http://www.prisonplanet.com/governments-swine-flu-czar-to-become-abc-medical-reporter.html
Bioterrorism and infectious disease mouthpiece shifts from government to TV
Steve Watson, Infowars.net, Friday, July 31, 2009
The government’s swine flu “czar” has been hired by ABC News as a senior medical reporter, in the latest example of a prominent government mouthpiece shifting to become a prominent media mouthpiece.
ABC News has hired Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC director who led the government’s communications efforts during the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak, reports The Washington Post http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/07/cdcs_besser_joining_abc_news.html?wprss=federal-eye.
Besser currently heads the CDC’s Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, where he is responsible for the CDC’s public health emergency and emergency response activities.
However, he will step down from that role and join ABC in September as senior health and medical editor.
Time magazine http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1895560,00.html has previously dubbed Besser “the CDC’s calm-voiced, telegenic acting director,” highlighting how adept he is at engaging the public on the government’s health agenda.
“A bioterrorism and infectious disease expert, Besser has been all over TV screens recently, explaining in soothing, cogent tones what’s going on. He may be the authority figure the nation needs right now.” Time’s Bevan Schneck fawned in May.
According to his CDC biography http://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/leaders/besser.htm, Besser received the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, for “leadership” during the H1N1 response.
Essentially, Besser is the government’s leading propagandist when it comes to the so called swine flu pandemic.
His move to ABC further embellishes the already overtly cosy relationship the Obama administration is enjoying with ABC, where its health care plan is concerned.
Last month ABC completely turned its news coverage over to the government http://www.prisonplanet.com/state-run-news-abc-turns-programming-over-to-government.html, excluding any dissenting opinions, in order to promote President Obama’s health care agenda.
Besser will be working directly under ABC News’ current medical editor Dr. Timothy Johnson, a longtime advocate for the so called “ObamaCare” plan http://www.prisonplanet.com/abc-the-all-obamacare-network.html. Johnson will be promoted by ABC to chief medical editor.
Further Reading: The Infowars Flu Pandemic Resource
Friday, July 31, 2009
US experts set rules for swine flu vaccines:
http://www.reuters.com/article/americasRegulatoryNews/idUSN2934723320090729
Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:39am EDT
* U.S. securing vaccine supply ahead of immunizations
* Pregnant women, health workers likely get first shots
* CDC presumes vaccination to start mid-October
By Matthew Bigg
ATLANTA, July 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has taken delivery of 20 million doses of a vaccine against the new pandemic H1N1 swine flu, and should be ready to start an immunization campaign in October, officials said on Wednesday.
Vaccine advisers meeting in Atlanta may follow World Health Organization guidelines that put healthcare workers, pregnant women and patients with asthma and diabetes at the front of the line to get vaccinated.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices may also examine ways to manage a complicated U.S. flu season, with people getting seasonal influenza immunizations alongside swine flu vaccines.
Robin Robinson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the meeting the government has contracted to buy around 200 million doses of vaccine and that 20 million have been delivered.
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it still was not clear when vaccination could begin. But she told the meeting, "We want people to plan as though we will be able to go in mid-October."
Data from human trials of the new vaccine, which have just begun, will not be available until late September, officials told the meeting.
H1N1 swine flu is now so widespread that the World Health Organization has stopped counting individual cases. Health experts are afraid it could worsen, especially when the Northern Hemisphere's influenza season starts in the autumn.
Five companies are making H1N1 vaccine for the U.S. market -- AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) MedImmune unit, Australia's CSL Ltd (CSL.AX), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L), Novartis AG (NOVN.VX) and Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA).
UNCERTAIN SUPPLY
It is not clear how much vaccine is going to be available. Some companies have reported this particular virus does not grow well in eggs, limiting the yield.
Most experts agree that people are likely to need two doses of H1N1 vaccine to get full immunity because very few have been exposed to the virus. That means the United States needs 600 million doses.
So the advisers must decide who will be vaccinated first while manufacturers work to make more vaccines.
Pregnant women may be near the front of the line. A report published earlier on Wednesday showed that pregnant women were four times more likely than others to have serious illness from H1N1 -- requiring long hospital stays - or to die. [ID:nN29265188]
The CDC's Dr. Denise Jamieson said the most recent figures show the death rate is about 6 percent in pregnant women, who make up just 1 percent of the population.
Dr. Wellington Sun of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the agency was working with companies to find the quickest and best way to license an H1N1 vaccine for use. The easiest route would be to make the new vaccine supplemental to the annual seasonal flu vaccine, he said.
But this would require keeping the same ages and dosing regimen as seasonal flu -- which is given as one dose, and with preference to the elderly and people with chronic conditions.
H1N1 appears to spare the elderly more, and affects many previously health young adults and older children, unlike seasonal influenza.
(Writing by Maggie Fox in Washington, editing by Vicki Allen)
Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:39am EDT
* U.S. securing vaccine supply ahead of immunizations
* Pregnant women, health workers likely get first shots
* CDC presumes vaccination to start mid-October
By Matthew Bigg
ATLANTA, July 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has taken delivery of 20 million doses of a vaccine against the new pandemic H1N1 swine flu, and should be ready to start an immunization campaign in October, officials said on Wednesday.
Vaccine advisers meeting in Atlanta may follow World Health Organization guidelines that put healthcare workers, pregnant women and patients with asthma and diabetes at the front of the line to get vaccinated.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices may also examine ways to manage a complicated U.S. flu season, with people getting seasonal influenza immunizations alongside swine flu vaccines.
Robin Robinson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the meeting the government has contracted to buy around 200 million doses of vaccine and that 20 million have been delivered.
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it still was not clear when vaccination could begin. But she told the meeting, "We want people to plan as though we will be able to go in mid-October."
Data from human trials of the new vaccine, which have just begun, will not be available until late September, officials told the meeting.
H1N1 swine flu is now so widespread that the World Health Organization has stopped counting individual cases. Health experts are afraid it could worsen, especially when the Northern Hemisphere's influenza season starts in the autumn.
Five companies are making H1N1 vaccine for the U.S. market -- AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) MedImmune unit, Australia's CSL Ltd (CSL.AX), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L), Novartis AG (NOVN.VX) and Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA).
UNCERTAIN SUPPLY
It is not clear how much vaccine is going to be available. Some companies have reported this particular virus does not grow well in eggs, limiting the yield.
Most experts agree that people are likely to need two doses of H1N1 vaccine to get full immunity because very few have been exposed to the virus. That means the United States needs 600 million doses.
So the advisers must decide who will be vaccinated first while manufacturers work to make more vaccines.
Pregnant women may be near the front of the line. A report published earlier on Wednesday showed that pregnant women were four times more likely than others to have serious illness from H1N1 -- requiring long hospital stays - or to die. [ID:nN29265188]
The CDC's Dr. Denise Jamieson said the most recent figures show the death rate is about 6 percent in pregnant women, who make up just 1 percent of the population.
Dr. Wellington Sun of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the agency was working with companies to find the quickest and best way to license an H1N1 vaccine for use. The easiest route would be to make the new vaccine supplemental to the annual seasonal flu vaccine, he said.
But this would require keeping the same ages and dosing regimen as seasonal flu -- which is given as one dose, and with preference to the elderly and people with chronic conditions.
H1N1 appears to spare the elderly more, and affects many previously health young adults and older children, unlike seasonal influenza.
(Writing by Maggie Fox in Washington, editing by Vicki Allen)
Public Help Sought on Swine Flu Vaccine Call:
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090728/public-help-sought-on-swine-flu-vaccine-call
Citizens Asked to Help CDC With H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Decision
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
July 28, 2009 - Should the nation rush to get a swine flu vaccine as soon as possible or wait until all safety questions are answered? The CDC wants to know what you think.
Beginning in August, the federal health agency is holding day-long public meetings at 10 sites in the nation.
About 1,000 citizens will take part in the intensive meetings. Registration is open to everyone; those invited will represent a cross section of all ages, income levels, and ethnicities.
The meetings are being arranged by the CDC in partnership with The Keystone Center, a nonprofit organization that specializes in getting input on major issues from all sectors of society.
The first meetings on H1N1 swine flu vaccine are scheduled for Aug. 8 in Denver and Lincoln, Neb. Sites have not yet been announced for the other eight meetings, but all will be held on Saturdays in August. Anyone is welcome to register at www.keystone.org/H1N1.
Representatives from each of the 10 public meetings will later meet with a 30- to 40-member national group of decision makers representing the key public and private sectors involved in swine flu vaccine decisions.
What will the CDC want to know? A lot, said Jay C. Butler, MD, director of the CDC's H1N1 Vaccine Task Force. Butler spoke Monday at a public meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, a group of outside experts that advises HHS on vaccine policy.
"These are public engagement outreaches which involve meeting with a group of members of the public, really for an entire day, with providing information to them and then asking them questions regarding what's been termed 'value choices' about how to use the vaccine," Butler said. "We're trying to have an opportunity for public input into some of the decisions we are struggling with."
"There are uncertainties that remain about how widespread and severe flu will be and how much demand there will be at the time for a vaccine," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner tells WebMD. "Because of the complexities of planning, these uncertainties pose a difficult dilemma. Should the U.S. go full throttle, take a go-slow approach, or somewhere in between?"
At the NVAC meeting, the panel recommended:
• That public and private insurers voluntarily cover the full cost of getting swine flu vaccinations.
• The federal government reimburse states for the cost of mass swine-flu immunization campaigns.
• That a safety overview be created to look at safety data as they come in during and after the vaccination program, and not wait to begin inquiries until after a safety signal appears.
Concerning swine flu vaccine safety, the panel noted that the nation's current vaccine safety infrastructure is "unlikely to be sufficient." It called for strengthening vaccine safety surveillance for adverse events linked to H1N1 swine flu vaccination.
Citizens Asked to Help CDC With H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Decision
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
July 28, 2009 - Should the nation rush to get a swine flu vaccine as soon as possible or wait until all safety questions are answered? The CDC wants to know what you think.
Beginning in August, the federal health agency is holding day-long public meetings at 10 sites in the nation.
About 1,000 citizens will take part in the intensive meetings. Registration is open to everyone; those invited will represent a cross section of all ages, income levels, and ethnicities.
The meetings are being arranged by the CDC in partnership with The Keystone Center, a nonprofit organization that specializes in getting input on major issues from all sectors of society.
The first meetings on H1N1 swine flu vaccine are scheduled for Aug. 8 in Denver and Lincoln, Neb. Sites have not yet been announced for the other eight meetings, but all will be held on Saturdays in August. Anyone is welcome to register at www.keystone.org/H1N1.
Representatives from each of the 10 public meetings will later meet with a 30- to 40-member national group of decision makers representing the key public and private sectors involved in swine flu vaccine decisions.
What will the CDC want to know? A lot, said Jay C. Butler, MD, director of the CDC's H1N1 Vaccine Task Force. Butler spoke Monday at a public meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, a group of outside experts that advises HHS on vaccine policy.
"These are public engagement outreaches which involve meeting with a group of members of the public, really for an entire day, with providing information to them and then asking them questions regarding what's been termed 'value choices' about how to use the vaccine," Butler said. "We're trying to have an opportunity for public input into some of the decisions we are struggling with."
"There are uncertainties that remain about how widespread and severe flu will be and how much demand there will be at the time for a vaccine," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner tells WebMD. "Because of the complexities of planning, these uncertainties pose a difficult dilemma. Should the U.S. go full throttle, take a go-slow approach, or somewhere in between?"
At the NVAC meeting, the panel recommended:
• That public and private insurers voluntarily cover the full cost of getting swine flu vaccinations.
• The federal government reimburse states for the cost of mass swine-flu immunization campaigns.
• That a safety overview be created to look at safety data as they come in during and after the vaccination program, and not wait to begin inquiries until after a safety signal appears.
Concerning swine flu vaccine safety, the panel noted that the nation's current vaccine safety infrastructure is "unlikely to be sufficient." It called for strengthening vaccine safety surveillance for adverse events linked to H1N1 swine flu vaccination.
Interview w/ Barbara Loe Fisher re: Swine Flu Vaccination Program
http://tss.podOmatic.com/player/web/2009-07-30T17_38_23-07_00
Barbara Loe Fisher is the Co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), a non-profit educational organization that was founded in 1982 by parents of vaccine-injured children. Barbara has authored several books on the subject of vaccines and also worked with Congress to develop the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
Barbara talks about the plans for a mass swine flu vaccination program and what effects this may have on people's health, as well as people's right to refuse the vaccine. She also discusses the effects of Gardasil and other vaccines.
For more information: http://www.nvic.org/
Thank you to Emily and Vicki of WSLR 96.5 LPFM Community Radio's "Truly Sustainable Sarasota" program for this very informative interview!
Barbara Loe Fisher is the Co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), a non-profit educational organization that was founded in 1982 by parents of vaccine-injured children. Barbara has authored several books on the subject of vaccines and also worked with Congress to develop the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
Barbara talks about the plans for a mass swine flu vaccination program and what effects this may have on people's health, as well as people's right to refuse the vaccine. She also discusses the effects of Gardasil and other vaccines.
For more information: http://www.nvic.org/
Thank you to Emily and Vicki of WSLR 96.5 LPFM Community Radio's "Truly Sustainable Sarasota" program for this very informative interview!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wal-Mart weighs role in U.S. H1N1 vaccination plans:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56T4I220090730
Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:39pm EDT
By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is discussing with U.S. health officials the possibility of putting vaccination sites at some of its stores for an H1N1 swine flu inoculation campaign this fall, a company official said on Thursday.
Federal officials met with Wal-Mart executives on Wednesday in Arkansas to discuss the issue, Dr. John Agwunobi, president of health and wellness for Wal-Mart U.S., told public health leaders at a conference in Orlando.
