he said "That is what we are discussing now."

For commercial reasons no figure has been given for the cost of the vaccine contracts, but it's likely to run into several hundred million pounds. Professor Salisbury said there were a number of options which included selling excess doses or giving them away to developing countries.

But he added that it was essential that the UK kept a stockpile of H1N1 vaccine in case there was a resurgence of the virus over the coming year.

One option being discussed with GSK, which was described as "innovative" by the Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, would involve keeping a stockpile of adjuvant, the booster chemical which is produced separately from the vaccine and mixed later.

Professor Salisbury said this would be a good idea as it could be used in conjunction with another flu vaccine in the event of a new pandemic. He said the adjuvant had a shelf life of five years.

When asked whether the NHS would be left substantially out of pocket by purchasing so much H1N1 vaccine, Sir Liam said that the contracts were signed earlier this year amid the early and very alarming information about deaths from the virus in Mexico. The death rates in Mexico were later reduced.

Vaccine uptake

There are no accurate figures for the UK. But in England:

• At least one in three people in the initial priority groups has had the vaccine.
• 3.2 million doses have been administered.
• 113,000 pregnant women have had the jab out of around 600,000 - about one in five.
• 373,000 front-line health workers have had the jab out of around a million (there are no figures for uptake among front-line social care workers).
• 86,000 doses have been given to healthy children aged six months to under five out of more than three million, but this process only got underway before Christmas.

Professor Salisbury urged all those in the at-risk groups to get immunised, especially children under five because it was not clear what would happen with swine flu over the year ahead.

Swine flu figures

There is very little swine flu about. Latest figures show that there were fewer than 5,000 new cases in England over the past week. And disease "modellers" have advised the Department that a third wave of swine flu is unlikely this winter.

Sir Liam pointed out that there were the same experts who predicted that up to 65,000 people might die from swine flu this winter - a figure which was later downgraded to 1,000.

This lack of swine flu in the community will make it more difficult to persuade those at risk of flu complications to come forward to be immunised.

But the Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson pointed out that 20 children under five and 12 pregnant women had died in the UK from swine flu related conditions since April.

To date there have been 360 deaths from swine flu in the UK (251 in England, 64 in Scotland, 28 in Wales and 17 in Northern Ireland). But the vast majority of those infected have had either a mild disease or no symptoms at all.

In England there were 393 people in hospital with swine flu on 6 January, 103 of them in critical care.

GlaxoSmithKline Slips

2010-01-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

GlaxoSmithKline slips after France cuts back on swine flu vaccine

The FTSE 100 may be on the rise again - up nearly 30 points at the moment - but GlaxoSmithKline is missing out on the rally.

Shares in the pharmaceutical group are down 28p at 1311.5p on concerns about the revenue prospects for its swine flu vaccine. This has been prompted by news yesterday that France has cancelled 50m doses of H1N1 vaccine from Glaxo and other suppliers, around half of the shots it had ordered. Traders said that the initial thought was that two shots per person would be needed, but now one may be sufficient.

The French move followed decisions by Spain, Germany and Switzerland last month to cut deliveries. Analysts are therefore becoming increasingly pessimistic about revenue and earnings prospects for the vaccine.

Scientists discover natural swine flu defence

2009-12-21T03:37:00.000-08:00

Scientists found that the virus-fighting proteins protected against swine flu when levels were increased.

When the proteins were removed the swine flu virus was able to multiply in the body unchecked.

The accidental discovery may help to explain why some people develop serious symptoms when they contract flu and others do not.

The protein, IFITM3, and although it appeared to be connected to the functioning of the immune system, how it worked and what it did had never been understood.

Professor Stephen Elledge, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, who led the research, said: "We've uncovered the first-line defence in how our bodies fight the flu virus.

"The protein is there to stop the flu. Every cell has a constitutive immune response that is ready for the virus. If we get rid of that, the virus has a heyday."

The findings, reported in the journal Cell, could pave the way to new kinds of antiviral treatment, say the scientists. However, it remains to be seen what the long-term side effects of boosting levels of the proteins might be.

The news comes as Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, announced the latest swine flu figures showing a further drop in cases with an estimated 9,000 new diagnoses last week.

It is thought over 800,000 people have suffered symptoms of swine flu since it first emerged in England in April.

It appears that the second wave of the disease is coming to an end but he warned that it is not know what will happen in the New Year.

Sir Liam said the NHS had coped 'brilliantly' with swine flu this year.

The vaccination programme is also progressing with three million people out of the nine million in the first priority groups already immunised.

More than 100,000 pregnant women have so far been vaccinated, Prof David Salisbury, head of immunisation said, out of around 550,000 women who are pregnant at any one time in England.

Two thirds of local NHS organisations have now reached agreements with GPs to start vaccinating children aged between six months and five years.

Swine Flu Vaccine Recall

2009-12-17T12:41:00.001-08:00

Angie Drakulich PharmTech editor

As if the US community isn’t already paranoid enough about the H1N1 swine flu virus and its vaccine, this week, Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group in France, recalled 800,000 prefilled vaccines.

The recall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), didn’t have to do with a safety issue (whew!) but rather, a potency problem. In post-shipping stability tests, a few lots of the vaccine did not reach the pre-specified potency limit. Specifically, three lots that had been distributed “had an antigen content that, while properly filled at the time of manufacturing, was later measured to be below pre-specified limits,” according to the CDC fact sheet. It is common to test for stability after a vaccine’s distribution to see how well the drug maintains its potency. Unfortunately, in this case, these particular lots did not measure up.

To make matters worse, the particular lots recalled were meant for children between the ages of 6 months and 35 months, one of the populations at particular risk for getting the swine flu. For many parents, the decision of whether or not to give their child a swine-flu vaccination has been a difficult one. The recall only adds to these parents’ mental debate.

Fortunately, CDC notes on its website that patients who already received the recalled vaccine should be fine—there is no medical danger involved and no further action is necessary. Although I have to wonder how well a vaccine whose potency is less than optimal will work if a vaccinated child is exposed to the virus.

Mysterious blue lights over Norway

2009-12-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

A mysterious spiral of light has appeared in northern Norway one day before President Obama arrives to give his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo. The spiral has baffled experts who do not believe it is related to the Aurora Borealis. Speculation that it is a rocket launched by the Russian Northern Fleet has been denied by Russian authorities. Similarly the Norwegian military has claimed no knowledge of any rocket launches in the area. There has been speculation that it may be some exotic weapon system, the opening of a space-time portal, or even UFO activity. Obama’s arrival in Norway on December 10 to give his acceptance speech only adds to the mysterious appearance of the lights. Is it a pure coincidence or is it in some way related to Obama’s upcoming speech?

The object appeared on the morning of December 9 and has been photographed and filmed by thousands of Norwegians over a wide area ranging from Finnmark in the country’s north to Trondelang in the south. It is a giant spiral of green-blue light that appears directed towards a mountain. According to observers, a giant light spiral appeared and within seconds covered the entire sky. A green-blue beam of light then shot out from its center. Here is how Totto Eriksen, from Tromso, in northern Norway described it.

I was driving my daughter to school when this light spun and exploded in the sky. We saw it from the Inner Harbour in Tromso. It looked like a rocket that spun around and around - and then went diagonally across the heavens. It looked like the moon was coming over the mountain - but then turned into something totally different. People just stopped and stared on the pier - it was like something from a Hollywood movie.

The entire event lasted between two-three minutes before disappearing. Norway’s leading meteorologists are baffled, with most concluding it is some kind of rocket launch that went awry. Knut Jorgen Roed Odegaard, Norway's most celebrated astronomer, said:

This was seen over an exceptionally large area of the country - in all of north Norway and the Trondelag. My first thought was that it was a fireball meteor - but it lasted far too long. It may have been a missile from Russia - but I can't guarantee that is the answer. I rang the Air Traffic Control tower in Tromse. They said it was over in two minutes. To me, that is far too long for this to be an astronomical phenomenon. This spiral shape is unique. It is definitely not a variation of the aurora borealis - northern lights.

Obama’s December 10 Nobel Prize acceptance speech is expected to focus on international cooperation on the removal of nuclear weapons and promoting diplomatic solutions to global problems. Coming nine days after Obama’s announcement of a 30,000 troop surge for Afghanistan, it is expected that he will show his commitment to international diplomacy and cooperation. He may use the opportunity to launch a bold international initiative to achieve this end.

The appearance of the enormous light spiral in northern Norway may be a sheer coincidence and unrelated to his upcoming speech in Oslo. Alternatively, the mysterious spiral of light may be a sign from an unknown intelligence that Obama’s acceptance speech may be a catalyst for major global changes that lie ahead. With much speculation that the Obama administration is poised to make some kind of announcement concerning extraterrestrial life soon, the light may be sign for him to boldly go where no U.S. President has gone before.

Swine Flu Vaccine Patented Six Months Before First Cases of Swine Flu

2009-11-29T08:07:00.000-08:00

There are serious accusations that the swine flu virus which is infecting the world populations now, did not exist in the nature, but was constructed in the lab first. And somehow it fled to the outside world. Was this an accident or a deliberate attempt to cause an epidemic so that the swine flu vaccine could be sold which will bring its creators an estimated $ 49 billion this year?

The vaccine was patented six months before the first cases of swine flu appeared.

Apparently the related pharmacy industries and the WHO and U.N. which supported them are reported to the FBI.

If the swine flu epidemic is a deliberate attempt to sell swine flu vaccine, its creators must be tried in a world tribunal, just the same as they tried the Jugoslav leaders for mass murder or as they tried the WW2 criminals for genocide.

www.mercola.com recently published an article that the swine flu vaccine causes miscarriages in pregnant women.

Swedish Aftonbladet daily published a list of 52 side effects of the vaccine, some of them very scary. Three persons died of the vaccine in Sweden. Swedish authorities are very quiet about the side effects, not to scare the people.

A female cheerleader in the U.S.A. was paralyzed because of the vaccine.

Also Turkish Ministry of Health sent a memorandum to all the vaccination centers in Turkey about similar side effects. A Turkish doctor went into coma while being vaccinated.

Similar incidents were recorded in Switzerland.

172.000 doses of vaccines sent to Canada by GlaxoSmithKline were called back, as they can trigger lethal allergic reactions and Canadian authorities were advised not to use them. How much of them are already used is unclear.

The following article will bring to light many aspects of the swine flu and its vaccine.

http://thesop.org/

China Hit By Swine Flu Mutation

2009-11-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

BEIJING – China has detected eight cases of swine flu mutation, a health official said Wednesday, amid longstanding concerns among scientists that the virus could change into a more dangerous form.

Last week, the World Health Organization said it was investigating samples of variant swine flu linked to two deaths in Norway.

But Shu Yuelong, director of the Chinese National Influenza Center, told the official Xinhua News Agency that the mutated swine flu virus found China has shown an "isolated" spread in the mainland, is not resistant to drugs and can be prevented by vaccines.

The report did not provide any more details, such as when the cases were detected and if they were linked to any deaths. Calls to the National Influenza Center rang unanswered while the Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed list of questions.

Swine flu has triggered a global pandemic, and scientists are worried that swine flu could mutate into a more dangerous or more infectious form or swap genes with seasonal or other types of flu.

On Friday, the WHO said it was looking into two deaths and one severe case linked to variant swine flu in Norway, after that country's Institute of Public Health announced that the mutation could possibly cause more severe disease because it infects tissue deeper in the airway than usual.

The same mutation has been found in both fatal and mild cases elsewhere, including in Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Ukraine, and the United States, said the WHO.

WHO's spokeswoman in Beijing, Vivian Tan, said the agency is aware of three such cases in China that occurred in June and July that were similar to the cases being investigated in Norway. Tan said WHO had no information on the cases mentioned in the Xinhua report Wednesday.

There is no evidence the mutated swine flu virus is circulating widely in the world, Tan said, but since it has been linked to deaths in Norway and elsewhere, investigators are focusing on whether this mutation could be a marker for more severe disease.

"We are concerned, but realize that influenza viruses, including A/H1N1, are relatively unstable and change easily, especially as they infect more people," Tan told The Associated Press. "Some mutations can have minimal effects on how a virus functions, while other mutations can create important changes with significant public health impact."

China's Health Ministry said Wednesday that 51 swine flu deaths were reported last week, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 104.

New Swine Flu Resistant To Drugs

2009-11-21T12:32:00.001-08:00

A form of swine flu that is resistant to antiviral drugs has begun spreading between hospital patients in Wales, health officials said.

A strain that appears resistant to Tamiflu, the most common treatment has infected five patients at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. All of them had serious underlying health conditions.

One patient apparently developed resistance to the antiviral drug and the strain was then passed on to others, the National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHS) said. The case is thought to be the first time in Europe that a drug-resistant strain has passed between people.

Two of the five patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital, one is in critical care and two are being treated on the ward. Britain has bought enough doses of Tamiflu, which can shorten the duration of swine flu and reduce the risk of complications, for half of the population.

There have been several dozen reports around the world of people developing resistance to Tamiflu, but there has been only one case of person-to-person transmission of a Tamiflu-resistant strain, between two people at a summer camp in the United States.

The Department of Health said that it was taking the cases seriously, but added that the risk to the general population was low.

“The Tamiflu-resistant virus has emerged in a group of particularly vulnerable individuals . . . these patients are known to be at increased risk of developing resistance to the drug, a spokesman for the Department of Health said.

“Our strategy to offer antivirals to all patients with swine flu is the right one — to help prevent complications and reduce the severity of the illness.”

The NPHS said that the resistant strain did not appear more severe than the virus circulating since the spring. All patients have been tested and those with the resistant strain have been given other antivirals.

Dr Roland Salmon, director of the NPHS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, said: “The emergence of influenza A viruses that are resistant to Tamiflu is not unexpected in patients with serious underlying conditions and suppressed immune systems, who still test positive for the virus despite treatment.

“In this case, the resistant strain of swine flu does not appear to be any more severe than the swine flu virus that has been circulating since April. For the vast majority of people, Tamiflu has proved effective in reducing the severity of illness.

“Vaccination remains the most effective tool we have in preventing swine flu so I urge people identified as being at risk to look out for their invitation to be vaccinated by their GP surgery.”

A DEADLY plague on the way - worse than swine flu

2009-11-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

A DEADLY plague could sweep across Europe, doctors fear, after an outbreak of a virus in Ukraine plunged the country and its neighbours into a state of panic.

A cocktail of three flu viruses are reported to have mutated into a single pneumonic plague, which it is believed may be far more dangerous than swine flu. The death toll has reached 189 and more than 1 million people have been infected, most of them in the nine regions of Western Ukraine.

President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko has called in the World Health Organisation and a team of nine specialists are carrying out tests in Kiev and Lviv to identify the virus. Samples have been sent to London for analysis.

President Yushchenko said: “People are dying. The epidemic is killing doctors. This is absolutely inconceivable in the 21st Century.”

In a TV interview, the President added: “Unlike similar epidemics in other countries, three causes of serious viral infections came together simultaneously in Ukraine – two seasonal flus and the Californian flu

“Virologists conclude that this combination of infections may produce an even more aggressive new virus as a result of mutation.”

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been touring hospitals where victims are being treated and presidential elections in January could be cancelled .

Four men and one woman have died from the flu in Lviv, said emergency hospital chief doctor Myron Borysevych. Two of the dead patients were in the 22-35 age group, with two others over 60. He diagnosed the disease as viral pneumonia.

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“We have sent the analyses to Kiev. We don’t believe it’s H1N1 swine flu. Neither do we know what kind of pneumonia it is.”

Universities, schools and kindergartens have been closed, public meetings have been banned and theatres shut. Last week several border crossings in the country were also closed.

Last night reports emerged of profiteering over face masks, which have sold out since the outbreak. There are also incidents of anti-virus medication being sold for exorbitant prices. A spokesman for the World Health Organisation said: “We do not have a time scale for the results of the tests in London, although some preliminary results have been obtained. I cannot tell you what they are.

“We did not have enough of the virus samples so we will have to grow some more before we can come to a conclusive decision about its nature.”

Neighbouring Poland has called on the EU to take action, fearing the mystery virus may spread westwards.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has written to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, who holds the EU presidency, saying: “The character of this threat demands that rapid action be undertaken at the European Union level.”

Russia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania, countries that border Ukraine, have already launched health checks on Ukrainians entering their territory.

Slovakia has closed two of five border crossings.

A doctor in Western Ukraine who did not want to be named, said:” We have carried out post mortems on two victims and found their lungs are as black as charcoal.

“They look like they have been burned. It’s terrifying.”

dailyexpress.com

WHO part of plague bioterrorism "exercise" in Europe a month before plague appeared

2009-11-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

International Bioterrorism Tabletop Exercise

In September 2009, senior law enforcement officials, health care professionals and experts from international organizations joined their forces to confront a chilling crisis – the plague had just been unleashed on their countries by unknown evildoers.

A fictional scenario with a serious aim

Fortunately, this terrifying situation was a scenario under control, and the civilian authorities were all participants in a Tabletop Exercise on Preventing Bioterrorism hosted by INTERPOL. This exercise simulated a global bioterrorism attack and its aftermath. Participants in the Black Death scenario were faced with a fictional, intentional plague attack involving countries from their region, with the exercise designed to assist them in identifying critical co-operation and co-ordination issues which could hinder a quick and successful response to such an attack in real life.

The idea behind this exercise, the third in a series organized by INTERPOL, has been described by the Organization's Secretary General, Ronald K. Noble, as “helping focus our joint understanding of the role and responsibility of each of us – police, health care professionals, experts – in response to a bioterrorism incident, as well as identifying possible gaps or redundancies so that we can draw lessons from them.”

Inter-agency co-operation in Central and Eastern Europe

Organized by the INTERPOL Bioterrorism Unit, this third edition of the event took place from 29-30 September in Warsaw, Poland. Participants in the workshop numbered 27 from six Central and Eastern European countries (Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine), as well as 15 participants from international organizations such as Europol, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Control, the European Commission (Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs and Directorate General for Justice, Freedom and Security), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

A wide range of INTERPOL initiatives

The tabletop exercise is the latest in a series of initiatives launched by INTERPOL since the creation of its Bioterrorism Prevention programme. INTERPOL has worked ceaselessly since 2005 to heighten its member countries’ awareness of the dangers of bioterrorism and to enhance their preparedness for a bioterrorist attack. The Bioterrorism Prevention Programme has co-ordinated a series of events, starting with the Global Conference on Preventing Bioterrorism in March 2005; regional workshops in Africa, South America, Europe and Asia; train-the-trainer sessions all over the world; and practical tabletop exercises such as the one outlined above.

Tom Cruise - dead

2009-11-07T06:38:00.001-08:00

About an hour ago rumours started circulating the internet that Tom Cruise died of a heart attack today on a return trip from Japan - we will bring you comfirmed news as it appears. At the moment however this appears to be another hoax.

xhotgossipx.blogspot.com

Martial Law In The Ukraine as President Announces Arrests of Opponents of Forced H1N1 Vaccination and Quaranties

2009-11-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

The Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has issued a statement strongly suggesting that the government is preparing to carry out mass forced vaccinations with the untested swine flu jab.

In a statement posted on the government website, Yushchenko announced a crack down on political protests and orders for the arrest of public health officials who have opposed mass "swine flu“ vaccinations and quarantines.

"I instruct the Government and the Ministry of Health to immediately start preventive and promotional work in areas where there is no epidemic, targeting primarily the special risk groups,“ he said.

"This means that medical aid must be urgently reinforced by emergency, critical care treatment. It is generally known that the only way to prevent any infection is vaccination,“ he said.

