Pathogens and their impacts

[bbr2314]

12/24 SITREP

792 confirmed / suspected...!!!

[Human Habitat Index]

12/24 SITREP

792 confirmed / suspected...!!!

Louis Pasteur was a fraud. His private diaries confirm that.

The Germ Theory is a hoax.

Vaccination is a barbaric hoax.

Therefore Ebola is a hoax.

Viruses have not been proven to exist - show me a photo.

Bechamp was a genius.

As Pasteur said on his death bed "the microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything, Beachamp was right "

So we in fact are living under a medical dictatorship, where science is being ignored.

[bbr2314]

12/24 SITREP

792 confirmed / suspected...!!!

Louis Pasteur was a fraud. His private diaries confirm that.

The Germ Theory is a hoax.

Vaccination is a barbaric hoax.

Therefore Ebola is a hoax.

Viruses have not been proven to exist - show me a photo.

Bechamp was a genius.

As Pasteur said on his death bed "the microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything, Beachamp was right "

So we in fact are living under a medical dictatorship, where science is being ignored.

I think you might be severely mentally challenged and if Neven allows this post to stand I might just stop visiting this forum entirely

[SteveMDFP]

The Germ Theory is a hoax.

Vaccination is a barbaric hoax.

Therefore Ebola is a hoax.

Viruses have not been proven to exist - show me a photo.

Utterly ridiculous.  Of course viruses can be demonstrated with electron microscopes.
Many of their entire genome sequences have been 100% sequenced.
You think AIDS isn't caused by the HIV virus?  Smallpox isn't caused by the smallpox virus?
If vaccination is a hoax, how did we eliminate smallpox as a human disease?

[Shared Humanity]

The Germ Theory is a hoax.

Vaccination is a barbaric hoax.

Therefore Ebola is a hoax.

Viruses have not been proven to exist - show me a photo.

Utterly ridiculous.  Of course viruses can be demonstrated with electron microscopes.
Many of their entire genome sequences have been 100% sequenced.
You think AIDS isn't caused by the HIV virus?  Smallpox isn't caused by the smallpox virus?
If vaccination is a hoax, how did we eliminate smallpox as a human disease?

Christ!! Where do these people come from?

[Paddy]

12/24 SITREP

792 confirmed / suspected...!!!

Where is this update from? The latest I can find online is the 19/12 update from the WHO, when the case total stood at 560 https://www.who.int/ebola/situation-reports/drc-2018/en/

(Ignoring the weird medical denialist conspiracy theory being posted here for now).

[oren]

I really hope this virus rant was some weird humor and not meant seriously.

[Neven]

I really hope this virus rant was some weird humor and not meant seriously.

I hope so too, because otherwise it might better for HHI to go look for another forum.

But Merry Christmas, nevertheless, of course. 

[bbr2314]

12/24 SITREP

792 confirmed / suspected...!!!

Where is this update from? The latest I can find online is the 19/12 update from the WHO, when the case total stood at 560 https://www.who.int/ebola/situation-reports/drc-2018/en/

(Ignoring the weird medical denialist conspiracy theory being posted here for now).

The most recent report got rid of a bunch of suspect cases. They can be accessed here:

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=aedd23c530

[SteveMDFP]

12/24 SITREP

792 confirmed / suspected...!!!

Where is this update from? The latest I can find online is the 19/12 update from the WHO, when the case total stood at 560 https://www.who.int/ebola/situation-reports/drc-2018/en/

(Ignoring the weird medical denialist conspiracy theory being posted here for now).

I'm also having trouble verifying the 792 number.  However, it's not necessarily wrong, as that was described as "confirmed/suspected."  The WHO sit rep page doesn't include current *suspected* cases, only confirmed and *probable* cases.  Suspected cases apparently are of a lower level of certainty than probable:
"Alert and suspected cases (not reported here), are systematically investigated to confirm or exclude Ebola virus disease before inclusion in the case counts or discarded as non-cases."

