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W.H.O Warns of Severe Form of H1N1 Virus

spy1

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,544262,00.html?test=latestnews

"W.H.O Warns of Severe Form of H1N1 Virus

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Doctors are reporting a severe form of H1N1 that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalized with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need intensive care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic.

"During the winter season in the southern hemisphere, several countries have viewed the need for intensive care as the greatest burden on health services," it said.

"Preparedness measures need to anticipate this increased demand on intensive care units, which could be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in the number of severe cases."

Earlier, WHO reported that H1N1 had reached epidemic levels in Japan, signaling an early start to what may be a long influenza season this year, and that it was also worsening in tropical regions.

"Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections," WHO said.

"In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays."

MINORITIES AT RISK

Minority groups and indigenous populations may also have a higher risk of being severely ill with H1N1.

"In some studies, the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population," WHO said.

"Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension."

WHO said it was advising countries in the Northern Hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. "Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases," it said.

Every year, seasonal flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of a given population and kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally. Because hardly anyone has immunity to the new H1N1 virus, experts believe it will infect far more people than usual, as much as a third of the population.

It also disproportionately affects younger people, unlike seasonal flu which mainly burdens the elderly, and thus may cause more severe illness and deaths among young adults and children than seasonal flu does.

"Data continue to show that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness. These include respiratory disease, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunosuppression," WHO said.

"When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people."

WHO estimates that more than 230 million people globally have asthma, and more than 220 million have diabetes. Obesity may also worsen the risk of severe infection, WHO said.

The good news — people infected with AIDS virus do not seem to be at special risk from H1N1, WHO said."

==================

Hype (to get people to take the shot)? Truth? WHO knows.
 

Doug Huffman

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A more balanced report but for the better informed.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:6211483568789044::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,78995

Code:
INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (37): SECOND WAVE PLAN, WHO
**********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<[url=http://www.promedmail.org/]http://www.promedmail.org[/url]>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<[url=http://www.isid.org/]http://www.isid.org[/url]>

Date: Fri 28 Aug 2009
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
Global Alert and Response (GAR)
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Briefing note 9. [edited]
<[url=http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/
h1n1_second_wave_20090828/en/index.html]http://www.who.int/csr/disease/
swineflu/notes/h1n1_second_wave_20090828/en/index.html[/url]>


Preparing for the 2nd wave: lessons from current outbreaks Pandemic (H1N1) 
2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Monitoring of outbreaks from different parts of the world provides 
sufficient information to make some tentative conclusions about how the 
influenza pandemic might evolve in the coming months. WHO is advising 
countries in the northern hemisphere to prepare for a 2nd wave of pandemic 
spread. Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived 
later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of 
cases. Countries in temperate parts of the southern hemisphere should 
remain vigilant. As experience has shown, localized "hot spots" of 
increasing transmission can continue to occur even when the pandemic has 
peaked at the national level.

H1N1 now the dominant virus strain
----------------------------------
Evidence from multiple outbreak sites demonstrates that the H1N1 pandemic 
2009 virus has rapidly established itself and is now the dominant influenza 
strain in most parts of the world. The pandemic will persist in the coming 
months as the virus continues to move through susceptible populations. 
Close monitoring of viruses by a WHO network of laboratories shows that 
viruses from all outbreaks remain virtually identical. Studies have 
detected no signs that the virus has mutated to a more virulent or lethal form.

Likewise, the clinical picture of pandemic influenza is largely consistent 
across all countries. The overwhelming majority of patients continue to 
experience mild illness. Although the virus can cause very severe and fatal 
illness, also in young and healthy people, the number of such cases remains 
small.

Large populations susceptible to infection
------------------------------------------
While these trends are encouraging, large numbers of people in all 
countries remain susceptible to infection. Even if the current pattern of 
usually mild illness continues, the impact of the pandemic during the 2nd 
wave could worsen as larger numbers of people become infected. Larger 
numbers of severely ill patients requiring intensive care are likely to be 
the most urgent burden on health services, creating pressures that could 
overwhelm intensive care units and possibly disrupt the provision of care 
for other diseases.

Monitoring for drug resistance
------------------------------
At present, only a handful of pandemic viruses resistant to oseltamivir 
have been detected worldwide, despite the administration of many millions 
of treatment courses of antiviral drugs. All of these cases have been 
extensively investigated, and no instances of onward transmission of 
drug-resistant virus have been documented to date. Intense monitoring 
continues, also through the WHO network of laboratories.

Not the same as seasonal influenza
----------------------------------
Current evidence points to some important differences between patterns of 
illness reported during the pandemic and those seen during seasonal 
epidemics of influenza. The age groups affected by the pandemic are 
generally younger. This is true for those most frequently infected, and 
especially so for those experiencing severe or fatal illness. To date, most 
severe cases and deaths have occurred in adults under the age of 50 years, 
with deaths in the elderly comparatively rare. This age distribution is in 
stark contrast with seasonal influenza, where around 90 percent of severe 
and fatal cases occur in people 65 years of age or older.