Yushchenko said he had ordered key medical officials who allowed political protests against the government to continue in the city of Kiev to be arrested under the pretext that they were jeopardising public health.

"I have addressed the Prosecutor General of Ukraine with the request to institute criminal charges of negligence committed by first of all the Chief Sanitary Inspector, Kyiv City Sanitarian and the officials, who, despite having daily information on the epidemic situation in the country, neglected it in pursuit of political dividends and ambition,“ he said.

Furthermore, he strongly suggested that democracy in the Ukraine was about to be uprooted and replaced by military rule under a special "interdepartmental commission“ that follows orders from WHO and the UN.

"We must change the system. We must change the entire system of government in Ukraine,“ Yushchenko said.

"Back in April of 2009 I addressed the Government with the request to establish a special interdepartmental commission on fighting the spread of flu viruses, to finance the establishment of Flu Center and to take all measures to protect the country against flu. That included providing adequate availability of medicines, facemasks and all other necessaries. "

This "interdepartmental commission“ to tackle pandemic flus appears to be subordinated to WHO and the UN under provisions in the International Health Regulations 2005.

In addition, he said he had issued a ban on all medicines to treat infections and will allow the use only of toxic and untested swine flu jabs mandated by WHO: the "vaccines“ are classified as bioweapons by EU and US authorities.

"I demand the Government to immediately cancel the existing order of registration of medical supplies, including vaccines.

Studying this issue by the National Security and Defense Council shown that this procedure has allowed various dealers to bring to Ukraine dubious medicines, which are not recognized by the WHO or other national institutions,“ he said.

In addtion, he said that anyone who did not follow the government’s orders on the pandemic would be arrested.

"Failure to comply with its orders will immediately result in application to the law enforcement authorities,“ he said.

Yushchenko amended the national pandemic plan on October 30th to increase the power of the secret services and police in the event of a pandemic emergency.

In his statement, Yuschenko maintains that the "swine flu“ virus may have mutated into something more virulent. Indeed, a WHO affiliated scientist, Professor Bruno Lina, has been actively looking for a gene to make the H1N1 virus more lethal in a laboratory in Lyon.

The implementation of the emergency comes amid allegations that the government, WHO and the pharmaceutical company, Baxter, were involved in the deliberate release of a pneumonic plague pathogen in order to create chaos and confusion and justify a coup d’etat.

This is the statement by Yushchenko on his website:

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/15609.html

November 4, 2009

Dear fellow citizens!

I address you in performance of my constitutional duty under the Article 106 of the Basic Law of the state.

The reason is the emergency epidemic situation in the country.

Infections of viral origin, including the A/H1N1 flu, are rapidly spreading across Ukraine.

The emergency is evident in the scale of the epidemic: the speed and the geography of its spreading, rapid progress of the illness and the exceptional number of deaths.

People are dying. The epidemic is killing doctors. This is absolutely unprecedented and inconceivable in the XXI century.

All the limits have been exceeded - even those under the Constitution that determine my actions as the President.

Therefore I am motivated by the most important: the security of your life and your health.

Therefore I give clear and frank assessment of the situation. And you should know that.

We have special risk factors that aggravate the epidemic in Ukraine.

The conclusions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, my numerous consultations with national and international experts show that.

First. Unlike similar epidemics in other countries, three pathogens of viral infections came to Ukraine at the same time: two of them are seasonal flu and the third is the A/H1N1.

According to virologists, such a combination of infections due to mutation may produce a new, even more aggressive virus.

That's why I have addressed the United Nations with the request to conduct a virologic examination in Ukraine and to establish the appropriate laboratory in order to take timely preventive measures.

Second. The A/H1N1 virus is easily mutating. It has travelled across half of the globe before coming to Ukraine.

This means that the virus has become particularly pathogenic.

This means that medical aid must be urgently reinforced by emergency, critical care treatment.

The third risk factor. It is generally known that the only way to prevent any infection is vaccination.

Due to unprofessional and highly disorganized vaccination against measles and rubella in Ukraine the practice of vaccination is compromised in essence.

According to the estimates of the Minister of Health approximately 58% of citizens are vaccinated today in Ukraine with the effective level being 90% and higher.

People have stopped getting vaccinated against extremely dangerous infections: tuberculosis, diphtheria, etc.

This led to high risk of A/H1N1 infection spread, when the virus came to Ukraine and made impossible preventive vaccination against both strains of seasonal flu.

All this made general epidemic situation in Ukraine even more complicated.

As the President I ask you, dear fellow citizens, to reconsider your attitude to vaccination and do it if necessary, but only, I emphasize it - only after consultation with the doctor.

At the same time I instruct the Government and the Ministry of Health to immediately start preventive and promotional work in areas where there is no epidemic, targeting primarily the special risk groups.

I demand the Government to immediately cancel the existing order of registration of medical supplies, including vaccines.

Studying this issue by the National Security and Defense Council shown that this procedure has allowed various dealers to bring to Ukraine dubious medicines, which are not recognized by the WHO or other national institutions.

Under my direction the Security Service is investigating the issue.

The fourth factor. In reality it is the Reactor 4.

I mean the epidemic, rapid spread of viral infections in the west of the country. The Government, the leadership of the Parliament and the opposition were all aware of that already in early October.

The first and the most effective preventive measure is avoiding large gatherings of people.

Ignoring this principle, hundreds of thousands of people from different regions were brought to Kyiv; from both the areas struck by the epidemic, and those where there was no evidence of this epidemic.

This greatly increased the risk of infection.

I emphasize: it was a well-known thing. And it was ignored by the Chairman of the Parliament, by the opposition leader and, first of all, by the Prime Minister. And Chief Sanitary Inspector, together with his subordinates in the regions, including those in the city of Kiev ignored their professional duty.

This directly reminds of the May Day demonstration in Kiev, held shortly after the accident at Chernobyl NPP.

This is a display of criminal irresponsibility of politicians and complete indifference towards the people.

Let me cite one example. On October 20 the epidemic of flu was declared in Ternopil with schools and kindergartens closed for quarantine. "From October 21 secondary and primary schools are closed due to the growing rate of flu and ARD sickness”. This was the order of local authorities.

As of October 20 the rate of ARD in Ternopil was 172.9 cases per 10 thousand people with epidemiological threshold for the city being 160 patients per 10 thousand people. In other words - all services of the country responsible for monitoring the figure were informed and knew about the situation.

However, not a single Sanitary Inspector has banned either the movement of people, nor their gathering, including those in Kiev on October 24, when people have gathered at the central square.

I would like to remind you, my dear, that on October 24, 2009 10 deaths were known to have occurred in Ternopil region itself and 6 deaths were reported in Lviv region. And in 7 days after the abovementioned gathering Kyiv turned out in the situation, when the rate of sickness demanded the announcement of flu epidemic. This is the behavior of the great politicians. The neglect of elementary means of prevention of a disease in any country in the world, by any society. Because they must conduct a show, they have concerts, because they were paid for and 130 million have already been spent.

In that, dear Ukrainians, I see not only moral but also criminal liability.

I have addressed the Prosecutor General of Ukraine with the request to institute criminal charges of negligence committed by first of all the Chief Sanitary Inspector, Kyiv City Sanitarian and the officials, who, despite having daily information on the epidemic situation in the country, neglected it in pursuit of political dividends and ambition.

Now, the only principle of organizing preventive measures at the national scale should be as follows:

We treat the West and defend East, Center, North and South of Ukraine amain.

I now rely solely on the professionalism of our doctors. Today they are the true heroes of our nation.

I once again demand the Government to comply with the order the National Security and Defense Council to resolve the issue of wages for our doctors in this difficult period for the country.

The fifth factor.

Dear fellow citizens, the key threat that is aggravating the situation is chaos in the system of healthcare and protection of lives of people.

Today we must recognize that Ukraine does not have a single healthcare system. Prevention of any infection, including through vaccination, the localization and overcoming the consequences of epidemics is the responsibility of the State Sanitary-Epidemiological Service of Ukraine.

The Service is headed by the Chief Sanitary Inspector. He is appointed by the Prime Minister.

The current Constitution after alterations in 2004 makes the Government solely responsible for conducting state healthcare policy.

The practice of using the power, as evident today, is a failure.

To the executive power, which is not subordinate to the President, I have suggested the holistic healthcare reforms plan and a set of instructions and recommendations that would help create the optimal model of the system for years to come. My remarks were presented as the groundless interference in Government’s work and as the unfounded criticism.

Back in April of 2009 I addressed the Government with the request to establish a special interdepartmental commission on fighting the spread of flu viruses, to finance the establishment of Flu Center and to take all measures to protect the country against flu. That included providing adequate availability of medicines, facemasks and all other necessaries.

Partial implementation of the instructions has its consequences.

They were not ignoring me – they were ignoring the people, the citizens. It is clear why. Because Ukraine still has unfair system of healthcare - one is for the power, the other is for the people.

We must change the system. We must change the entire system of government in Ukraine.

But now, in this moment there is no time for waiting or remonstrance.

National Security and Defense Council should become the center of decision-making.

Failure to comply with its orders will immediately result in application to the law enforcement authorities.

I remind all the responsible persons and draw attention to all of my orders, made in Lviv four days ago. In three days the deadline for compliance with these orders expires.

With my decree I put Minister of Health and Chief Sanitary Inspector of Ukraine into the Council for National Security and Defense.

I am conscious of my responsibility.

I express deep condolences to the families and relatives of those who have died.

I express my deep appreciation to doctors, who are saving our people risking their own lives. I am moved by this sacrifice. Such a commitment means that the epidemic will be stopped.

I appeal to all of you, dear fellow citizens, to show solidarity, mutual support, and strictly adhere to all the safety regulations regarding protection of your health and lives.

For not a single moment you will be left alone by the state.

theflucase.com

Mutation fears grow with swine flu outbreak

2009-11-05T05:28:00.000-08:00

More than 80 people have died in Ukraine in the last two weeks and there have been 450,000 cases of respiratory illness.

The World Health Organisation has sent an emergency team to monitor the epidemic and says it assumes most of the illness in the country has been caused by H1N1 swine flu.

The Ukrainian government has closed schools and universities for three weeks, and many public events have been banned.

President Viktor Yushchenko said experts fear the simultaneous existence of three types of flu viruses within the country "may lead to the emergence of an even more aggressive new virus".

The WHO team of nine experts dispatched samples from infected patients for examination at the World Influenza Centre at Mill Hill, in London.

"Many questions remain to be answered," the organisation said in a statement.

"The outbreak in Ukraine may be indicative of how the virus can behave in the northern hemisphere during the winter season, particularly in health care settings typically found in Eastern Europe."

The epidemic is concentrated in the west of the country, which has borders with four European Union states, but a growing number of cases are being reported in the capital Kiev.

The European Union is working closely with health experts in Ukraine, and member states are preparing to provide logistical and medical support if required.

Swine Flu

Austria, Hungary and Slovenia have already said they will send disinfectants, vaccines and respirators.

Slovakia has closed two of its five border crossings with Ukraine, against WHO advice, in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading.

Ukrainians have complained of their struggle to access medical supplies, and many pharmacies have sold out of face masks as people try to protect their families from infection.

However, with elections in January there is concern that President Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who are fierce rivals, are making political capital out of the outbreak.

sky.com

Number of victims to unknown virus growing! State of emergency to be imposed in Ukraine?

2009-10-31T03:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, on October 29 some media reported that allegedly in the Ternopil Region cases of ill people with typhus were registered, and that militarized detachments limited entrance and departure from the territory of the Ternopil Region. However, the Public Relations Center of the Ministry of Emergencies in the Ternopil Region denied information about it.

Yesterday, on October 29 the chief physician of the regional sanitary-epidemiological station Halyna Hrynchuk assured that Kyiv Region is ready for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza, reported Yulia Makoveeva, MIGnews.com.ua correspondent.

In the Ternopil Region 25 percents of infectiologists who worked with patients with acute respiratory viral infections are ill, the chairman of the Association of infectiologists of Ukraine Mykhaylo Andreychin reported yesterday, on October 29 at a press conference.

"One fourth of doctors had such a disease or they are ill with it now. Fortunately, they are recovering now and soon again be able to work", - said Mykhaylo Andreychin.

Yesterday, on October 29 in Morshyn, Lviv Region a doctor from a local hospital, who contacted with patients with viral infection and visited them, died, is reported by the Deputy Chief of the Health protection department in the Lviv Region Iryna Mykytchak. According to her, a 56-year-old woman "had been previously diagnosed with pneumonia," UNIAN reports.

The medical facilities in the Lviv region have medicines for treatment of influenza and acute respiratory infections for the three-day supply, is said in the summary of information of the General Directorate of Health Protection in the Lviv Regional at the State regional Administration, UNIAN reported.

Because of the mass acute respiratory infections residents of the Lviv Region began to buy up antiviral drugs and flu masks. Yesterday, on October 29 the Lviv residents could not purchase masks. Consequently, the director general of the Lviv regional pharmaceutical corporation Nelia Byk appealed to all residents of the region with the request not to buy drugs without the need, Glavred cites the Ministry’s report as saying.

Ministry of Health recommends using the methods of traditional and alternative medicine for prevention of acute respiratory viral diseases, including influenza, Ukrainian News cites the report of the Ministry as saying.

According to experts of Ministry of Health, filling nutrition, conditioning to the cold and frequent airing of premises are effective during the period of active disease. Also, the Ministry recommends using general health-improving and tonic immunomodulatory drugs. In addition, the Ministry recommends frequent hand washing and cover a nose and mouth with a handkerchief when coughing and sneezing.

The number of people suffering from unknown virus in Ukraine is growing. According to the latest data of Ministry of Health, 30 deaths of flu and acute respiratory viral diseases have been recorded, starting from October, 19, in the Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv Regions. In particular, from October, 19 and until 04:00 p.m. on October 29 6 deaths have been recorded in the Ivano-Frankivsk Region, 12 - in the Lviv Region (including 1 child) and 12 - in the Ternopil Region. As of 04:00 p.m. on October 29 the number of people sick with influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in these regions has reached 37, 923 people, 951 out of them have been hospitalized.

11:04 a.m. The information has been received that 3 people died from complicated pneumonia for the last 3 days in Chernivtsi. In total, during the last day the number of people sick with acute respiratory vital infections in Chernivtsi increased from 2,623 to 4,053 people. Only in 8 cases influenza was diagnosed.

According to the doctors, now in Chernivtsi unidentified viral infection is being observed. The first results of virological studies that will identify the virus, will be ready only in two weeks.

Also, three people died in the Rivne Region, and one person- in Transcarpathia.

In total, according to unconfirmed reports, 37 people died.

In connection with this anti-epidemic measures are introduced at the Lviv railway.

A spokesman for the chairman of the Lviv regional state administration Olha Kulyk also reported that "Lviv airport and Lviv Customs are under control”.

The Ternopil Regional Council decided to hold an extraordinary session on October 30. MPs will start the meeting at 02:00 p.m. today.

The emergency antiepidemic and antiepizootic Committee will be gathered today in the Cabinet of Ministers, declared First Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Turchynov in the air of 5 Kanal.

In addition, commenting on the growth of drug prices, he appealed to owners of pharmacies: "Stop be a parasite on the problems of citizens and do not play with the prices because we will have to answer for it. We are not joking, and we will act fairly tightly."

Olexander Turchynov also said that the leadership of the Ternopil Regional Health Protection Department "waited for a few weeks, did not informed the center and only after they had realized they would not cope with the situation, attended the press conference, instead of immediately informing Kyiv”.

Poland is keeping an eye on the situation with a possible virus epidemic in Ukraine. But while the State Sanitary Inspectorate of the country (GIS) does not see reasons to limit or close traffic on the common border. According to the GIS, the inspection has instructed its offices in Rzeszow and Lublin strengthen sanitary control at checkpoints on the common border, as well as monitor the current situation. In addition, the service should inform travelers about the possible threat of the epidemic and prevent the need to immediately contact a doctor in case of symptoms appearing.

GIS representative noted that from October 31 to November 3 the number of Poles crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border, will increase because many people will visit the cemeteries in Ukraine.

Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health Lilia Hrihorovich (Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense faction) is convinced of the necessity to declare the state of emergency in five regions of Ukraine.

MP of the Verkhovna Rada from the Party of Regions faction, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health Viktor Korzh says that the Ministry of Health is not ready to struggle against flu and acute respiratory viral infections epidemic.

Director of the Ukrainian Center for influenza and respiratory infections, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Olexander Hrynevich is convinced that Ukraine needs a massive vaccination against influenza in connection with a high incidence of acute respiratory infections. By reports of Interfax-Ukraine, UNIAN, Ukrainian News, Ukrainskaya pravda

As a reminder, October 28 flu epidemic in the Ternopil Region, which had appeared a week ago, mowed down nearly 10,000 of residents. Moreover - unknown virus has already killed seven people. Ministry of Health has confirmed 20 deaths from pneumonia in Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv Regions.

A closed meeting has been held in Ivano-Frankivsk, at which participants agreed that epidemic of the so-called "pneumonic plague" is being spread throughout Ukraine. But the problem is its form is unknown, it is ATYPICAL nobody knows how to treat it.
theflucase.com

Obama declares national emergency on swine flu

2009-10-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

President Obama Saturday declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency, clearing the way for legal waivers to allow hospitals and doctors offices to better handle a surge of new patients.

The proclamation will grant Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius the power to authorize the waivers as individual medical facilities request them, officials said.

It says that Obama does "hereby find and proclaim that, given that the rapid increase in illness across the Nation may overburden health care resources and that the temporary waiver of certain standard Federal requirements may be warranted in order to enable U.S. health care facilities to implement emergency operations plans, the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in the United States constitutes a national emergency."

White House officials downplayed the dramatic-sounding language, saying the president's action was not prompted by a new assessment of the dangers posed to the public by the flu.

Instead, officials said the action provides greater flexibility for hospitals which may suddenly find themselves confronted with a surge of new patients as the virus sweeps through their communities.

"The H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or healthcare systems recognize they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly," White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said Saturday.

The waivers authorized by the president's actions still require individual requests by the hospitals, Cherlin said.
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"Adding a potential delay while waiting for a National Emergency Declaration is not in the best interest of the public, particularly if this step can be done proactively as we are doing here," he said.

If granted a waiver, hospitals would be freed from some regulations that guide their behavior during normal day-to-day operations. Cherlin provided the following example:

"Requirements under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act would prohibit hospitals from certain rapid triage or sorting activities and prevent the establishment of off-site, alternate care facilities that could off-load emergency department demand," he said.

Public health experts praised the move, saying it was an important precautionary step that could help hospitals and other first responders care for large numbers of sick people as the outbreak continues.

"We know a number of hospitals are already experiencing high but manageable loads. It's not a stretch to imagine that hospitals could be strained," said Jennifer Nuzzo of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Biosecurity. "It's a just a precautionary move so if need be we can focus on the care of patients rather than focus on administrative hurdles. In disasters, you often don't have the time or luxury to keep the paperwork in order. You want hospitals focusing on patients."

Death after swine flu vaccine and more reports flooding in

2009-10-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday 30 people had been reporting to the authorities in Sweden that they experienced such severe side effects that they felt the need to contact a hospital. Today the number is 140. The swedish newspaper Expressen is the only one in Sweden reporting on these cases and as usual this is most likely only the tip of a rather large iceberg. UPDATE: According to Dagens Nyheter, the number of reported side effects are now a few hours later 190. 1 person dies after the injection but "no direct relation with the injection has been established". The biggest medical scandal in the history of Sweden has just started.