I note the case fatality rate is well over 50%, suggesting to me that medication treatment of infections may not be highly effective.  My reading suggests current rate of increase is much lower than the last epidemic, which could reflect efficacy of the experimental vaccine.  Vaccine supplies were recently described as "adequate," but as cases are now appearing in at least one urban area, I have concerns about how long supplies will remain so. 

Last time around, the Obama administration gave rather massive support to ebola control, with many US personnel sent to Africa to assist in efforts.  I suspect Trump is more likely to just shut down travel from affected areas and let DRC, NGOs, and WHO do all the difficult work.  Penny wise and pound foolish.

[Human Habitat Index]

I really hope this virus rant was some weird humor and not meant seriously.

I hope so too, because otherwise it might better for HHI to go look for another forum.

But Merry Christmas, nevertheless, of course. 

Whatever happens with this issue, ASIF will remain the best forum on the net.

As the Sword of Damocles is suspended above me, all I ask for is a "last meal".

Louis Pasteur was a fraud. His private diaries confirm that.

https://www.google.com/search?q=louis+pasteur+was+a+fraud&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU701AU701&oq=louis+pasteur+was+a+fraud&aqs=chrome..69i57.26271j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

"The Private Science of Louis Pasteur," Gerald L. Geison

Viruses have not been proven to exist - show me a photo.

DR STEFAN LANKA DEBUNKS PICTURES OF “ISOLATED VIRUSES”

https://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/dr-stefan-lanka-debunks-pictures-of-isolated-viruses/

In a recent ruling, judges at the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) confirmed that the measles virus does not exist. Furthermore, there is not a single scientific study in the world which could prove the existence of the virus in any scientific literature. This raises the question of what was actually injected into millions over the past few decades.

https://www.sott.net/article/340948-Biologist-wins-Supreme-Court-case-proving-that-the-measles-virus-does-not-exist

Are viruses alive?

https://www.google.com/search?q=are+viruses+alive&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU701AU701&oq=are+viruses&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.13395j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The science is not settled on this question.

Béchamp maintained that disease developed in the presence of an unhealthy environment caused by an unbalanced state in the body. He held that disease could not take hold without a preexisting weakness.9

As summarized and greatly simplified by author Walene James10—and ridiculed by Mark Crislip11 in Science-Based Medicine—Béchamp’s basic message was that:

Disease arises from micro-organisms within the cells of the body.
These intracellular microorganisms normally function to build and assist in the metabolic processes of the body.
The function of these organisms changes to assist in the catabolic (disintegration) processes of the host organism when that organism dies or is injured, which may be chemical as well as mechanical.
Microrganisms change their shapes and colours to reflect the medium.
Every disease is associated with a particular condition.
Microorganisms become “pathogenic” as the health of the host organism. deteriorates. Hence, the condition of the host organism is the primary causal agent.
Disease is built by unhealthy conditions.
To prevent disease we have to create health.
Among those who rejected germ theory, instead championing the influence of diet, climate, ventilation, hygiene and sanitation in causing disease were Florence Nightingale and Rudolf Virchow.

https://thevaccinereaction.org/2018/02/pasteur-vs-bechamp-the-germ-theory-debate/

Pesticides and Polio: A Critique of Scientific Literature

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/environmental-toxins/pesticides-and-polio-a-critique-of-scientific-literature/

Whistleblower Dr. William Thompson confirmed that "the CDC knew about the relationship between the age of first MMR vaccine and autism incidence in African-American boys as early as 2003, but chose to cover it up." He remarked "we've missed ten years of research because the CDC is so paralyzed right now by anything related to autism. They're not doing what they should be doing because they're afraid to look for things that might be associated." He alleges criminal wrongdoing by his supervisors, and he expressed deep regret about his role in helping the CDC hide data.

https://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/UK-Deaths-1838-1978-Copy.gif

“The further I looked into it, the more shocked I became. I found that the whole vaccine business was indeed a gigantic hoax. Most doctors are convinced that they are useful, but if you look at the proper statistics and study the instance of these diseases you will realise that this is not so.”

