More on the Ukraine Black Lung H1N1 mutation.

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Here is the latest from recombinomics:  

 

Ukraine Dead Increase to 344 - Sequences Released
Recombinomics Commentary 22:45
November 18, 2009

1,502,345 Influenza/ARI

85,904 Hospitalized

344 Dead

The above tally is from the latest update from the Ukraine Ministry of Health.  The 344 dead represents an increase of 16 from yesterday's total, which is similar to recent daily increases (see map).  The steady climb in fatal cases highlights the importance of the release of sequences by Mill Hill a WHO regional center in London.

Included in the sequences from 10 isolates were four HA sequences with the receptor binding domain change, D225G, which was found in the one throat and three lung samples.  The change was not found in isolates from nasopharyngeal washes, suggesting D225G may lead to high concentrations of H1N1 in patient's lungs.  The high concentration of virus leads to a cytokine storm that destroys the lungs in a few days.

The finding of D225G in lung tissues raises concerns rergarding sequencing of isolates from nasopharyngeal swabs.  The monitoring of this important genetic change in the receptor binding domain may require sampling of lung tissues or fluids.

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In other related news, it was discovered that President Obama owns a nice chunk of stock in Baxter, a large vaccine manufacturer. Also, U.S. congress is pressing for legal immunity for vaccine makers.

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==================================================== ==================================================== From the Baxter International website: "DEERFIELD, Ill., October 15, 2009 – Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) today reported solid financial results for the third quarter of 2009, and provided its fourth quarter and updated full-year 2009 financial outlook.

 

 

 Net income grew 12 percent to $530 million from $472 million reported in the third quarter of 2008. Marketing authorization from the European Commission for CELVAPAN H1N1 pandemic vaccine using Baxter’s Vero cell technology. CELVAPAN H1N1 is the first cell culture-based and non-adjuvanted pandemic influenza vaccine to receive marketing authorization in the European Union." =============================================

 

 

Is that a sweet deal or what? Invest in high profit pharmaceutical companies and then have congress give them legal imminuty if they screw up a vaccine so the investors don't take a hit. How can I get in on that action?

Is Humanity Worth Saving?

As I mentioned in a previous post, our son's school lets us visit for lunch. I usually really enjoy these visits. Today, both the wife and I were able to go and it was a treat for our son to see both of us. Usually, only one of us is able to go for one reason or another.

 

Our son (2nd grader) can pick up to two friends to join him for lunch. One of the kids he picked today had been an abused child. The birth father lost custody after throwing scalding water on his son. The kid was 2 or 3 at the time. I had a chance to observe this kid as he was eating. He wore a shirt that came down to his forearms. I counted at least eight different significant scars on his forearms and one on his nose. His little arms shook slightly but constantly and his speech indicated he had some neurological issues.

 

 Matthew 7:1 advises "Judge not lest ye be not judged." Sometimes that is much easier said than done. What kind of evil does it take to harm an innocent child? Should not the evil doer be punished?

 

Evil has always been with us and there has been murder and many other horrible crimes committed throughout history.  In recent times though, we seem to be putting the pedal to the metal in terms of the ever increasing evil we do to each other.

 

From AP Nov. 4, 2009: MEXICO CITY — "Three doctors and a nurse have been arrested for allegedly selling newborns after telling mothers their babies had died at a private hospital in Mexico City, authorities said Wednesday." 

 

From Reuters (Moscow): Russian police have arrested three homeless people suspected of eating a 25-year-old man they had butchered and selling other bits of the corpse to a local kebab house.

 

From AC:  Suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell appeared in a Cleveland courtroom Wednesday. His lawyer asked for bond, stating that Anthony Sowell was a Cleveland resident, had a medical condition, a pacemaker. Prosecutors argued that the man was an imminent threat to the community and anywhere he might be. Judge Ronald Adrine denied bond and called the allegations against Anthony Sowell some of the most serious he had ever seen. And although he was only being charged with five counts of aggravated murder, the judge also knew that five more bodies had been found at Anthony Sowell's east Cleveland residence, bringing the total number of bodies recovered in the house and on the grounds to 11.

 

From WJZ13: Police in North Carolina say more charges are coming in the case of a missing 5-year-old girl whose body was found dumped along a wooded road. .....Particularly disturbing were the accusations against Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis. Police charged Davis with human trafficking and felony child abuse, saying Shaniya was offered for sex.

 

From FOX News: BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. —  A man angered after a dispute with his wife confessed to tossing his four young children off a bridge, authorities said Wednesday as they searched murky waters for the bodies.