Even so, Annika Linde, director of The Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI) manages to spin this into something positive by stating "The vaccine has more side effects than the normal flu vaccine. It is a sign that proves that it gives an effective protection."

Thousands of Swedes have been vaccinated so far and the reports of side effects are "flooding in" to The Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI). Annika Linde: "It is obviously so that the vaccine against the swine flu results in more side effects than the normal flu vaccines. That is because the swine flu vaccine contains adjuvants, shark liver oil, which triggers the immune defense to respond. That also results in that the protection against the virus becomes better."

Several severe cases of allergic reactions are reported to the unit for medicinal safety. "So far the reported side effects are not unexpected", says Gunilla Sjölin Forsberg. This unit has now asked some of the many units that vaccinate to report side effects to better get a grip on the situation. This statement alone is shocking since according to normal practice, all side effects should automatically be reported - right?

A nurse who took the shot on wednesday last week is still feeling sick. She got high fever and shivers from the swine flu shot. "-I was shaking in my whole body. It was so sever that I could not even hold a glass of water in my hand.", Lotta Lindström says.

"- I am now thinking about what it is I have been injected with. I really was affected. It feels really unpleasant."

De blev sjuka av vaccinet - Hälsa - Expressen.se

Maria Strindlund is not so sure she made the right choice to tae the shot. She also got a severe fever and shivering reaction. "- Since I work as a nurse, I decided it was the best thing to do.", she says. At first she felt nothing from the vaccinaton, but a few hours later the side effects kicked in. "- I got a extreme pain in my arm. I could no longer lift it." The came the fever and the shivering. " _ I was lying in bed shivering and was feeling very cold and stood in a hot shower to get warm." She says many colleguse who also took the vaccine have had similar reactons. She has been taking many vaccines in the past without any reactions whatsoever.

Maria, 27: "Fick fruktansvärt ont" - Hälsa - Expressen.se

Rebecka Andersson was the first person to get the shot in Sweden. She became feverish and felt sick to her stomach from the shot. " - I lost all energy", she says. "-I am normally never sick so I understood it must be the vaccine." Her class mates was vaccinated at the same time and she states that five out of nineteen also got sick from the swine flu vaccine.

Rebecka, 32: "Jag blev orkeslös" - Hälsa - Expressen.se

Lotta Lindström, a nurse, states that she got the shot a week ago and still is not well. "- It feels very worrying", she says. "- I did not sleep anything the night after the shot since the pain in my arm was so severe." The day after, at work, the fever came. She later had headaches. She still today, a week after the shot feels sick.

Lotta, 49: "Jag sov inte något på natten" - Hälsa - Expressen.se

Another nurse, Jennely, could hardly walk five meters after she got sick from the "swine flu" vaccination. She was completely healthy when she got the shot but the day after she had 39 degrees centigrade fever (102.2 F). "- I could hardly walk the five meters I had to the bathroom", she says. The fever lasted for three days. sevreal of her colugueges at work had similar experiences. "- I know of at least ten that got fever , we are about 80 people at my workplace."

theflucase.com

"Swine Flu" in Canadian turkeys

2009-10-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

"Swine Flu" in Canadian turkeys 21 Oct 2009
The novel H1N1 virus has been reported in a flock of breeder turkey hens in Ontario, Canada. A decreased production of turkey hatching eggs was detected, which led to the confirmation.

Turkey Farmers of Canada reports that the producer has voluntarily quarantined his flock, and that the unhealthy birds will not go to market.

While health officials declined to name the farm involved, it is being reported that the infected birds belonged to Hybrid Turkeys, a Kitchener, Ontario-based breeder.

Ontario's chief veterinarian, Dr. Deb Stark, says the transmission of the H1N1 virus most likely involved human to bird transmission, reports the Digital Journal.

H1N1 Vaccine Locations: Where to get the H1N1 vaccine?

2009-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

H1N1 Vaccine Locations: Where to get the H1N1 vaccine?
Oct 19, 2009
Written By: Mary Wea Morales

After USDA confirms H1N1 is positive in Minnesota pigs, a lot of people in the United States got panicked. Now people are looking and searching in the internet about the whereabouts to buy or get an H1N1 vaccine. People are very eager to know the location of where to avail the vaccine for H1N1.

After USDA confirms H1N1 is positive in Minnesota pigs, a lot of people in the United States got panicked. Now people are looking and searching in the internet about the whereabouts to buy or get an H1N1 vaccine. People are very eager to know the location of where to avail the vaccine for H1N1. There are a lot of gossips about this but we should be sure to get the right information about where to avail the H1N1 Vaccine.

It was reported that the vaccine for the H1N1 virus has been released. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government has purchased 250 million H1N1 vaccine doses.

250 million will be dispersed throughout the United States. The H1N1 vaccine can be given at the same time with other vaccines.

The St. Louis County Department of Health, among other health departments, is in the process of setting up public vaccination sites. The exact location of where to get or avail these H1N1 vaccine will soon be announced. So stay tuned for more updates.

Judge puts temporary stop to mandatory H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine

2009-10-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

On October 16th, a judge in New York State suspended a health regulation requiring health care workers – and volunteers – to receive mandatory H1N1 swine flu vaccinations.

Why Were Health Care Workers Being Required to Receive the Swine Flu Vaccine?

The New York State Health Department and the state's health commissioner, Dr. Richard F. Daines, imposed the rule in an effort to assure the health and safety of hospital patients, whose immune systems are already compromised, and are thus at higher risk for swine flu and severe swine flu symptoms.

Hospitals and other organizations have interpreted the regulation, which required vaccination by November 30th, as grounds to fire workers and turn away volunteers who do not comply.

What Does the Suspension of the Mandatory Vaccination Regulation Mean?

Justice Thomas J. McNamara of the State Supreme Court issued the temporary suspension until a second hearing on October 30th, where it will either be removed again or made permanent.

In effect, the regulation, or lack there of, will probably make little difference to patients; hospitals will still offer the vaccines to employees, and most would receive them anyway. But there are a few who are unsure of the safety of the vaccines, especially for those workers who are pregnant. And there are more who are simply uncomfortable with the idea of being required to receive the swine flu vaccine, regardless of their personal choice. Patricia Finn, a lawyer in a separate but related case, told the New York Times, that this is their primary concern; "[vaccination is] not like getting your teeth cleaned," she claims, "it’s pretty serious. It shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

Should you get the H1N1 Vaccine? Growing fears ...find out.

2009-10-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

Should I get the new H1N1 vaccine?

Are there any downsides or risks associated with the new swine flu vaccine? With many people asking that question, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions - along with some less frequently asked ones. This article will help the reader to make an informed decision about the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated.
Just in time for the flu season, the H1N1 vaccine has started to ship around the world. With mixed messages and conflicting advice running rampant, many people find themselves unsure as to whether or not they should get vaccinated. The swine flu has claimed more than 5,000 lives as of early October, but the vaccine itself is not without risk. We have summarized the necessary facts and commonly asked question regarding the H1N1 vaccine. Should I get the H1N1 vaccine?

Are all vaccines created equal?

No. There are two types of H1N1 vaccines: the old-fashioned needle-injection and the nasal spray. The injection, often refered to as a "shot", contains fragments of the killed H1N1 inflenza virus. The nasal spray, which most children would surely prefer, actually contains a weakened virus.

Does it matter which one I get?

Yes. While the nasal spray may be preferable to children over an old-fashioned injection, experts warn that certain group of people should avoid the nasal spray. Young children, pregnant women, and people with weakened or compromised immune systems are advised against getting the nasal spray. The spray, which actually contains a weakened but living virus, could potentially be strong enough to result in serious health complications.

Are they safe?

We're not really sure. Officials at the National Institute of Health claim there are "no serious side effects," aside from redness and swelling at the site of injection - but we have been digging a bit deeper and found other facts to be aware of. A source at the NIH admitted that the vaccine(s) were one of the fastest human vaccines in development, according to CBS correspondent Sharyl Atkinson. In order to get these vaccines to market so quickly, the United States government granted "liability protection" to swine flu vaccine manufacturers. This protection allowed the drug companies to fast-track production by adding unlicensed components, some of which have been shown to cause autoimmunity in animals. In other words, you might be taking a vaccine has been licensed without normal safety regulations - and if you suffer adverse reactions, the drug manufacturer is immune from legal liability.

Aside from being rushed-to-market, are there any unsafe ingredients I should know about?

Some shots will contain the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which some believe to be harmful to children. The CDC claims there is no evidence of this. However, a US Congressional Report on Mercury in Medicine, released in 2003, claimed that there is a link between thimerosal and the development of autism, along with other brain development disorders. Additionally, some vaccines use squalene, an immune adjuvent that causes the immune system to react in a powerful and unnatural way. The purpose is to reduce the amount of vaccine needed per dose. The American Journal of Pathology published a study in 2000 which cited a possible link between adjuvants and arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Critics claim the use of adjuvants was another unsafe result of the vaccine being rushed out the door.

Are they safe for my children?

Again, we don't know. Many of these vaccines were tested on a few hundred healthy children. It is unclear how children with certain allergies or health conditions might react, as they haven't been thoroughly tested.

What if I'm pregnant?

Pregnant women are 6 times as likely to die if they are infected with the swine flu, so most experts advise pregnant women to take the vaccine. Pregnant women should only take the injection, not the nasal spray.

What does the CDC say?

The CDC lists 5 group of people who should get the H1N1 vaccine:
1) Pregnant women
2) Caregivers and people who come into contact with children younger than 6 months of age
3) Everyone between 6 months and 24 years old
4) People between 25 and 64 years old who have existing medical conditions
5) Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel

So what's the bottom line? Should I take it or not?

Well, the World Health Organisation claims that 30-50% of people infected with influenza have mild or no symptoms at all. On the other hand, serious health complications, including death, have been occuring in 1% of swine flu patients. If you fall into one of the 5 groups advised by the CDC, you should probably give stronger consideration to getting vaccinated. But everyone's situation is different. There's a risk associated with getting the vaccine, and there's a risk associated with not getting it. Our advice is to educate yourself as much as possible and make an informed decision, based on your age, your medical history, and the general strength of your immune system.

thevaccination.com

Swine Flu Taking A Deadly Turn

2009-10-17T06:17:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC (Associated Press) - A top federal health official is calling the latest numbers on the spread of H1N1 flu "very sobering."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the new swine flu strain is striking the U.S. early and hard. They say this virus is different from regular winter flu because it strikes the young far more than the old.

Since September, the deaths of 43 children have been reported -- including 11 during the past week.

The CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat (SHU'-kit) says that's a startling number because in some past winters, the CDC has counted 40 or 50 child deaths for the entire flu season. And no one knows how long this swine flu outbreak will last.

The World Health Organization also warns that -- in contrast to regular winter flu -- swine flu can sometimes cause a very severe viral pneumonia in otherwise healthy young adults.

Meanwhile, the federal government warns that swine-flu vaccine supplies will become more scarce than expected through October. Manufacturer delays mean flu-shot clinics in some parts of the country may have to be postponed.

Federal health officials say, however, that enough vaccine will eventually be available for everyone who wants it.

Swine flu kills 11 children in past week

2009-10-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

Swine flu is causing unprecedented illness for so early in the fall -- including a worrisome count of child deaths -- and the government warned Friday that vaccine supplies will be even more scarce than expected through this month.

Federal health officials said 11 more children have died in the past week because of the virus.

Manufacturer delays mean 28 million to 30 million doses, at most, will be spread around the country by the end of the month. That means flu-immunization clinics in some parts of the country may have to be postponed.

Meanwhile, preliminary tests show three pigs in Minnesota may have contracted the swine flu virus, making them the first potential U.S. cases in swine, agricultural officials said. They stressed that he finding does not threaten food safety.

chicagotribune.com

Swine flu detected in pigs in Minnesota

2009-10-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO: Pigs in the state of Minnesota may have become infected with swine flu, officials said on Friday, citing preliminary tests taken at a state fair.

If the initial results are confirmed it would be the first case of the pandemic virus detected in US hogs.

"We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

"I want to remind people that they cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products."

The pigs sampled at the fair showed no sign of illness and were apparently healthy, the agriculture department said.

However an outbreak of swine flu occurred in a group of children housed in a dormitory at the fair around the same time the tests were conducted from August 26 through September 1.

"Information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs," the agriculture department said.

Final test results are expected in a few days.

At least 4,735 people have died from swine flu infections since the A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

This is an increase of 210 fatal cases from a week ago when 4,525 deaths were recorded, the UN health agency said in its weekly update of the pandemic.

channelnewsasia.com

U.S. could potentially use controversial adjuvants in swine flu vaccine

2009-10-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

The World Health Organization estimates that a worldwide production capacity of 3 billion doses of pandemic H1N1 vaccines will be used to prevent the outbreak and spread of the 2009 H1N1 flu, or "swine flu," as it is better known. This ambitious plan for widespread vaccine use, albeit inadequate for a total population of 6.8 billion people, has drawn criticism regarding the vaccine's safety, and the use and potential use of vaccine adjuvants.

In the alternative health community, chiropractor Ginger Mills, DC, of Redwood City, is concerned that adjuvants, especially squalene, will be added to vaccines used in the U.S., should the number of cases rise. "Squalene is an oil that is found in olives and in certain other foods, and is perfectly healthy when you ingest it — but when injected into the bloodstream, it can have adverse effects."

Adjuvants enhance or "supercharge" the immune response, reduce the number of vaccines needed, and allow supplies to last longer. Currently, aluminum salts are the only approved vaccine adjuvants for use in the United States. The use of adjuvants has been suspected, but not confirmed, in the development of illnesses in Gulf War veterans who may have received squalene-containing anthrax vaccines.

However, the current stock of U.S. swine flu vaccines does not contain adjuvants, according to Anne Schuchat, MD, in an informational video produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Schuchat does acknowledge that there is an emergency provision to use them — should the pandemic accelerate.

Adjuvants are being used in swine flu vaccines in countries outside of the United States, including Canada, Europe and Australia. However, even though Canada is using an adjuvanted vaccine, it has also ordered 1.8 million doses of the unadjuvanted vaccine for use in pregnant women and children under the age of 3.

Maine physician Meryl Nass, MD, has written widely on the use of vaccines. "If novel adjuvants do get added (in the U.S.) — only if conditions change — it would preclude the quick licensure process that took place for the licensed H1N1 vaccines. Recipients would need to sign an informed consent for an experimental product," said Nass. "I do not believe they would be 'secretly' added."

The World Health Organization has tried to allay concerns about the vaccine and states that clinical trials suggest this vaccine is as safe as the seasonal influenza vaccines, and that most countries have vaccine monitoring systems in place. Without specifically addressing the use of adjuvants, WHO states that any vaccine side effects are expected to be of short-term duration, such as injection site soreness, swelling and redness, and possibly, headache, fever and muscle aches. However, WHO also has a disclaimer that "even very large clinical trials will not be able to identify possible rare events that can occur when pandemic vaccines are administered to many millions of people."

With a pivotal and profitable role played by the pharmaceutical industry in vaccine production, Nass suggests that there is a lack of "unconflicted data" available about adjuvants. "Nearly all of the MF59 (adjuvant) data were derived from the manufacturer of MF59, for example," said Nass. "It is more the lack of reliable data, and gives the impression that something is being hidden. Those of us who are familiar with the subject are concerned that if these adjuvants were used en masse, we would face some bad outcomes. The FDA has been sitting on them for 10 years, and usually, that means that the FDA is aware of significant problems."

Nass testified before Congress in 2001 that the FDA needed to make a decision on the safety of adjuvants, so manufacturers could know whether they could include them in vaccines or not. "It seems that the FDA and the manufacturers have been waiting for a pandemic to solve the problem for them," said Nass. "It was going to be avian flu — an adjuvanted vaccine for H5N1 avian flu was approved in many countries, but the disease never spread person to person. Then swine flu came along, and Glaxo and Novartis got another bite at the cherry. You see, once these adjuvants get into licensed products in the U.S., they will become part of all sorts of novel vaccines for cancer and non-infectious diseases, whose antigens are waiting in the wings."

The adjuvant question may not be answered in this pandemic go-round either. In the latest CDC FluView assessment of influenza activity in the United States, there is swine flu activity in 26 states — but many of the cases are mild and are not included in the count. The U.S. government has ordered 195 million vaccines that will be distributed through coordination with states and distribution centers.

While the official influenza season began Oct. 4, cases of swine flu appeared earlier — even in a number of pandemic experts themselves. And when it becomes personal, the use of a vaccine may seem like a good idea.

Author of "The Coming Plague," Laurie Garrett wrote in Newsweek about her September bout with swine flu, and described its symptoms as "days of semi-delirium, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, and stomach twisting."

Another pandemic expert and Google executive, Larry Brilliant, led the WHO team that was responsible for smallpox eradication in Southeast Asia and India. Brilliant, a physician and epidemiologist, is now president of the Skoll Urgent Threats Fund, and recently became one of the expected 100 million Americans to develop the swine flu.

"But while I was never sick enough to consider going to see my doctor or going to an ER, I would not wish this disease on anyone and I certainly would have preferred a vaccination to this teeth-rattling bug," wrote Brilliant on Huffington Post.

"Most poignantly, even though I tried to stay isolated, I infected one of my children who also spent a lousy sweat-soaked, teeth-chattering week dancing with the swine. No loving parent would ever want to spread this disease to his or her kids. If the sole reason to get vaccinated were to prevent my spreading this disease to my family and community, that alone would make getting vaccinated an easy choice for me."

mercurynews.com

A Swine Flu to-do ( and not to-do ) run down

2009-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Swine flu vaccines are rolling out this month -- finally. Health-care workers in Indiana and Tennessee were the first to get the nose-spray version, while New Yorkers clamoring for the H1N1 vaccine finally had their chance too.
People with flu-like symptoms such as fever, aches, stuffy nose, and chills, should stay home.

However, the onslaught of information about H1N1 -- be it playground rumors, employer signs telling you to cover your cough, memos from your kids' school, or scary-sounding news reports -- is making it pretty hard to figure out what you should be doing right now.

Although some people have already been vaccinated, it could be weeks -- depending on your age and risk factors -- before you even get a chance at the shot (or spray). So now what?

Sometimes it feels like you have two choices. A: Wring your hands endlessly about something over which you have no control. Or, B: Tune out the static and pretend this is all just a horrible dream. (Call it the ignore-the-whole-sorry-mess-until-my-neighbor-is-sick approach.)

Well, guess what? There are a few things you should -- and should not -- be doing at the moment. Here's your guide.

Look up local flu outbreaks.

If you're getting most of your news from the Internet -- and about 40 percent of people say they do -- you may not be up on H1N1 activity in your community.

Take the time to check local flu activity on the online version of your local newspaper (remember those?) or health department, or check out Web sites like Google Flu Trends (though keep in mind that this map is based on search trends and could be skewed if lots of healthy people are searching for information). There's also FluTrends, which is produced by Rhiza Labs, and includes past cases and current activity, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) weekly flu update.

If your city or state is a bit of a hot spot, you may need to focus on some of these to-do points sooner than others. The good news is that some of the hardest hit areas in spring -- like New York -- don't seem to have that many H1N1 cases at the moment. (Experts estimate that up to 1 million New Yorkers may have had H1N1 in the spring, which would protect against subsequent infections.)
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* H1N1: Fighting swine flu

Don't panic.