Dr A Kalokerinos MD, Australia

https://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/do-infectious-disease-mortality-graphs-show-vaccines-save-lives/

A healthy body will resist disease.

We are not alone , we live symbiotically with trillions of microbes and our health is reliant on having a healthy gut flora, which should not be compromised by antibiotics and vaccinations.

[bbr2314]

I really hope this virus rant was some weird humor and not meant seriously.

I hope so too, because otherwise it might better for HHI to go look for another forum.

But Merry Christmas, nevertheless, of course. 

Whatever happens with this issue, ASIF will remain the best forum on the net.

As the Sword of Damocles is suspended above me, all I ask for is a "last meal".

Louis Pasteur was a fraud. His private diaries confirm that.

https://www.google.com/search?q=louis+pasteur+was+a+fraud&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU701AU701&oq=louis+pasteur+was+a+fraud&aqs=chrome..69i57.26271j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

"The Private Science of Louis Pasteur," Gerald L. Geison

Viruses have not been proven to exist - show me a photo.

DR STEFAN LANKA DEBUNKS PICTURES OF “ISOLATED VIRUSES”

https://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/dr-stefan-lanka-debunks-pictures-of-isolated-viruses/

In a recent ruling, judges at the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) confirmed that the measles virus does not exist. Furthermore, there is not a single scientific study in the world which could prove the existence of the virus in any scientific literature. This raises the question of what was actually injected into millions over the past few decades.

https://www.sott.net/article/340948-Biologist-wins-Supreme-Court-case-proving-that-the-measles-virus-does-not-exist

Are viruses alive?

https://www.google.com/search?q=are+viruses+alive&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU701AU701&oq=are+viruses&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.13395j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The science is not settled on this question.

Béchamp maintained that disease developed in the presence of an unhealthy environment caused by an unbalanced state in the body. He held that disease could not take hold without a preexisting weakness.9

As summarized and greatly simplified by author Walene James10—and ridiculed by Mark Crislip11 in Science-Based Medicine—Béchamp’s basic message was that:

Disease arises from micro-organisms within the cells of the body.
These intracellular microorganisms normally function to build and assist in the metabolic processes of the body.
The function of these organisms changes to assist in the catabolic (disintegration) processes of the host organism when that organism dies or is injured, which may be chemical as well as mechanical.
Microrganisms change their shapes and colours to reflect the medium.
Every disease is associated with a particular condition.
Microorganisms become “pathogenic” as the health of the host organism. deteriorates. Hence, the condition of the host organism is the primary causal agent.
Disease is built by unhealthy conditions.
To prevent disease we have to create health.
Among those who rejected germ theory, instead championing the influence of diet, climate, ventilation, hygiene and sanitation in causing disease were Florence Nightingale and Rudolf Virchow.

https://thevaccinereaction.org/2018/02/pasteur-vs-bechamp-the-germ-theory-debate/

Pesticides and Polio: A Critique of Scientific Literature

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/environmental-toxins/pesticides-and-polio-a-critique-of-scientific-literature/

Whistleblower Dr. William Thompson confirmed that "the CDC knew about the relationship between the age of first MMR vaccine and autism incidence in African-American boys as early as 2003, but chose to cover it up." He remarked "we've missed ten years of research because the CDC is so paralyzed right now by anything related to autism. They're not doing what they should be doing because they're afraid to look for things that might be associated." He alleges criminal wrongdoing by his supervisors, and he expressed deep regret about his role in helping the CDC hide data.

https://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/UK-Deaths-1838-1978-Copy.gif

“The further I looked into it, the more shocked I became. I found that the whole vaccine business was indeed a gigantic hoax. Most doctors are convinced that they are useful, but if you look at the proper statistics and study the instance of these diseases you will realise that this is not so.”