"We are in discussions with CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and others in local and state departments to see what role we might play," Agwunobi said. "It might be we are a site. It may be help with logistics and with supply chain."
Agwunobi said 140 million people walk through the doors of its 4,000 U.S. stores each week.
U.S. health advisers have said about half the U.S. population should be vaccinated against H1N1 influenza. Up to 160 million doses of flu vaccine will be available for the start of the campaign in mid-October.
The H1N1 swine flu, characterized by mild symptoms in most patients, is now so widespread that the World Health Organization has stopped counting cases.
Speaking at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) annual conference, Agwunobi also said Wal-Mart is planning to be a site this fall for seasonal flu vaccinations, administered by a third-party, at stores in most parts of the country.
Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:39pm EDT
By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is discussing with U.S. health officials the possibility of putting vaccination sites at some of its stores for an H1N1 swine flu inoculation campaign this fall, a company official said on Thursday.
Federal officials met with Wal-Mart executives on Wednesday in Arkansas to discuss the issue, Dr. John Agwunobi, president of health and wellness for Wal-Mart U.S., told public health leaders at a conference in Orlando.
"We are in discussions with CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and others in local and state departments to see what role we might play," Agwunobi said. "It might be we are a site. It may be help with logistics and with supply chain."
Agwunobi said 140 million people walk through the doors of its 4,000 U.S. stores each week.
U.S. health advisers have said about half the U.S. population should be vaccinated against H1N1 influenza. Up to 160 million doses of flu vaccine will be available for the start of the campaign in mid-October.
The H1N1 swine flu, characterized by mild symptoms in most patients, is now so widespread that the World Health Organization has stopped counting cases.
Speaking at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) annual conference, Agwunobi also said Wal-Mart is planning to be a site this fall for seasonal flu vaccinations, administered by a third-party, at stores in most parts of the country.
Swine flu death toll in Florida is 31:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090730/BREAKING/907309960/2055/NEWS?Title=Swine-flu-death-toll-in-Florida-is-31
The Associated Press Published: Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 2:22 p.m.
State health officials say 31 people have died from swine flu in Florida.
The Department of Health released an updated death toll Thursday.
Federal health officials have sent testing supplies to the state's four labs, allowing state technicians to test samples without the additional step of sending them to the Centers for Disease Control.
The Florida Department of Health reports a total of 3,321 confirmed cases of H1N1 swine flu.
Health officials are urging Floridians to seek medical help if they feel sick, to wash hands frequently, practice good hygiene and to stay home if they feel ill.
The Associated Press Published: Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 2:22 p.m.
State health officials say 31 people have died from swine flu in Florida.
The Department of Health released an updated death toll Thursday.
Federal health officials have sent testing supplies to the state's four labs, allowing state technicians to test samples without the additional step of sending them to the Centers for Disease Control.
The Florida Department of Health reports a total of 3,321 confirmed cases of H1N1 swine flu.
Health officials are urging Floridians to seek medical help if they feel sick, to wash hands frequently, practice good hygiene and to stay home if they feel ill.
Swine flu hits Air Force operations in north Fla.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1163776.html
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Swine flu has hit the Air Force's special operations command in northwest Florida.
As many as 59 airmen at Hurlburt Field are suspected of having the virus, while another four have tested positive.
First Special Operations Wing spokeswoman Amy Oliver said Wednesday they won't be testing the probable cases.
Okaloosa County Health Department director Dr. Karen Chapman calls this the first sizable cluster in the area - and it won't be the last.
Last week, the Florida Department of Health reported a total of 2,915 confirmed cases of swine flu. Another 22 residents infected with the virus have died.
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Swine flu has hit the Air Force's special operations command in northwest Florida.
As many as 59 airmen at Hurlburt Field are suspected of having the virus, while another four have tested positive.
First Special Operations Wing spokeswoman Amy Oliver said Wednesday they won't be testing the probable cases.
Okaloosa County Health Department director Dr. Karen Chapman calls this the first sizable cluster in the area - and it won't be the last.
Last week, the Florida Department of Health reported a total of 2,915 confirmed cases of swine flu. Another 22 residents infected with the virus have died.
Washington Post: Swine Flu Vaccine Will Contain Mercury
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072903607_2.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&sid=ST2009072903827
Despite concerns about thimerosal and mercury, which have led to the preservative being reduced or removed from a large portion of vaccines over the last five years, thimerosal will be an ingredient of the swine flu vaccine which is set to arrive in the U.S. this September.
“Some of the vaccine will be stored in multi-dose vials containing thimerosal, an antibacterial additive that contains mercury,” reports the Washington Post today in an article about which groups will receive the swine flu vaccine first.
“There will also be single-dose syringes without thimerosal, a substance that some assert is harmful to children,” adds the article, without mentioning whether or not people who take the vaccine will get a choice or even be informed if it contains mercury.
Despite concerns about thimerosal and mercury, which have led to the preservative being reduced or removed from a large portion of vaccines over the last five years, thimerosal will be an ingredient of the swine flu vaccine which is set to arrive in the U.S. this September.
“Some of the vaccine will be stored in multi-dose vials containing thimerosal, an antibacterial additive that contains mercury,” reports the Washington Post today in an article about which groups will receive the swine flu vaccine first.
“There will also be single-dose syringes without thimerosal, a substance that some assert is harmful to children,” adds the article, without mentioning whether or not people who take the vaccine will get a choice or even be informed if it contains mercury.
Military to Deploy on U.S. Soil to "Assist" with Pandemic Outbreak:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026732_military_pandemic_outbreak.html
Thursday, July 30, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) Until now, what I'm about to tell you would have been easily dismissed as a conspiracy theory. It's the kind of story that you might expect from some extreme fringe blogger... the kind of story that never appears in the mainstream media. Only today, it did. And it's not a conspiracy theory, either.
CNN is reporting this evening that the U.S. military is gearing up to get involved in the H1N1 swine flu outbreak widely expected to strike the U.S. this fall. As CNN reports, "The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials." (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/07/28/military.swine.flu/)
When it comes to the U.S. military, the word "assist," of course, could mean almost anything. Typically, the U.S. military offers assistance at the end of a rifle. This "assistance" could mean assisting with quarantines, assisting with rounding up infected people or assisting with arresting and imprisoning people who resist vaccine shots.
Just to make it even more interesting, this operation will include "personnel from all branches of the military" and it will involve cooperation with FEMA -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA is the group of geniuses who handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They're the ones who confiscated firearms from law-abiding citizens defending their own homes, then thrust people into toxic temporary housing that caused neurological symptoms and breathing problems.
Internationally, FEMA is known as the Federal Emergency Laughing Stock Administration. But now, with H1N1 swine flu, FEMA will be backed by the power of highly-trained, heavily-armed military personnel.
Imagine one possible future in America...
There's a knock on your door. A peek through the window reveals two young soldiers in urban camo fatigues gripping M16 rifles slung across their chests. In front of them, an official-looking doctor person sports an N95 mask and carries a clipboard thick with ruffled papers.
Knock knock. "Is anyone home?"
One of the soldiers catches a glimpse of you peering through a sliver of curtain covering the living room window. "I've got movement." He tightens his grip on his rifle and elbows the soldier next to him. "Someone's home. Knock again."
Knock KNOCK. "We're here from the pandemic response team," insists the doc. "We're here to help. Open up or we'll be forced to come in."
Reluctantly, you inch towards the door and grip the doorknob with damp, sweaty hands. Your pulse pounds hard as you crack open the door.
But the doctor isn't in front of your door anymore. It's one of the soldiers -- the larger one -- and he wedges his foot between your door and its frame, prying it open and forcing his intimidating self into your doorway. "We're with FEMA. Please step away from the door."
"Our records show you haven't received the swine flu vaccine yet," squeaks the doctor from behind the bulk of the domineering soldier now squarely positioned in front of you. "We're here to administer your vaccine."
"I don't want a vaccine," you protest. "They're not safe."
The soldier chuckles, blurts out, "They're as safe as the U.S. government says they are."
The doctor peers out from behind his military companion and makes eye contact. "Sir, as you well know, vaccines have been required for all U.S. residents since President Obama's emergency pandemic declaration last month. Please extend your arm and we'll be on our way."
He produces a syringe and stabs it into a half-filled vaccine cylinder. As he pulls the plunger and liquid races into the syringe, you realize you have mere moments to make a decision. Will you willingly accept the vaccine and avoid being beaten, arrested or shot by the two armed enforcers at your door, or will you resist and pay the consequences?
"Please extend your arm now," the doctor says. The military grunt clenches his jaw, eyeing your hesitation with obvious scorn. He fingers the safety on his rifle and clears his throat...
... what will your choice be?
We're only here to help
That scenario might seem like fiction now, but it could unfold in America in the next few months. What seems outlandish today could become a police state reality before Christmas.
But this is no joke. These people are serious. Even the words tell too much: The order to approve all this is about to be signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and it's called an "execution order."
So what, exactly, would military personnel be doing in your neighborhood in the event of a swine flu outbreak? The CNN story says they could assist with the "...testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients." There's nothing in the story about rounding people up, maintaining quarantine road blocks or cremating the infected bodies of the dead. These realities of a pandemic outbreak are better left unsaid if you're the U.S. military (or the mainstream media).
That's why the full story of what the U.S. military is planning for will never be told to the masses. It's too disturbing. But make no mistake: The military is planning for a worst-case scenario (that's what the military does), and a worst-case pandemic outbreak scenario would involve gunpoint-enforced isolation, military-enforced quarantine zones and most likely the forced vaccination of nearly everyone. Those who resist the vaccinations would be arrested (or detained) and injected at gunpoint, then set free back into the population.
Hollywood has already imagined some of what might happen in such a scenario. Rent the movie The Siege (Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington) to catch an imaginative glimpse of how the U.S. military might handle things in an "emergency situation." It's not a documentary, of course, but much of what it presents seems strangely on track with what's shaping up if a pandemic outbreak occurs.
The very fact that the military is now leaking this story to CNN says something all by itself: The U.S. military is preparing to be stationed on U.S. soil, and whatever freedoms you mistakenly think are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution will be long gone by the time the soldiers arrive at your door.
Thursday, July 30, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) Until now, what I'm about to tell you would have been easily dismissed as a conspiracy theory. It's the kind of story that you might expect from some extreme fringe blogger... the kind of story that never appears in the mainstream media. Only today, it did. And it's not a conspiracy theory, either.
CNN is reporting this evening that the U.S. military is gearing up to get involved in the H1N1 swine flu outbreak widely expected to strike the U.S. this fall. As CNN reports, "The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials." (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/07/28/military.swine.flu/)
When it comes to the U.S. military, the word "assist," of course, could mean almost anything. Typically, the U.S. military offers assistance at the end of a rifle. This "assistance" could mean assisting with quarantines, assisting with rounding up infected people or assisting with arresting and imprisoning people who resist vaccine shots.
Just to make it even more interesting, this operation will include "personnel from all branches of the military" and it will involve cooperation with FEMA -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA is the group of geniuses who handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They're the ones who confiscated firearms from law-abiding citizens defending their own homes, then thrust people into toxic temporary housing that caused neurological symptoms and breathing problems.
Internationally, FEMA is known as the Federal Emergency Laughing Stock Administration. But now, with H1N1 swine flu, FEMA will be backed by the power of highly-trained, heavily-armed military personnel.
Imagine one possible future in America...
There's a knock on your door. A peek through the window reveals two young soldiers in urban camo fatigues gripping M16 rifles slung across their chests. In front of them, an official-looking doctor person sports an N95 mask and carries a clipboard thick with ruffled papers.
Knock knock. "Is anyone home?"
One of the soldiers catches a glimpse of you peering through a sliver of curtain covering the living room window. "I've got movement." He tightens his grip on his rifle and elbows the soldier next to him. "Someone's home. Knock again."
Knock KNOCK. "We're here from the pandemic response team," insists the doc. "We're here to help. Open up or we'll be forced to come in."
Reluctantly, you inch towards the door and grip the doorknob with damp, sweaty hands. Your pulse pounds hard as you crack open the door.
But the doctor isn't in front of your door anymore. It's one of the soldiers -- the larger one -- and he wedges his foot between your door and its frame, prying it open and forcing his intimidating self into your doorway. "We're with FEMA. Please step away from the door."
"Our records show you haven't received the swine flu vaccine yet," squeaks the doctor from behind the bulk of the domineering soldier now squarely positioned in front of you. "We're here to administer your vaccine."
"I don't want a vaccine," you protest. "They're not safe."
The soldier chuckles, blurts out, "They're as safe as the U.S. government says they are."
The doctor peers out from behind his military companion and makes eye contact. "Sir, as you well know, vaccines have been required for all U.S. residents since President Obama's emergency pandemic declaration last month. Please extend your arm and we'll be on our way."
He produces a syringe and stabs it into a half-filled vaccine cylinder. As he pulls the plunger and liquid races into the syringe, you realize you have mere moments to make a decision. Will you willingly accept the vaccine and avoid being beaten, arrested or shot by the two armed enforcers at your door, or will you resist and pay the consequences?
"Please extend your arm now," the doctor says. The military grunt clenches his jaw, eyeing your hesitation with obvious scorn. He fingers the safety on his rifle and clears his throat...
... what will your choice be?
We're only here to help
That scenario might seem like fiction now, but it could unfold in America in the next few months. What seems outlandish today could become a police state reality before Christmas.
But this is no joke. These people are serious. Even the words tell too much: The order to approve all this is about to be signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and it's called an "execution order."
So what, exactly, would military personnel be doing in your neighborhood in the event of a swine flu outbreak? The CNN story says they could assist with the "...testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients." There's nothing in the story about rounding people up, maintaining quarantine road blocks or cremating the infected bodies of the dead. These realities of a pandemic outbreak are better left unsaid if you're the U.S. military (or the mainstream media).