 

And the list goes on and on. Not everyone is bad, of course, but I do have to wonder, considering the worldwide scope of death and destruction we are seeing, if it isn't time for God to just go ahead and drop the hammer on us.

 

What kind of future do our children have?

 

Another Ukraine H1N1 Update.

Well, it looks like Drudge is finally reporting on the Ukraine H1N1 outbreak. (This should have been picked up by all of the major media by now. )

 

Here is the latest from recombinomics:

 

Ukraine Dead Increase to 239 - Still No Sequences
Recombinomics Commentary 20:26
November 12, 2009

1,253,558 Influenza/ARI

65.615 Hospitalizations

239 Deaths

The above numbers are from the latest update from the Ukraine Ministry of Health.  The number of deaths increased 26 to 239, so 50 new deaths have been reported in the past 2 days.  Although the virus continues to spread (only 5 of the 27 reporting areas have not topped the epidemic threshold) many of the deaths are still being reported from the hard hit areas in western Ukraine(see map).  However, the biggest jump in cases was 6.096 in Kiev to 89,339.

The steady increase in the high level of deaths continues to raise concerns about genetic changes in the H1N1.  In this morning's press conference the WHO discussed the need for prompt treatment with Tamiflu, but did not address genetic changes in Ukraine. Only general statements on the stability of the H1N1 were made in response to questions on genetic changes in Ukraine. Today's conference is a week after the last comments on the Ukraine H1N1 sequences which indicated that there were no large changes, but an update would be forthcoming in a "few days".  It has now been over a week and no updates on genetic changes have been forthcoming.

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In other news, the FDA is still authorizing minimally tested H1N1 vaccine for use on infants and children:

FDA NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS

For Immediate Release: Nov. 12, 2009

Media Inquiries: Pat El-Hinnawy, (301) 796-4763, patricia.el-hinnawy@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Expands Approved Use of H1N1 Vaccines to Include Infants and Children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the CSL Limited’s 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine to include children ages 6 months and older. This vaccine was previously approved only for use in adults, ages 18 years and older.

“Because children are among those most vulnerable to the 2009 H1N1 virus, having a broader range of children’s vaccines available is an important step in responding to the H1N1 outbreak,” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs.

The company’s 2009 H1N1 vaccine is manufactured and tested using the same well-established licensing processes that have been in place for many years for the company’s seasonal flu vaccine. The expanded approval also covers the company’s seasonal flu vaccine.

The approval was based on a study of the company’s seasonal flu vaccine in children showing the vaccine's safety and efficacy in inducing antibodies to protect against influenza. These efficacy findings supported approval under FDA's accelerated approval regulation, which helps safe and effective medical products for serious or life-threatening diseases to become available sooner to the public.

Common adverse events experienced by children after administration of seasonal and H1N1 vaccines typically include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site as well as, in some cases, irritability, loss of appetite and drowsiness.

As with any medical product, unexpected or rare serious adverse events may occur. FDA is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other government agencies to enhance the capacity for adverse event safety monitoring during and after the 2009 H1N1 vaccination program.

Because CSL’s seasonal and H1N1 monovalent vaccines contain a small amount of egg protein, they should not be administered to anyone allergic to eggs or egg products.

The vaccines will be available in single-dose, preservative-free, pre-filled syringes and in multi-dose vials that contain thimerosal, a mercury derivative, as a preservative.

Both vaccines are manufactured by CSL Ltd. of Australia.

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Feel free to read between the lines on that latest FDA announcement. I.E. "We'll approve the vaccine because the previous products appear safe and we'll do adverse event monitoring after the fact to see how many kids the minimally tested vaccine screwed up."

 

Your tax dollars at work.

 

Michael and Elvis: Nowhere else to go.

Michael Jackson began his career around the age of 11. Elvis Presley began his career at roughly 18. One a child and the other a young adult, but both young.

Both performers were immensely talented. Elvis was the King of rock and Roll and Jackson was the King of Pop.

I suppose as a conservative Christian I could make the statement that both men lived sinful, unrepentant lives and were called home earlier than one would expect due to judgement being rendered on them, but there is another issue.

Michael Jackson produced some of the world's most popular records and so did Elvis Presley. Both men were and are idolized. Both men were pioneering entertainers and there were times when both men lived fast, hard lives.

Elvis Presley died from a drug overdose and so, it appears did Michael Jackson. (It looks like both had overdosed on Demerol) Elvis had been making something of a comeback and Jackson had planned to return to live performances.

The bottom line is both men had to die when they did. Though they were on the comeback trail, they were simply not the men they were at their peak. There were the drug and scandal issues and could anyone really have wanted to see these two men continue a performance slide into their seventies or later?

No, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley had to die when they did because they had nowhere else to go.