Swine Flu Commentary

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One vitally important factor for tracking the progress of swine flu (or indeed any form of influenza) as it makes its way around the world, is the season of the geography in question.  Simply put, flu cases are significantly greater during winter than during summer.  That means that the Southern Hemisphere (for the most part) gets colds and flus during April to September period, whereas the Northern Hemisphere receives its peak during October to March.

It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but is a good basis for discussion.  Indeed we saw this pattern through 2009.  Mexico caught the flu first in February / March.  It spread quickly to the USA and Canada, following holiday makers as they returned home.  From there it crossed the Atlantic to the UK and Europe and the Pacific to mainland China, Australia and India.

From April onwards, the Northern Hemisphere got a reprieve and aside from some isolated cases generally was not affected – although numbers were on the increase with Australia seeing some 35,000 laboratory investigated cases and India seeing at least 300 deaths.

The Northern Hemisphere – no doubt bored with a dearth of interesting statistics to report – took to filling its summer and early Autumn news media with celebrities who were sick with swine flu.

Perhaps the most “famous” person in the swine flu saga was young Edgar Hernandez Hernandez, a little boy in Mexico who is believed to be the first person infected with the H1N1(A) virus . The 70kg bronze status of nino cero (Little Boy Zero) was unveiled on August 17, 2009 in La Gloria Mexico.  Thankfully little Edgar survived the flu.

Just a week later, across the Atlantic and at the other end of the celebrity spectrum came the news that 26-year-old Katherine Jenkins (the classical singer) insured her voice for £1 million to protect against loss in case she couldn’t perform at the Big Gig Weekend which was set to draw 30,000.  This raises an interesting debate about the insurability against swine flu – for most of the rest of us, we’re covered by being able to take sick days from work, but what about when we travel?  Some insurance companies are publishing exclusions to their travel insurance policies.

Around the same time, as we turn from the graceful to the forceful, Scottish amateur bantamweight champion Gareth Stemp contracted swine flu.  This caused concern over his ability to be in top form for his imminent fight against Glasgow Dennistoun’s Joe Ham on September 16 as that was a match crucial to deciding who would fight in New Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

On the same day as the Stemp announcement, we learned that Tom Soehn, the Washington D.C. United (Soccer) coach did not have swine flu.  However, equally unpleasant, he did have bronchitis – serious enough to take him out of action for several games.  Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic ice skater is actually promoting the swine flu vaccine for people of all ages and jobs to help protect themselves against swine flu.

Staying in the world of sports, USA Today reported on Oct 2 that Texans rookie tight end Anthony Hill had swine flu – but aside from a couple of column inches, I can’t see this as anything more serious.  There are no complications (fortunately) or other issues.  The rest of the team seems fine.  Perhaps the fact that one in ten words of this very short article is a good keyword for Google Search Engine Optimisation shouldn’t be taken into account as the actual point for the article.

More seriously though, swine flu (like any other) can spread quickly through a team, especially one that works and travels in such close confines, where members are naturally have lower healthy immunity after a work out, where fans often transmit bugs to team mates.  This has created a mini industry on its own – misting machines with a water / disinfectant spray are being introduced to team changing rooms as a quick and efficient way of keeping bugs down.

Teams that have been affected include:

• the Rice Volleyball squad (forcing cancellation of participation in a tournament)
• players and staff of Chongqing Lifan soccer team were confined to their quarters after being diagnosed with swine flu (interestingly this represents only 0.2% of all confirmed cases in China at the time.  All confirmed cases in turn represent 0.0004% of the whole population.)

The arts and entertainment world is not immune.  CBS’s Early Show Harry Smith, Per Möller Jensen, of the Swedish metal band, The Haunted, Brian Litrell of Backstreet Boys (currently in New York on promotion) , Marilyn Manson, CNN’s own Dr Sanjay Gupta are all examples of stars being affected by swine flu. It’s annoying and frustrating for a couple of them – perhaps having a legitimate illness allows others a reprieve from expectant fans.