For most people, an H1N1 infection is generally mild and can be cured with time, bed rest, and fluids. The virus is serious, though -- particularly for those in high-risk groups. So far this year, 28 pregnant women have died of H1N1, and 76 children died in the spring. "At least two-thirds of [the children] had underlying conditions, which we recognize as putting them at increased risk for complications," says Dr. Nathan Litman, the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, in New York City. High-risk people, whether adults or children, tend to have chronic heart or lung conditions (including asthma), weakened immune systems due to disease or chemotherapy treatment, or diabetes.

That said, H1N1 will feel like seasonal flu for most people. "I'd say at the present time the swine flu looks no more serious than the routine seasonal influenza," says Litman.

Stay home.

Are you sick right now? Say, with flu-like symptoms such as fever, aches, stuffy nose, and chills? Sorry, but it's quite possible you already have swine flu. Experts say that flu activity is higher-than-normal for this time of year and almost all of it is due to H1N1. If you (or your child) are not in a high-risk group, it's best to stay put.

If a child is 2 or older "and has no risk factors for complications and has fever, runny nose, or cough, the best thing to do is to stay home," says Litman. "Plenty of fluids, Tylenol, Motrin, or Advil for fever, and it should run its course on its own." Health.com: How to call in sick without jeopardizing your job

If a child has difficulty breathing, is unable to take fluids, or starts to be less responsive, or after appearing to recover from the influenza develops a fever and starts coughing again, then see a doctor.

If you are pregnant and have flu symptoms, it might be best to call your doctor before going in to see him or her, says Litman. Health.com: 8 Ways swine flu is changing society

"They may want to set up a separate location to be seen or separate times to see sick patients," he says. "You don't want the pregnant woman with influenza who is coughing and sneezing to go into the room with pregnant women who are well and just there to get routine prenatal care."

Understand the risks.

While the symptoms of H1N1 may be no different from seasonal flu, there are some key differences. H1N1 may be easier to catch than regular flu, and younger people may be more likely to come down with it than older people.

"From what I've seen, I actually believe it to be more contagious," says Litman. Often with the seasonal flu that's circulating, a percentage of the population has some immunity to it. With H1N1, it looks like most people -- other than the elderly -- have no immunity to it, and that may be why it appears more contagious, he says.

People who are older than 60 may have been exposed to a swine-flu-like virus in the distant past, which is giving them an edge with this pandemic. That's not to say they can't get sick, but "many of them appear to have immunity from a prior infection with a similar virus or cross reactions with a similar virus that help protect them against the swine flu," says Litman.

Get a seasonal flu shot. The regular seasonal flu shots are available now, and it makes sense to "get the jab" (as the Brits say). While most flu cases happening right now are caused by H1N1, "in two months or three months it may be the regular seasonal flu and we should be prepared for that," says Litman. "Since that vaccine is currently available, I recommend that everyone considered a risk group receive the seasonal flu vaccine." Seasonal flu can be just as dangerous as H1N1; about 36,000 people die, including about 80 children, of seasonal flu every year.

Get a pneumonia vaccine.

What, another shot? For the vaccine wary, this might just feel like one too many pinpricks. However, the pneumonia vaccine, a shot that can help prevent any illness caused by certain types of pneumococcus bacteria, including meningitis and ear infections, may be a good idea too.

The CDC has analyzed H1N1-related deaths and found many people who died had dual infections, including some with pneumococcus. The good news is that if you're up-to-date on your child's vaccines, they probably already have it. Approved in 2001 and called Prevnar, it's routinely given to children.

Another vaccine, Pneumovax, is available for adults, and is recommended for the elderly and those at high risk of infections.

Wash your hands.

Just about every expert is chanting a "wash your hands" mantra. And, in fact, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol rub can help. However, when it comes to flu, just keep in mind that hand-washing may fall into the "can't hurt and may help" category. Because flu virus can hitch a ride on airborne water droplets, you can inhale the virus and get sick even if you wear gloves 24-7 or scrub-in like a brain surgeon. But again, flu viruses can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. So, yes, wash up. Plus, good hygiene can protect you from other germs, like pneumococcus, which could make a simple case of flu much worse when added into the mix. Health.com: 10 Ways you may be putting yourself at risk for swine flu

Don't stock up on face masks or Tamiflu.

If you're the type of person who hoarded cans of soup and bottled water in 1999 just in case the world ended in 2000, it can be tempting to grab a box of surgical masks "just in case." The CDC and most experts say that's not a recommended or a proven way to prevent infection, although some studies suggest that they can be helpful in homes with a flu-infected family member or when used by hospital workers in place of a N95 respirator.

And while it may seem perfectly harmless to stockpile antiviral drugs, it isn't. If Tamiflu is gathering dust in your medicine cabinet, then people who truly need it may find the pharmacies are fresh out. And the surest route to a drug-resistant flu virus is having people taking it "just in case" or for symptoms that would go away on their own.

Get a swine flu vaccine -- really.

Or at least seriously consider it. Lots of people are not crazy about vaccines in general, and fully one-third of parents say they're going to skip them for their child, according to an AP poll. Understandable. Taking something that could cause side effects, when you feel (or your child feels) perfectly healthy is tough. But keep in mind that if you're thinking about waiting until swine flu is in full force in your community, it may be too late. It can take several weeks after vaccination before your immune system ramps up to full-protection mode. Health.com: Home treatment for flu

If you or your child is perfectly healthy, you can get the nose-spray version, which contains a weakened, but not killed, virus. Unfortunately, if you're in a high-risk group, you may have to wait a bit for the version with killed virus, which is given in shot form. Those should be available in mid- to late-October.

While mulling over your options, try not to think of large federal agencies as faceless giants trying to impose vaccines on you. In fact, such agencies are staffed by scientists and doctors who are trying to protect the public.

"Each year approximately 30 percent to 40 percent of children between 5 and 19 years of age get influenza, that not only keeps them out of school for a few days, but they are also the epicenter of the epidemic -- they spread it to household contacts, other school contacts, and high-risk people in the community, like the elderly -- their grandparents," says Litman. "For their benefit and for the benefit of others, it's wise to get both the seasonal flu vaccine and swine flu vaccine."

Don't let the past haunt you. Although the 2009 virus has been tagged with the unfortunate moniker swine flu (just like the 1976 version), there is a world of difference between the two. For one, they are different viruses. And if you were alive in 1976, you were probably digging the bicentennial, groovy pants, and platform shoes, but your chances of getting swine flu were pretty much nil. (There were roughly 200 cases in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and the virus never spread.) Health.com Swine flu in perspective: Pandemic scares throughout history

Fast forward to 2009, which is truly a pandemic -- there have been more than 340,000 confirmed cases worldwide and nearly 44,000 confirmed and probable cases in the U.S. alone. (The CDC estimates that more than 1 million people have contracted swine flu, but that their cases weren't recorded because they didn't seek treatment.) And the '76 version did have a problem with side effects, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare condition in which the immune system attacks nerves, resulting in weakness and even paralysis (although most people eventually recover).

However, the vaccine production used in the 1970s now looks as outdated as your striped bell-bottoms and rockin' sideburns.

"Over the years there have been several improvements in vaccine manufacturing," says Dr. Claudia Vellozzi, the assistant director of the CDC's Immunization Safety Office. "That certainly plays a role in improved vaccine safety now, compared to 1976."
Health Library

* MayoClinic.com: Swine flu (H1N1 flu)

Of the 30 to 40 million people vaccinated for swine flu in 1976, about 1 in 100,000 did develop GBS. However, current research suggests there is little to no GBS risk associated with seasonal flu vaccine.

"There have been one or two studies that showed that if there is a risk, it's very small, or about one in 1,000,000 additional cases of GBS would be attributable to the flu vaccine -- but most studies have not supported any association," she says. (There are 2,000 to 3,000 GBS cases in the U.S. every year, unrelated to vaccines, says Vellozzi. The cause is unknown, but it can be triggered by infections.)

"In terms of our current vaccine, we expect to have a similar safety profile as our seasonal flu vaccine, which has a good track record," she says.

Be prepared.

If you do want to get an H1N1 flu shot, it's best to be patient. It may take weeks before everyone who wants one can get it. In the meantime, think about what you will do if you or a family member does get sick.

"Get immunized, wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose if you're sneezing or coughing, stay home if you're sick, and if any warning signs come up -- difficulty breathing, not responsive as usual, unable to take fluids, or after a day or two of the fever coming down and having more fever and cough again -- see the doctor," says Litman

Growing evidence Swine Flu was made in a lab then released (video)

2009-10-12T02:41:00.000-07:00

There has been growing evidence now for some time that the Swine Flu virus H1N1 is a created pandemic , should this effect the steps you take when considering vaccinations and medication the gov are insitant that we take? Watch the video below.

Michael Jackson's This Is It leaked

2009-10-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

A snippet of the new Michael Jackson song, "This Is It," was apparently leaked online before its planned release on the late singer's Web site early Monday.
Interest has been running high in "This Is It" -- the song, the two-disc album and the movie.

Interest has been running high in "This Is It" -- the song, the two-disc album and the movie.

About 45 seconds of the song made the rounds online Sunday.

Jackson's song was released on Michaeljackson.com about midnight Monday. It will be followed by a two-disc album on October 26. One of the albums is named after the song.

The album "This Is It" features music that inspired the film "Michael Jackson's This Is It," which is scheduled for release October 28.

The album's first disc features some of Jackson's biggest hits, arranged in sequence as they appear in the film. The disc ends with "This Is It," which includes backup vocals by The Jacksons.

Disc two offers previously unreleased versions of some of the artist's classic tracks.

The song will play at the close of the film, which will feature Jackson's career highlights and last rehearsals, his publicists said. (CNN)

Swine Flu Proof business suit now on the market

2009-10-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

A Japanese company claims to have created a swine flu-proof suit that reportedly shields the wearer from the deadly bug.

The business suits, which come in a range of colours and styles, are coated with titanium dioxide which reportedly breaks down the H1N1 virus when it comes into contact with the suit.

The chemical reacts to light and has also been used in cosmetics, toothpaste and sunscreen.

There have been more than 340,000 confirmed cases of swine flu and 4100 deaths around the world since the global outbreak was identified in April.

A total of 183 deaths have been recorded in Australia and 18 people have died in Japan after contracting the virus.

The Haruyama Trading Co has manufactured 50,000 of the suits, which will sell for about $650 each.

A medium grey, charcoal, navy and grey pinstripe designs will hit Japanese stores today.

ninemsn.com

US officials combat public's rejection of swine flu vaccine

2009-10-09T13:29:00.001-07:00

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dispatched swine flu "mythbusters" across the United States to correct what it says are rumors and misconceptions about the H1N1 virus and the new swine flu vaccine reaching American clinics this week.

Their task won't be easy. Despite a US vaccination regimen that public health officials widely regard as a success, a distrust of government scientists in general and of vaccinations in particular pervades large swaths of America, according to recent polls.

The vaccine is opposed, moreover, by naturopaths and even a well-known epidemiologist, Tom Jefferson, who has deemed H1N1 "not a major threat."

"[T]here are a lot of rumors out there and we're trying to address them, that we're expecting a very good safety track record for H1N1 vaccine," said Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, at a news conference Friday.

While the share of people concerned about swine flu has jumped from 38 percent in June to 52 percent now, 41 percent of respondents still say they definitely will not get the flu shot, according to a recent Harvard Opinion Research poll. A Consumer Reports poll found that two-thirds of US parents have reservations about giving the vaccine to their children.

In response, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has mounted a public relations offensive to try to ease fears about the vaccine. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the rounds of morning TV shows and also appeared Friday at Dodge Park Elementary School in Landover, Md., to help administer the vaccine to school kids.

One message in the $3 billion campaign to get nearly half of all Americans inoculated: "A decision not to get vaccinated isn't a decision that is risk-free, but a decision to take on a different set of risks," Glen Nowak, a CDC spokesman, told the Monitor.

CDC director Thomas Frieden at a press conference this week addressed what he considered the top three misconceptions:

•Swine flu isn't a mild illness as many people believe, he said, "but can knock you out for a day or two or three" and can, for some, be fatal.

•Fears that the vaccine is unsafe, experimental, and that corners were cut in its production are untrue, Mr. Frieden asserts. "My children will get it, and other public health and societal leaders will get it and have their families get it."

•Many Americans believe the vaccine is arriving too late to be effective. But Frieden says, "We don't know what the long flu season is going to hold."

This week, the Monitor reported that a heated debate has emerged about individuals' rights and responsibilities in deciding whether to receive the vaccine.

The debate is reflected in Facebook pages and chat rooms that are lighting up with the question, "Should I get it?"

Reports of neurological side effects among some vaccine recipients during the 1976 swine flu outbreak hardened some Americans against flu vaccines, even though health officials say those risks are minimal today.

These days, skeptics have much bigger stages, namely cable TV and the Internet, on which to air their doubts. Fox News' Glenn Beck has devoted hours this week to asking whether people should get the vaccine, and why the World Health Organization, "Big Pharma," and the government are hyping a pandemic that seems less virulent than officials had predicted.

Jennifer Edmondson of Appleton, Wis., the mother of a 13-year-old, reflects a more common concern. "The flu caused by H1N1, in general, has been found to be no more dangerous than other types of flu," she writes in an e-mail. "My reluctance is not based on any distrust of our federal government, [but] rather, on my analysis of the necessity of the shot."

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Swine flu vaccine: Is it ethical to say no?

csmonitor.com

Swine Flu Event Shows Mass Vaccine Rejection

2009-10-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

A U.S. government media event to promote H1N1 school vaccinations on Friday included VIPs, cute kids and a phalanx of television cameras -- but only one in five children at the school had proper parental consent to get immunized.

"This school was ready to go," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declared after touring a makeshift vaccination clinic in the cafeteria at Dodge Park Elementary School, near Washington.

But 80 percent of the student body were ineligible for vaccinations due to missing paperwork during the day-long swine flu clinic.

Federal officials did not want to discuss the turnout. It underscored the challenge facing the U.S. government's $6.4 billion immunization effort which involves the widespread use of schools as vaccine clinics for the first time in a generation.

H1N1 poses a greater danger of severe illness and death for children and young people than seasonal flu, which is particularly dangerous for the elderly.

Only about 20 percent of U.S. children get vaccinated against seasonal flu in a typical year. Some parents, including many at Dodge Park Elementary, are holding back on H1N1 vaccination because of worries about the newness of the vaccine -- concerns that health officials say are unfounded.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that 76 U.S. children have died from H1N1 since April, with widespread swine flu in 37 states.

Most victims had underlying disease but 20 to 30 percent were healthy before they contracted swine flu.

This death toll compares with 46 to 88 pediatric deaths for entire flu seasons over the past three years, the CDC said.

250 MILLION DOSES

Dodge Park is among the first schools in the United States to serve as a clinic for student vaccinations as the government rolls out up to 250 million doses of vaccine by year end.

There will be some 90,000 vaccination sites nationwide including doctors' offices, clinics, hospitals and stores.

Federal officials have cautioned that the early weeks of the immunization program could be bumpy as state and local health departments cope with the strain.

One problem at Dodge Park was bureaucratic. Dozens of children could not get immunized because their parents submitted incomplete consent forms, officials said.

Another was that the only vaccine on offer was AstraZeneca (AZN.L) unit MedImmune's nasal spray, which is unsuitable for children with underlying conditions such as asthma. Injectable vaccine is due to become available next week.

But school officials said the main barrier was the safety concern.

"Many parents are not comfortable with it. They'd like to see more testing," school nurse Irene Campbell explained after helping to immunize 107 students out of a student body of 510.

Popular safety concerns are frustrating for public health officials, who say clinical trials show the new vaccine to be as safe and effective as seasonal flu vaccinations.

"It's very safe. Although the virus is new, the vaccine is not new. It's made exactly the way seasonal flu is made year in and year out," Sebelius said.

Reuters.com

Backstreet Boys cancel tour Brian Littrell diagnosed with Swine Flu

2009-10-08T02:46:00.000-07:00

The Backstreet Boys have cancelled several promotional appearances in New York after member Brian Littrell has been diagnosed with swine flu, the band said in a statement Monday.

The singer and his bandmates, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and AJ McLean, and touring crew were prescribed Tamiflu as a preventative measure while Littrell, 34, recovers.

The group was scheduled to appear at New York's Hard Rock Café on Monday for the NYC PINKTOBER event. The Backstreet Boys, who are due to release their seventh album, This Is Us, on Tuesday, were also scheduled to perform their new single "Straight Through My Heart" on CBS's The Early Show that same day.

"We were really looking forward to spending time with our closest fans and friends in NYC and take part of PINKTOBER, an unbelievable and important program" Littrell says in a statement. "I hope we can come back soon and do everything we can to help."

No other details about the Backstreet Boys' promotional schedule were available.

Elite Fashion Photographer Irving Penn, Dead

2009-10-08T01:44:00.000-07:00

Irving Penn, a grand master of American fashion photography whose "less is more" aesthetic, combined with a startling sensuality, defined a visual style that he applied to designer dresses and fleshy nudes, famous artists and tribal chiefs, cigarette butts and cosmetics jars, has died. He was 92.

Many of Penn's now-famous photographs are owned by leading art museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, which in 1996 obtained the photographer's archive of 134 master and vintage prints plus proof sheets, correspondence and other documents. Most recently, a selection of his photographs was on view in "The Case for Wine: From King Tut to Today," an exhibit at the Art Institute that closed Sept. 20. Penn died Wednesday at his apartment in New York City, said his brother, film director Arthur Penn. The cause was not given.

Penn started contributing to Vogue in 1943 and became one of the first commercial photographers to cross the chasm that separated commercial and art photography until the 1970s. He did so, in part, by using the same technique no matter what he photographed -- isolating his subject, allowing for scarcely a prop and building a work of graphic perfection through his printing process.

Critics considered the results to be icons, not just images, each one greater than the person or the object in the frame.

"In Penn's photographs, generations of brilliant artists and lovely young women are endowed with dignity for their enduring moment," wrote fashion critic Kennedy Fraser in a 2007 Vogue magazine tribute to Penn when he was 90.

He was a purist who mistrusted perfect beauty, which brought an engaging tension to his fashion photographs as well as his still lifes and portraits. One of his best-known shots for Vogue magazine in the 1950s shows an impeccably dressed model glancing sideways through a veil that covers her face, as if she isn't ready for her close-up.

In another famous shot, this one from the 1990s, bright red lips drip with gooey chocolate. Suddenly, the dessert world's favorite food looks very unappealing.

Penn's most familiar photographs are the cosmetics ads he shot for Clinique that have appeared in magazines since 1968. Each image is a balancing act of face cream jars, astringent bottles and bars of soap that threatens to collapse.

Despite an obvious appreciation for the art and craft of a beautifully made dress, Penn strained against the unreachable world it represents. To escape it, or contest it perhaps, in the late 1960s he started photographing crushed cigarette butts and street debris.

Some reviewers found Penn's cigarette butts pretentious when they were displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in 1975. Many questioned whether anything by a fashion photographer belonged in an art museum. A similar debate stewed during an exhibit of Penn's photos of urban debris at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1977.

Far-sighted reviewers, however, praised Penn's ability to turn discarded objects into art. "Each distinct, dirty, torn and ragged reject has been carefully selected, isolated, enlarged and transmuted from a cultural throwaway into a haunting iconic artifact," an Art News review concluded in 1977.

Penn stayed above the fray and photographed what he wanted. Hells Angels in leather and chrome and famouswriters received the same painstaking treatment.