That's why the full story of what the U.S. military is planning for will never be told to the masses. It's too disturbing. But make no mistake: The military is planning for a worst-case scenario (that's what the military does), and a worst-case pandemic outbreak scenario would involve gunpoint-enforced isolation, military-enforced quarantine zones and most likely the forced vaccination of nearly everyone. Those who resist the vaccinations would be arrested (or detained) and injected at gunpoint, then set free back into the population.
Hollywood has already imagined some of what might happen in such a scenario. Rent the movie The Siege (Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington) to catch an imaginative glimpse of how the U.S. military might handle things in an "emergency situation." It's not a documentary, of course, but much of what it presents seems strangely on track with what's shaping up if a pandemic outbreak occurs.
The very fact that the military is now leaking this story to CNN says something all by itself: The U.S. military is preparing to be stationed on U.S. soil, and whatever freedoms you mistakenly think are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution will be long gone by the time the soldiers arrive at your door.
[UK] £27,000 swine flu bonus for GPs (who already earn £107,000)
[SVC comment: at today's exchange rate, doctors in Britain will be paid the equivalent of $12.30 for every influenza vaccination they give to patients. Is this not a conflict of interest?]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203126/27-000-swine-flu-bonus-GPs-earn-107-000.html
By DANIEL MARTIN
Last updated at 1:56 AM on 30th July 2009
Family doctors could see their salaries soar by £27,000 once a swine flu vaccination programme is in place, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Yesterday they were trying to thrash out a deal which could see GPs paid £7.51 for every jab they give to patients.
They are also negotiating with ministers over their performance-related pay.
They want assurances they will not miss out on bonuses even if they have to cancel routine check-ups due to swine flu pressures - which has already started happening.
Every swine flu patient GPs inoculate will need two doses of the vaccine. With the average GP having 1,800 patients, that means a salary boost of just over £27,000.
This figure would give doctors a pay rise some 25 per cent above their usual salary of £107,000.
There are 33,000 GPs in the country and the vaccination programme will cost the NHS £900million in payments to them.
The Government is considering using school nurses to administer the vaccine in an attempt to keep down costs.
It will be up to each GP to decide how the money, which will go back into a practice, is spent.
Some doctors may decide to spend the money to cover extra staff costs but others could choose to pocket the cash.
And it has emerged the practice will get the money even though GPs themselves may not deliver the vaccine - the nurse may carry out the job on their behalf.
Critics said it was outrageous that GPs were asking for extra money to do something that should just be part of their job.
They added that it was extraordinary that GPs are demanding yet more money when their pay has
gone up by 55 per cent in five years, and they are doing seven fewer hours a week thanks to the lucrative contract negotiated in 2003.
GPs will find out in several weeks if their demands have been met.
More...
Pregnant women with swine flu 'four times more likely to be hospitalised'
A spokesman for the British Medical Association told the Health Service Journal: 'The seasonal flu jab costs £7.51, but because the swine flu vaccination programme will be on a much larger scale there are also other issues to consider, not least the workload for general practice.
'We want to ensure GPs are still able to provide a good service to patients ill with conditions other than swine flu and that's why we are continuing to negotiate with the Government on this issue.'
The BMA says GPs should carry out the vast majority of vaccinations because they have access to medical records. But the Government may empower school nurses to ease the cost burden.
The BMA denies profiteering, saying the extra money is needed to pay for the increased hours of work, and to pay for extra staff.
An increase in calls and visits about swine flu means GPs up and down the country have already begun to cancel check ups in the first sign that the NHS is struggling to cope with the outbreak.
As well as asking for more money for vaccinating patients, the BMA also wants to see GPs' performance-related pay scheme - the Quality and Outcomes Framework - suspended for the duration of any epidemic to ensure they do not suffer a wage cut.
Around a third of GP pay comes from the QOF, and depends on them carrying out tasks such as giving check-ups to patients with high blood pressure and dementia.
But these may have to be cancelled if doctors are overwhelmed with calls and visits from people with flu, leading GPs to become concerned they may lose money.
Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'This is an outrageous bit of opportunistic greed by GPs. They have already had massive pay rises for no extra work, so there is no way they should get away with claiming more money for this, too.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203126/27-000-swine-flu-bonus-GPs-earn-107-000.html
By DANIEL MARTIN
Last updated at 1:56 AM on 30th July 2009
Family doctors could see their salaries soar by £27,000 once a swine flu vaccination programme is in place, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Yesterday they were trying to thrash out a deal which could see GPs paid £7.51 for every jab they give to patients.
They are also negotiating with ministers over their performance-related pay.
They want assurances they will not miss out on bonuses even if they have to cancel routine check-ups due to swine flu pressures - which has already started happening.
Every swine flu patient GPs inoculate will need two doses of the vaccine. With the average GP having 1,800 patients, that means a salary boost of just over £27,000.
This figure would give doctors a pay rise some 25 per cent above their usual salary of £107,000.
There are 33,000 GPs in the country and the vaccination programme will cost the NHS £900million in payments to them.
The Government is considering using school nurses to administer the vaccine in an attempt to keep down costs.
It will be up to each GP to decide how the money, which will go back into a practice, is spent.
Some doctors may decide to spend the money to cover extra staff costs but others could choose to pocket the cash.
And it has emerged the practice will get the money even though GPs themselves may not deliver the vaccine - the nurse may carry out the job on their behalf.
Critics said it was outrageous that GPs were asking for extra money to do something that should just be part of their job.
They added that it was extraordinary that GPs are demanding yet more money when their pay has
gone up by 55 per cent in five years, and they are doing seven fewer hours a week thanks to the lucrative contract negotiated in 2003.
GPs will find out in several weeks if their demands have been met.
More...
Pregnant women with swine flu 'four times more likely to be hospitalised'
A spokesman for the British Medical Association told the Health Service Journal: 'The seasonal flu jab costs £7.51, but because the swine flu vaccination programme will be on a much larger scale there are also other issues to consider, not least the workload for general practice.
'We want to ensure GPs are still able to provide a good service to patients ill with conditions other than swine flu and that's why we are continuing to negotiate with the Government on this issue.'
The BMA says GPs should carry out the vast majority of vaccinations because they have access to medical records. But the Government may empower school nurses to ease the cost burden.
The BMA denies profiteering, saying the extra money is needed to pay for the increased hours of work, and to pay for extra staff.
An increase in calls and visits about swine flu means GPs up and down the country have already begun to cancel check ups in the first sign that the NHS is struggling to cope with the outbreak.
As well as asking for more money for vaccinating patients, the BMA also wants to see GPs' performance-related pay scheme - the Quality and Outcomes Framework - suspended for the duration of any epidemic to ensure they do not suffer a wage cut.
Around a third of GP pay comes from the QOF, and depends on them carrying out tasks such as giving check-ups to patients with high blood pressure and dementia.
But these may have to be cancelled if doctors are overwhelmed with calls and visits from people with flu, leading GPs to become concerned they may lose money.
Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'This is an outrageous bit of opportunistic greed by GPs. They have already had massive pay rises for no extra work, so there is no way they should get away with claiming more money for this, too.'
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Military Poised to Help FEMA Battle Swine Flu Outbreak:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/29/military-poised-help-fema-battle-swine-flu-outbreak/
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to set vaccination priorities for certain groups Wednesday during a meeting in Atlanta as the Pentagon prepares to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency tackle a potential outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall.
The Pentagon is preparing to make troops available if necessary to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency tackle a potential outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, FOX News has confirmed.
This comes as a government panel recommends certain groups be placed at the front of the line for swine flu vaccinations this fall, including pregnant women, health care workers and children six months and older.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel also said those first vaccinated should include parents and other caregivers of infants; non-elderly adults who have high-risk medical conditions, and young adults ages 19 to 24. The panel, whose recommendations typically are adopted by federal health officials, voted to set vaccination priorities for those groups Wednesday during a meeting in Atlanta.
Obama administration officials told Congress that H1N1 vaccinations won't be available for several months.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is preparing to sign an order authorizing the military to set up five regional teams to deal with the potential outbreak of H1N1 influenza if FEMA requests help.
A senior U.S. defense official told FOX News that the plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the FEMA. No final decision has been reached on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it likely would include personnel from all branches of the military.
It is not known how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.
In the event of a major outbreak, civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts, the official said. The military, as it would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.
As a first step, military leaders have asked Gates to authorize planning for the potential assistance.
Orders to deploy actual forces would be reviewed later, depending on how much of a health threat the flu poses this fall, the officials said.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to set vaccination priorities for certain groups Wednesday during a meeting in Atlanta as the Pentagon prepares to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency tackle a potential outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall.
The Pentagon is preparing to make troops available if necessary to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency tackle a potential outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, FOX News has confirmed.
This comes as a government panel recommends certain groups be placed at the front of the line for swine flu vaccinations this fall, including pregnant women, health care workers and children six months and older.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel also said those first vaccinated should include parents and other caregivers of infants; non-elderly adults who have high-risk medical conditions, and young adults ages 19 to 24. The panel, whose recommendations typically are adopted by federal health officials, voted to set vaccination priorities for those groups Wednesday during a meeting in Atlanta.
Obama administration officials told Congress that H1N1 vaccinations won't be available for several months.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is preparing to sign an order authorizing the military to set up five regional teams to deal with the potential outbreak of H1N1 influenza if FEMA requests help.
A senior U.S. defense official told FOX News that the plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the FEMA. No final decision has been reached on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it likely would include personnel from all branches of the military.
It is not known how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.
In the event of a major outbreak, civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts, the official said. The military, as it would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.
As a first step, military leaders have asked Gates to authorize planning for the potential assistance.
Orders to deploy actual forces would be reviewed later, depending on how much of a health threat the flu poses this fall, the officials said.
CNN: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/07/28/military.swine.flu/
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials.
The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary.
The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.
It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.
Civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts in the event of a major outbreak, the official said. The military, as they would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.
As a first step, Gates is being asked to sign a so-called "execution order" that would authorize the military to begin to conduct the detailed planning to execute the proposed plan.
Orders to deploy actual forces would be reviewed later, depending on how much of a health threat the flu poses this fall, the officials said.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials.
The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary.
The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.
It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.
Civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts in the event of a major outbreak, the official said. The military, as they would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.
As a first step, Gates is being asked to sign a so-called "execution order" that would authorize the military to begin to conduct the detailed planning to execute the proposed plan.
Orders to deploy actual forces would be reviewed later, depending on how much of a health threat the flu poses this fall, the officials said.
Judge: Swine flu is reason to suspend constitutional rights:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jail-court-central-2510826-county-judge
Delays caused by lockdown are costing thousands of dollars, inconveniencing jurors.
By LARRY WELBORN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – A Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that there is legal justification to keep the Central Men’s Jail under medical quarantine – at least for a couple of days – to control a swine flu outbreak.
Judge Thomas Goethals said the “significant medical public health event” in the men’s jail is good cause to temporarily suspend constitutional guarantees to speedy trials, preliminary hearings and arraignments for some criminal case defendants.
He made his ruling over the objections of the county public defender’s office and the alternate defender’s office after a special 90-minute hearing on the status of the health scare in the main men’s jail, which usually houses 800 to 900 inmates.
Delays caused by lockdown are costing thousands of dollars, inconveniencing jurors.
By LARRY WELBORN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – A Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that there is legal justification to keep the Central Men’s Jail under medical quarantine – at least for a couple of days – to control a swine flu outbreak.
Judge Thomas Goethals said the “significant medical public health event” in the men’s jail is good cause to temporarily suspend constitutional guarantees to speedy trials, preliminary hearings and arraignments for some criminal case defendants.
He made his ruling over the objections of the county public defender’s office and the alternate defender’s office after a special 90-minute hearing on the status of the health scare in the main men’s jail, which usually houses 800 to 900 inmates.
Will NorthCom take over in Swine Flu Outbreak?
http://www.progressive.org/wx042909.html
Matthew Rothschild
The Progressive
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The swine flu outbreak raises a lot of fears.
Here’s one you might not have thought of yet: The Pentagon may be taking over more and more of our civil society in this crisis.
Back in 2002, President Bush created NorthCom, the Pentagon’s Northern Command, which has jurisdiction over the United States.
And NorthCom has been running preparedness drills in the event of a flu pandemic for at least the past three years.
Making things more alarming, NorthCom got assigned its own fighting unit six months ago—the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, which had spent much of the last five years battling things out in Iraq.
The assignment of that fighting unit alarmed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “This is a radical departure from separation of civilian law enforcement and military authority and could, quite possibly, represent a violation of law,” said Mike German, ACLU national security policy counsel.
Testifying in March, General Victor Renuart, head of NorthCom, said it would provide “assistance in support of civil authorities” during an epidemic. And, he added, “when requested and approved by the Secretary of Defense or directed by the President, federal military forces will contribute to federal support.” But he boasted: “USNorthCom does not wait for that call to action.”
He noted that NorthCom has prepared for a flu outbreak from Mexico. “Because Mexico is our neighbor and disasters do not respect national boundaries, we are focused on developing and improving procedures to respond to potentially catastrophic events such as pandemic influenza outbreak, mass exposure to dangerous chemicals and materials, and natural disasters,” he testified.
NorthCom also has a “private sector cell,” Renuart said in a talk to the Heritage Foundation on August 20, 2008. “We have great participation from industry and from other organizations around the country.”
One private sector group that has worked with the FBI and Homeland Security on pandemics is InfraGard. This is group of more than 30,000 businesspeople who have special access to confidential FBI information and may be assigned special—and lethal—duties in times of an emergency (See “The FBI Deputizes Business” http://www.progressive.org/mag_rothschild0308).