What about the environmental factors?  As with Harry Smith for example, many have to keep to peak physical health to endure the rigors their high profile lives dish out to them.  To draw a parallel from the team environment in the sporting world, anyone working on a TV set for example may be a carrier of the virus and very quickly things could grind to a halt for others.  David “Angel” Boreanaz from the TV show Bones was recently diagnosed with flu and Fox has opted to shut down production until the cast gets a clean bill of health.

But, how does all this affect you?  Even if you’re not a famous actor or sportsperson, it doesn’t mean you’re no more immune from swine flu.  Catching the bus, shaking hands with a business colleague, going to nursery to collect your kids, going to a crowded bar – they’re all normal and everyday activities which make us susceptible from catching something nasty.  In the UK, cases are now on the way up with 16 more confirmed in Peterborough, 89 more in Cambridgeshire and the pattern repeating itself through every populated area in the Northern Hemisphere as we enter our winter months.

Even if you are completely healthy, there is a chance you may come into contact with, say, one of the 24,000 new reported cases in the last two weeks.  Protect yourself by constantly hand-washing – a virus can live for 36 hours before it starts to affect you – so it won’t do you any good to start washing after you’ve caught a bug!

Try to limit touching your face and any open wounds. Carry gels and wipes with you if you don’t have access to hot and soapy water.  There are plenty of alcohol based and organic products on the market to choose from.  Also, consider the use of disposable masks, particularly if you’re in tight and confined spaces with other members of the public.

Stay healthy!

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a rise in tendancy to move swine flu to the virtual world.  I don’t just mean the millions of academic articles and media report to be found on websites worldwide.  I’m talking about swine flu moving from inside the body and the lab to various other media.

We were given the online swine flu pandemic game where players select a level of difficulty and spend up to €2 billion trying to prevent their chosen “flu” from spreading around the world.  Often with grim results.  It’s quite an eye opener in regards to what national health authorities have to deal with regularly – and not just as a result of swine flu.

Following on in the games category is the Swine Flu Pandemic Game, a role-playing game with dice created in the UK and aimed at helping employers understand the potential impact to their businesses in the event of swine flu really taking hold.

Kids are able to play too.  GiantMicrobes.com has been swamped with orders for its fuzzy swine flu stuffed toy – widely believed to be this year’s must-have Christmas gift.  Indeed no doubt to be shared amongst sniffly kids.  The White House went a step further this week by joining forces with Sesame Street character Elmo to teach kids the importance of handwashing and to avoid rubbing eyes and noses if their hands are dirty.  I suppose this also balances against the shock of 90,000 projected deaths caused by swine flu in that country.

Older people who have iPhones as their “toys” can now download the free “Outbreaks Near Me” app which helps users learn where the latest outbreaks are of any flu – not just H1N1.  This builds on HealthMap which searches official, media and personal accounts online to help determine where the latest disease outbreaks are.  (Incidentally, of the range of swine flu maps this is probably one of the best I have seen to date).

Further 360° Reading:

The Discover Discoblog

What’s fuzzy, pink, and just plain cuddly? The Influenza A H1N1 virus, of course… or at least, the stuffed toy crafted in the pathogen’s likeness. You can get your very own swine flu toy made by GIANTmicrobes online or, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.

Comment on No Swine Flu in the Philippines Yet by Electronic Cigarette – Big thank to god for saving us from Swine Flu.

Swine Flu & The Housing Crisis: A “Perfect Storm” – Reported/potential H1N1 Swine Flu cases as of … Image by pixelfrenzy via Flickr. It’s always something! Just when there are some small (real small) signs that the US economy may be on the mend, a new, never before seen type of swine …

SWINE FLU PANDEMIC AND WORK FROM HOME JOBS – With the swine flu scare going on right now, people who are lucky and have home jobs have to be feeling just a little bit safer than the rest of us. It is times like these that it is great to be able to be a little more self sufficient …

Swine Flu Maps – The origins of these animal-to-human diseases remain for me shrouded in “I don’t want to know.” But like others I’ve watched the Swine Flu story develop over the past few days. This evening Om Malik pointed out a Google Map showing …

