Posts Tagged ‘Swine Flu Commentary’
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:
- 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.
- 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.
Since our last post 10 days ago, swine flu has all but gone quiet. While Europe may still be in the midst of summer holidays (with the seasonal drought of interesting news to report), swine flu is rearing its ugly head in the Middle East, South-East Asia and North America.
As previously reported, India and neighbouring countries (known for their poor hygiene conditions) have been seeing swine flu cases and deaths rise over the last fortnight. Indeed Goa – a popular holiday destination – has begun screening large numbers of the 2.4 million holiday makers who arrive in that city every year (Source: AFP).
In the Middle East – including Algeria, Barhrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen – Ramadan has been severely affected. AFP reports that in “Mecca, the Saudi birthplace of Islam … numbers were well below usual.” Egypt, Iran and Iraq have placed restrictions on the numbers of people who can attend pilgrimages this year, owing to the number of people in confined areas and the increasing risk of the spread of the virus.
People over 65, children under 12 and pregnant women have been discouraged from attending and everyone is being discouraged from shaking hands and kissing during this period. This news will come as anticlimactic and disappointing, particularly during Eid – a time of feasting and celebration. Participants will no doubt be reflecting on the first Middle Eastern swine flu death – an Egyptian woman who herself had just been to Mecca on an umrah trip.
This is alread on top of negative economic figures which have deflated many travel prices by as much as 40% (according to the Telegraph). However, interestingly, whilst people are being encouraged to stay home and reflect on their lives, there is a segment of the economy (such as satellite TV stations) that are taking advantage of this different sort of captive audience.
Turning to North America, we see two major pieces of news. The first is that up to 120 million Americans will be sickened with the virus and up to 90,000 (three times the amount of a normal flu season) could die from it. Health planners believe that as many as 300,000 people could be admitted to Intensive Care and that the virus will “stress every aspect” of the health system.
Time is ticking on, however. Even though $2 billion has been set aside to buy 160 million doses of swine flu vaccine, enough supplies will not be ready until mid-October. Insurance companies are debating whether they will cover the cost of the vaccine (Illinois’ United Healthcare, have decided that they will [Chicago Tribune]) and governments examining their role in healthcare (Washington State’s health system may be affected by the $470 million worth of cuts through the state [Washington Examiner]).
Meanwhile, forecasts of the spread of swine flu are beginning to come true as North American schools, Colleges and Universities start a new academic year. The Gainsville (Florida) Sun reports that the under-24 year old age group is at highest risk from contracting the flu. The density of student populations, likelihood of touching and spreading the virus through human contact, and of course band and sports group travel and competitions against other schools are all raising concerns. However, authorities across North America are attempting to limit any cause for “panic” in order to prevent a repeat of over 700 schools that closed earlier in 2009. In British Columbia, presently “school closures are not part of its plan to deal with outbreaks of the swine flu” (CBC).
Students are being taught the “Dracula sneeze” (sneezing into the inside of your elbow) in Southern California. Teachers in Silicon Valley are being issued with infrared thermometers which allow them to take temperatures of students from a distance. Often in schools, where confirmed cases of swine flu have been identified, the affected student is sent home, letters go to the parents of the other children in his / her class and community areas (i.e. bathrooms and gyms) get wiped down and sterilised. Indeed, Fairbanks, Alaska has already seen its first high school swine flu case. In Texas, plans are in place to purchase 2.5 million courses of anti-viral drugs, with commonsense steps like handwashing in the interim. (Chron-AP Texas News)
Older students attending university are being affected with 32 confirmed cases amongst the University of Kansas’ 27,000 student population (KansasCity.com). Students across the country are being advised to pack a thermometer, over-the-counter medicines and a week’s worth of food just in case they feel the flu coming on (in Dayton, many of these items are being sold in the university’s bookstore). Additionally, where practical, students with the flu are advised to go home and let family look after them. Universities are planning “flu waiting rooms” to keep flu sufferers away from other types of injuries, or planning to convert gyms to recovery centres. (New York Times)
Of course, in addition to the actual illness caused, the disruption could have severe affects across the education system. If one underage student falls ill, then s/he will need to stay at home and lose valuable learning time. Parents will need to take time off work or arrange for other childcare. Any siblings may be infected too. Then, it might hit the parents and so on, and so on. The ripple effects through the system could be huge.
However US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is looking for ways to mitigate at least the loss of learning time, through provision of printed or downloadable teaching materials. Also, whilst previous guidance recommended infected students stay home for a week, new recommendations are just for 24 hours once temperature has returned to normal – again, minimising the impact on learning and family life.
Any good news through all of this? Supposedly with necessity being the mother of invention and all that, we’re seeing a rise in the hiring of private jets as a way to avoid travelling with public carriers (Media Line). Watch this space.
Further 360° Reading:
- 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. …
- 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 …
What a week for swine flu in Asia. There has been more press activity in that part of the world this week than – seemingly – since swine flu first hit the world’s headlines in April.
Interestingly, cases of swine flu are temporarily on their way down in Britain and in the United States, but we’re seeing a disturbing rise in cases in India and Asia. Curiously, I would have thought that because of the significant population pressures in that part of the world, the disease would have spread a lot faster, and a lot sooner than it apparently has.
Or maybe, news is just slower to get out.
Yesterday, the Accociated Press commented that “India confronted dueling outbreaks of swine flu and swine flu panic” as people flooded hospitals demanding to be tested for the virus, and stayed off the streets and out of schools and public areas. The panic has forced up the cost of a single face mask thirty times from 5 rupees ($0.10) to 150 rupees ($3 USD). In Mumbai, schools, offices and other public places are beginning to shut down as a “preventative measure”. Meanwhile, Bloomberg is calling for some perspective citing that over 2,500 people in India die every day from tuberculosis and diarrhea.
Are we being overly concerned? Is Nepal over-reacting in its “fear [of a] swine flu invasion from India”? Possibly, if we listen to Bollywood’s advice to simply provide education to people. Possibly not, if we look at percentages and comparisons.
Last week, Maharashtra state has seen 11 of India’s 19 swine flu deaths – 3 of which were in Mumbai alone. As absolute numbers, they can’t compare with TB deaths. But in percentages (58% of all swine flu deaths), it’s a very concerning statistic. More recently cases of swine flu – and deaths – have been identified in Pune, Bangalore, Gujarat, Panchklula, Karnataka
Another “milestone” for swine flu, is that it has claimed its first aboriginal victim in Australia. According to “H5N1 News and Resources about Pandemic Influenza”, blog’s author, swine flu is already disproportionately affecting other aboriginal communities around the world – but a survey run by one of the readers indicates that UK readers disproportionately will NOT accept vaccination when the shots are ready. It would seem that the more advanced western cultures have the luxury of refusal of treatment, whereas cultures of poverty are more likely to be affected – and indeed more likely to benefit from the medicine we’re refusing in the West.
Again, we’re seeing interesting waves of media – perhaps increased public awareness hitting the west, while shock (and panic?) hits remoter regions.
Perhaps, most disturbing in these changing balances, is that Hong Kong is now finding that swine flu is resistant to Tamiflu – a drug that was supposed to help us get through the worst of the bug. But then again, older people may be resistant to the disease in the first place owing to resistance built through mid-20th century exposure to other strains of H1N1.
Or, we might see swine flu waning whilst hype continues, according to Richard Schabas, a Canadian former chief medical officer? Maybe not very likely if Canada has bought 50 million doses (for its 30 million population) for delivery in mid-Autumn.
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.
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