"He didn't worry about questions of art versus commerce," said Colin Westerbeck, former photography curator at the Art Institute of Chicago. "Photography is a mass medium available to anyone. A few geniuses, like Irving Penn, redeem it," Westerbeck said in a 2003 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Besides his brother, Penn is survived by a son, Tom, and a stepdaughter, Mia Fonssagrives-Solow. Tribune staff contributed to this report.

chicagotribune.com

Earhquake in pacific triggers tusnami ( updated news ) and evacuation

2009-10-08T01:17:00.000-07:00

Earthquake in Pacific Triggers Tsunami, Evacuations (Update2)
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By Ed Johnson and Aaron Sheldrick

Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude-7.8 earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for nations across the South Pacific, forcing people to flee to higher ground, nine days after destructive waves killed about 140 people in Samoa.

Authorities evacuated locals and tourists on islands including Fiji and New Caledonia, before the alert was canceled. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The warning was triggered by a quake that struck off Vanuatu at 9:03 a.m. local time today, followed by a temblor measuring 7.7 about 15 minutes later, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Aftershocks measuring 7.3 and 6.6 were also recorded. Tsunami waves as high as 10 centimeters were seen in Vanuatu, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which canceled the regional alert about 2 1/2 hours after the initial earthquake.

“Everyone was running up the mountains,” Agence France- Presse cited local journalist Tipi Autagavaia as saying from the Samoan island of Upolu. “You could see the panic and fear was still fresh from what happened” when a tsunami, triggered by a magnitude-8 quake, hit late last month.

That disaster killed at least 184 people, including 143 in Samoa, 32 in neighboring American Samoa and nine in Tonga, AFP reported.

Residents Run

In American Samoa, Betty Ahsoon, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security, said today’s alert sparked panic, the news agency said. “I think they’re well aware now whenever the word ‘tsunami’ comes, they are going to have to run and that’s what they did,” AFP cited her as saying.

In New Caledonia, the port of Koniambo was evacuated and workers in vessels were advised to take precautions, Peter Fuchs, a spokesman for Xstrata Plc, said by e-mail.

The site began returning to normal operations after the tsunami warning was lifted,, he said. Xstrata, the world’s fourth-largest copper supplier, is developing the $3.8 billion Koniambo nickel mine in New Caledonia and is due to start producing ore in 2012.

“It was pretty calm, nobody was too distressed,” said Australian tourist Steve Handley, 22, who was staying at the Mango Bay resort on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, where hotel workers told guests to seek refuge on a nearby hill, about 100 meters above sea level.

Schools were closed in coastal areas, Misaeli Funaki, duty forecaster at the Fiji Meteorological Service, said by phone.

Tsunami Alert

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning or watch for more than 30 nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Indonesia and the Philippines.

New Zealand authorities canceled the tsunami alert and advised people to be wary of strong currents along the country’s coast line.

A tsunami watch for Australia’s Queensland state was canceled after no threatening waves were observed, the country’s Bureau of Meteorology said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said it expected “slight sea level changes” in waters off Japan because of the quake.

Residents in Vanuatu, a group of 83 islands to the west of Samoa, raced to higher ground after the alert, AFP said. The magnitude-7.8 quake struck 295 kilometers north-northwest of Vanuatu’s Espiritu Santo island at a depth of 35 kilometers, according to the USGS.

Vanuatu, a popular tourist destination, is in a zone where the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates meet and constantly shift.

Authorities in New Caledonia evacuated schools and ordered people away from the coast, AFP said.

bloomsberg.com

Microsoft helps you diagnose H1N1 Swine Flu On-Line

2009-10-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

A new service from Microsoft is designed to help people perform swine flu self-assessments in order to determine whether they have contacted the H1N1 virus. Based on material licensed from Emory University, the Redmond company has introduced the H1N1 Flu Response Center, a website set up to allow users to diagnose the illness in the absence of a doctor. Via the H1N1 self-assessment service, people who think they might have swine flu can not only gauge symptoms but also receive guidance on the steps that they need to take next. Microsoft notes that the H1N1 Flu Response Center is designed to complement the current healthcare resources that are stretched because of the flu pandemic.

“If current estimates are correct, many emergency departments across the nation could be overwhelmed by two groups of patients — those who have H1N1 and those who believe they have H1N1,” noted Angela Gardner, M.D., FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. “It is going to be essential that we use every tool and service at our disposal to contain this illness, and online H1N1 self-assessment tools, such as the one offered by Microsoft, can be helpful in providing people with ways to determine whether they should seek emergency care.”

Microsoft is underlining that the self-assessment is set up exclusively for US residents, and in fact, one of the pieces of information that users need to supply is their zip code. The H1N1 Flu Response Center will need to know not just a general location, but also your age, the amount of days that you think you might have had the flu, whether your temperature went over 100.4º F (38º C) in the last 24 hours, if you have a sore throat, and if you feel short of breath. Answering yes to all questions above means that you might in fact have contracted H1N1, and need to see a doctor immediately.

“It is already clear that certain people are more vulnerable to the effects of H1N1 flu virus than others,” added Dr. Arthur Kellermann, professor of emergency medicine and an associate dean of the Emory School of Medicine. “By providing an at-home tool that can help users evaluate whether they need to see a provider before they head to the hospital, we can encourage those who are severely ill or at risk for serious illness to contact their doctor, and reassure everyone else that it is safe and prudent to recover at home. This will reduce the number of people needlessly exposed to H1N1 influenza in crowded clinic and ER waiting rooms, and allow doctors and nurses to focus their attention on those who need them most.”

Microsoft has the possibility to collect data from the users that perform the self-assessment. However, the Redmond company won’t store or share the information, unless the users specifically agree to this. The software giant underlined that patients should not substitute the H1N1 Flu Response Center for real medical services, and indicated that users should only use the service for self-assessment, but that ultimately they will need to see a doctor if they are ill.

“Any pandemic has the potential to create major disruptions in society,” noted David Cerino, general manager, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. “Now more than ever, we are in a position to implement solutions to help people make better decisions during these outbreaks, such as social distancing, because of the technological advancements that companies like Microsoft have made over the past few years.”

softpedia.com

Side effects are reported from early swine flu vaccinations

2009-10-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Vaccine is the best tool against swine flu despite reports of a few minor side effects from the initial campaign in China, the World Health Organization said.

Four out of 39,000 people vaccinated against H1N1 in China have had side effects such as muscle cramps and headache, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.

"Adverse events are fully to be expected, especially these mild types," Hartl said Monday, adding that this was particularly true in cases where very large numbers of people are being vaccinated.

The vaccination campaign will soon move to Australia, the United States and parts of Europe, he said, encouraging people — especially health care workers — to be vaccinated.

"The vaccine is the single most important tool that we have against influenza," Hartl said. "For certain groups such as health care workers, it's doubly important to get vaccinated because health care workers have the ability to protect both themselves and to protect others by getting vaccinated."

The U.S. government will be tracking possible side effects when mass flu vaccinations begin this month in hopes of quickly detecting any rare problems that are actually caused by the vaccine and not pure coincidence.

msnbc.com

Swine flu vaccine arriving, but don't line up yet

2009-10-05T01:58:00.000-07:00

And we're off: Swine flu vaccinations begin this week, after months of preparations and promises. But don't start bugging your doctor about an appointment just yet.

This week's initial shipments to states are so small that, with a few exceptions for children, most states are reserving them for health workers so they'll stay healthy enough to care for the flu-stricken and vaccinate others.

Inoculations won't gear up in earnest until mid-October, when at least 40 million doses against what scientists call the 2009 H1N1 flu will have rolled out, with more arriving each week after that.

This is uncharted territory — you really can't plan too far ahead to say, "I'll schedule my shot on Oct. 16 at Clinic X." Only as shipments start arriving will local doctors, clinics, school vaccination programs and drugstores get word that their doses are coming and how much. Each state health department decides that.

People will have to stay tuned.

"Take a deep breath, be patient, wait a couple of days, make another phone call and cut everyone a little slack, because it's a little hectic out there, folks," says Dr. William Schaffner, a flu vaccine specialist at Vanderbilt University.

Here's what you need to know:

Q: Why not wait to start until there's enough for everybody instead of the confusing here-and-there vaccinations?

A: Even though Sunday was the official start of flu season, this H1N1 wasn't heeding the calendar — it's already causing illness in nearly every state. That means getting vaccine to the people at highest risk is a race. So each week, states will distribute however much they have on hand.

Q: If factories are still racing vaccine out the door, how can I be sure it's safe?

A: The Food and Drug Administration clears batches of vaccine before they're released. The H1N1 vaccine is made in the same way as the regular winter flu vaccine that is used with very few, minor side effects by nearly 100 million Americans a year. There's no biological reason the H1N1 vaccine should react any differently, and no red flags have appeared in studies of several thousand people.

"What I want people to know is that no corners have been cut at all," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Q: Why is the nasal-spray vaccine arriving before the shots, and can I use either one?

A: They're considered equally effective, but the maker of the squirt-in-the-nose FluMist was able to finish brewing sooner. There is an important difference, though. Flu shots, made of killed flu virus, are for anyone without an egg allergy. FluMist, besides the egg issue, is only for use in healthy people ages 2 to 49. It's made of live but weakened flu virus. So some people on the first-in-line list for H1N1 vaccine aren't eligible for FluMist.

Q: Who's first in line?

A: Pregnant women; the young, ages 6 months through 24 years; people younger than 64 who have conditions such as asthma or diabetes that increase the risk of complications from flu; health workers and caregivers of newborns.

Q: I thought flu was most dangerous to people 65 and older.

A: Regular winter flu is most dangerous to older adults, but the new H1N1 is predominantly striking the young.

Q: How many shots, or squirts, will I need?

A: Most people will need one dose each of the H1N1 vaccine and the regular winter flu vaccine. But health authorities believe children under 10 will need two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, about three weeks apart. And some very young children getting their first regular flu vaccination will need two doses of it, too, for a total a four inoculations.

Q: Can I get both types of vaccine at the same visit?

A: If you're lucky enough to find a provider who has both at the same time, a jab in each arm is OK, or a jab of one and a squirt of the other. If you opt for the FluMist version of each vaccine, however, you're supposed to wait three to four weeks between squirts.

Q: What if I'm not on the high-risk list and want H1N1 vaccine anyway?

A: Only some will be physically reserved, doses sent to schools or obstetricians, for example. But eventually enough is expected for everyone who wants it within just a few weeks. The government doesn't expect people to be turned away unless that day's supplies run out.

Q: What will it cost?

A: The H1N1 vaccine itself is free because the government bought it with your tax dollars. But providers can charge a small fee for administering it, usually about $20. Regular flu shots tend to cost up to $35.

Q: If H1N1 is the only kind of flu making people sick now, why do I need the regular shot?

A: Health authorities expect regular flu strains to start circulating, too, as it gets colder; seasonal flu typically peaks in January.

Associated Press

The Tonya Harding Video

2009-10-05T01:02:00.001-07:00

Another American celebrity has caught in scandal. The people who have interest in sport of skating will not take a single second to recall the name of Tonya Harding, the former champion of figure skating of America.
The scandal is about a tape, a sex tape, in which she is doing sex with a guy. The man is Jeff Gillooly. It is said that Gillooly had made that tape when Tonya was his life partner and after she broke the relation with him, he sold the tape to a tabloid show for some pennies.
This is regrettable to say that this sex tape is the most searching tape on Google nowadays. I think that this phenomena of celeb’s sex tapes first started with Paris Hilton.
Tonya Mexane Harding is a former American figure skating champion. In 1991, she took 1st position in American figure skating championships. She stood second in the worlds skating championships. She was the second woman and the first American woman who was able to do triple axle jump in competition.
Harding was born in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of LaVona and Al Harding. She had a half brother named Chris Davison (deceased). Her father had health problems which sometimes made him unable to work. Harding claims that her mother abused her physically; a claim denied by her mother. Harding began skating at an early age. She landed her first triple lutz at age 12. Her mother made many of her skating costumes.
She married Jeff Gillooly in 1990, when she was 19 years old. Their tumultuous marriage ended in divorce in 1993, when she was just 22 years old.

Tonya Harding Sex Tape - Click To Watch
puggal.com

Windows 7 Leaked On Ebay

2009-10-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

PC users don't have to wait until Windows 7 is officially launched later this month to get their hands on Microsoft's new operating system—it's already for sale on eBay, and at cut rate prices.

Officially, the full version of Windows 7 Professional is $299, with upgrades going for $199. Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $319, with the upgrade version at $219. The full version of Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199, with an upgrade from Vista or XP costing $119.

Some sellers are pitching retail boxed versions of the software while others, the majority, are offering registration keys that allow users to activate a previously downloaded copy of Windows 7. Microsoft has already released Windows 7 to businesses, so it's possible the sellers obtained access to the software keys through their jobs or other professional contacts.

It's buyer beware, however. The software may lack Microsoft's official Certificate Of Authenticity and other piracy protection measures. So it's questionable whether purchasers will receive support for the product, or whether it will even run at all.

Under some circumstances, reselling software violates Microsoft's licensing terms and may also be illegal. The software maker has sued numerous eBay members in the past, accusing them of distributing pirated or counterfeited versions of its products.

Windows 7 officially goes on sale Oct. 22nd, with Microsoft planning a series of events and launch parties around the country.

An Indepth look Into Swine Flu Q&A

2009-10-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

Swine flu has spread across the world since emerging in Mexico and is now officially the first flu pandemic for 40 years. Experts fear millions of people will be infected.

What is swine flu and what are the symptoms?

SWINE FLU SYMPTOMS
Human body with internal organs
Typical symptoms: sudden fever (38C or above) and sudden cough
1. Other symptoms include: Tiredness and chills
2. Headache, sore throat, runny nose and sneezing
3. Stomach upset, loss of appetite, diarrhoea
4. Aching muscles, limb or joint pain

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.

H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.

But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.

Although the strain may have originated in pigs, it is now a wholly human disease.

It can be spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing.

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.

A fever - which is a temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) - is the key symptom, combined with other complaints which may include a cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and aching limbs. Some people with the virus have also reported nausea and diarrhoea.

As with normal flu, the severity of symptoms will depend on treatment and the individual. Many people have only suffered mildly and have begun to recover within a week.

People are most infectious soon after they develop symptoms, but they cease to be a risk once those symptoms have disappeared. The incubation period may be as little as two days.

Apparently healthy people are dying from the virus. Does that means it is getting worse?

Experts say this does not change anything.

THE AT RISK GROUPS
People with lung disease
People with heart disease
People with kidney disease
People with diabetes
Those with immunosuppression problems either because of treatment or disease
Patients who have had drug treatment for asthma
Pregnant women
Children under five

Apparently healthy people can die of any flu-related virus if it causes complications such as pneumonia so these latest deaths do not give any extra cause for concern.

Indeed, so far, many people who have developed symptoms of infection have not needed drugs to make a full recovery, according to the WHO.

Flu expert Professor Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London, says about one in every three people who become infected will not realise they have had swine flu because they will have had no or only very few symptoms.

"About 98% of people who get infected will recover fully without any hospital treatment so I think the public needs to be reassured."

The real fear is that the strain will mutate and become more virulent which would pose a greater threat. This has been the feature of previous flu pandemics.

But this has not yet happened - and in any event it is worth remembering that seasonal flu often poses a serious threat to public health - each year it kills 250,000 - 500,000 around the world.

Why are younger people more affected?

In the UK the infection has been found to affect younger people more due to it spreading quickly in schools where there is a lot of mixing and where infections can quickly spread. This is not unusual and children are known to be important in the spread of flu. It is thought that older age groups may have some immunity as they have been exposed to previous H1N1 viruses.

Why has the UK been more affected than other countries?

The UK has a comprehensive flu surveillance system, hence more cases may be identified in the UK than in other countries with less comprehensive monitoring services.

Also, the spread of the infection in the early stages was linked to flights out of Mexico. With Mexico being a popular tourist destination for British tourists, Britain was one of the first countries alongside America and Canada to start seeing cases.

As the UK was affected earlier than some other countries the infection has spread to a higher number of people.

What should I do if I think I have it?

Anyone with flu-like symptoms who suspects they might have the swine flu virus are being advised to stay at home and contact the National Flu Service on 0800 1 513 100 or via the internet at www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu

The service allows sufferers to get access to anti-flu drugs without the need to consult a GP.

However, those with underlying health conditions, the under ones and pregnant women are still being advised to contact a doctor.

The GP route is also open to anyone who does not want to use the service.

In the initial phase of the outbreak, lab testing was done to diagnose the flu but this is no longer happening routinely.

How is it treated?

Two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, are effective at treating infection, reducing the length of the illness and cutting the chances that people will have serious complications.

Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.

However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.

Researchers have also questioned whether the drugs are helpful in children aged between one and 12, saying the risk of side effects might outweigh any benefits.

But the Department of Health maintains a "safety-first approach" of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward.

It said it would keep the policy under review.

The UK government already has a stockpile of Tamiflu, ordered as a precaution against a pandemic.

There is also concern that if too many people start taking anti-virals as a precaution, it could raise the risk of the virus developing resistance, reducing the drugs' effectiveness.

There is however no evidence at present that this is happening.

In any event there is little point taking these drugs as a precaution as each tablet only provides a day's worth of cover. Given that the virus may be with us for many months - or indeed years - taking a regular pill is ill-advised as the long-term side effects are not known.

The drugs can have side-effects, most commonly nausea and vomiting.

What measures then can I take to prevent infection?

As yet there is no licensed vaccine, but manufacturers are trying to develop one. Good progress is being made and it is hoped the first doses will be available by mid-October.

FLU PANDEMICS

1918: The Spanish flu pandemic remains the most devastating outbreak of modern times. Caused by a form of the H1N1 strain of flu, it is estimated that up to 40% of the world's population were infected, and more than 50 million people died, with young adults particularly badly affected

1957: Asian flu killed two million people. Caused by a human form of the virus, H2N2, combining with a mutated strain found in wild ducks. The impact of the pandemic was minimised by rapid action by health authorities, who identified the virus, and made vaccine available speedily. The elderly were particularly vulnerable

1968: An outbreak first detected in Hong Kong, and caused by a strain known as H3N2, killed up to one million people globally, with those over 65 most likely to die

The government has announced that the over 65s and those with underlying health conditions - basically those currently eligible for the seasonal flu vaccine - will be immunised first.

Pregnant women will also be offered the vaccine as a priority.

It is hoped that even if the virus mutates in coming months, the vaccine would still confer a high degree of protection against related strains.

In the meantime, avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and cough.

General infection control practices and good hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza.

This includes covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of it promptly.

It is also important to wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people, and cleaning hard surfaces like door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.

In Mexico masks have been handed out to the general public, but experts are sceptical about how useful this is.

Some suggest it may even be counterproductive.

What is the advice for pregnant women?

The Department of Health has clarified its advice on how expectant mothers should protect themselves following a series of apparently mixed messages.

Concerns were heightened after a woman with swine flu died last week shortly after giving birth prematurely.

Pregnant women are among the groups at increased risk from swine flu. It is important that they follow the advice about hand hygiene.

They may also want to avoid very crowded places and unnecessary travel, but experts stressed people should use their own judgement and should carry on with their daily lives.

Where can I get further advice?

Further information and advice on swine flu can be found at websites of leading health and research organisations around the world. The World Health Organisation gives background information on the virus.

Washington preparing for a swine flu outbreak

2009-10-04T03:55:00.000-07:00

Influenza is a public health threat that arrives in the community every fall. The emergence this year, however, of the novel H1N1 virus — also called swine flu — raises concerns about the potential for a widespread outbreak and possible spread of a more virulent strain than previously seen.