Natural remedy for Swine Flu? – Is there a natural remedy for Swine Flu? Can the world heave a big sigh of relief? When Madras is running out of Swine Flu testing kit; When Bombay has shut down schools and shopping malls; When India is considering more drastic …

cryptogon.com » Archives » Exposed: The Swine Flu Hoax – If the current H1N1 swine flu virus does become abnormally lethal, there would be three leading explanations: first, that the virus was accidentally released, or escaped, from a laboratory; second, that a disgruntled lab employee …

Wentzville, Fort Zumwalt report first suspected swine flu cases of … – Nearly all type A influenza viruses that are currently circulating are the H1N1 or swine flu subtype, but the state health departments are no longer doing detailed flu testing on every specimen because the treatment for any flu is the …

Swine Flu School Closings: Fort Worth ISD, Lewisville, Ponder … – I’ve been paying close attention to the Swine Flu school closings in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, especially since I live in Plano TX myself. Swine Flu (H1N1) concerns has lead Fort Worth ISD to close all schools in the district, …

Get Some Flu-Fighting Foods in Your Diet – I have been sniffling and coughing off and on for a week now and it seems that no matter what medicine I take or how much time I spend “taking it easy” in bed or snuggled up on the couch with bad TV and great movies, the runny/stuffy …

Thermal Scanners Used to Screen for Swine Flu as Countries Race to … – hot-for-swine-flu. There is NO panic but countries are rushing to contain the Swine Flu outbreak. Governments including China, Russia and Taiwan began planning to put anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine. …

In a review of the world’s media in the last fortnight, the range of side effects to the flu vaccine is increasing.  We have headlines blaring “the cure may be worse than the disease” and notifications of at least a third of British doctors refusing to administer a vaccine.

However, not all of these “side effects” are clinical – some are educational whilst others are based in incorrect perceptions and assumptions.  This article is something of a catch-all incorporating published stories related to side effects, mis-diagnoses and assumptions.

We are repeatedly reading tales of mis-diagnoses of swine flu in the first place.  Recently a 17-year-old English girl was diagnosed with swine flu, no fewer than 4 times, when in fact she had meningitis as the symptoms appeared similar to swine flu.  She is making slow recovery, but the delays in correct diagnosis caused loss of valuable time.

Indeed, we do need to closely look at what is in fact being diagnosed.  It’s not as simple as assuming a bug may be swine flu, what with new variants – including where swine flu strain is moving to birds - will be causing the medical community enormous challenges.

Looking to anti-virals – the most common ones being Tamiflu and Relenza (manufactured by Roche Holdings AG and Glaxo SmithKline PLC, respectively) – there has been significant and confusing commentary in recent weeks.  Whilst Tamiflu (in existence since 1999) reduces the “miserable symptoms” of swine flu and can shorten the period of illness, it shouldn’t be viewed as a panacea as perhaps had been suggested by the UK government’s mass distribution of Tamiflu mid-summer (with over 100,000 packages given to children, alone).  Further study is showing its effectiveness limited to about an 8% benefit in healthy adults.

According to the British Medical Journal, the “limited data” available shows that children under 12 are being reported as suffering vomiting and nightmares as a result of taking Tamiflu.  Dr Matthew Thompson,  a GP and researcher at Oxford University, cites drinks to cool temperatures and rest as the most effective treatment for flu in children.  Even some adults are found to have experienced “little impact” on the length of their illness, or “limited benefit”.

The situation is even less clear for vaccines.  With at least two manufacturers of a swine flu vaccine (Baxter in the USA and Sinovac Biotech in China being a couple that come to mind), governments around the world have had the confidence to books orders numbering in the tens of millions of doses.  However, its suitability for human purpose is still in doubt as there has been relatively low amounts of testing.

According to Forbes.com, Sinovac has been testing for less than a month, on just over 1,600 people showing that the vaccine has “good immunogenicity” and thus fit for use.  Additional research monies are being released worldwide, with one example being Canada whose government has just released $2.7 million (CDN) on top of the $10.8 million (CDN) already identified for fighting swine flu (CBC).  But no amount of money can help the critical factor of time to allow completeness of clinical studies – GSK, for example will not be finishing its testing of the swine flu shot until mid-2010 — long after both the predicted “second wave” and “third wave” of swine flu will have hit.