Severe respiratory failure
--------------------------
Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting 
a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, 
which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections. In these 
patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory 
failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding 
care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays.

During the winter season in the southern hemisphere, several countries have 
viewed the need for intensive care as the greatest burden on health 
services. Some cities in these countries report that nearly 15 per cent of 
hospitalized cases have required intensive care. Preparedness measures need 
to anticipate this increased demand on intensive care units, which could be 
overwhelmed by a sudden surge in the number of severe cases.

Vulnerable groups
-----------------
An increased risk during pregnancy is now consistently well-documented 
across countries. This risk takes on added significance for a virus, like 
this one, that preferentially infects younger people. Data continue to show 
that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal 
illness. These include respiratory disease, notably asthma, cardiovascular 
disease, diabetes and immunosuppression. When anticipating the impact of 
the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be 
aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more 
widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people.

Obesity, which is frequently present in severe and fatal cases, is now a 
global epidemic. WHO estimates that, worldwide, more than 230 million 
people suffer from asthma, and more than 220 million people have diabetes. 
Moreover, conditions such as asthma and diabetes are not usually considered 
killer diseases, especially in children and young adults. Young deaths from 
such conditions, precipitated by infection with the H1N1 virus, can be 
another dimension of the pandemic's impact.

Higher risk of hospitalization and death
----------------------------------------
Several early studies show a higher risk of hospitalization and death among 
certain subgroups, including minority groups and indigenous populations. In 
some studies, the risk in these groups is 4 to 5 times higher than in the 
general population. Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible 
explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health 
status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes 
and hypertension.

Implications for the developing world
-------------------------------------
Such findings are likely to have growing relevance as the pandemic gains 
ground in the developing world, where many millions of people live under 
deprived conditions and have multiple health problems, with little access 
to basic health care. As much current data about the pandemic come from 
wealthy and middle-income countries, the situation in developing countries 
will need to be very closely watched. The same virus that causes manageable 
disruption in affluent countries could have a devastating impact in many 
parts of the developing world.

Co-infection with HIV
---------------------
The 2009 influenza (H1N1) pandemic is the 1st to occur since the emergence 
of HIV/AIDS. Early data from 2 countries suggest that people co-infected 
with H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza virus and HIV are not at increased risk 
of severe or fatal illness, provided these patients are receiving 
antiretroviral therapy. In most of these patients, illness caused by H1N1 
has been mild, with full recovery. If these preliminary findings are 
confirmed, this will be reassuring news for countries where infection with 
HIV is prevalent and treatment coverage with antiretroviral drugs is good. 
On current estimates, around 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS 
worldwide. Of these, WHO estimates that around 4 million were receiving 
antiretroviral therapy at the end of 2008.

-- 
communicated by
ProMED-mail rapporteur Mary Marshall




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AWDstylez

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spy1 wrote:
Hype (to get people to take the shot)? Truth? WHO knows.

Why the hell would they be hyping for a shot? Do you think it's a mind control shot that's going to make you hand over your guns? zomg evil Obama is gonna make us all gunless Muslims!!! :quirky



It's TRUTH. Young, healthy people are dying locally to meof swine flu. This isn't a joke and it's not another partisan/bull@#$% conspiracyissue.
 

PrayingForWar

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AWDstylez wrote:
spy1 wrote:
Hype (to get people to take the shot)? Truth? WHO knows.

Why the hell would be hyping for a shot? Do you think it's a mind control shot that's going to make you hand over your guns? zomg evil Obama is gonna make us all gunless Muslims!!! :quirky



It's TRUTH. Young, healthy people are dying locally to meof swine flu. This isn't a joke and it's not another partisan/bull@#$% conspiracyissue.

HOLY $H!T!!!

I agree with stylez?!?! It's about time he got one right.:celebrate
 

wrightme

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I notice a difference in the article from Reuters, and the ProMED post.

The Reuters uses a mix of direct quote from the article, followed by their supposition, that appears designed to increase the chance that the reader will believe that the WHO is spreading disinformation to "scare" citizens into getting shots.

When you read the WHO message, it does appear to me that it is most likely to be reporting the actual findings. It didn't present any case for "making everyone get a shot."

Now, in reality, if it was not this influenza, but a new strain of measles for instance, don't you think that the WHO would report similar risk group findings, and point out where hospitals may find it challenging to treat all patients? Do you also understand that the WHO would be likely to present a case for vaccination of all persons in the risk groups?

In other words, just where is this dastardly conspiracy? :?
 

wrightme

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spy1 wrote:
W.H.O Warns of Severe Form of H1N1 Virus

Doctors are reporting a severe form of H1N1 that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said Friday.

"Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections," WHO said.

