Special post: Flashback 1918

Many still do not know about the 1918 flu pandemic that swept the world. I for one was ignorant of this historical event until I started watching and following H5N1. I was blown away by the death toll numbers. It’s guesome, to read stories from survivors, bodies put on their porches to be picked up, [...]

Tamiflu Resistant H1N1 Sub-clade

Dominant Tamiflu Resistant H1N1 Sub-clade in Europe
Recombinomics Commentary October 29, 2008Recently released NA sequences from H1N1 isolates in Europe in the 2007/2008 season provide more genetic information on the spread of H274Y, which confers Tamiflu (oseltamivir) resistance.  (Snip)
More recently, isolates in South Africa and Kenya, had a series of changes in this subclade located [...]

Holding Bird Flu Samples Hostage Is Danger for World, U.S. Says

Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. should continue to oppose countries that expose the world to “even more danger” by demanding payment in return for sharing samples of H5N1 bird flu, (Snip)
Michael Leavitt, preparing to step down as U.S. secretary of health and human services after next week’s presidential elections, urged his successor to “strongly [...]

South Africa: Update and added information on the arenavirus

Infected 5 people in South Africa. 4 of them died and 1 is still in serious condition. This comes from ProMED:

 
All patients presented initially with a non-specific flu-like illness with symptoms of fever,headache and myalgia. The illness increased in severity over 7 days with all 4 patients developing diarrhoea and pharyngitis during the course of [...]

U.S. Pandemic Planning-Wednesday Oct. 29, 2008

HHS Webcast #7 airs at a new time – 1PM – in less than one week. On Wednesday October 29th you have an opportunity for a live question-and-answer session with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt
Focus: the Nation’s pandemic planning effort. He will then join a roundtable discussion with our special guests to discuss the Nation’s level [...]

Special for Halloween day

I will have a special Halloween post Oct. 31. Stay tuned. I thinkyou’ll find it interesting.

Prepardness Archieves

This is a great site. Lots of info for yourself and to pass along to family and friends.
http://www.simplyprepared.com/preparedness_archives.htm
I don’t know if it’s just me getting loopy, but I seem to have noticed “flu and pandemic flu” being mentioned more in the media here lately. Anybody else?

Pneumonic Plague – Madagascar

From ProMED – Morarano village, 40 km east of Moramanga, has been hit by the plague; 3 persons of the same family have died in recent days and 4 people died one by one of plague in Ambohidray station, a rural commune of Morarano in the district of Moramanga, according to the declaration of death [...]

WHO’s draft pandemic flu guidance revises phases

Robert Roos  News Editor
Oct 24, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has drafted a revised pandemic influenza preparedness plan that updates the definitions of pandemic phases and puts more emphasis on the social and economic effects of a global epidemic, among other changes.
The plan, intended to replace the existing one published in 2005, [...]

RECALL-Japan’s Nissin recalls 500,000 noodles…

while not flu related, important consumers should know. Many preppers stock these kind of noodles. I do!!!
Japan’s Nissin recalls 500,000 noodles over insecticide fears
Fri Oct 24, 2:02 am ET
TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s Nissin Food Products Co. said Friday it was recalling half a million cups of instant noodles over fears of insecticide contamination in [...]