An InfraGard chapter held a meeting at NYU Medical Center on February 21, 2007 on “Pandemic Preparedness Planning: the Case for Public-Private Collaboration” http://www.nym-infragard.us/nuke/downloads/agendas/Agenda%20NYM%20InfraGard%20Pandemic%2002-21-07.pdf.
InfraGard also participated in a conference entitled “Surviving the Pandemic,” held in Madison, Wisconsin, October 12, 2006. That conference was co-sponsored by the Southeast Wisconsin Homeland Security Partnership, two centers at the University of Wisconsin, the Madison Area Technical College, Alliant Energy, and American Family Insurance.
InfraGard wants to be a player in pandemic response. “Utilization of their expertise will help local communities prepare for a possible pandemic event to ensure minimal disruption and quick recovery,” one InfraGard press release stated. http://www.infragardmembers.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=41
Whether and how InfraGard and NorthCom might be working together in this swine flu outbreak is unclear.
Similarly, it is unclear what actions NorthCom might take if an all-out pandemic ensues.
One last concern: George W. Bush bestowed upon the Presidency enormous powers, essentially to be in charge of every branch of government, as well as state and local and tribal governments and the private sector, in the event of a “catastrophic emergency.” (See National Security Presidential Directive 51 http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-51.htm)
We’re in a public health emergency now. It’s not “catastrophic” yet. But it appears to be up to the President—and the President only—to make that determination, according to the directive.
Congress needs to hold hearings on NorthCom, InfraGard, and National Security Presidential Directive 51.
We must insist on our rights, even in emergencies.
Matthew Rothschild
The Progressive
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The swine flu outbreak raises a lot of fears.
Here’s one you might not have thought of yet: The Pentagon may be taking over more and more of our civil society in this crisis.
Back in 2002, President Bush created NorthCom, the Pentagon’s Northern Command, which has jurisdiction over the United States.
And NorthCom has been running preparedness drills in the event of a flu pandemic for at least the past three years.
Making things more alarming, NorthCom got assigned its own fighting unit six months ago—the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, which had spent much of the last five years battling things out in Iraq.
The assignment of that fighting unit alarmed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “This is a radical departure from separation of civilian law enforcement and military authority and could, quite possibly, represent a violation of law,” said Mike German, ACLU national security policy counsel.
Testifying in March, General Victor Renuart, head of NorthCom, said it would provide “assistance in support of civil authorities” during an epidemic. And, he added, “when requested and approved by the Secretary of Defense or directed by the President, federal military forces will contribute to federal support.” But he boasted: “USNorthCom does not wait for that call to action.”
He noted that NorthCom has prepared for a flu outbreak from Mexico. “Because Mexico is our neighbor and disasters do not respect national boundaries, we are focused on developing and improving procedures to respond to potentially catastrophic events such as pandemic influenza outbreak, mass exposure to dangerous chemicals and materials, and natural disasters,” he testified.
NorthCom also has a “private sector cell,” Renuart said in a talk to the Heritage Foundation on August 20, 2008. “We have great participation from industry and from other organizations around the country.”
One private sector group that has worked with the FBI and Homeland Security on pandemics is InfraGard. This is group of more than 30,000 businesspeople who have special access to confidential FBI information and may be assigned special—and lethal—duties in times of an emergency (See “The FBI Deputizes Business” http://www.progressive.org/mag_rothschild0308).
An InfraGard chapter held a meeting at NYU Medical Center on February 21, 2007 on “Pandemic Preparedness Planning: the Case for Public-Private Collaboration” http://www.nym-infragard.us/nuke/downloads/agendas/Agenda%20NYM%20InfraGard%20Pandemic%2002-21-07.pdf.
InfraGard also participated in a conference entitled “Surviving the Pandemic,” held in Madison, Wisconsin, October 12, 2006. That conference was co-sponsored by the Southeast Wisconsin Homeland Security Partnership, two centers at the University of Wisconsin, the Madison Area Technical College, Alliant Energy, and American Family Insurance.
InfraGard wants to be a player in pandemic response. “Utilization of their expertise will help local communities prepare for a possible pandemic event to ensure minimal disruption and quick recovery,” one InfraGard press release stated. http://www.infragardmembers.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=41
Whether and how InfraGard and NorthCom might be working together in this swine flu outbreak is unclear.
Similarly, it is unclear what actions NorthCom might take if an all-out pandemic ensues.
One last concern: George W. Bush bestowed upon the Presidency enormous powers, essentially to be in charge of every branch of government, as well as state and local and tribal governments and the private sector, in the event of a “catastrophic emergency.” (See National Security Presidential Directive 51 http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-51.htm)
We’re in a public health emergency now. It’s not “catastrophic” yet. But it appears to be up to the President—and the President only—to make that determination, according to the directive.
Congress needs to hold hearings on NorthCom, InfraGard, and National Security Presidential Directive 51.
We must insist on our rights, even in emergencies.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ten Things You're Not Supposed to Know about the Swine Flu Vaccine:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026717_swine_flu_flu_vaccine_swine_flu_vaccine.html
By Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
(NaturalNews) She was deathly afraid of the flu.
So she asked her doc what she should do.
He jabbed her unseen
With a swine flu vaccine
Blurting, "Darling, I haven't a clue."
- by the Health Ranger
Let's not beat around the bush on this issue: The swine flu vaccines now being prepared for mass injection into infants, children, teens and adults have never been tested and won't be tested before the injections begin. In Europe, where flu vaccines are typically tested on hundreds (or thousands) of people before being unleashed on the masses, the European Medicines Agency is allowing companies to skip the testing process entirely.
And yet, amazingly, people are lining up to take the vaccine, absent any safety testing whatsoever. When the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. announced a swine flu vaccine trial beginning in early August, it was inundated with phone calls and emails from people desperate to play the role of human guinea pigs. The power of fear to herd sheeple into vaccine injections is simply amazing...
Back in Europe, of course, everybody gets to be a guinea pig since no testing will be done on the vaccine at all. Even worse, the European vaccines will be using adjuvants -- chemicals used to multiply the potency of the active ingredients in vaccines.
Notably, there is absolutely no safety data on the use of adjuvants in infants and expectant mothers -- the two groups being most aggressively targeted by the swine flu vaccine pushers. The leads us to the disturbing conclusion that the swine flu vaccine could be a modern medical disaster. It's untested and un-tried. Its ingredients are potentially quite dangerous, and the adjuvants being used in the European vaccines are suspected of causing neurological disorders.
CONTINUES...
By Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
(NaturalNews) She was deathly afraid of the flu.
So she asked her doc what she should do.
He jabbed her unseen
With a swine flu vaccine
Blurting, "Darling, I haven't a clue."
- by the Health Ranger
Let's not beat around the bush on this issue: The swine flu vaccines now being prepared for mass injection into infants, children, teens and adults have never been tested and won't be tested before the injections begin. In Europe, where flu vaccines are typically tested on hundreds (or thousands) of people before being unleashed on the masses, the European Medicines Agency is allowing companies to skip the testing process entirely.
And yet, amazingly, people are lining up to take the vaccine, absent any safety testing whatsoever. When the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. announced a swine flu vaccine trial beginning in early August, it was inundated with phone calls and emails from people desperate to play the role of human guinea pigs. The power of fear to herd sheeple into vaccine injections is simply amazing...
Back in Europe, of course, everybody gets to be a guinea pig since no testing will be done on the vaccine at all. Even worse, the European vaccines will be using adjuvants -- chemicals used to multiply the potency of the active ingredients in vaccines.
Notably, there is absolutely no safety data on the use of adjuvants in infants and expectant mothers -- the two groups being most aggressively targeted by the swine flu vaccine pushers. The leads us to the disturbing conclusion that the swine flu vaccine could be a modern medical disaster. It's untested and un-tried. Its ingredients are potentially quite dangerous, and the adjuvants being used in the European vaccines are suspected of causing neurological disorders.
CONTINUES...
[U.K.] Swine Flu Panic
http://www.counterpunch.org/kampmark07272009.html
Swine Flu Panic
By BINOY KAMPMARK
The well are panicking in droves, with the potential to swamp the world’s health systems with complaints about fictional conditions. As more cases of swine flu are found, there is every indication that the lid on panic is slowly lifting. The tension between reconciling genuine cases with those of needless worriers is something any health system must consider. One pandemic risks succeeding another in what has been termed the ‘panic pandemic’. The UK Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, is worried about Britain’s citizens in particular. ‘It is very important for everybody to keep a sense of perspective’ (The Observer, 26 Jul). A sharp rise in GP consultations, notably amongst the 14 and under age group, have been noted.
CONTINUES...
Swine Flu Panic
By BINOY KAMPMARK
The well are panicking in droves, with the potential to swamp the world’s health systems with complaints about fictional conditions. As more cases of swine flu are found, there is every indication that the lid on panic is slowly lifting. The tension between reconciling genuine cases with those of needless worriers is something any health system must consider. One pandemic risks succeeding another in what has been termed the ‘panic pandemic’. The UK Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, is worried about Britain’s citizens in particular. ‘It is very important for everybody to keep a sense of perspective’ (The Observer, 26 Jul). A sharp rise in GP consultations, notably amongst the 14 and under age group, have been noted.
CONTINUES...
Fast-tracked Swine Flu Vaccine under Fire
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/fastTrackSwineFluVaccineUnderFire.php
The vaccines far more deadly than the swine flu; mass vaccinations a recipe for disaster Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins
This report has been submitted to Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer of the UK, and to the US Food and Drugs Administration.
Please circulate widely, with all the hyperlinks included, to your elected representatives, wherever you are
A swine flu outbreak occurred in Mexico and the United States in April 2009 and spread rapidly around the world by human-to human transmission. The new type A H1N1 influenza virus is unlike any that had been previously isolated [1, 2], judging from the first data released in May. It is a messy combination of sequences from bird, human and swine flu virus lineages from North America and Eurasia. A senior virologist based in Canberra, Australia, told the press he thought that the virus could have been created in the laboratory and released by accident [3]. Some even suggest it was made intentionally as a bioweapon [4], while others blame the intensive livestock industry and extensive trafficking of love animals over long distances, which provide plenty of opportunity for generating exotic recombinants [5]. But what worries the public most is the mass vaccination programmes governments are putting in place to combat the emerging pandemic, which could well be worse than the pandemic itself.
CONTINUES...
The vaccines far more deadly than the swine flu; mass vaccinations a recipe for disaster Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins
This report has been submitted to Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer of the UK, and to the US Food and Drugs Administration.
Please circulate widely, with all the hyperlinks included, to your elected representatives, wherever you are
A swine flu outbreak occurred in Mexico and the United States in April 2009 and spread rapidly around the world by human-to human transmission. The new type A H1N1 influenza virus is unlike any that had been previously isolated [1, 2], judging from the first data released in May. It is a messy combination of sequences from bird, human and swine flu virus lineages from North America and Eurasia. A senior virologist based in Canberra, Australia, told the press he thought that the virus could have been created in the laboratory and released by accident [3]. Some even suggest it was made intentionally as a bioweapon [4], while others blame the intensive livestock industry and extensive trafficking of love animals over long distances, which provide plenty of opportunity for generating exotic recombinants [5]. But what worries the public most is the mass vaccination programmes governments are putting in place to combat the emerging pandemic, which could well be worse than the pandemic itself.
CONTINUES...
Monday, July 27, 2009
U.S. panel prepares to OK swine flu vaccine trials:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56M3LB20090723
Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:58pm EDT by Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to help rush through approval of new vaccine to fight the pandemic H1N1 virus, promising to watch more closely than ever bad effects from the immunization, officials said on Thursday.
The FDA said it would help companies design ways to quickly test experimental versions of the vaccine, which experts say is likely to be given to people alongside the seasonal flu vaccine.
Getting a vaccine approved as soon as possible is important, the FDA's Dr. Wellington Sun told a committee of experts who advise the FDA on vaccine policy.
Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:58pm EDT by Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to help rush through approval of new vaccine to fight the pandemic H1N1 virus, promising to watch more closely than ever bad effects from the immunization, officials said on Thursday.
The FDA said it would help companies design ways to quickly test experimental versions of the vaccine, which experts say is likely to be given to people alongside the seasonal flu vaccine.
Getting a vaccine approved as soon as possible is important, the FDA's Dr. Wellington Sun told a committee of experts who advise the FDA on vaccine policy.
[Scare Tactics] CDC Says H1N1 Could Kill Hundreds of Thousands If Vaccine Fails:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-flu25-2009jul25,0,3387335.story
The Los Angeles Times -- July 25, 2009
Hundreds of thousands of Americans could die over the next two years if the vaccine and other control measures for the new H1N1 influenza are not effective, and, at the pandemic's peak, as much as 40% of the workforce could be affected, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That is admittedly a worst-case scenario that the federal agency says it doesn't expect to occur.
The Los Angeles Times -- July 25, 2009
Hundreds of thousands of Americans could die over the next two years if the vaccine and other control measures for the new H1N1 influenza are not effective, and, at the pandemic's peak, as much as 40% of the workforce could be affected, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That is admittedly a worst-case scenario that the federal agency says it doesn't expect to occur.
Europe fast-tracking swine flu vaccine:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iCajXBnuqbQEUf_cH4_dblpysz_gD99MCRJO1
LONDON: 26 Jul 2009
In a drive to inoculate people 'against' swine flu before winter, many European governments say they will fast-track the testing of a vaccine, arousing concern among some experts about safety and proper doses.
The European Medicines Agency, the EU's top drug regulatory body, is accelerating the approval process for swine flu vaccine, and countries such as Britain, Greece, France and Sweden say they'll start using the vaccine after it's greenlighted -- possibly within weeks.