"In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays."
It appears the "hype" is from Fox/Reuters.
The article specifies a "Severe Form of H1N1 Virus." The WHO makes no mention of a "severe form of the virus." The WHO speaks about a "severe form of disease." Those are two different items. The headline is not backed up by the WHO memo.
 

wrightme

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AWDstylez wrote:
spy1 wrote:
Hype (to get people to take the shot)? Truth? WHO knows.
It's TRUTH. Young, healthy people are dying locally to meof swine flu. This isn't a joke and it's not another partisan/bull@#$% conspiracyissue.
In the search for truth, the CDC indicates a mortality rate that is not high.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/nsb081009_h1n1.html
As we brace for the flu season, concerns are rising about the full impact of Novel H1N1 Influenza Virus (H1N1) also known as "Swine Flu." As of July 31, 2009, there were 162,380 documented cases of human infection with H1N1 throughout the world, including the United States. As of August 6, 2009, there were 6,506 hospitalized cases and 436 deaths in the U.S. From the time of its emergence earlier this year, H1N1 has prompted a concerted response from health agencies here and abroad for the following reasons
That looks to be a mortality rate in the US of 0.27%



Finding the actual seasonal influenza mortality rate is difficult, but at http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/ops/hsc-scen-3_flu-pandemic-deaths.htm
The 1918-19 pandemic affected mainly healthy young adults and seemed to spare those at the extremes of life. In the USA, the mortality rate during the 1918 pandemic pandemic was around 2.5%. Similarly, in 1957, the brunt fell on schoolchildren and young adults.
This one looks to be much less of a concern.

Contrast this with information on the avian flu, H5N1:
By 2005 the observed human avian flu case fatality rate declined to 34% (16/47) in northern Viet Nam, but was 83.3% (20/24) in southern Viet Nam. The case fatality rate in Thailand was 71% (12/17) and 100% in Cambodia (4/4) in 2004. The case fatality rate was 89% among those younger than 15 years of age in Thailand. Death occurred an average of 9 or 10 days after the onset of illness (range, 6 to 30) and most patients have died of progressive respiratory failure.
 

wrightme

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rodbender wrote:
<sarcasm>

Dang, We need Obamacare NOW!!!! Can congress come back early and vote the same day? We should be in crisis mode!!!!

</sarcasm>
You forgot the appropriate 'tags.'

I fixed it for you
 

Grapeshot

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I read all of this while OCing - so guess that makes it related. :?

Yata hey
 

wrightme

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Grapeshot wrote:
I read all of this while OCing - so guess that makes it related. :?

Yata hey
That's right. This is not relevant to OCDO. But, when we are laid up from the poison in the vaccination, they will take our guns.

There, NOW it is on-topic. ;)
 

Citizen

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PrayingForWar wrote:
AWDstylez wrote:
spy1 wrote:
Hype (to get people to take the shot)? Truth? WHO knows.

Why the hell would be hyping for a shot? Do you think it's a mind control shot that's going to make you hand over your guns? zomg evil Obama is gonna make us all gunless Muslims!!! :quirky



It's TRUTH. Young, healthy people are dying locally to meof swine flu. This isn't a joke and it's not another partisan/bull@#$% conspiracyissue.

HOLY $H!T!!!

I agree with stylez?!?! It's about time he got one right.
I've only read two reports on it, but the big flu scare in the 70's prompted big pushes for vaccinations. Per both reports, more people died from the vaccine in the US than died from the flu.

A careful, thoughtful, measured approach is in order.
 

N00blet45

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It is the flu. Maintaining high levels of sanitation are more effective than a vaccine.

I think the concern is that the vaccine is possibly more damaging than the infection it seeks to prevent. I read that the vaccine contains mercury and is linked to a rare neurological disorder. Look up thimerosal. It's a chemical used to sterilize the vaccine to prevent staph infections. The problem is that the chemical contains mercury and while not shown to be harmful (there has been very little testing) to adults it is believed that children do not have the ability to eliminate mercury from their bodies.

It's not about some conspiracy. It's about getting facts on what's in the shot before you rush out to get yourself or your kids injected.

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228#tox

http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/ABOUT/QA/thimerosal.htm
 

Statesman

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The "severe" form is H1N1 is caused when you take the vaccine. The vaccine impedes your immune system, allowing secondary bacterial infections to take place that you could otherwise fight off.

Beef up your immune system with the well researched vitamin D, and defend yourself against the flu.

Or, you could listen to the WHO.
 

wrightme

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Statesman wrote:
The "severe" form is H1N1 is caused when you take the vaccine. The vaccine impedes your immune system, allowing secondary bacterial infections to take place that you could otherwise fight off.
Where have you seen that? What vaccine is causing this? The vaccine is not in use yet, so how can this "severe form" be caused by any vaccine?

Statesman wrote:
Beef up your immune system with the well researched vitamin D, and defend yourself against the flu.
Excellent advice. Keep healthy by eating a good balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, and adequate sleep.
 

SpringerXDacp

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Statesman wrote:
The "severe" form is H1N1 is caused when you take the vaccine. The vaccine impedes your immune system, allowing secondary bacterial infections to take place that you could otherwise fight off.

Beef up your immune system with the well researched vitamin D, and defend yourself against the flu.

Or, you could listen to the WHO.

OK, I'll do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zydAs5bRW1U :)
 
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