Lessons from H1N1
Ilya Shambat
would be. Its deadliness was not much more than that of the common
flu, and most of those who died from it were people with weakened
immune systems. That however is no reason for complacency.
The underlying facts are that new forms of viruses and bacteria evolve
and will continue to evolve. This is not only likely; this is
inevitable. And while most of these will be harmless or minimally
dangerous, there is a strong probability of something truly bad
developing.
It took the medical world over a decade to do anything effective about
AIDS. In the meanwhile, millions of people died and more still
continue to die. AIDS is not as easy to transmit as H1N1, and H1N1 is
not as deadly as AIDS. But if something were to form that would be as
deadly as AIDS and as transmissible as H1N1, we would have on our
hands an apocalyptic scenario.
There must be a strong international effort to anticipate such threats
before they occur. The extent to which this effort is private or
public is mostly of interest to ideologues on both sides. What is of
vital significance is that such an effort take place and be effective.
H1N1 should be seen by the world as a wake-up call. There are, and
there will be, new pathogens, some of them with capacity to be
dangerous in the extreme. We got lucky this time, as the pandemic that
was feared did not realize. But in matters of the survival of
humanity, it is not enough to rely on luck.
Ilya Shambat.
Sir Frederick
Is this for real? It appears nowhere else!
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http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/140492/Million-hit-by-plague-worse-than-swine-flu-
MILLION HIT BY 'PLAGUE WORSE THAN SWINE FLU'
Fears that a deadly virus could spread west from Ukraine
Sunday November 15,2009
By Greg Miskiw
A DEADLY plague could sweep across Europe, doctors fear, after an outbreak of a virus in Ukraine
plunged the country and its neighbours into a state of panic.
A cocktail of three flu viruses are reported to have mutated into a single pneumonic plague, which
it is believed may be far more dangerous than swine flu. The death toll has reached 189 and more
than 1 million people have been infected, most of them in the nine regions of Western Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko has called in the World Health Organisation and a team of
nine specialists are carrying out tests in Kiev and Lviv to identify the virus. Samples have been
sent to London for analysis.
President Yushchenko said: �People are dying. The epidemic is killing doctors. This is absolutely
inconceivable in the 21st Century.�
In a TV interview, the President added: �Unlike similar epidemics in other countries, three causes
of serious viral infections came together simultaneously in Ukraine � two seasonal flus and the
Californian flu
�Virologists conclude that this combination of infections may produce an even more aggressive new
virus as a result of mutation.�
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been touring hospitals where victims are being treated and
presidential elections in January could be cancelled .
Four men and one woman have died from the flu in Lviv, said emergency hospital chief doctor Myron
Borysevych. Two of the dead patients were in the 22-35 age group, with two others over 60. He
diagnosed the disease as viral pneumonia.
�We have sent the analyses to Kiev. We don�t believe it�s H1N1 swine flu. Neither do we know what
kind of pneumonia it is.�
Universities, schools and kindergartens have been closed, public meetings have been banned and
theatres shut. Last week several border crossings in the country were also closed.
Last night reports emerged of profiteering over face masks, which have sold out since the outbreak.
There are also incidents of anti-virus medication being sold for exorbitant prices. A spokesman for
the World Health Organisation said: �We do not have a time scale for the results of the tests in
London, although some preliminary results have been obtained. I cannot tell you what they are.
�We did not have enough of the virus samples so we will have to grow some more before we can come to
a conclusive decision about its nature.�
Neighbouring Poland has called on the EU to take action, fearing the mystery virus may spread
westwards.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk has written to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and the
Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, who holds the EU presidency, saying: �The character of
this threat demands that rapid action be undertaken at the European Union level.�
Russia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania, countries that border Ukraine, have already launched
health checks on Ukrainians entering their territory.
Slovakia has closed two of five border crossings.
A doctor in Western Ukraine who did not want to be named, said:� We have carried out post mortems on
two victims and found their lungs are as black as charcoal.
�They look like they have been burned. It�s terrifying.
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Is this for real? It appears nowhere else!
bigfl...@gmail.com
> On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:05:13 -0800 (PST), Ilya Shambat <bettermillen...@gmail.com> wrote:
SNIP
>
> Is this for real? It appears nowhere else!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
When this subject grabbed my attention a few weeks ago, I read from
some of the conspiracy theorists, that the Ukraine was the place where
the vaccine would be compulsary, and the negative effect (from their
theory) would come about. Using your vernacular.."spooky"?
When you posted this piece, the name Ukraine jumped out at me.
BOfL
David
quit making me obsess
John Stafford
"Bring out your dead!"
slunky
ZerkonXXXX
> H1N1 should be seen by the world as a wake-up call.
http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/2005/great_influenza.html