LONDON: 26 Jul 2009
In a drive to inoculate people 'against' swine flu before winter, many European governments say they will fast-track the testing of a vaccine, arousing concern among some experts about safety and proper doses.
The European Medicines Agency, the EU's top drug regulatory body, is accelerating the approval process for swine flu vaccine, and countries such as Britain, Greece, France and Sweden say they'll start using the vaccine after it's greenlighted -- possibly within weeks.
[U.K.] Addicts may get flu drug first:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/swineflu/2555562/Addicts-may-get-flu-drug-first.html
<<<
Meanwhile the world's top flu expert has warned against the dangers of fast-tracking vaccines without proper checks.
The European Medicines Agency is accelerating the approval process for swine flu and Britain will use the vaccine after it gets the green light, expected in weeks.
But World Health Organization's flu chief Dr Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organisation's flu chief, warned: "One of the things which cannot be compromised is the safety of vaccines.
"There are certain areas where you can make economies, perhaps, but certain areas where you simply do not try to make any economies."
It's feared the new vaccine may cause side effects which won't be discovered until millions are dished out.
>>>
<<<
Meanwhile the world's top flu expert has warned against the dangers of fast-tracking vaccines without proper checks.
The European Medicines Agency is accelerating the approval process for swine flu and Britain will use the vaccine after it gets the green light, expected in weeks.
But World Health Organization's flu chief Dr Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organisation's flu chief, warned: "One of the things which cannot be compromised is the safety of vaccines.
"There are certain areas where you can make economies, perhaps, but certain areas where you simply do not try to make any economies."
It's feared the new vaccine may cause side effects which won't be discovered until millions are dished out.
>>>
All U.S. children should get seasonal flu shot: CDC:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56N41Y20090724
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - All U.S. children aged 6 months to 18 years should get a seasonal influenza vaccine every year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
The CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said the agency was strengthening recommendations for children to get the vaccination against seasonal influenza, especially with fears that the new H1N1 virus will be added to the already expected burden of seasonal flu.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - All U.S. children aged 6 months to 18 years should get a seasonal influenza vaccine every year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
The CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said the agency was strengthening recommendations for children to get the vaccination against seasonal influenza, especially with fears that the new H1N1 virus will be added to the already expected burden of seasonal flu.
Hundreds volunteer for SLU swine flu vaccine study:
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/07/20/daily75.html
St. Louis Business Journal
Saint Louis University has received 500 calls from people interested in volunteering to try a new swine flu vaccine.
“We haven't gotten this many calls on a study since our smallpox vaccine research post-Sept. 11,” said Nancy Solomon, a university spokeswoman.
SLU’s Center for Vaccine Development is among eight sites picked to help develop a vaccine for swine flu, officially called H1N1 influenza.
The government wants several thousand volunteers nationwide to test the flu shots.
Last year SLU received a $23.7 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to serve as a Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit. SLU has been funded as a VTEU since 1989.
For more information about SLU’s vaccine research, call 314-977-6333.
Swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said Friday, according to media reports. That means about twice the number of people who usually get sick in a normal flu season would be struck by swine flu, according to the CDC.
St. Louis Business Journal
Saint Louis University has received 500 calls from people interested in volunteering to try a new swine flu vaccine.
“We haven't gotten this many calls on a study since our smallpox vaccine research post-Sept. 11,” said Nancy Solomon, a university spokeswoman.
SLU’s Center for Vaccine Development is among eight sites picked to help develop a vaccine for swine flu, officially called H1N1 influenza.
The government wants several thousand volunteers nationwide to test the flu shots.
Last year SLU received a $23.7 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to serve as a Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit. SLU has been funded as a VTEU since 1989.
For more information about SLU’s vaccine research, call 314-977-6333.
Swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said Friday, according to media reports. That means about twice the number of people who usually get sick in a normal flu season would be struck by swine flu, according to the CDC.
[U.K.] Government Swine Flu Advisor On Vaccine Maker Payroll:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202389/Government-virus-expert-paid-116k-Tamiflu-vaccine-makers.html
A scientist who advises the Government on swine flu is a paid director of a drugs firm making hundreds of millions of pounds from the pandemic.
Professor Sir Roy Anderson sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), a 20-strong task force drawing up the action plan for the virus.
Yet he also holds a £116,000-a-year post on the board of GlaxoSmithKline, the company selling swine flu vaccines and anti-virals to the NHS.
Sir Roy faced demands to step down yesterday amid claims that the jobs were incompatible. 'This is a clear conflict of interest and should be of great concern to taxpayers and government officials alike,' said Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers' Alliance.
‘You cannot have the man in charge of medical emergencies having any financial interest in the management of those emergencies. We need someone totally unbiased to tackle this crisis.'
A scientist who advises the Government on swine flu is a paid director of a drugs firm making hundreds of millions of pounds from the pandemic.
Professor Sir Roy Anderson sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), a 20-strong task force drawing up the action plan for the virus.
Yet he also holds a £116,000-a-year post on the board of GlaxoSmithKline, the company selling swine flu vaccines and anti-virals to the NHS.
Sir Roy faced demands to step down yesterday amid claims that the jobs were incompatible. 'This is a clear conflict of interest and should be of great concern to taxpayers and government officials alike,' said Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers' Alliance.
‘You cannot have the man in charge of medical emergencies having any financial interest in the management of those emergencies. We need someone totally unbiased to tackle this crisis.'
[Canada] Swine flu vaccine will need compensation rules: Expert:
http://www.canada.com/news/Swine+vaccine+will+need+compensation+rules+Expert/1811716/story.html
No plans here to aid those injured from the immunization:
BY SHARON KIRKEY, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE JULY 21, 2009
A leading public health expert is calling on Canada to create a no-fault compensation program for people who may be harmed by a swine flu vaccine that millions of Canadians will be urged by the government to get this fall.
Kumanan Wilson, Canada research chair in public health at the University of Ottawa, said in an interview with Canwest News Service that children and adults could be exposed to an incompletely tested vaccine and that a compensation scheme is needed to encourage the public to buy into any mass immunization program.
When the World Health Organization last month proclaimed swine flu the first pandemic since 1968, Canada's chief public health officer, David Butler-Jones, said everyone should get the new flu shot when it becomes available.
"The more people that have immunity, the easier it is to stop," he said.
But Canwest News Service has learned that, unlike the United States, the Public Health Agency of Canada has no plans to compensate people who may be injured by an H1N1 vaccine.
No plans here to aid those injured from the immunization:
BY SHARON KIRKEY, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE JULY 21, 2009
A leading public health expert is calling on Canada to create a no-fault compensation program for people who may be harmed by a swine flu vaccine that millions of Canadians will be urged by the government to get this fall.
Kumanan Wilson, Canada research chair in public health at the University of Ottawa, said in an interview with Canwest News Service that children and adults could be exposed to an incompletely tested vaccine and that a compensation scheme is needed to encourage the public to buy into any mass immunization program.
When the World Health Organization last month proclaimed swine flu the first pandemic since 1968, Canada's chief public health officer, David Butler-Jones, said everyone should get the new flu shot when it becomes available.
"The more people that have immunity, the easier it is to stop," he said.
But Canwest News Service has learned that, unlike the United States, the Public Health Agency of Canada has no plans to compensate people who may be injured by an H1N1 vaccine.
ANTI-SQUALENE ANTIBODIES LINK GULF WAR SYNDROME TO ANTHRAX VACCINE:
http://www.autoimmune.com/GWSGen.html
Data published in the February 2000 and August 2002 issues of Experimental and Molecular Pathology strongly suggests that Gulf War Syndrome is caused by a vaccine contaminated with squalene.
The August 2002 article is entitled "Antibodies to Squalene in Recipients of Anthrax Vaccine" (Exp. Mol. Pathol. 73,19-27 (2002)).
Gulf War Syndrome, or GWS, is the term which has been applied to the multi-symptom rheumatic disorder experienced by many veterans of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf war. A similar disorder appeared in 1990-1991-era personnel who were never deployed to the Persian Gulf theater of operations and also in other military personnel, including participants in the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program, or AVIP, which was inaugurated in 1997. No data has ever suggested that the disorder experienced by the deployed 1990-1991 soldiers is different from the disorder experienced by the other groups of patients, but the other cases have not been considered to be cases of GWS.
Squalene was found by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in five lots of the AVIP anthrax vaccine. The discovery of serum anti-squalene antibodies and the development of a test to detect these antibodies has made it possible to see that links appear to exist between the contaminated AVIP vaccine lots, the illness experienced by post-1997 vaccine recipients, the illness experienced by non-deployed 1990-1991-era patients, and the illness in deployed 1990-1991-era patients that has been referred to as GWS.
The data establishing these links is presented in the peer-reviewed February 2000 and August 2002 articles. The published findings (1) strongly suggest that the GWS-like illness being reported by all of the various patient groups is the same illness, (2) strongly suggest that the contaminated vaccine caused the illness in the AVIP group, and (3) further suggest that squalene contamination of one or more 1990-1991-era vaccines accounts for the GWS cases from that era.
Data published in the February 2000 and August 2002 issues of Experimental and Molecular Pathology strongly suggests that Gulf War Syndrome is caused by a vaccine contaminated with squalene.
The August 2002 article is entitled "Antibodies to Squalene in Recipients of Anthrax Vaccine" (Exp. Mol. Pathol. 73,19-27 (2002)).
Gulf War Syndrome, or GWS, is the term which has been applied to the multi-symptom rheumatic disorder experienced by many veterans of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf war. A similar disorder appeared in 1990-1991-era personnel who were never deployed to the Persian Gulf theater of operations and also in other military personnel, including participants in the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program, or AVIP, which was inaugurated in 1997. No data has ever suggested that the disorder experienced by the deployed 1990-1991 soldiers is different from the disorder experienced by the other groups of patients, but the other cases have not been considered to be cases of GWS.
Squalene was found by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in five lots of the AVIP anthrax vaccine. The discovery of serum anti-squalene antibodies and the development of a test to detect these antibodies has made it possible to see that links appear to exist between the contaminated AVIP vaccine lots, the illness experienced by post-1997 vaccine recipients, the illness experienced by non-deployed 1990-1991-era patients, and the illness in deployed 1990-1991-era patients that has been referred to as GWS.
The data establishing these links is presented in the peer-reviewed February 2000 and August 2002 articles. The published findings (1) strongly suggest that the GWS-like illness being reported by all of the various patient groups is the same illness, (2) strongly suggest that the contaminated vaccine caused the illness in the AVIP group, and (3) further suggest that squalene contamination of one or more 1990-1991-era vaccines accounts for the GWS cases from that era.
Vaccine May Be More Dangerous Than Swine Flu:
http://www.newsmax.com/health/vaccine_swine_flu/2009/07/07/232717.html
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 9:54 AM
By: Dr. Russell Blaylock
The MF-59 adjuvant has been used in several vaccines. These vaccines, including tetanus and diphtheria, are the same vaccines frequently associated with adverse reactions.
I reviewed a number of studies on this adjuvant and found something quite interesting. Several studies done on human test subjects found MF-59 to be a very safe immune adjuvant. But when I checked to see who did these studies, I found—to no surprise—that they were done by the Novartis Pharmaceutical Company and Chiron Pharmaceutical Company, which have merged. They were all published in “prestigious” medical journals. Also, to no surprise, a great number of studies done by independent laboratories and research institutions all found a strong link between MF-59 and autoimmune diseases.
Squalene in vaccines has been strongly linked to the Gulf War Syndrome. On August 1991, Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs admitted that soldiers vaccinated with the anthrax vaccine from 1990 to 1991 had an increased risk of 200 percent in developing the deadly disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The soldiers also suffered from a number of debilitating and life-shortening diseases, such as polyarteritis nodosa, multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, transverse myelitis (a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord), endocarditis (inflammation of the heart’s inner lining), optic neuritis with blindness and glomerulonephritis (a type of kidney disease).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 9:54 AM
By: Dr. Russell Blaylock
The MF-59 adjuvant has been used in several vaccines. These vaccines, including tetanus and diphtheria, are the same vaccines frequently associated with adverse reactions.
I reviewed a number of studies on this adjuvant and found something quite interesting. Several studies done on human test subjects found MF-59 to be a very safe immune adjuvant. But when I checked to see who did these studies, I found—to no surprise—that they were done by the Novartis Pharmaceutical Company and Chiron Pharmaceutical Company, which have merged. They were all published in “prestigious” medical journals. Also, to no surprise, a great number of studies done by independent laboratories and research institutions all found a strong link between MF-59 and autoimmune diseases.
Squalene in vaccines has been strongly linked to the Gulf War Syndrome. On August 1991, Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs admitted that soldiers vaccinated with the anthrax vaccine from 1990 to 1991 had an increased risk of 200 percent in developing the deadly disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The soldiers also suffered from a number of debilitating and life-shortening diseases, such as polyarteritis nodosa, multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, transverse myelitis (a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord), endocarditis (inflammation of the heart’s inner lining), optic neuritis with blindness and glomerulonephritis (a type of kidney disease).
SCENARIOS: Companies reaping the swine flu windfall:
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE56M44W20090723
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The effects of swine flu are already showing up in higher profits for makers of vaccines and antiviral drugs as the first pandemic of the 21st century makes its way onto corporate bottom lines.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The effects of swine flu are already showing up in higher profits for makers of vaccines and antiviral drugs as the first pandemic of the 21st century makes its way onto corporate bottom lines.
Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline predicts swine flu gold rush:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/22/glaxosmithkline-swine-flu-vaccine
Richard Wachman
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 20.28 BST
Britain's biggest pharmaceutical company is preparing to sell £3bn worth of swine flu drugs this year, it emerged today.
GlaxoSmithKline revealed its vaccine, one of the world's first, could be available by September after the UK government placed advance orders for 60m doses.