In order to prepare for and respond effectively, we must have an adequate public health system. This system must be able to: (1) recognize when influenza enters the community and track its spread, (2) prevent it when possible and mitigate its spread, (3) treat the victims of the disease and (4) strengthen the resilience of our communities to withstand the social and economic effects on the community through education and planning.

There are a few ways we can strengthen this system. First, our nation's current disease surveillance and reporting capability relies on a fragmented web of clinicians, laboratories and health facilities that look and test for influenza and other diseases. The system works, but it is not as efficient as it should be considering the speed by which today's contagious diseases spread through communities. We must correct the chronic underfunding of the nation's public health system by providing adequate and sustainable funding to address the growing demand placed on federal, state and local public health agencies.

Second, vaccines are the mainstay of our fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. Recent efforts by the federal government to ensure production of a vaccine for H1N1 influenza are admirable. Yet, having a vaccine and getting the shots into arms are two different issues. The recent recession and the loss of critical public health infrastructure at the state and local level severely challenge the ability to get people vaccinated during this outbreak.

Third, we need to ensure adequate access to antiviral agents and other therapies through the medical care system, and we need a more robust capacity within our medical care system to handle emergencies.

Finally, building a resilient community requires planning and a comprehensive approach at all levels of society from government to businesses to families and individuals. This approach enables a community to withstand the ravages of a pandemic and hasten the community's return to normal.

Operationalizing our response to a swine flu outbreak requires a coordinated effort across all levels of society. The federal government sets the national tone for successful emergency response and provides the latest information, guidance, research and advice. In the face of H1N1, the federal government has successfully led preparedness efforts by creating a national plan, working quickly to get a vaccine ready and collaborating with state and local health departments to plan for this event.

State governments must also do their part. Every state has a pandemic influenza plan. States also need to ensure the public understands these plans and what is expected of them. Soon, state officials will begin to order initial supplies of the H1N1 vaccine, will implement their distribution strategy and will need to keep people informed about how to get the vaccine. States also play a key role in collaborating with federal agencies to ensure that they are able to monitor the spread of viruses in their state, to share samples and to help convey important guidance to residents.

Local health agencies also have a role to play in ensuring we are prepared. Like the fire department or police department, communities' health departments is a first line of defense in an emergency situation and they are usually the first to know that influenza or other health threats are occurring in the community. They also manage much of the community response, which is of particular importance when social distancing strategies or disease containment strategies are used such as closing schools or canceling local events. Along with our health care providers, local health agencies are where most of us will turn for health information in an outbreak situation and they must be prepared to offer guidance.

Other sectors in our communities must also be involved. Businesses need to have a plan in place to ensure employees are able to stay home when they are sick, encourage hand washing and other prevention methods, and ensure the business can continue to serve its core function. Schools, likely to play a central role in a prevention strategy due to the rapid spread of H1N1 among youths, must also plan effectively to follow federal recommendations and keep students healthy. Other community organizations should reflect the comprehensive prevention approach and do what they can to help communicate information and help the people they serve.

Our last line of defense is each and every one of us. We have both an individual and collective responsibility to keep ourselves healthy and help prevent the spread of flu. We should follow the guidance from health authorities: get vaccinated against both seasonal and H1N1 flu, wash our hands often with soap and water, and avoid close contact with those who are sick. If we become ill, it also means helping our family, friends, co-workers and community stay healthy by staying home from work, avoiding public places, covering our mouth and nose when we cough or sneeze, and practicing good hand hygiene.

We've come a long way in being prepared for public health emergencies such as an H1N1 flu outbreak, but we have more work to do.

washingtontime.com

David Letterman had secret bedroom above Ed Sullivan theatre

2009-10-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

An ex-"Late Show" intern unmasked herself Saturday as one of David Letterman's former flings - and sources revealed the randy funnyman keeps a bachelor pad atop the Ed Sullivan Theater.

"I was madly in love with him at the time," said Holly Hester. "I would have married him. He was hilarious."

The NYU alum, who it appears went on to become a top Hollywood producer, told TMZ.com that the relationship started in the early '90s when Letterman called and asked her on a date to the movies.

A year-long, secret romance ensued, she said, until the funnyman called it off because of their age difference.

Outside what is believed to be Hester's country home in Sebastopol, Calif. - in ritzy Sonoma County - a middle-aged man lashed out at a Daily News reporter last night. "Get the f--- out of here. We're being offered a lot of money for this s---," he said.

He then hopped in a gray SUV and floored it up a half-mile long driveway leading to the home. Hester did not emerge.

The IMDB database shows that a Holly Hester is a veteran TV producer who has worked on a string of hit shows, including "Ellen," "Drew Carey," and "Grace Under Fire." It was unclear if she is the same Hester, but public records also show a Holly Hester is married to an experienced TV graphics guy who once worked for Letterman.

The Hester quoted by TMZ made the stunning admission as a Letterman show source dished that he kept a secret bedroom above his set in the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway. "He doesn't have to come out," a staffer said. "He has a suite upstairs."

An ex-"Late Show" staffer said Letterman kept a room insiders dubbed "the bunker" that was open only to his favorite young female underlings.

Letterman, 62, admitted on the air Thursday that he had had several affairs, apparently while dating longtime love Regina Lasko, who he married in March. The two have a son, Harry, 5.

A longtime assistant said he had the ability to cast a spell on the ladies.

"I don't think women ever get over Dave," Laurie Diamond told London's Daily Telegraph.

A woman identified as a former paramour, Stephanie Birkitt, 34, remained in hiding Saturday. She was, until recently, dating Joe Halderman, who was arrested Thursday for allegedly threatening to go public with Letterman's dalliances unless he was paid $2 million.

A "Late Show" office worker in 1997, Birkitt quickly developed a role as Letterman's Girl Friday. She went on to appear in several skits as his comic foil. Behind the scenes, their relationship became intimate, sources said.

"The creepy relationship that Letterman maintained with Stephanie was obvious and not normal," an insider said. "She was able to do anything and everything ... It was pretty well known that Stephanie was the one that Letterman was having fun with."

In numerous interviews, Birkitt gushed about Letterman, calling him "the greatest boss I could ever have."

rschapiro for nydailynews.com

8 US Troops Killed In Attack on Afghan Outpost

2009-10-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

KABUL, Oct. 4--Firing rockets and rifles, Taliban militiamen attacked American and Afghan military outposts in a day-long siege on Saturday that killed eight U.S. soldiers and two Afghan security forces in one of the deadliest battles in months, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

The fighting began early Saturday morning and raged throughout the day in a remote region of eastern Afghanistan in Nurestan province, which borders Pakistan. Staging their attack from a mosque and a nearby village, the Taliban fighters attacked the small American and Afghan bases using rifles, machine guns, grenades and rockets, according to U.S. military officials. By Sunday morning, when the U.S. military made the attack public in a statement, the area was "largely secure but I do think there is still some activity," said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

In addition to the eight soldiers killed, others were injured, Mathias said, but she didn't specify the number. The American soldiers called in attack helicopter and airplane support during the fighting and the military statement said coalition troops eventually repelled the attack while inflicting "heavy enemy casualties." The U.S. military said it was not immediately clear how many insurgents were involved in the fighting or their affiliation.

The attack took place in a sparsely populated area of forested mountains, near the town of Kamdeysh, according to Gen. Zahir Azimi, a Defense Ministry spokesman. The deputy police chief of Nurestan province, Mohammad Farouq, said the insurgents, a Taliban group which included Pakistani, Uzbek and Arab fighters, intended to seize control of the Kamdeysh area and that hundreds took part in the fighting. He said more than 20 Afghan soldiers and police have gone missing since the fighting began and may have been taken hostage.
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"Americans always want to fight in Afghanistan," Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, who took credit for the attack by telephone. "If the Americans want to increase their troops, we will increase our fighters as well."

He said the battle began at 6:00 a.m. Saturday and involved 250 Taliban fighters. He claimed that dozens of American and Afghan soldiers were killed, along with seven Taliban fighters. Mujahid also claimed that the district police chief and intelligence chief were among the hostages, but that could not be confirmed.

Farouq, the deputy police chief, said the attack, the biggest his province has seen, was highly organized and began by taking out the police radio system. "Since the attack began I've been unable to communicate with the police chief, we are still trying to find out where he is," he said.

The American soldiers from this outpost were scheduled to depart the area as part of the new U.S. strategy to focus their efforts on securing areas with larger populations. Capt. Mathias said the soldiers at the outpost were not expected to leave this month and had not yet begun to prepare for their departure when they came under attack.

"My heart goes out to the families of those we have lost and to their fellow Soldiers who remained to finish this fight," Col. Randy George, commander of Task Force Mountain Warrior said in a statement. "This was a complex attack in a difficult area. Both the U.S. and Afghan Soldiers fought bravely together."

The provincial governor, Jamaluddin Badar, said that for years the Taliban have been attacking American and Afghan government facilities in the Kamdeysh area. The Taliban leadership has appointed a shadow governor in the province, Mullah Dost Muhammad, and has opened a training camp in the forest, he said.

"I have already warned the central government to help us and send more Afghan soldiers, and I warned the American soldiers they need to be more serious and stop the Taliban," Badar said in a telephone interview. "But unfortunately, nobody listened to me."

American deaths in Afghanistan have risen sharply this year as the Taliban has gained in strength and numbers and more U.S. forces are involved in operations to combat them, in places such as southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. In eastern Afghanistan, American soldiers have had to confront an expanding insurgency where fighters can easily slip across the Pakistani border to take refuge.

In its severity and location, the attack bore a striking resemblance to a deadly battle in July 2008 in the tiny village of Wanat, in the same region, which left nine U.S. soldiers dead and 27 wounded after several hours of fighting. That battle prompted three investigations and was cited by many as an example of what was wrong with the American military approach to fighting the insurgency. The attack contributed to the change in strategy to move soldiers from remote areas where they didn't have the soldiers to defeat the insurgents and move them to safer, more populated areas.

After the fighting began Saturday, the Afghan military sent a battalion of reinforcements by helicopter to the area, and began searching houses in the area, said Azimi, the Defense Ministry spokesman. He said one Afghan soldier was injured in addition to the two killed.

Afghan officials said at least one policeman and one soldier died in the fighting, and at least one other Afghan soldier was injured.

Badar, the provincial governor, said he was unaware of American plans to abandon their outpost in the area. He said that his province has a shortage of Afghan soldiers, an incompetent police force, and his province is at risk of falling to the Taliban if the Americans pull out.

"I request that they stay. If they leave, it will be very dangerous for Nurestan," he said.

Washingtonpost.com

5yr old infant dies - latest healthy victim of Swine Flu

2009-10-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

The H1N1 flu virus claimed the lives of two New Mexico girls this week, including a 5-year-old Rio Rancho Elementary School student and an infant from Roosevelt County, the state Department of Health announced Thursday.

Neither child had chronic medical conditions that would have put them at heightened risk of complications from the illness, health officials said.

Trinity "Trin" Olivares, of Rio Rancho, died Monday evening (sept. 28), just a day after complaining of nausea, said the girl's mother, Danelle Olivares, 31.

Trinity began feeling ill Sunday night and stayed home from school Monday as her nausea and vomiting became more severe, Olivares said. The girl's parents took her to a hospital Monday afternoon, about three hours before her death.

Doctors said the girl was severely dehydrated and put her on intravenous fluids.

"She had no fever, no cough, no runny nose, no symptoms of the flu" other than nausea, Olivares said. The girl also enjoyed good health prior to Sunday night, her mother said.

"She was a very healthy little girl. She never got sick," Olivares said.

Trinity also was keenly aware of discussion and news reports about swine flu and constantly washed her hands and even urged her mother to buy hand sanitizer, Olivares said.

Trinity recently started school at Rio Rancho Elementary after attending Shining Stars Preschool. Her father, Michael Olivares, supervises mail delivery at Rio Rancho Public Schools.

Funeral services were be held Friday, Oct. 2, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Rio Rancho.

The Rio Rancho Public Schools district notified parents by a telephone notification system Thursday evening.

Kim Vesely, district spokeswoman, said the district also planned to send a letter to parents today notifying them about Trinity's death.

Vesely said the New Mexico Department of Health informed the district that the child died of H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, after the department ran a preliminary test.

Chris Minnick, spokesman for the Department of Health, said the Roosevelt County infant died this week, but he did not know what day.

The two deaths bring to seven the number of New Mexicans who have died of swine flu, and 85 have been hospitalized as of Thursday.

A 21-year-old Los Alamos County woman who had no chronic medical conditions is among those who have died. Others include a Sierra County woman, 45; a Bernalillo County woman, 52; a Bernalillo County man, 58; and a McKinley County woman, 48. All four had chronic medical conditions, health officials said.

Dr. Alfredo Vigil, the state's health secretary, called the girl's death tragic and said it highlights the dangers of all types of influenza.

"Even during the normal flu season, people unfortunately develop deadly complications," Vigil said. The death of children from flu is not unusual "given the number of cases," he said.

"It's very hard when it has to do with the death of a child," he said. "When it's a child, it's incredibly tragic."

Vigil said the first doses of swine flu vaccine are expected to arrive soon in New Mexico. About a third of the state's supply of the vaccine is expected to arrive in October; the remainder is expected within the next three months, he said.

"We're expecting vaccine soon, and hopefully in the next week or two, so we can get to work on this," Vigil said. "We haven't been notified about the day of delivery."

In a letter to parents dated Thursday, Rio Rancho Elementary Principal Barbara Bruce described Trinity as "a wonderful, bright child from a wonderful young family. We are heartbroken at their loss and express our condolences to the family."

Reports of flu in public schools have surfaced in the metro area. Almost 100 children were kept home from Moriarty Elementary School last Friday after a warning letter was sent to parents when a few students had a flulike illness. Only about 20 of the students who stayed home reported symptoms.

Also last week, Albuquerque schools saw clusters of flulike illnesses appearing earlier in the season than usual. Sandia High School reported that about 12 percent of its students were absent. The school reported fewer absences this week, a district official said.

"While the death of this child is a tragedy for our schools and community, deaths from the flu are not unexpected in this year or in any year," Bruce said in her letter to parents. "In an average year, 36,000 people worldwide die from complications related to flu.

"Most, but not all, of the people who succumb to this disease have underlying health issues that contribute to its severity. In this respect, the H1N1 flu behaves very much like the regular flu."

Olivier Uyttebrouck

How to get a Google Wave invite.

2009-10-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

The web is buzzing with excitement and anticipation. In less than 24 hours, Google Wave will launch to 100,000 early adopters. The real-time communication platform has been making headlines ever since it was announced back in May as a result of its potentially game-changing features.

There Are Four Ways to Get an Invite

Google clarified things earlier today with an update to their blog. They specifically highlighted the four key ways you can secure an invite. Here are the methods and what you need to know:

1. You signed up early on for a Google Wave account. Google put up a request form for Wave invites not long after Wave was announced. Most of the invites arriving tomorrow will go to people on that list. Your chances improve if you signed up early on and wrote a message to the Wave team.

2. You have an account on the Developer Preview of Wave. The Sandbox version of Google Wave has been active for a select group of developers for several months now, allowing them to test Wave, report bugs, and build Wave extensions. They will all get accounts.

3. Some paying users of Google Apps will get accounts. It’s likely several companies asked Google for invites when the real-time tool launched. They will get accounts. Some schools that use Google Apps will also get early access.

4. You are invited by someone currently using Wave. This is the most intriguing revelation made today by the search giant. Here’s how Google explained it:

“We’ll ask some of these early users to nominate people they know also to receive early invitations — Google Wave is a lot more useful if your friends, family and colleagues have it too. This, of course, will just be the beginning. If all goes well we will soon be inviting many more to try out Google Wave.”

Do you know what this reminds us of? Gmail. Do you remember when it first came out and there were a select number of invites users could send out? I remember that people were willing to pay cold, hard cash for one of those invites. You might see the same type of frenzy over Wave.

Regardless, these are currently the only four ways to get an account on Wave. So if you don’t get an invite tomorrow, you still have hope. You’ll probably have to beg someone for an invite, though.

Author Ben Par for mashable.com

Swine Flu worries over global vaccine shortage ( Video)

2009-10-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

Many Countries around the globe are starting to panic as it becomes clear some countires will fair better with h1n1 vaccine supplies than others. Watch the video below for the low down.

Report - Warning over lack of hospital beds during Swine Flu epidemic.

2009-10-02T02:21:00.000-07:00

Nevada is one of the 15 states that could run out of available hospital beds if swine flu strikes 35 percent of the population in the United States, according to a report released Thursday.
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The report, "H1N1 Challenges Ahead," was published by the Washington, D.C.-based Trust for America's Health and predicts Nevada also could lose $9 billion if the H1N1 virus causes a severe pandemic.

But Gov. Jim Gibbons' spokesman said the report is based on some unlikely scenarios, and Nevadans should be prepared but not panicky about the impending flu season.

The report estimates Nevada's hospital bed occupancy could be at 137 percent at the peak of a flu outbreak.

"Health departments and communities around the country are racing against the clock as the pandemic unfolds," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health. "The country's much more prepared than we were a few short years ago for a pandemic, but there are some long-term underlying problems which complicate response efforts, like surge capacity and the need to modernize core public health issues like communications and surveillance capabilities."

The report said only 36.1 percent of adults were vaccinated last year against the seasonal flu, while almost 70 percent of seniors older than 65 are vaccinated annually for the seasonal flu. But only 24 percent of younger adults ages 18 to 49 get vaccinated, and H1N1 has been more severe, and sometimes lethal, in younger adults and children than in seniors.

If 35 percent of the country's population becomes sick from the flu, the report states that the number of those ill could range from a high of 12.9 million in California to a low of 186,434 in Wyoming. In Nevada, the estimated number of residents falling ill is 720,000 in the case of a severe pandemic.

Martha Framsted, spokeswoman for the Nevada Division of Health and Human Services, said the attack rate of H1N1 -- how virulent the virus will be -- is not known at this point.

"We're monitoring the hospital bed situation closely," she said. "We haven't seen anything out of the norm, and it's difficult at this point to ascertain if that scenario would play out. We don't have a crystal ball."

Gibbons' spokesman Dan Burns questioned the likelihood of 35 percent of the population in the U.S. contracting the flu at the same time and causing a hospital bed shortage for the state.
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"There is a flu season," he said. "Not all people get the flu at once, and not all people who get the seasonal flu or H1N1 will have to be hospitalized."

The strain of H1N1 seen in the U.S. so far has been a mild form of the flu, and Burns said that although the illness still needs to be taken seriously, the state has an emergency plan in place should a pandemic occur and that H1N1 vaccine is being delivered "right now" to the state.

"Although the report you've seen and those numbers and figures are extremely daunting, what's most important is to ensure that businesses, schools and everyone is informed and prepared," he said.

The public can get detailed information and answers to their questions from Web sites at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Nevada Division of Health and Human Services and their local county health departments, Burns said.

"What this report tells us is that we need to be prepared," he said. "If you are prepared, you avoid panic."

rgj.com

At Least 102 dead from Swine Flu in Florida

2009-10-01T06:15:00.001-07:00

With at least 102 confirmed swine flu related deaths in Florida, county health departments are making plans to distribute a vaccine and educate the public.

The first doses of a swine flu vaccine could start arriving at local health departments as early as next week, officials say.

They encourage people to get them.

Valerie Post, 24, who died Monday after the health department count was taken, died Monday night.

