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  • Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/.../med_swine_flu

    MEXICO CITY – Mexico shut down schools, museums, libraries and state-run theaters across its overcrowded capital Friday in hopes of containing a swine flu outbreak that authorities say killed at least 20 people — and perhaps dozens more. World health authorities worried openly that the strange new virus could become a global epidemic.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said tests show some of the Mexico victims died from the same new strain of swine flu that sickened eight people in Texas and California.

    Mexico put the confirmed toll at 20 dead, but 40 other fatalities were being probed, and at least 943 nationwide were sick from the suspected flu, the health department said.

    Scientists said the virus combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before.


    "We are very, very concerned," spokesman Thomas Abraham said.

    "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human," he said. "It's all hands on deck at the moment."

    President Felipe Calderon cancelled a trip and met with his Cabinet to coordinate Mexico's response. The government has 500,000 flu vaccines and planned to administer them to health workers, the highest risk group.

    There are no vaccines available for the general public in Mexico, and authorities urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had a medical emergency, since hospitals are centers of infection.

    ...
    The game is on... Here is the perfect kill the creditor solution. --//Tin foil hat on.//--
    Last edited by Sapiens; April 24, 2009, 05:16 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

    WHO calls emergency meeting on swine flu

    http://in.reuters.com/article/health...53N4SZ20090424

    * WHO convening emergency committee to advise on swine flu

    * 12 of 18 virus samples in Mexico same as California cases

    * More epidemiological info needed for pandemic alert change


    ...


    A deadly strain of swine flu never seen before has broken out in Mexico, killing as many as 60 people and raising fears of a possible spread across North America.

    ...

    Hartl also said that 12 of 18 samples taken from victims in Mexico showed the virus had a genetic structure identical to that of a swine flu virus found in California.

    MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The majority of the people killed in Mexico's fatal flu outbreak were adults between 25 and 45 years old, a Mexican health official said on Friday.
    Last edited by Sapiens; April 24, 2009, 05:17 PM.

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    • #3
      Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

      Same pattern as "bird flu"...few young or elderly, mostly what should be the healthiest, normally the most resistant, and the core of the worker cohort.

      As if we didn't have enough crises to deal with already...

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

        Originally posted by GRG55

        As if we didn't have enough crises to deal with already...
        Aaah, come on! The fun is just getting started, where is your sense of adventure?

        Venture capital firm set to reap rewards on swine flu


        LOS ANGELES, April 24 (Reuters) - The swine flu outbreak is likely to benefit one of the most prolific and successful venture capital firms in the United States: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Thomson Reuters Private Equity Week reported on Friday.

        Shares of the two public companies in the firm's portfolio of eight Pandemic and Bio Defense companies -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX.O) and Novavax (NVAX.O) -- jumped Friday on news that the swine flu killed a reported 60 people in Mexico and has infected people in the United States.

        The World Health Organization (WHO) said the virus appears to be susceptible to Roche's (ROG.VX) flu drug Tamiflu, also known as oseltamivir, but not to older flu drugs such as amantadine.

        Roche said it has five million treatment courses of Tamiflu on stand-by for the WHO in its "Rapid Response Stockpile."

        "Roche was contacted by the WHO and is prepared to immediately deploy the stockpile if requested. However, this request has not been made at this time," Roche spokesman Terry Hurley said.

        Shares of Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG closed up 3.48 percent after falling sharply earlier in the week on a cancer drug disappointment, while shares of U.S. biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD.O), which gets royalties from Roche on Tamiflu sales, slipped 10 cents to $45.80 on Friday.

        Shares of BioCryst, a maker of drugs that block key enzymes in viral diseases, jumped more than 26 percent on Friday to $2.21 per share. Viral vaccine maker Novavax rose more than 75 percent to $1.42 per share.

        BioCryst CEO John Stonehouse said his company does not anticipate the use of its technology in treating this episode of swine flu.

        "We're in clinical trials right now and not on the market," Stonehouse said.

        Still, the companies will have to go even higher for Kleiner Perkins to make its investment back. Both BioCryst and Novavax experienced long drops from price peaks in 2006, when reports of avian flu dominated headlines.

        BioCryst is down nearly 90 percent from its 2006 high of $20.75 per share and Novavax is down more than 85 percent from a high of $7.98 per share.

        Kleiner Perkins invested $30 million in BioCryst in December 2005 alongside Fort Worth, Texas-based buyout firm TPG. The two firms invested again in August 2007, picking up $65 million worth of shares and warrants. The investors bought shares in BioCryst at $13.46 and then $7.80.

        Kleiner Perkins put $20 million in Novavax in February 2006 alongside Palo Alto, Calif.-based Prospect Venture Partners. The two firms picked up the shares at $4.35.

        Novavax can produce a vaccine from an emergent strain of flu virus in 12 weeks, according to CEO Rahul Singhvi. The company has contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to offer help and is trying to contact the Ministry of Health in Mexico, Singhvi said. Continued...

        The company uses genetic information and "recombinant, virus-like particle technology" to rapidly engineer a vaccine. Its technology has been proven to work in humans during Phase II trials, Singhvi said, and it might be used in the case of an emergency.

        "There is an emergency authorization avenue that is available that would allow us to use the vaccine in an emergency without further testing," said Singhvi.

        Kleiner Perkins typically only invests in early stage start-up technologies. It is best known for its investments in Netscape, Amazon.com (AMZN.O), Google (GOOG.O) and Genentech (ROG.VX).