It also disclosed that international governments were stockpiling large supplies of GSK's anti-viral treatment Relenza, which can relieve swine flu symptoms.
Worldwide sales from the two drugs are expected to reach £3bn by January, but the company rejected claims it was exploiting the pandemic – stressing that profits would be much lower once development costs were taken into account.
It also said poorer nations would receive the vaccine for free with 50m doses to be donated to the World Health Organisation. More could follow, depending on demand.
The chief executive, Andrew Witty, said the company had been preparing for a pandemic for the last three-and-a-half years and had spent more than £1bn to ensure its factories could crank up production at short notice. "We don't know how big this deal is going to be, but no-one can say we aren't ready," said Witty. "We are working flat out with governments around the world to come up with a solution."
Richard Wachman
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 20.28 BST
Britain's biggest pharmaceutical company is preparing to sell £3bn worth of swine flu drugs this year, it emerged today.
GlaxoSmithKline revealed its vaccine, one of the world's first, could be available by September after the UK government placed advance orders for 60m doses.
It also disclosed that international governments were stockpiling large supplies of GSK's anti-viral treatment Relenza, which can relieve swine flu symptoms.
Worldwide sales from the two drugs are expected to reach £3bn by January, but the company rejected claims it was exploiting the pandemic – stressing that profits would be much lower once development costs were taken into account.
It also said poorer nations would receive the vaccine for free with 50m doses to be donated to the World Health Organisation. More could follow, depending on demand.
The chief executive, Andrew Witty, said the company had been preparing for a pandemic for the last three-and-a-half years and had spent more than £1bn to ensure its factories could crank up production at short notice. "We don't know how big this deal is going to be, but no-one can say we aren't ready," said Witty. "We are working flat out with governments around the world to come up with a solution."
[U.K.] Catacombs may be used to store bodies of swine flu victims:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/25/swine-flu-bodies-catacombs
Exeter city council plans to use 19th century burial chambers as emergency mortuary if pandemic worsens
Saturday 25 July 2009 11.52 BST
A city council is considering using 19th century catacombs to store the bodies of swine flu victims if the outbreak worsens, it was confirmed today.
Exeter city council has identified the empty underground burial chambers, currently used as a tourist attraction, as a potential mortuary.
A council spokesman said the plan would be implemented if the crematorium and cemeteries could not keep up with funeral demands.
"We have some empty catacombs in an old cemetery in the city," he said. "These are 19th century underground burial chambers which are normally a tourist attraction. They can, however, be safely used for their original purpose and allow us to temporarily store bodies in the remote possibility that the need should arise."
Exeter city council plans to use 19th century burial chambers as emergency mortuary if pandemic worsens
Saturday 25 July 2009 11.52 BST
A city council is considering using 19th century catacombs to store the bodies of swine flu victims if the outbreak worsens, it was confirmed today.
Exeter city council has identified the empty underground burial chambers, currently used as a tourist attraction, as a potential mortuary.
A council spokesman said the plan would be implemented if the crematorium and cemeteries could not keep up with funeral demands.
"We have some empty catacombs in an old cemetery in the city," he said. "These are 19th century underground burial chambers which are normally a tourist attraction. They can, however, be safely used for their original purpose and allow us to temporarily store bodies in the remote possibility that the need should arise."
Britain: Dozens fall victim to side effects of swine flu drug:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10586864&ref=emailfriend
Jeremy Laurence
The New Zealand Herald
Monday, July 27, 2009
The agency that licenses medicines in Britain has received 150 reports of suspected adverse reactions to the Tamiflu treatment for swine flu.
The figure was released yesterday as GPs said some patients were choosing not to take the drug because of concern about the possible side effects.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the 150 reports received within the UK up until 23 July mention 241 separate side effects, most of which were mild and already recognised as linked with the anti-viral drug.
They include “mild allergic and gastrointestinal events”, such as diarrhoea and vomiting. There were five reports involving nine suspected adverse reactions to Relenza, the rival drug to Tamiflu which is taken by inhalation and is less widely used.
Jeremy Laurence
The New Zealand Herald
Monday, July 27, 2009
The agency that licenses medicines in Britain has received 150 reports of suspected adverse reactions to the Tamiflu treatment for swine flu.
The figure was released yesterday as GPs said some patients were choosing not to take the drug because of concern about the possible side effects.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the 150 reports received within the UK up until 23 July mention 241 separate side effects, most of which were mild and already recognised as linked with the anti-viral drug.
They include “mild allergic and gastrointestinal events”, such as diarrhoea and vomiting. There were five reports involving nine suspected adverse reactions to Relenza, the rival drug to Tamiflu which is taken by inhalation and is less widely used.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Pandemic H1N1 Swine Flu: What About You & Your Family?
The National Vaccine Information Center posted to its site this week "Pandemic H1N1 Swine Flu: What About You & Your Family?" This is the single best resource we've seen to date summarizing the science and the legal aspects of this rapidly developing situation. The link is here:
http://www.nvic.org/vaccines-and-diseases/h1n1-swine-flu.aspx
Please share this information with your friends and family!
-SVC
http://www.nvic.org/vaccines-and-diseases/h1n1-swine-flu.aspx
Please share this information with your friends and family!
-SVC
Thursday, July 23, 2009
WSLR Community Radio, 96.5 LPFM, to Feature Two Swine Flu and Vaccination Discussions:
1. “Surreal News": Friday: July 24th, 9 AM E.S.T.:
Guest: Steve Lendman, author of, "Readying Americans For Dangerous, Mandatory Vaccinations"
(See: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2009/07/mandatory-swine-flu-vaccine-alert.html)
Steve Lendman is a Research Associate for The Centre for Research on Globalization. See: http://www.globalresearch.ca/)
In Sarasota, listen to WSLR on 96.5 LPFM. Or stream online from: http://wslr.org/listen-live/
Additional information about Surreal News: "http://www.thesurrealnews.com/
Podcasts of each show are posted at http://www.thesurrealnews.com/
2. “Truly Sustainable Sarasota”: Thursday, July 30th, 9 AM E.S.T.:
Guest: Barbara Loe Fisher, Founder and President, National Vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/
In Sarasota, listen to WSLR on 96.5 LPFM. Elsewhere, stream online from: http://wslr.org/listen-live/
Guest: Steve Lendman, author of, "Readying Americans For Dangerous, Mandatory Vaccinations"
(See: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2009/07/mandatory-swine-flu-vaccine-alert.html)
Steve Lendman is a Research Associate for The Centre for Research on Globalization. See: http://www.globalresearch.ca/)
In Sarasota, listen to WSLR on 96.5 LPFM. Or stream online from: http://wslr.org/listen-live/
Additional information about Surreal News: "http://www.thesurrealnews.com/
Podcasts of each show are posted at http://www.thesurrealnews.com/
2. “Truly Sustainable Sarasota”: Thursday, July 30th, 9 AM E.S.T.:
Guest: Barbara Loe Fisher, Founder and President, National Vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/
In Sarasota, listen to WSLR on 96.5 LPFM. Elsewhere, stream online from: http://wslr.org/listen-live/
Vaccinations: Deadly Immunity, by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Vaccinations: Deadly Immunity:
"Government health agencies colluded with Big Pharma to hide the risks"
by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [2005]
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14510
<<<
Global Research Editor's note:
We bring to the attention of our readers this 2005 article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. published by Rollingstone.com.
The article sheds light on the collusion between Big Parma and the US government and the dangers associated with vaccines produced by major pharmaceutical companies. This article is of particular relevance to the current debate on the H1N1 swine flu virus and plans by the WHO, The Obama Administration and Big Pharma to develop a swine flu vaccine.
The article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. documented "the government's efforts to conceal alarming data about the dangers of vaccines."
>>>
"Government health agencies colluded with Big Pharma to hide the risks"
by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [2005]
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14510
<<<
Global Research Editor's note:
We bring to the attention of our readers this 2005 article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. published by Rollingstone.com.
The article sheds light on the collusion between Big Parma and the US government and the dangers associated with vaccines produced by major pharmaceutical companies. This article is of particular relevance to the current debate on the H1N1 swine flu virus and plans by the WHO, The Obama Administration and Big Pharma to develop a swine flu vaccine.
The article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. documented "the government's efforts to conceal alarming data about the dangers of vaccines."
>>>
W.H.O. Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 2:
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 2:
WHO recommendations on pandemic (H1N1) 2009: vaccineshttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090713/en/index.html
<<<
All countries should immunize their health-care workers as a first priority to protect the essential health infrastructure. As vaccines available initially will not be sufficient, a step-wise approach to vaccinate particular groups may be considered. SAGE suggested the following groups for consideration, noting that countries need to determine their order of priority based on country-specific conditions: pregnant women; those aged above 6 months with one of several chronic medical conditions; healthy young adults of 15 to 49 years of age; healthy children; healthy adults of 50 to 64 years of age; and healthy adults of 65 years of age and above.
>>>
WHO recommendations on pandemic (H1N1) 2009: vaccineshttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090713/en/index.html
<<<
All countries should immunize their health-care workers as a first priority to protect the essential health infrastructure. As vaccines available initially will not be sufficient, a step-wise approach to vaccinate particular groups may be considered. SAGE suggested the following groups for consideration, noting that countries need to determine their order of priority based on country-specific conditions: pregnant women; those aged above 6 months with one of several chronic medical conditions; healthy young adults of 15 to 49 years of age; healthy children; healthy adults of 50 to 64 years of age; and healthy adults of 65 years of age and above.
>>>
Demand an Investigation of Baxter Corporation and its Vaccines!
According to multiple published reports, Baxter Corporation earlier this year shipped vaccines contaminated with virulent H5N1 bird flu. Yet, in spite of this "accident," Baxter Corporation is currently producing H1N1 "swine flu" vaccines for fall or winter release (See: Swine flu shots to boost Baxter: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-baxter-swine-flu-0717-jul17,0,3826525.story ). Don't we deserve a thorough investigation as to how live bird flu materials, kept in high-level bio-security facilities, ended up in vaccines intended for human use?
Baxter: Product contained live bird flu virus
By HELEN BRANSWELL, THE CANADIAN PRESS
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/02/27/8560781.html
Baxter Sent Bird Flu Virus to European Labs by Error (Update2)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aTo3LbhcA75I
Editorial: Baxter’s H5N1 as global flu pandemic threat
http://www.lifegen.de/newsip/shownews.php4?getnews=2009-02-26-5323&pc=s01
Vaccines as Biological Weapons? Live Avian Flu Virus Placed in Baxter Vaccine Materials Sent to 18 Countries
http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html
The Times of India (March 6, 2009):
Virus mix-up by lab could have resulted in pandemic:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health--Science/Science/Virus-mix-up-by-lab-could-have-resulted-in-pandemic/articleshow/4230882.cms
It's emerged that virulent H5N1 bird flu was sent out by accident from an Austrian lab last year and given to ferrets in the Czech Republic before anyone realised. As well as the risk of it escaping into the wild, the H5N1 got mixed with a human strain, which might have spawned a hybrid that could unleash a pandemic.
Baxter: Product contained live bird flu virus
By HELEN BRANSWELL, THE CANADIAN PRESS
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/02/27/8560781.html
Baxter Sent Bird Flu Virus to European Labs by Error (Update2)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aTo3LbhcA75I
Editorial: Baxter’s H5N1 as global flu pandemic threat
http://www.lifegen.de/newsip/shownews.php4?getnews=2009-02-26-5323&pc=s01
Vaccines as Biological Weapons? Live Avian Flu Virus Placed in Baxter Vaccine Materials Sent to 18 Countries
http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html
The Times of India (March 6, 2009):
Virus mix-up by lab could have resulted in pandemic:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health--Science/Science/Virus-mix-up-by-lab-could-have-resulted-in-pandemic/articleshow/4230882.cms
It's emerged that virulent H5N1 bird flu was sent out by accident from an Austrian lab last year and given to ferrets in the Czech Republic before anyone realised. As well as the risk of it escaping into the wild, the H5N1 got mixed with a human strain, which might have spawned a hybrid that could unleash a pandemic.
Swine flu shots to boost Baxter:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-baxter-swine-flu-0717-jul17,0,3826525.story
Company reports 2nd-quarter profit increased by 13%, 2009 forecast raised
By Bruce Japsen | Tribune reporter July 17, 2009
International demand for a swine flu vaccine is developing into a boon for Baxter International Inc.
... On a day the Deerfield-based medical-product giant reported a 13 percent boost in second-quarter profit, Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Parkinson said the company's plant in the Czech Republic was running at capacity as it fills orders for 80 million dosages from five countries.
...Baxter has all the work it can handle and expects production of vaccines to combat the H1NI swine flu to continue indefinitely, particularly as strains mutate, Parkinson said.
..."There will be demand for whatever we will be able to produce," Parkinson told Wall Street analysts on an earnings conference call Thursday morning.
...Baxter said it would begin shipping dosages of a swine flu vaccine worldwide by the end of July. Baxter could reap $30 million to $40 million in revenue from H1N1 contracts.
Company reports 2nd-quarter profit increased by 13%, 2009 forecast raised
By Bruce Japsen | Tribune reporter July 17, 2009
International demand for a swine flu vaccine is developing into a boon for Baxter International Inc.
... On a day the Deerfield-based medical-product giant reported a 13 percent boost in second-quarter profit, Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Parkinson said the company's plant in the Czech Republic was running at capacity as it fills orders for 80 million dosages from five countries.
...Baxter has all the work it can handle and expects production of vaccines to combat the H1NI swine flu to continue indefinitely, particularly as strains mutate, Parkinson said.
..."There will be demand for whatever we will be able to produce," Parkinson told Wall Street analysts on an earnings conference call Thursday morning.