"A mom who had just delivered just died, and she seemed to be healthy other than pregnancy, so it's a serious disease and one we should really pay attention to," said Maggie Hall, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Health Department.

Health officials say Post had no underlying health conditions but pregnant women are in the high-risk group for swine flu.

In the last two weeks, swine flu claimed the life of two other people in the Bay Area, both in good health – a 39-year old Pinellas County man and a 14-year-old from Highlands County.

Health Department officials say they are taking every step they can to prevent the spread of the disease, including outreach and education programs.

"We have a bunch of health educators that can go out to your business to help you prepare for swine flu season," Hall said.

The first batch of vaccine has been shipped from France to Pennsylvania and will now be distributed throughout the United States.

Health experts urge pregnant women, children 6 months to 4 years and healthcare workers to get the vaccine.

But pregnant women may have to wait.

"Unfortunately with the first doses coming being FluMist, it's not recommended for pregnant women," Hall said. They'll have to wait for vaccine shots.

Officials say money will not be an obstacle if people choose public vaccination sites.

The federal government purchased 259 million doses of the vaccine, and is distributing it to 90,000 sites nationwide, Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

The shots will be administered free through public health departments, which will make them available at locations including schools.

Other locations may charge a fee to cover labor and other overhead costs, though some insurance plans will pay these fees.

Health officials say they expect there will be enough of the vaccine for everyone.

The Pasco County Health Department is working with the schools to reach out to the children, said department spokeswoman Deanna Krautner. The department even plans on offering extended office hours to distribute the vaccines.

In Citrus County, officials say they have produced an educational DVD with a presentation about swine flu, which will be available to the community.

They are prepared to distribute the vaccine once it arrives.

Citrus County Health Department spokesperson Judith Tear said they already have 28 groups, including pediatricians and obstetricians, signed up to distribute the vaccine once it arrives.

"Getting vaccinated is not mandatory, this is strictly voluntary," said Tear. "Your health is an individual choice."

tbo.com

Earthquake triggers tsunami warning - red alert

2009-09-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

A magnitude-8.0 earthquake roiled a swath of the South Pacific today, triggering tsunami warnings for 20 island nations and prompting Samoans to flee coastal villages for higher ground.

A 5-foot (1.5-meter) tsunami was reported at Pago Pago, American Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Homes in some villages on the southern coast of the Samoan island of Upolu were washed away, Radio New Zealand reported. Some people on that coast may have been swept to sea, Television New Zealand reported, citing its Apia-based film crew.

The quake struck shortly before 7 a.m. local time about 122 miles (196 kilometers) southwest of Apia, the capital of the independent island of Samoa, at a depth of about 22 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said warnings for tsunami activity were posted for Fiji, New Zealand, Tonga, the Cook Islands and 16 other nations.

“Our house has already been taken by the tsunami,” Theresa Falele Dussey told Radio New Zealand from hills above Apia, where people took shelter. “Some of the houses and cars next to our village have already been taken by tsunami as well.”

New Zealand civil defense officials warned local authorities in coastal areas to prepare for a tsunami. A wave may be about 1 meter high if it reaches here, Civil Defense Minister John Carter said on a television broadcast.

‘Crying and Screaming’

The tsunami was projected to reach Tonga and Fiji about 9 a.m. local time, according to the Pacific warning center. It is expected to reach the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island about 9:45 a.m. local time.

Residents of Samoa, shocked by the strength of the jolt, heeded warnings of local police and moved inland, Radio New Zealand’s Samoa correspondent, Tipi Autagavaia, said on a broadcast.

“My kids were preparing to go to school and were all crying and screaming,” he said in the broadcast. “It was a big, big shock to most people, because it is the first time they have experienced such a very strong earthquake.”

The magnitude of the quake was revised higher from an initial reading of 7.9, the USGS said. The quake was followed by two 5.6 temblors, one in the Samoa Islands region and one near the Cook Islands, the USGS said.

H1N1 Flu Jab Confussion - BOTH shots will be needed.

2009-09-29T03:03:00.000-07:00

Justin Johnson was among the first of Aurora Health Care Center's employees to roll up his sleeve for a seasonal flu shot Monday.
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The health information clerk took the opportunity at lunch time to be immunized along with his co-workers at the first seasonal flu clinic for Aurora employees. Johnson has limited contact with patients but considers it his responsibility to get a flu shot each year. He swears by them.

"They've always worked," he said.

One down and one to go. In addition to the seasonal flu shot Johnson said he plans to get the H1N1 flu shot when it becomes available statewide in mid to late October.

Health care providers would like it if all area residents who need flu shots would be a careful as Johnson. And as informed.

The problem is that area residents remain confused about which shots they need, when they can get them and how the shots protect them.

Mary Dittmar, Aurora's Shoo the Flu coordinator, stressed that this year people can become ill from two different types of flu – seasonal and H1N1 – hence the need for both vaccinations.

H1N1 gets a lot of attention, but it's important to note that seasonal flu can affect up to 20 percent of the population and is responsible for 36,000 deaths nationwide each year, according to information provided by Aurora.

Specific numbers of flu cases are not available. Some recent changes regarding the monitoring and reporting of flu cases have been put into place by the Wisconsin Department of Health.

"Individual cases are not reported, hospitalizations and deaths are," said Doug Gieryn, director of the Winnebago County health department.

Flu activity actually declined last week in northeastern Wisconsin, Gieryn said. In the past month, there were 322 probable and confirmed H1N1 cases statewide, including six hospitalizations and no deaths.

Following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control, local health care providers are stressing that people receive the seasonal flu vaccine as early as possible. A myth floating around that early immunizations will wear off and make people vulnerable to illness before the flu season ends might be causing people to delay getting their shots, said Karla Repta, director of clinic patient care services for Affinity Health System.
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Early immunizations will cover them for the entire season, Repta said.
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People seeking seasonal flu shots from Affinity can obtain them in three ways: if they already have a scheduled appointment with their health care provider they can request an immunization at the same time; they can call their doctor and make an appointment specifically for the shot; or they can attend mass immunization clinics scheduled in the area.

The first mass clinic by Affinity will be held Oct. 10. They will be held every four weeks throughout December.

The first H1N1 flu clinic could be held locally as early as next week, Gieryn said. But this one is for health care providers and emergency personnel. About 3,500 doses of the vaccine will be provided countywide for this first group.

The next group includes school children, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions. Vaccines for that group should be available by mid to late October and county and city health departments will work with local schools to hold clinics in the schools. The third batch of vaccines for the general public will be distributed at a later date. It is less crucial for the elderly to receive the H1N1 vaccine because those over 60 yeas of age already carry immunity to that strain of flu, Dittmar said.

However, the state will receive sufficient doses for all those that want them. The plan is to target the priority groups first, Gieryn said.

Health care professionals continue to stress the need for frequent hand washing, covering coughs and staying home from work and school when you are sick, Repta said.
Groups, local governments plan seasonal flu clinics

Clinics around the area are planning vaccination clinics to protect against the seasonal flu. Here is a roundup of upcoming clinics:
Oshkosh Health Division

Cost: Free. Donations accepted.

Clinics: Tuesday by appointment only at Oshkosh City Hall, 215 Church Ave., room 206. Vaccines given include FluMist and an injectible seasonal flu vaccine, as well as childhood vaccines, Td and Tdap boosters, and the HPV vaccine.
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For more: Call (920) 236-5030 to make an appointment.
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Aurora Visiting Nurse Association

Cost: $30 for flu shots; $45 for pneumonia vaccinations. Medicare Part B and Medicaid cover the costs of both.

Clinics: Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Festival Foods, 2415 Westowne Ave., Oshkosh, and Piggly Wiggly, 142 Alder Ave., Omro; Oct. 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Aurora Health Center, 414 Doctors Court; Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Andrews Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1100 E. Murdock Ave.; Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Piggly Wiggly, 525 E. Murdock Ave.; and Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bella Vista, 631 Hazel St.

For more: See www.aurora.org/flu or call (800) 548-7580.
Valley VNA Senior Services

Cost: $30 for influenza vaccine; $44 for pneumonia vaccine. Medicare Part B and most Medicare Advantage Plans will cover the cost of both vaccines. Participants are asked to bring all health insurance cards with them to the clinic.

Area clinics: Thursdays in October from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wittman Regional Airport, 535 W. 20th Ave.; and Mondays (Sept. 28 to Oct. 26) from 9 a.m. to noon and Tuesdays (Sept. 29 to Oct. 27) from 3 to 6 p.m., both at Valley VNA Senior Services, 1535 Lyon Drive, Neenah.

For more: Visit www.valleyvna.org.
Green Lake County

Cost: $30 for the seasonal flu shot, $53 for the pneumonia vaccine, unless you have Medicare Part B or belong to a Medicare HMO and present your card at the time of your appointment.

Clinics: Wednesday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Green Lake County Human Services; Oct. 5 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Princeton American Legion; and Oct. 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Berlin. Due to limited inventory of flu vaccine, the vaccination programs are scheduled so highest priority is given to adults who are most likely to experience complications from influenza. As future shipments of vaccine are delivered, more clinics will be scheduled, including free vaccine clinics for eligible children.

thenorthwestern.com

Hackers release a new attack on Windows

2009-09-29T03:00:00.001-07:00

HACKERS HAVE LOOSED a new attack code that exploits a critical flaw in Windows Vista and Windows 2008 Server.

The Vole has known about this hole in its operating systems since 7th September, but now it seems that there is at least one program that exploits it.

The new attack was penned by Harmony Security Senior Researcher Stephen Fewer and it lets the attacker run unauthorized software on the victim's computer, in theory making the vulnerability a much more serious problem.

The exploit code was added to the open sauce Metasploit penetration testing kit yesterday.

Another outfit called Immunity developed its own attack code for the bug, but that code is available only to the company's paying subscribers.

Metasploit developer HD Moore said the exploit works on Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and 2 as well as Windows 2008 SP1 server.

However Immunity Senior Researcher Kostya Kortchinsky told PC World the attack was not completely reliable. He could only get the Metasploit attack to work on Vista when it was running within a VMware virtual machine session. Outside VMware it just caused Windows systems to crash.

The underlying flaw lies in the server message block version 2 (SMB 2) system, introduced in Vista. The flaw apparently has been patched in Windows 7.

On 18 September Microsoft released a Fix-It tool that disables SMB 2, and the company said then that it was working on a fix for its software.

Rage killed Derrion Albert

2009-09-29T02:59:00.001-07:00

Rage killed Derrion Albert. It is the same rage that once led angry mobs of whites to lynch innocent blacks as law-abiding citizens watched.

The same rage once erupted into riots that drove young black men to burn and loot white-owned businesses, as residents hid in their locked homes.

Last Thursday, the rage turned a group of young black men into a mob that fatally attacked Derrion with wooden boards and railroad ties.

It happened on a major thoroughfare in the middle of the afternoon.

Derrion, an honor student, was an innocent bystander of a street fight between a group of young men who come from the CHA's Altgeld Gardens and those who live in the neighborhood near the school known as the "Ville."

"These students can't walk down the street," said Cortez Spearman, who claimed to be a graduate of Fenger.

"If they aren't from around here, they are going to get jumped on," he said.

"The police are out here, but they are not doing their job," he said.

Derrion was viciously beaten near the Agape Community Center, a facility that bears the name for Christian love, located a short distance from the school.

Early Monday afternoon, three teenagers were ordered held without bail for the fatal beating death.

Silvonus Shannon, 19, Eric Carson, 16, and Eugene Riley, 18, are accused of kicking and punching Derrion to death. And late Monday, a fourth person, Eugene Bailey, 17, was charged in connection with the beating.

Carson, a Fenger junior, spent nine months at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. Upon his release, he enrolled at Fenger, and is currently serving a two-year probation for a July 2008 robbery.

Outside of Fenger on Monday, the rage erupted into clashes between young females who took out their anger on camera crews and on each other.

Though a hulking fortress, the high school seemed no match for the scores of angry people who had gathered for a prayer vigil.

As CPS officials, politicians, local ministers, and Chicago Police officers were ushered into the school, a cadre of the slain teen's relatives pleaded to get in.

Derrion's brother, who identified himself only as "Dewante," stood on the steps with tears streaming down his face.

Derrion's grandmother, Jessie Taylor, said she is "taking it one day at a time."

"You never think this is going to happen to you," she said. "My son called me and told me to stop what I was doing -- Derrion is dead."

Behind her, angry protesters tried to storm the door each time it was opened for a new arrival.

They were angry at school officials, at the police, and at the news media whose lens captured their hostility.

"This isn't the first time a child has gotten killed around here, but this is the first time all of these people have come out," said Marquita McAlister, who said she was a parent of a Fenger student.

"My daughter was cut from one end of her face to the other and no one did anything," she said.

McAlister claimed that the mother of the young woman who cut her daughter was a security guard at the school.

"They left my daughter outside to bleed to death," she said.

"It was kids with cell phones who called an ambulance. This violence hasn't just started," she said.

Ronika Black, who lives in Roseland, was outraged over how the school was being run.

"My children have to go to this school. I don't have car fare to send them anywhere else," Black said.

"They opened this school up and said everything has changed. Nothing has changed," she said.

Despite the presence of several youth centers and a number of churches, the rage that claimed Derrion's life is like a fire that keeps flaring up.

"We have to find out why these kids are so angry," said Diane Latiker, founder of "Kids Off The Block," a nationally recognized youth outreach organization in Roseland.

"We are not doing enough. That goes from parents to community leaders to churches to schools,'' she said.

We can't stop the senseless killing until we can reach the young people who are growing up without their own hopes and dreams.

They are enraged.

They are dream killers.

BBC

Polanski's capture was always planned

2009-09-29T02:57:00.001-07:00

US prosecutors have disputed claims Roman Polanski's arrest came out of the blue, saying he had been on a Interpol "wanted list" for years.

Mr Polanski is being held in Switzerland on a US arrest warrant over his conviction, 30 years ago, for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

His agent, Jeff Berg, said the arrest made "no sense" as he had travelled extensively across Europe.

But US authorities inferred Mr Polanski has been adept at evading arrest.

"The idea that we have known where he is and we could have gotten him anytime, that just isn't the case," said Chief Inspector of the US Marshals Service Thomas Hession.

'Careful man'

He said the 76-year-old Polish director had been on "red notice" by Interpol, alerting other countries that the US was seeking extradition.

Emmanuelle Seigner
Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner has been allowed to visit him in jail

But he added that proper legal channels had to be followed which meant they had to know Mr Polanski's specific whereabouts before a country could be asked to act.

Previously, Los Angeles deputy district attorney Richard Doyle had stated in court testimony: "He knows where he can go. He knows where he can't go. He's been a careful man all these years."

But Mr Berg said: "How hard would it be to find someone shooting a major film in a European country?"

"He travels with transparency across Europe. It makes no sense."

Mr Polanski's lawyers are likely to seek bail but the precedent in Swiss law shows that the subjects of extradition requests are normally kept in detention.

He is being held in Zurich, where he has been allowed to meet with his wife, French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, as well as lawyers.

Post-production work on Mr Polanski's latest film The Ghost, starring Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor, has been halted.

Mr Berg said that while editing had been completed, there was still work to do on the music score and other post-production details.

Staying away

Meanwhile, a petition circulating in France, where the director has made his home, has drawn support from film-makers including Pedro Almodovar, Stephen Frears and The Pianist writer Ronald Harewood.

Mr Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with an underage girl following a plea bargain. He had originally been charged with six offences including rape and sodomy.

But he fled the US before he could be sentenced and has not returned to the country since.

In the past year, his legal team has had a request turned down to have a hearing on the rape charge heard outside the US.

Lawyers are trying to get the case dismissed on the grounds that the original trial was the subject of "judicial and prosecutorial misconduct".

The victim at the centre of the case, Samantha Geimer, has previously asked for the charges to be dropped. She has already sued Mr Polanski and reached an undisclosed settlement.

BBC

Swine Flu 101 - The Comprehensive Guide.

2009-09-28T15:46:00.001-07:00

People with swine flu who are cared for at home should:

check with their health care provider about any special care they might need if they are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema
check with their health care provider about whether they should take antiviral medications
stay home for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer
get plenty of rest
drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated
cover coughs and sneezes. Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often and especially after using tissues and after coughing or sneezing into hands.
avoid close contact with others – do not go to work or school while ill
be watchful for emergency warning signs (see below) that might indicate you need to seek medical attention

Medications to Help Lessen Symptoms of the Flu

Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist for correct, safe use of medications

Antiviral medications can sometimes help lessen influenza symptoms, but require a prescription. Most people do not need these antiviral drugs to fully recover from the flu. However, persons at higher risk for severe flu complications, or those with severe flu illness who require hospitalization, might benefit from antiviral medications. Antiviral medications are available for persons 1 year of age and older. Ask your healthcare provider whether you need antiviral medication.

Influenza infections can lead to or occur with bacterial infections. Therefore, some people will also need to take antibiotics. More severe or prolonged illness or illness that seems to get better, but then gets worse again may be an indication that a person has a bacterial infection. Check with your healthcare provider if you have concerns.

Warning! Do not give aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) to children or teenagers who have the flu; this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. For more information about Reye’s syndrome, visit the National Institute of Health website.

Check ingredient labels on over-the-counter cold and flu medications to see if they contain aspirin.
Teenagers with the flu can take medicines without aspirin, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) and ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, Nuprin®), to relieve symptoms.
Children younger than 4 years of age should not be given over-the-counter cold medications without first speaking with a healthcare provider.
The safest care for flu symptoms in children younger than 2 years of age is using a cool-mist humidifier and a suction bulb to help clear away mucus.
Fevers and aches can be treated with acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, Nuprin®) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Examples of these kinds of medications include:

Generic Name	Brand Name(s)
Acetaminophen	Tylenol®
Ibuprofen	Advil®, Motrin®, Nuprin®
Naproxen	Aleve

Over-the-counter cold and flu medications used according to the package instructions may help lessen some symptoms such as cough and congestion. Importantly, these medications will not lessen how infectious a person is.
Check the ingredients on the package label to see if the medication already contains acetaminophen or ibuprofen before taking additional doses of these medications—don’t double dose! Patients with kidney disease or stomach problems should check with their health care provider before taking any NSAIDS.

Check with your health care provider or pharmacist if you are taking other over-the-counter or prescription medications not related to the flu.For more information on products for treating flu symptoms, see the FDA website.

When to Seek Emergency Medical Care

Get medical care right away if the sick person at home:

has difficulty breathing or chest pain
has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
has signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when they cry
has seizures (for example, uncontrolled convulsions)
is less responsive than normal or becomes confused

Steps to Lessen the Spread of Flu in the Home

When providing care to a household member who is sick with influenza, the most important ways to protect yourself and others who are not sick are to:

keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible (see “placement of the sick person”)
remind the sick person to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.
have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub
ask your healthcare provider if household contacts of the sick person—particularly those contacts who may have chronic health conditions—should take antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) to prevent the flu.

Placement of the sick person

Keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the house. (For example, a spare bedroom with its own bathroom, if that’s possible.) Keep the sickroom door closed.
Unless necessary for medical care, persons with the flu should not leave the home when they have a fever or during the time that they are most likely to spread their infection to others (at the current time, CDC believes that this virus has the same properties in terms of spread as seasonal flu viruses. With seasonal flu, studies have shown that people may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms to up to 7 days after they get sick. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods).
If persons with the flu need to leave the home (for example, for medical care), they should cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and wear a loose-fitting (surgical) mask if available.
Have the sick person wear a surgical mask if they need to be in a common area of the house near other persons.
If possible, sick persons should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned daily with household disinfectant (see below).