The biggest concern around the actual threat of the vaccine is because it (Panderix) contains thimerosal, a mercury-laden preservative which has actually been removed from most mainstream vaccines because of the clear links to neurological effects.  The mercury-free version is called Celvapan – do note however that there may be trace amounts of mercury as manufacturers are even in that case allowed to call the product “mercury free”.

Children are at greatest risk from these issues because they do not have a well developed immune system, their bodies are still growing, and pregnant mothers in many countries will be given the vaccine as a priority if they suspect swine flu.  In Texas, where 14 children have already died from swine flu, there is a plan to immunise children in the schools themselves.

But what are the actual risks?  Over and above the hit to the neuro system from the mercury, there are two significant risks being revealed:

1. risk of “Guillain-Barr Syndrome (GBS) in which paralysis of the breathing muscles cause death by suffocation”.  We have proven examples of this following the 1976 mass vaccination programme in the US where over 500 cases (of whom 25 people died, compared to 1 death as a result of swine flu) of GBS were detected.  At its worst, GBS can prove fatal.
2. German lung specialist, Dr Wolfgang Wodarg is deeply concerned about the possible risk of cancer in humans as the vaccine “consists of cancerous cells from animals”.

These don’t appear to be isolated concerns.  According to the Associated Press, about half of health workers in Hong Kong would reject having the swine flu vaccine and in the UK at least a third of GPs are refusing to administer it.

Whilst many counter with the argument that the number of people the vaccine saves is greater than the number it harms, perhaps the real comparison needs to be (like in the 1976 example) how many will the vaccine kill as compared to swine flu?  Clearly, this would be the most tragic of all flu vaccine side effects.

Further 360 reading:

• Swine flu’s rapid spreading in major cities of India – Swine Flu is rapidly spreading in all the parts of India. Currently 783 peoples are affected by this flu in India and 4 dead due to this serious flu. Government have taken many steps to stop this communicable disease. …
• Flu Shot Ingredients | Cure Swine Flu Information – In addition, some people are allergic to mercury and thimerosal and can experience serious allergic reaction as flu vaccine side effects. Some states have banned mercury from flu shot ingredients intended for use in children and …
• H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects Could Cause Death « Web of … – H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects Could Cause Death. 08/17/2009 · Leave a Comment. Related: Vaccine overview: Basic information on M59 Squalene Vaccine Adjuvant. Categories: Pandemic · Vaccines Tagged: M59. 0 responses so far ↓ …
• H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects Could Cause Death « Revealed Truth – H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects Could Cause Death. 2009 August 11. tags: Baxter, Cause, contaminated, Death, Donald, h1n1, Medicine, Rumsfeld, Swine Flu, University, Vaccine. by Revealed Truth …
• Media Hiding Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects « – Media Hiding Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects. August 19, 2009 · Leave a Comment. SWINE FLU VACCINES MAY HAVE MAJOR MEDICAL THREAT. Swine flu or the H1N1 virus has claimed the lives of 1500 people across the world. …
• Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects | Cure Swine Flu Information – Now you’ve probably already heard about potential side effects of the swine flu vaccine. Certainly if you’ve read much of this site we specifically recommended.

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Welcome to the inaugural blog for SwineFluResources.info.  The contents of SwineFluCommentary.com are primarily news, views and specific items of interest surrounding the current swine flu – also known as H1N1 and H1N1 (2009) - pandemic.

Complementing the site www.SwineFluResources.info, this blog will have periodic postings of opinions and independent analysis concerning swine flu.  It will deal with a range of topical issues from the Spanish flu 1918, through today’s swine flu maps, recognising stomach flu symptoms and exploring the possibility of flu vaccine side effects.  Also, we review a range of products such as hand gel and face masks which may be helpful to offer additional protection whilst in public.

The site is not based at all in any medical, scientific or business rationale and does not give any such advice, nor should any statements herein be construed as offering advice (other than to seek the advice of qualified professionals!)  Statements and posts are purely opinion based on research of other Internet sites over which the author(s) of SwineFluCommentary have no control.

If you wish to contribute to this site, or have specific questions, please feel free to email info@swinefluresources.info for more assistance.

CNN Blog – “All Questions Answered”

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