        The Menlo Park, California-based VC firm launched a $200 million Pandemic Bio Defense fund in 2006 to invest in technology companies working on drugs, diagnostics and inoculations against flu-like diseases.

        "We will invest to accelerate innovation, and we're in a hurry," Investor John Doerr said at the time. "We hope even a mild pandemic never recurs."

        Investors at Kleiner Perkins were not immediately available for comment.

        The firm's other Pandemic Bio Defense investments include: * San Francisco-based Anza Therapeutics, which is working on therapeutic vaccines for treating certain types of cancer and hepatitis C. * Fremont, Calif.-based Breathe Technologies, which is working on lightweight respiratory ventilator systems. * Emeryville, Calif.-based HX Diagnostics, which is working to make diagnostic tools for seasonal and emerging diseases. * Pleasanton, Calif.-based Juvaris BioTherapeutics Inc., which is working on vaccines and immunotherapeutics to treat infectious disease and cancer. * San Diego-based Trius Therapeutics, which is developing drugs to fight resistant-strains of bacteria. * Marlborough, Mass.-based Xcellerex Inc., which has developed tools and manufacturing processes to speed the deployment of new vaccines. (Additional reporting by Bill Berkrot in New York)

        GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Relenza, and Roche, which makes Tamiflu, said they have been in touch with the World Health Organization as Mexico City shut down schools, libraries and other institutions to try to quell the outbreak

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        • #5
          Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

          Originally posted by GRG55 View Post
          Same pattern as "bird flu"...few young or elderly, mostly what should be the healthiest, normally the most resistant, and the core of the worker cohort.

          As if we didn't have enough crises to deal with already...
          I've been trying to find out what the exact cause of death is related to swine flu. Given how it affects the healthiest/strongest demographic, akin to avian flu, I think that it also causes cytokine storms.

          Not fun.

          Also - not like we needed to be dealing with more feedback loops, huh?

          FYI: Cytokine Storms
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm
          "When the immune system is fighting pathogens, cytokines signal immune cells such as T-cells and macrophages to travel to the site of infection. In addition, cytokines activate those cells, stimulating them to produce more cytokines. Normally, this feedback loop is kept in check by the body. However, in some instances, the reaction becomes uncontrolled, and too many immune cells are activated in a single place. The precise reason for this is not entirely understood but may be caused by an exaggerated response when the immune system encounters a new and highly pathogenic invader. Cytokine storms have potential to do significant damage to body tissues and organs.[citation needed] If a cytokine storm occurs in the lungs, for example, fluids and immune cells such as macrophages may accumulate and eventually block off the airways, potentially resulting in death.[citation needed]"

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          • #6
            Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

            That makes sense in light of the fact that it seems to be striking people in their prime. From the same Wikipedia article:
            It is believed that cytokine storms were responsible for many of the deaths during the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed a disproportionate number of young adults.[1] In this case, a healthy immune system may have been a liability rather than an asset.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

              Originally posted by nitroglycol View Post
              That makes sense in light of the fact that it seems to be striking people in their prime. From the same Wikipedia article:
              For anybody interested in learning more about Cytokine storms, swine flu, avian flu, pandemic prep, current flu news, etc., I highly recommend FluWiki:

              http://www.fluwikie.com/

              They've been up for a few years now putting together flu related information.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                Wonder if we'll at least get some better border control out of this.
                Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho

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                • #9
                  Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                  Originally posted by Master Shake View Post
                  Wonder if we'll at least get some better border control out of this.

                  Test Results May Mark Spread Of Swine Flu To New York


                  Melvin Baker - AHN Reporter

                  New York, NY (AHN) - Health officials here are expected to announce as early as today whether it was swine flu that sickened dozens of students at a private school in Queens.

                  If so, it would heighten concerns nationwide about the spread of a disease that has killed 68 people and strickened about 1,000 in Mexico.

                  Six persons in California and two in Texas have been confirmed to have contracted the illness by the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

                  A third case, of a high school student in San Antonio, Texas, was reported on Friday.

                  U.S. health officials say the U.S. cases of swine flu have similar characteristics to the deadly strain in Mexico.

                  In the latest cases in New York, about 75 students at St. Stephens Preparatory School fell ill on Thursday with nausea, fever, dizziness and aches and pains.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm

                    I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.

                    Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City

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                    • #11
                      Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                      seems wierd this epic flu stuff. there were conspiracy theories about the bird flu thing being targeted at some asian genetic suseptibility, but it didn't result like the conspiracists thought, so if its so poorly understood how it actually works its hard to imagine some conspiracy source letting it loose. i'm not someone without tinfoil hat tendencies but am struggling with this one.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                        Originally posted by marvenger
                        i'm not someone without tinfoil hat tendencies but am struggling with this one.
                        ditto.

                        On another note:

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                          Originally posted by Master Shake View Post
                          Wonder if we'll at least get some better border control out of this.
                          I thought you folks were building a fence? :p

                          But I am not sure how that, or better border controls, is going to stop the virus migrating north carried by anyone who's vacationing down there...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                            Interesting:

                            Originally posted by eCONoMISSED
                            U.S. Department of Homeland Security
                            PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY GUIDE FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND KEY RESOURCES (September 2006 - 84 pages)

                            Department of Defense
                            Implementation Plan for Pandemic Influenza (August 2006 - 87 pages)

                            California Department of Health Services
                            Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan (September 2006 - 178 pages)

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Mexico shuts schools, museums to stop flu outbreak

                              Originally posted by Master Shake View Post
                              Wonder if we'll at least get some better border control out of this.
                              What border?

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