Protect other persons in the home

The sick person should not have visitors other than caregivers. A phone call is safer than a visit.
If possible, have only one adult in the home take care of the sick person.
Avoid having pregnant women care for the sick person. (Pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications and immunity can be suppressed during pregnancy).
All persons in the household should clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub frequently, including after every contact with the sick person or the person’s room or bathroom.
Use paper towels for drying hands after hand washing or dedicate cloth towels to each person in the household. For example, have different colored towels for each person.
If possible, consideration should be given to maintaining good ventilation in shared household areas (e.g., keeping windows open in restrooms, kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
Antivirals can be used to prevent the flu, so check with your healthcare provider to see if some persons in the home should use antiviral medications.

If you are the caregiver

Avoid being face-to-face with the sick person.
When holding small children who are sick, place their chin on your shoulder so that they will not cough in your face.
Clean your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub after you touch the sick person or handle used tissues, or laundry.
Talk to your health care provider about taking antiviral medication to prevent the caregiver from getting the flu.
Monitor yourself and household members for flu symptoms and contact a telephone hotline or health care provider if symptoms occur.

Using Facemasks or Respirators

Avoid close contact (less than about 6 feet away) with the sick person as much as possible.
If you must have close contact with the sick person (for example, hold a sick infant), spend the least amount of time possible in close contact and try to wear a facemask (for example, surgical mask) or N95 disposable respirator.
An N95 respirator that fits snugly on your face can filter out small particles that can be inhaled around the edges of a facemask, but compared with a facemask it is harder to breathe through an N95 mask for long periods of time. More information on facemasks and respirators can be found at H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) website.
Facemasks and respirators may be purchased at a pharmacy, building supply or hardware store.
Wear an N95 respirator if you help a sick person with respiratory treatments using a nebulizer or inhaler, as directed by their doctor. Respiratory treatments should be performed in a separate room away from common areas of the house when at all possible.
Used facemasks and N95 respirators should be taken off and placed immediately in the regular trash so they don’t touch anything else.
Avoid re-using disposable facemasks and N95 respirators if possible. If a reusable fabric facemask is used, it should be laundered with normal laundry detergent and tumble-dried in a hot dryer.
After you take off a facemask or N95 respirator, clean your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Household Cleaning, Laundry, and Waste Disposal

Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by the sick person in the trash. Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.
Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
Linens, eating utensils, and dishes belonging to those who are sick do not need to be cleaned separately, but importantly these items should not be shared without washing thoroughly first.
Wash linens (such as bed sheets and towels) by using household laundry soap and tumble dry on a hot setting. Avoid “hugging” laundry prior to washing it to prevent contaminating yourself. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub right after handling dirty laundry.
Eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap.

Cashing in on swine flu - Johnson & Johnson taking an 18 % stake in Crucell NV

2009-09-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Health care giant Johnson & Johnson is jumping into the increasingly hot vaccine business by taking an 18 percent stake in Dutch biotechnology company Crucell NV as J&J boosts its focus on preventive medicine and infectious diseases.

Under the deal the companies announced Monday, Johnson & Johnson is spending $440 million (301.8 million euros) for new shares of Crucell in a deal focused initially on developing a universal vaccine or treatment against influenza from Crucell's genetically engineered antibody technology.

A universal flu vaccine — one that would work against all or most strains rather than having to be reformulated every flu season — has been an elusive goal some other pharmaceutical companies have abandoned. Amid the swine flu pandemic, it has suddenly become a bit of a Holy Grail.

Longer-term, Crucell and Johnson & Johnson will work on developing vaccines and possibly treatments based on antibodies against three additional disease targets, primarily in the area of infectious diseases. J&J already has numerous medicines or drugs in testing for bacterial and viral infections including tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis C.

"This vaccine deal perfectly fits into infectious diseases ... and it makes the picture complete," J&J spokesman Frederik Wittock told The Associated Press, adding, "There are three potential compounds that are not disclosed in this deal."

All are what's called "monoclonal antibodies" — genetically engineered antibodies cloned over and over that are designed to hunt down a target in the body and either deliver a medicine to the target or alert the body's own immune system to attack it. The companies aren't saying what diseases the compounds would target.

The initial work would focus on a vaccine that could block both seasonal flu and the current swine flu pandemic strain, as well as bird flu.

"This is absolutely the right thing to do" for J&J, analyst Steve Brozak of WBB Securities said of the deal. "This is a sign of things to come."

He said Johnson & Johnson is likely to enter similar partnerships and make smaller acquisitions instead of megadeals, such as the pending acquisitions of Wyeth by Pfizer Inc. and Schering-Plough Corp. by Merck & Co.

Also Monday, Merck announced a deal to market and distribute Australian vaccine maker CSL Ltd.'s seasonal flu vaccine Afluria.

"Both J&J and Merck are making bets on the next generation of vaccines and their importance to the global health system," Brozak said.

In August, Leiden, Netherlands-based Crucell was awarded grants worth up to $69 million by the U.S. government to develop its range of monoclonal antibodies for influenza, which Crucell says have shown early promise in fighting "a wide range" of seasonal and pandemic flu viruses. The company claims the antibodies can even fight flu strains resistant to Tamiflu — the medicine currently most often used to slow their progression.

Crucell CEO Ronald Brus said his company was overwhelmed with interest after it published results in Science magazine showing the treatment's potential, but Johnson & Johnson offered a deal that preserved a fair share of future profits for Crucell.

In addition, he said Crucell didn't want to partner with any of the top five players in the vaccine market because they make large amounts of money from selling annual flu vaccines and so would have conflicting interests.

"You want to partner with the one that wants to enter the market, not the ones that want to defend their market," he said.

New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, with about $64 billion in annual sales, is the world's biggest and most broadly based health care company, with products ranging from Band-Aids and baby shampoo to contact lenses and contraceptives.

While J&J is one of the top biotech companies, with its Centocor division, it's new to the vaccine game. But this summer, it made a similar move by taking a stake, also 18 percent, in Irish biotech company Elan Corp. in a collaboration to develop both treatments for and a vaccine against Alzheimer's disease — another key target of the pharmaceutical industry. J&J will invest up to nearly $1.4 billion.

Under the deal, Crucell will retain the right to market products the companies develop jointly in Europe, while Johnson & Johnson will market them in the rest of the world.

Crucell will receive additional royalties and payments from Johnson & Johnson "worth hundreds of millions," Brus said, if the flu cure is marketed.

In New York trading, U.S. shares of Crucell fell $1.39, or 5.9 percent, to $22.31, while J&J shares rose 76 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $61.38.

Johnson & Johnson said the purchase would reduce its per-share earnings by 2 cents to 4 cents in 2009.

The agreement with Johnson & Johnson specifies that the U.S. company won't buy any more of Crucell's shares for three years without Crucell's consent.

By Toby Johnson

Swine Flu Vaccine - watching for side effects

2009-09-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

More than 3,000 people a day have a heart attack. If you're one of them the day after your swine flu shot, will you worry the vaccine was to blame and not the more likely culprit, all those burgers and fries?

The government is starting an unprecedented system to track possible side effects as mass flu vaccinations begin next month. The idea is to detect any rare but real problems quickly, and explain the inevitable coincidences that are sure to cause some false alarms.

"Every day, bad things happen to people. When you vaccinate a lot of people in a short period of time, some of those things are going to happen to some people by chance alone," said Dr. Daniel Salmon, a vaccine safety specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Health authorities hope to vaccinate well over half the population in just a few months against swine flu, which doctors call the 2009 H1N1 strain. That would be a feat. No more than 100 million Americans usually get vaccinated against regular winter flu, and never in such a short period.

How many will race for the vaccine depends partly on confidence in its safety. The last mass inoculations against a different swine flu, in 1976, were marred by reports of a rare paralyzing condition, Guillain-Barre syndrome.

"The recurring question is, 'How do we know it's safe?'" said Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic.

Enter the intense new monitoring. On top of routine vaccine tracking, there are these government-sponsored projects:

— Harvard Medical School scientists are linking large insurance databases that cover up to 50 million people with vaccination registries around the country for real-time checks of whether people see a doctor in the weeks after a flu shot and why. The huge numbers make it possible to quickly compare rates of complaints among the vaccinated and unvaccinated, said the project leader, Dr. Richard Platt, Harvard's population medicine chief.

— Johns Hopkins University will direct e-mails to at least 100,000 vaccine recipients to track how they're feeling, including the smaller complaints that wouldn't prompt a doctor visit. If anything seems connected, researchers can call to follow up with detailed questions.

— The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing take-home cards that tell vaccine recipients how to report any suspected side effects to the nation's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system.

"We don't have any reason to expect any unusual problems with this vaccine," said Dr. Neal Halsey, director of Hopkins' Institute for Vaccine Safety, who is directing the e-mail surveillance.

After all, the new H1N1 vaccine is a mere recipe change from the regular winter flu shot that's been used for decades in hundreds of millions of people without serious problems. Nor have there been any red flags in the few thousand people given test doses in studies to determine the right H1N1 dose. They've gotten the same sore arms and occasional headache or fever that's par for a winter flu shot.

But because this H1N1 flu targets the young more than the old, this may be the year that unprecedented numbers of children and pregnant women are vaccinated.

Then there's the glare of the Internet — where someone merely declaring on Facebook that he's sure the shot did harm could cause a wave of similar reports. Health authorities will have to tell quickly if there really do seem to be more cases of a particular health problem than usual.

So the CDC is racing to compile a list of what's normal: 25,000 heart attacks every week; 14,000 to 19,000 miscarriages every week; 300 severe allergic reactions called anaphylaxis every week.

Any spike would mean fast checking to see if the vaccine really seems to increase risk and by how much, so health officials could issue appropriate warnings.

Very rare side effects by definition could come to light only after large-scale inoculations begin�making this the year scientists may finally learn if flu vaccine truly is linked to Guillain-Barre, an often reversible but sometimes fatal paralysis. It's believed to strike between 1 and 2 of every 100,000 people. It often occurs right after another infection, such as food poisoning or even influenza.

But the vaccine concern stems from 1976, when 500 cases were reported among the 45 million people vaccinated against that year's swine flu. Scientists never could prove if the vaccine really caused the extra risk. The CDC maintains that if the regular winter flu vaccine is related, the risk is no more than a single case per million vaccinated.

So the question becomes, Is the risk of disease greater than that?

Mayo's Poland cites a study in Chicago that found the rate of preschoolers being hospitalized for the new H1N1 flu last spring was 2 1/2 times higher than that possible Guillain-Barre risk.

However the flu season turns out, the extra vaccine tracking promises a lasting impact.

"Part of what we hope is that it will teach us something about how to monitor the safety of all medical products quickly," said Harvard's Platt.

Time.com

John Gotti's children reveal family secrets for the first time

2009-09-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

CBSnews reports that for the first time ever, the children of mafia man John Gotti reveal secrets of what they knew about him in an exclusive interview with “48 Hours Mystery” correspondent, Troy Roberts.

They report that Victoria said she loved him but could not stand the life he lived. She stated, I loved the man, but I loathed the life, his lifestyle.Prosecutors say my father was the biggest crime boss in the nation.If you really want to know what John Gotti was like, you need to talk to my family. We lived this life.

She also said that she realized early in life that her family was different from others. She stated, “I think I realized early on that my family wasn’t like other families.Growing up, my parents tried to hide a lot of things from me,from all of us.I think you grow up scared, anxious all the time.”

Peter Gotti also chimed in and said that he used to get excited by just knowing that his father was still alive. He stated, “I used to get up as a young boy and I used to get excited when I would go and see that my father was alive. When I would hear him snore, I’d know he made it home.”

ontheflix.com

Children of the Corn 2009

2009-09-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

One of the motivations for writer/director/producer Donald P. Borchers to do the CHILDREN OF THE CORN remake that just aired on Syfy was to create an adaptation more faithful to Stephen King’s chilling short story than the one he produced back in 1984. But the movie’s DVD (coming October 6 from Anchor Bay) reveals another reason: This film is a Statement as well.

In an on-camera interview, Borchers proclaims that he wanted this interpretation of King’s tale of a youthful rural cult to be a parable about religious extremism and the current crisis in the Middle East. This is no doubt why the new CHILDREN (following a 1963-set prologue) takes place in 1975, so that protagonist Burt (David Anders) can be a Vietnam veteran, a key source of the tension between him and wife Vicky (Kandyse McClure) during their drive through the Nebraska farmlands. (The fact that they’re interracially married, which might be expected to have also caused some problems in middle America in those days, is never addressed.) There’s lots of forced, on-the-nose dialogue regarding Burt’s Nam experiences, and when he’s later being pursued by the killer kids through the cornfields, Borchers actually throws a bunch of Viet Cong, machine-gun fire and tracer bullets into the sequence.

CHILDRENCORN09DVDREVYou can probably surmise at this point that the 2009 CHILDREN is not an improvement on the 1984 version, which certainly left room for it: That film featured two of the dumbest protagonists in horror history, wasted veteran actor R.G. Armstrong as a cliché-spouting (“It’s just the wind!”) rube and, sorry, but John Franklin’s squeaky-voiced turn as corn cult leader Isaac always struck me as more goofy than scary. The redux stays truer to King by making its central couple a dysfunctional one, but Vicky’s constant haranguing of Burt gets really old really fast, which doesn’t exactly help maintain sympathy for her. Nor does the fact that she seems incapable of seeing the young stalkers even when they’re strolling or running one at a time past their car. At least the original Burt’s dialogue howler, after he runs down a young boy who proves to have had his throat slashed, of “He was already dead when he stumbled out into the road” has been improved to “He was as good as dead when I hit him”—but CHILDREN ’09 tops it when Burt later asks the little cultists, “Why don’t you put that in your God and smoke it?”

Like the ’84 feature, this one defuses the tension and mystery of King’s story by revealing the kids’ evil right up front, though Borchers doesn’t bother to actually show us their massacre of the adults in his opening scene, just the stabbing of a pig. His Children of the Corn are cast more age-appropriately than their big-screen predecessors, but the new Isaac (Preston Bailey, who plays Cody on DEXTER) comes off as more petulant than possessed of an unholy spirit, wearing an oversized hat that, when he’s photographed from behind, makes him look a bit like SPACEBALLS’ Dark Helmet. While Borchers retains King’s ending this time around, the climactic action is intercut with a ridiculously gratuitous sex scene between two of the older teenaged Children—it’s the “time of fertilization,” you see—and when He Who Walks Behind the Rows finally makes His presence known, we’re never even given a look at Him.

The “uncut and uncensored” version contained on the DVD doesn’t add much gore to the one shown on Syfy—the extra explicitness is more evident in that bout of fornication—and it looks and sounds sharp enough in the widescreen transfer. The movie is accompanied by the 45-minute “Rough Cuts: Remaking CHILDREN OF THE CORN,” divided into four parts. “New Directions” is where Borchers announces his intentions to make this film a political allegory, and to improve on the “Hollywoodized” original (whose writer and director he gallantly fails to name, acting as if he was its sole creative force) that King disapproved of. One has to wonder what the Maine man will think of this interpretation, on which he shares a writing credit with Borchers—who admits that King declined to read his new script, a revision of the author’s initial ’84 draft.

“Cast of the Corn” sees Anders discussing details of Burt’s backstory and McClure addressing elements of the social climate of the ’70s, which sound interesting, and it’s a shame they’re not more evident in the movie itself. In “To Live and Die in Gatlin,” production designer Andrew Hussey and Alan Tuskes, on-set supervisor for Robert Kurtzman’s makeup FX company, share interesting details about the challenges of shooting in real cornfields and creating appliances for then-uncast young characters, respectively. “Fly on the Wall” is a collection of on-set footage from a few key moments—though the best behind-the-scenes bit appears in “To Live and Die,” when the juvenile actors are seen returning their weapons to a prop box at the end of the day’s shooting. To bad that, on screen, these kiddie killers have nothing on the terror tots of THE CHILDREN or ORPHAN’s Esther (played by Isabelle Fuhrman, who’s on hand here too, but only as an “Additional Voice”; bet the filmmakers are kicking themselves over that one now)—both of which also DVDebut next month and either of which is a better bet than this CORN ball.

fangoria.com

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney's Husbands Death Tragedy

2009-09-27T01:41:00.001-07:00

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney was overwhelmed by grief Saturday after learning her husband had died suddenly during a mountain-climbing expedition in China.

"She's still numb but she's heartbroken," said George Arzt, a longtime family friend who said President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton had both called to express their condolences.

"They were unbelievably intertwined," Arzt said of the Maloneys. "He was always at her side."

Clifton Harlan Wells Maloney, 71, a millionaire investment banker, was an avid mountaineer who ran the New York City Marathon 20 times.

He reached the 27,000-foot summit of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest peak in the world, on Thursday, then came down to a base camp at 23,000 feet where he died in his sleep on Friday, Arzt said.

Maloney, speaking through tears, said she was talking with her daughters and unable to discuss what happened.

"We're trying to get him off the mountain," Maloney told the Daily News. "It's just so terrible."

Maloney was with his longtime climbing partner and guide Martin Schmidt when he passed away. Schmidt sent word through the family that Maloney's last words before going to sleep were, "I'm the happiest man in the world. I've just summited a beautiful mountain."

Cho Oyu, which means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan, is on the border of China and Tibet. Maloney was in China at the time of his death, Arzt said.

In a posting on his blog about two weeks ago, Schmidt said the pair of mountaineers were making steady progress toward Cho Oyu's summit.

"The best words we have to say from Tibet is that we are happy, acclimatizing very well - Clif [sic] not having any headaches, body aches, tooth aches or brain aches and that we are on schedule with our plans," he wrote.

Arzt said removing Maloney's body from the mountain will be complicated because China doesn't allow helicopters into its air space.

He said Clinton planned to intervene, but the State Department was unable to immediately confirm that last night.

Carolyn Maloney, 63, who represents the upper East Side, recently abandoned plans to challenge U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for the seat formerly held by Clinton.

Her husband was her closest political ally and served as treasurer for all her campaigns, said Trudy Mason, a Democratic state committeewoman and longtime family friend.

"What Carolyn said to me this morning was, 'He was my rock,'" Mason said. "Of all my friends, they are among the happiest and most long-term couples that I know. They were truly a partnership in everything they did."

Maloney had planned to host an event last night to thank supporters of her Senate effort, and several of them arrived at her apartment who had not heard the news.

"This is really a shock," said Liz Abzug, 57, daughter of late U.S. Rep. Bella Abzug. "He was in very good shape. I'm sure she'll get through it, but this is devastating."

The couple, who married in 1976, have two daughters, Christina, 28, a lawyer, and Virginia, 21, a student at Princeton.

Clifton Maloney graduated from Princeton and Harvard Business School and served in the Pacific as a Navy lieutenant on destroyers from 1960 to 1963.

He worked many years at Goldman Sachs then founded his own investment company, C.H.W. Maloney & Co.

Nydailynews.com

New Starbucks Coffee In a Paper Tube!

2009-09-27T01:39:00.001-07:00

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew instant coffee is being launched through an online campaign at Starbucks website. A short video describes how "other" instant coffee is made and then how Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is made. Text fills in Starbucks version of granular coffee.

Appealing to on-the-go consumers, the Starbucks instant coffee comes in a paper tube that is designed to be used anywhere hot water is available.

The website includes an image gallery of satisfied Starbucks VIA users. Comments include questions and users' thoughts on this new product. Several recipes using Starbucks VIA Ready Brew are available to entice users to give it a try.

Examiner.com