...Baxter said it would begin shipping dosages of a swine flu vaccine worldwide by the end of July. Baxter could reap $30 million to $40 million in revenue from H1N1 contracts.
Drug groups to reap swine-flu billions:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/375dde06-7559-11de-9ed5-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F375dde06-7559-11de-9ed5-00144feabdc0.html%3Fnclick_check%3D1&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prisonplanet.com%2Fdrug-groups-to-reap-swine-flu-billions.html&nclick_check=1
Some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies are reaping billions of dollars in extra revenue amid global concern about the spread of swine flu.
Analysts expect to see a boost in sales from GlaxoSmithKline, Roche and Sanofi-Aventis when the companies report first-half earnings lifted by government contracts for flu vaccines and antiviral medicines.
The fresh sales – on top of strong results from Novartis of Switzerland and Baxter of the US, which both also produce vaccines – come as the latest tallies show that more than 740 people have died from the H1N1 virus, and millions have been affected around the world.
GlaxoSmithKline of the UK confirmed it had sold 150m doses of a pandemic flu vaccine – equivalent to its normal sales of seasonal flu vaccine – to countries including the UK, the US, France and Belgium, and was gearing up to boost production.
Some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies are reaping billions of dollars in extra revenue amid global concern about the spread of swine flu.
Analysts expect to see a boost in sales from GlaxoSmithKline, Roche and Sanofi-Aventis when the companies report first-half earnings lifted by government contracts for flu vaccines and antiviral medicines.
The fresh sales – on top of strong results from Novartis of Switzerland and Baxter of the US, which both also produce vaccines – come as the latest tallies show that more than 740 people have died from the H1N1 virus, and millions have been affected around the world.
GlaxoSmithKline of the UK confirmed it had sold 150m doses of a pandemic flu vaccine – equivalent to its normal sales of seasonal flu vaccine – to countries including the UK, the US, France and Belgium, and was gearing up to boost production.
Quarantine at [U.S.] detention center due to swine flu
The Associated Press
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_12843012
Posted: 07/15/2009 10:48:10 AM PDT
Updated: 07/15/2009 10:48:10 AM PDT
SAN DIEGO—Authorities say dozens of immigrants being held at San Diego's Otay Mesa detention center are being quarantined because of fears over the swine flu.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say two cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed at the facility since last month. The individuals were treated and recovered.
ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack says 72 detainees have been segregated from the center's general population for observation because of possible contact with infected people.
Sean Riordan, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, says the observation practice is "devastating" to immigrants whose court hearings are being delayed even if they're not sick.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_12843012
Posted: 07/15/2009 10:48:10 AM PDT
Updated: 07/15/2009 10:48:10 AM PDT
SAN DIEGO—Authorities say dozens of immigrants being held at San Diego's Otay Mesa detention center are being quarantined because of fears over the swine flu.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say two cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed at the facility since last month. The individuals were treated and recovered.
ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack says 72 detainees have been segregated from the center's general population for observation because of possible contact with infected people.
Sean Riordan, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, says the observation practice is "devastating" to immigrants whose court hearings are being delayed even if they're not sick.
MILLIONS of Britons face being put in quarantine this summer as the swine flu pandemic takes hold, experts warned yesterday.
Saturday July 18 2009
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/114665/Swine-flu-threat-to-holidays/
With the massive scale of the outbreak becoming clearer, bans on travelling abroad over the holiday months could affect six million people, or 10 per cent of the population.
The knock-on effects will deliver a hammer blow to the travel industry, with millions of pounds lost during the peak season and insurance companies facing a deluge of claims.
Saturday July 18 2009
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/114665/Swine-flu-threat-to-holidays/
With the massive scale of the outbreak becoming clearer, bans on travelling abroad over the holiday months could affect six million people, or 10 per cent of the population.
The knock-on effects will deliver a hammer blow to the travel industry, with millions of pounds lost during the peak season and insurance companies facing a deluge of claims.
Legal immunity set for swine flu vaccine makers
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hjdCHrP82YTFser5vD6CzTK1az6wD99GH8580
By MIKE STOBBE (AP) – Jul 17, 2009
ATLANTA — The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots. This time, the government has already taken steps to head that off.
Vaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, government health officials said Friday.
Since the 1980s, the government has protected vaccine makers against lawsuits over the use of childhood vaccines. Instead, a federal court handles claims and decides who will be paid from a special fund.
The document signed by Sebelius last month grants immunity to those making a swine flu vaccine, under the provisions of a 2006 law for public health emergencies. It allows for a compensation fund, if needed.
The government takes such steps to encourage drug companies to make vaccines, and it's worked. Federal officials have contracted with five manufacturers to make a swine flu vaccine. First identified in April, swine flu has so far caused about 263 deaths, according to numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
The CDC said more than 40,000 Americans have had confirmed or probable cases, but those are people who sought health care. It's likely that more than 1 million Americans have been sickened by the flu, many with mild cases.
The virus hits younger people harder that seasonal flu, but so far hasn't been much more deadly than the strains seen every fall and winter. But health officials believe the virus could mutate to a more dangerous form, or at least contribute to a potentially heavier flu season than usual.
"We do expect there to be an increase in influenza this fall," with a bump in cases perhaps beginning earlier than normal, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the regular winter flu vaccine, a final step before shipments to clinics and other vaccination sites could begin.
The last time the government faced a new swine flu virus was in 1976. Cases of swine flu in soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., including one death, made health officials worried they might be facing a deadly pandemic like the one that killed millions around the world in 1918 and 1919.
Federal officials vaccinated 40 million Americans during a national campaign. A pandemic never materialized, but thousands who got the shots filed injury claims, saying they suffered a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome or other side effects.
"The government paid out quite a bit of money," said Stephen Sugarman, a law professor who specializes in product liability at the University of California at Berkeley.
Vaccines aren't as profitable as other drugs for manufacturers, and without protection against lawsuits "they're saying, 'Do we need this?'" Sugarman said.
The move to protect makers of a swine flu didn't go over well with Paul Pennock, a prominent New York plaintiffs attorney on medical liability cases. The government will likely call on millions of Americans to get the vaccinations to prevent the disease from spreading, he noted.
"If you're going to ask people to do this for the common good, then let's make sure for the common good that these people will be taken care of if something goes wrong," Pennock said.
AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report from Washington.
On the Net:
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/
By MIKE STOBBE (AP) – Jul 17, 2009
ATLANTA — The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots. This time, the government has already taken steps to head that off.
Vaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, government health officials said Friday.
Since the 1980s, the government has protected vaccine makers against lawsuits over the use of childhood vaccines. Instead, a federal court handles claims and decides who will be paid from a special fund.
The document signed by Sebelius last month grants immunity to those making a swine flu vaccine, under the provisions of a 2006 law for public health emergencies. It allows for a compensation fund, if needed.
The government takes such steps to encourage drug companies to make vaccines, and it's worked. Federal officials have contracted with five manufacturers to make a swine flu vaccine. First identified in April, swine flu has so far caused about 263 deaths, according to numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
The CDC said more than 40,000 Americans have had confirmed or probable cases, but those are people who sought health care. It's likely that more than 1 million Americans have been sickened by the flu, many with mild cases.
The virus hits younger people harder that seasonal flu, but so far hasn't been much more deadly than the strains seen every fall and winter. But health officials believe the virus could mutate to a more dangerous form, or at least contribute to a potentially heavier flu season than usual.
"We do expect there to be an increase in influenza this fall," with a bump in cases perhaps beginning earlier than normal, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the regular winter flu vaccine, a final step before shipments to clinics and other vaccination sites could begin.
The last time the government faced a new swine flu virus was in 1976. Cases of swine flu in soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., including one death, made health officials worried they might be facing a deadly pandemic like the one that killed millions around the world in 1918 and 1919.
Federal officials vaccinated 40 million Americans during a national campaign. A pandemic never materialized, but thousands who got the shots filed injury claims, saying they suffered a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome or other side effects.
"The government paid out quite a bit of money," said Stephen Sugarman, a law professor who specializes in product liability at the University of California at Berkeley.
Vaccines aren't as profitable as other drugs for manufacturers, and without protection against lawsuits "they're saying, 'Do we need this?'" Sugarman said.
The move to protect makers of a swine flu didn't go over well with Paul Pennock, a prominent New York plaintiffs attorney on medical liability cases. The government will likely call on millions of Americans to get the vaccinations to prevent the disease from spreading, he noted.
"If you're going to ask people to do this for the common good, then let's make sure for the common good that these people will be taken care of if something goes wrong," Pennock said.
AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report from Washington.
On the Net:
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/
Times Online Comment: Mass flu vaccination would be madness:
Times Online Comment: Mass flu vaccination would be madness:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6722428.ece
July 22, 2009
The current threat of swine flu doesn’t justify a gamble on a vaccine that has not been fully tested
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6722428.ece
July 22, 2009
The current threat of swine flu doesn’t justify a gamble on a vaccine that has not been fully tested
Agencies to set up mass swine flu vaccinations:
Agencies to set up mass swine flu vaccinations:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/21/BA6H18PA5J.DTL
(07-20) 21:11 PDT -- Public health experts are gearing up for swine flu vaccinations this fall in what could be the largest mass-immunization campaign since the polio vaccine was introduced more than 50 years ago.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/21/BA6H18PA5J.DTL
(07-20) 21:11 PDT -- Public health experts are gearing up for swine flu vaccinations this fall in what could be the largest mass-immunization campaign since the polio vaccine was introduced more than 50 years ago.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Inform Yourself re: the Hazards of Untested Vaccines!
The news of two deaths attributed to swine flu here in Sarasota is highly disturbing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the deceased. Even as credible experts seem to have divergent opinions as to the lethality of the novel H1N1, what is particularly distressing is the response being implemented by federal and state public health authorities: a massive vaccination program, which will be geared initially to our most vulnerable citizens - our school children.
Many people will wisely choose to avoid the novel H1N1 vaccination. Public health authorities are conceding that it will be effectively experimental; the vaccines produced for the H1N1 Pandemic will not have been tested in any meaningful way by the time they are delivered. For example, the W.H.O. itself states:
“Since new technologies are involved in the production of some pandemic vaccines, which have not yet been extensively evaluated for their safety in certain population groups, it is very important to implement post-marketing surveillance of the highest possible quality. In addition, rapid sharing of the results of immunogenicity and post-marketing safety and effectiveness studies among the international community will be essential for allowing countries to make necessary adjustments to their vaccination policies.” [http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090713/en/index.html]
My 87 year-old mother-in-law resides in a Sarasota assisted-living facility. She has autoimmune hepatitis and diabetes. Will she be required, or pressured, to take this novel swine flu vaccine as a condition of remaining at this facility, even though a number of experts warn that vaccine adjuvants, including squalene oil, may themselves cause autoimmune disorders?
Please, as fascinating background to this entire situation, take 15 minutes and watch Mike Wallace’s 1979 “60 Minutes” piece about the 1976 influenza and the “rushed-to-market” swine flu vaccine which killed and maimed people. It’s archived here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x9mh9f
Stay tuned, and inform yourself of the hazards of untested vaccines! Will the new influenza vaccine be even more dangerous than the virus itself? How will you even know, given that the vaccines are being rushed to production without long-term safety testing? Learn about natural ways to boost your immunity; these are safer and arguably more effective than untested, experimental vaccines.
- J
[1] HHS: Swine flu shots may begin in October:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXFe712UD7TL1akfJ1qCC6SEs1hQD99AV5FO2
[2] Swine flu vaccine may be on the way:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/07/68494005/1
School-age
[3] New Mexico Department Of Health Prepares For Influenza Mass
Vaccination: Clinics Department Continues To Monitor H1N1 Cases:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157318.php
[4] Swine flu vaccine rushed through safety checks:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6694046.ece
[5] Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 2:
WHO recommendations on pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccines:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090713/en/index.html
[6] Gary Matsumoto's book, _Vaccine A: The Covert Government
Experiment That's Killing Our Soldiers and Why GIs are Only the First
Victims_: http://www.vaccine-a.com/ ]
[7] Readying Americans For Dangerous, Mandatory Vaccinations
http://www.countercurrents.org/lendman130609.htm
[8] Vaccine contains squalene and gp120:
http://www.newsmax.com/health/vaccine_swine_flu/2009/07/07/232717.html
-------------------------
Other recent links:
Human trial of swine flu vaccine 'soon':
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/human-trial-of-swine-flu-vaccine-soon-20090715-dl7c.html
The federal government has defended its policy of not following the
United Kingdom's lead and rushing out a swine flu vaccine.
Swine flu will be biggest pandemic ever, warns world health chief:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/16/swine-flu-pandemic-who-warning
As swine flu sweeps the planet, Margaret Chan, head of the World
Health Organisation, tells how she is leading the battle against it –
and the personal price she is paying
67 Air Force cadets stricken with swine flu:
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_12828391
The academy said Monday that a total of 121 incoming freshmen with
flu-like symptoms are being kept in dorms, away from other cadets.
Preventing Gardasil Vaccine Injuries & Deaths:
[chilling piece on the fast-tracking of the Gardasil vaccine, with
references; “11-12 year old girls getting shots today - BOYS are
next”]:
http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/July-2009/Preventing-Gardasil-Vaccine-Injuries-Deaths.aspx
London Times Censors Mass Opposition to Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccine:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/london-times-censors-mass-opposition-to-mandatory-swine-flu-vaccine.html
Scores of comments opposing enforced jab deleted from website
Many people will wisely choose to avoid the novel H1N1 vaccination. Public health authorities are conceding that it will be effectively experimental; the vaccines produced for the H1N1 Pandemic will not have been tested in any meaningful way by the time they are delivered. For example, the W.H.O. itself states:
“Since new technologies are involved in the production of some pandemic vaccines, which have not yet been extensively evaluated for their safety in certain population groups, it is very important to implement post-marketing surveillance of the highest possible quality. In addition, rapid sharing of the results of immunogenicity and post-marketing safety and effectiveness studies among the international community will be essential for allowing countries to make necessary adjustments to their vaccination policies.” [http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090713/en/index.html]
My 87 year-old mother-in-law resides in a Sarasota assisted-living facility. She has autoimmune hepatitis and diabetes. Will she be required, or pressured, to take this novel swine flu vaccine as a condition of remaining at this facility, even though a number of experts warn that vaccine adjuvants, including squalene oil, may themselves cause autoimmune disorders?
Please, as fascinating background to this entire situation, take 15 minutes and watch Mike Wallace’s 1979 “60 Minutes” piece about the 1976 influenza and the “rushed-to-market” swine flu vaccine which killed and maimed people. It’s archived here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x9mh9f
Stay tuned, and inform yourself of the hazards of untested vaccines! Will the new influenza vaccine be even more dangerous than the virus itself? How will you even know, given that the vaccines are being rushed to production without long-term safety testing? Learn about natural ways to boost your immunity; these are safer and arguably more effective than untested, experimental vaccines.
- J
[1] HHS: Swine flu shots may begin in October:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXFe712UD7TL1akfJ1qCC6SEs1hQD99AV5FO2
[2] Swine flu vaccine may be on the way:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/07/68494005/1
School-age
[3] New Mexico Department Of Health Prepares For Influenza Mass
Vaccination: Clinics Department Continues To Monitor H1N1 Cases:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157318.php
[4] Swine flu vaccine rushed through safety checks:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6694046.ece
[5] Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 2:
WHO recommendations on pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccines:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090713/en/index.html
[6] Gary Matsumoto's book, _Vaccine A: The Covert Government
Experiment That's Killing Our Soldiers and Why GIs are Only the First
Victims_: http://www.vaccine-a.com/ ]
[7] Readying Americans For Dangerous, Mandatory Vaccinations
http://www.countercurrents.org/lendman130609.htm
[8] Vaccine contains squalene and gp120:
http://www.newsmax.com/health/vaccine_swine_flu/2009/07/07/232717.html
-------------------------
Other recent links:
Human trial of swine flu vaccine 'soon':
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/human-trial-of-swine-flu-vaccine-soon-20090715-dl7c.html
The federal government has defended its policy of not following the
United Kingdom's lead and rushing out a swine flu vaccine.
Swine flu will be biggest pandemic ever, warns world health chief:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/16/swine-flu-pandemic-who-warning
As swine flu sweeps the planet, Margaret Chan, head of the World
Health Organisation, tells how she is leading the battle against it –
and the personal price she is paying
67 Air Force cadets stricken with swine flu:
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_12828391
The academy said Monday that a total of 121 incoming freshmen with
flu-like symptoms are being kept in dorms, away from other cadets.
Preventing Gardasil Vaccine Injuries & Deaths:
[chilling piece on the fast-tracking of the Gardasil vaccine, with
references; “11-12 year old girls getting shots today - BOYS are
next”]:
http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/July-2009/Preventing-Gardasil-Vaccine-Injuries-Deaths.aspx
London Times Censors Mass Opposition to Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccine:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/london-times-censors-mass-opposition-to-mandatory-swine-flu-vaccine.html
Scores of comments opposing enforced jab deleted from website
[Sarasota] Second man's death linked to swine flu:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090717/BREAKING/907179963/2055/NEWS?Title=Second-man-s-death-linked-to-swine-flu
Sarasota Herald Tribune
By CHRIS O'DONNELL
Second man's death linked to swine flu
By CHRIS O'DONNELL
Published: Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:29 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:29 a.m.
SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County health officials today confirmed that a 47-year-old Sarasota man died from swine flu.
The death is the second from the disease in the last few days. Officials confirmed Thursday that the death of an otherwise-healthy 22-year-old local man was also the result of swine flu.
Officials say there have been 11 confirmed cases of the disease in Sarasota.
“These deaths are tragic and a sobering reminder that influenza is serious, and can be fatal. Our staff continues to monitor this disease in our community, and reminds residents to take precautions to avoid the flu,” said William Heymann, medical executive director for the Sarasota County Health Department.
People experiencing cough, fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and sore throat, possibly along with diarrhea and vomiting, should contact their doctor or health-care provider to see if they need to be treated at emergency department or stay home, officials said.
People with respiratory illness should stay home and away from work, day care or summer camps to avoid spreading infections, including influenza.
Health officials advise that you stay home for a week after symptoms begin or 24 hours after you are symptom-free whichever is longer.
Sarasota Herald Tribune
By CHRIS O'DONNELL
Second man's death linked to swine flu
By CHRIS O'DONNELL
Published: Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:29 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:29 a.m.
SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County health officials today confirmed that a 47-year-old Sarasota man died from swine flu.
The death is the second from the disease in the last few days. Officials confirmed Thursday that the death of an otherwise-healthy 22-year-old local man was also the result of swine flu.
Officials say there have been 11 confirmed cases of the disease in Sarasota.
“These deaths are tragic and a sobering reminder that influenza is serious, and can be fatal. Our staff continues to monitor this disease in our community, and reminds residents to take precautions to avoid the flu,” said William Heymann, medical executive director for the Sarasota County Health Department.
People experiencing cough, fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and sore throat, possibly along with diarrhea and vomiting, should contact their doctor or health-care provider to see if they need to be treated at emergency department or stay home, officials said.
People with respiratory illness should stay home and away from work, day care or summer camps to avoid spreading infections, including influenza.
Health officials advise that you stay home for a week after symptoms begin or 24 hours after you are symptom-free whichever is longer.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Florida prepares for huge swine flu shot program
<<<
``We're bringing in all of our community partners to qualify them to
give shots -- firemen, nurses in fire departments, paramedics, medical
students under the supervision of doctors.''
>>>
Florida prepares for huge swine flu shot program
THE MIAMI HERALD • July 10, 2009
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090710/BREAKINGNEWS/90710006/1086/rss07
Florida's surgeon general says the state is preparing for massive
swine flu immunizations, starting with schoolchildren, as the Obama
administration urges states to prepare for the likelihood that the
virus might worsen in the fall.
''We may end up averting a crisis. That's our hope,'' said President
Barack Obama, who took time away from the G-8 summit in Italy to
telephone another summit back home -- the 500 state and local health
officials meeting to prepare for swine flu's fall threat.
''We want to make sure we aren't promoting panic, but we are promoting
vigilance and preparation,'' Obama said.
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, told the
swine flu summit some H1N1 vaccine should be ready by mid-October.
''Scientists and public health experts forecast that the impact of
H1N1 may well worsen in the fall, when the regular flu season hits or
even earlier, when schools start to open, which is only five or six
weeks away,'' she said.
Florida already is planning for such vaccinations, said Dr. Ana M.
Viamonte Ros, Florida surgeon general, as she emerged from the summit.
''We're already meeting with local schools and day-care centers on how
we would do this,'' she said. ``By mid-October we won't have doses for
everyone. The vaccines will have to be directed toward individuals at
high risk. It's important to determine who really is at risk. With
swine flu, more of the younger ages are affected. That puts more
stress on schools.''
Complicating the issue is the need to vaccinate against regular
seasonal flu and the swine flu with different vaccines at the same
time, Viamonte Ros said. Priorities would have to be different,
because regular flu hits older people harder while swine flu is most
widespread among the young.
No final decision has been made on whether to vaccinate Americans,
Sibelius said. That depends on studies with experimental batches that
are to start in August. But if all goes well, the federal government
will buy vaccine from manufacturers and share it free among the
states.
[2 of 2]
Confusion could arise as doctors, clinics and even pharmacies are in
the midst of dispensing 100 million doses of regular winter flu
vaccine at the same time schools are vaccinating against swine flu,
Sibelius said.
She announced $350 million in federal grants to help states prepare.
Local officials also worried about the prospect of closing schools if
the flu gets worse in the fall. School closures last spring created
havoc for working parents without day care, until health officials
reversed the policy and reopened schools even if they had swine flu
cases.
Miami-Dade schools already are preparing for widespread vaccinations
and also planning in case some schools have to close in the fall, said
Wilma Steiner, Miami-Dade schools' director of health services.
If Florida schools have to close again, they must be ready to use
distant learning techniques to cope, she said.
''We're already using a lot of these things -- teachers posting
assignments, holding study sessions online so when schools reopen the
kids won't have fallen behind,'' Viamonte Ros said.
Following Obama's lead, Broward and Miami-Dade health leaders said
Thursday they already have extensive plans in place in case of serious
swine flu pandemic this fall and winter. But they have much work to
do.
''We're working really hard to be prepared,'' said Lillian Rivera,
director of the Miami-Dade Health Department. ``But we've never
experienced a pandemic before.''
A major concern is having enough qualified personnel available for big
vaccination programs, she said.
``We're bringing in all of our community partners to qualify them to
give shots -- firemen, nurses in fire departments, paramedics, medical
students under the supervision of doctors.''
''We've had a mass vaccination plan in place for some time, working
with law enforcement, emergency management services and health care
providers,'' said Dr. Paula Thaqi, director of the Broward Health
Department. ``We're making sure we're ready with supplies, locations
and staffing.''
U.S. health officials say the H1N1 flu has been relatively mild so
far, and has shown no evidence of mutating into a more virulent
strain.
Of 170 deaths so far in the United States, 75 percent were of people
with underlying health conditions such as asthma or heart problems.
On Thursday, the state health department reported two more swine flu
deaths -- a 55-year-old man in Duval County and a 25-year-old woman in
Palm Beach County -- raising the number of lab-confirmed deaths in
Florida to seven.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This report was supplemented with material from The Associated Press.
``We're bringing in all of our community partners to qualify them to
give shots -- firemen, nurses in fire departments, paramedics, medical
students under the supervision of doctors.''
>>>
Florida prepares for huge swine flu shot program
THE MIAMI HERALD • July 10, 2009
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090710/BREAKINGNEWS/90710006/1086/rss07
Florida's surgeon general says the state is preparing for massive
swine flu immunizations, starting with schoolchildren, as the Obama
administration urges states to prepare for the likelihood that the
virus might worsen in the fall.
''We may end up averting a crisis. That's our hope,'' said President
Barack Obama, who took time away from the G-8 summit in Italy to
telephone another summit back home -- the 500 state and local health
officials meeting to prepare for swine flu's fall threat.
''We want to make sure we aren't promoting panic, but we are promoting
vigilance and preparation,'' Obama said.
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, told the
swine flu summit some H1N1 vaccine should be ready by mid-October.
''Scientists and public health experts forecast that the impact of
H1N1 may well worsen in the fall, when the regular flu season hits or
even earlier, when schools start to open, which is only five or six
weeks away,'' she said.
Florida already is planning for such vaccinations, said Dr. Ana M.
Viamonte Ros, Florida surgeon general, as she emerged from the summit.
''We're already meeting with local schools and day-care centers on how
we would do this,'' she said. ``By mid-October we won't have doses for
everyone. The vaccines will have to be directed toward individuals at
high risk. It's important to determine who really is at risk. With
swine flu, more of the younger ages are affected. That puts more
stress on schools.''
Complicating the issue is the need to vaccinate against regular
seasonal flu and the swine flu with different vaccines at the same
time, Viamonte Ros said. Priorities would have to be different,
because regular flu hits older people harder while swine flu is most
widespread among the young.
No final decision has been made on whether to vaccinate Americans,
Sibelius said. That depends on studies with experimental batches that
are to start in August. But if all goes well, the federal government
will buy vaccine from manufacturers and share it free among the
states.
[2 of 2]
Confusion could arise as doctors, clinics and even pharmacies are in
the midst of dispensing 100 million doses of regular winter flu
vaccine at the same time schools are vaccinating against swine flu,
Sibelius said.
She announced $350 million in federal grants to help states prepare.
Local officials also worried about the prospect of closing schools if
the flu gets worse in the fall. School closures last spring created
havoc for working parents without day care, until health officials
reversed the policy and reopened schools even if they had swine flu
cases.
Miami-Dade schools already are preparing for widespread vaccinations
and also planning in case some schools have to close in the fall, said
Wilma Steiner, Miami-Dade schools' director of health services.
If Florida schools have to close again, they must be ready to use
distant learning techniques to cope, she said.
''We're already using a lot of these things -- teachers posting
assignments, holding study sessions online so when schools reopen the
kids won't have fallen behind,'' Viamonte Ros said.
Following Obama's lead, Broward and Miami-Dade health leaders said
Thursday they already have extensive plans in place in case of serious
swine flu pandemic this fall and winter. But they have much work to
do.
''We're working really hard to be prepared,'' said Lillian Rivera,
director of the Miami-Dade Health Department. ``But we've never
experienced a pandemic before.''
A major concern is having enough qualified personnel available for big
vaccination programs, she said.
``We're bringing in all of our community partners to qualify them to
give shots -- firemen, nurses in fire departments, paramedics, medical
students under the supervision of doctors.''
''We've had a mass vaccination plan in place for some time, working
with law enforcement, emergency management services and health care
providers,'' said Dr. Paula Thaqi, director of the Broward Health
Department. ``We're making sure we're ready with supplies, locations
and staffing.''
U.S. health officials say the H1N1 flu has been relatively mild so
far, and has shown no evidence of mutating into a more virulent
strain.
Of 170 deaths so far in the United States, 75 percent were of people
with underlying health conditions such as asthma or heart problems.
On Thursday, the state health department reported two more swine flu
deaths -- a 55-year-old man in Duval County and a 25-year-old woman in
Palm Beach County -- raising the number of lab-confirmed deaths in
Florida to seven.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This report was supplemented with material from The Associated Press.
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