Dr A Kalokerinos MD, Australia

https://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/do-infectious-disease-mortality-graphs-show-vaccines-save-lives/

A healthy body will resist disease.

We are not alone , we live symbiotically with trillions of microbes and our health is reliant on having a healthy gut flora, which should not be compromised by antibiotics and vaccinations.

You should go volunteer to help the Ebola patients in DRC without any protective gear if it is such a hoax. It is tragic that your views are given any air at all, but if you hold them so dearly, why not go save the people who are dying from a lie?

[Archimid]

HHI. Order decays into disorder as time passes. That's the law.

 The structure of the body is order, and over time it will decay. Sometimes microorganisms cause the decay, sometimes chemicals cause the decay, sometimes a simple failure of correctly copying a cell cause the decay, even cosmic radiation can cause the decay.

There are no lifestyle choices that can avoid that decay, although some forms of decay can be minimized by lifestyle choices. There are ways to temporary fix that decay, and those ways are systematically explored in the field of medicine.

[Neven]

HHI, I'm not interested in virus/vaccination-discussions here. So, either refrain or go elsewhere.

[b_lumenkraft]

A healthy body will resist disease.

Having a friend lost to cancer, this sounds like victim blaming in my ears.

[SteveMDFP]

HHI, I'm not interested in virus/vaccination-discussions here. So, either refrain or go elsewhere.

I just wanted to provide a couple of background articles for anyone who might think the anti-vaxxer arguments presented here have merit.

LOUIS PASTEUR AND QUESTIONS OF FRAUD
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1993/02/23/louis-pasteur-and-questions-of-fraud/196b2287-f63f-4bac-874e-c33b122d6f61/?utm_term=.e73835e42a43

"But in at least two significant cases, the 19th century French researcher apparently lied about his scientific methods, appropriated an idea from a competitor and conducted human experiments that would be considered unethical then as well as today.

Princeton history professor Gerald L. Geison, a leading Pasteur scholar, unearthed "two examples of what might be called scientific misconduct" in the public trial of a vaccine against deadly anthrax disease in sheep and the vaccination of a young boy against the lethal disease rabies.

Geison concluded that, despite his monumental contributions to medicine, Pasteur would "not have passed muster with Congress" if his scientific methods were scrutinized today."
____________________________________________

The "expert" quoted by HHI is simply a kook:

A vaccine denier bet $100,000 the measles virus 'doesn't exist.' He lost.
https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-a-vaccine-denier-20150320-column.html

"Stefan Lanka is a German biologist with a long history of pseudoscientific outbursts, including a denial that the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, "exists at all."

In November 2011 he put his money where his mouth is by offering 100,000 euros (about $106,000) to anyone who could prove that the measles virus exists. His position is that the disease is "a psychosomatic illness" caused by "traumatic separations."

The challenge was taken up by David Bardens, a German doctor who compiled evidence from medical journals proving the disease's viral cause. When Lanka rejected the evidence, Bardens sued. Last week a German court found Bardens' evidence persuasive and ordered Lanka to pay. He says he'll appeal."
_________________________________________________________

HHI previously asserted that there were no victims on 9/11, no planes hit the towers.
I previously described how the video clip presented as evidence made no rational sense.

We needn't rehash any of this

[gerontocrat]

I sent an e-mail to NIPR about the JAXA data. I got a nice reply.
(https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,2223.msg185174.html#msg185174)

So I have sent them a thankyou email and mentioned how this forum uses and values the sea ice data from the NIPR / JAXA organisation. I also gave them the link to this forum.

Trouble is, if they use it what might they see on the unread posts page and what might they read if following the obvious link? Conspiracy theories from the lunatic asylum. Bloody embarassing.

and that's all I'm going to say about that

[oren]

In just a week we had one moon landing denier and one virus/vaccine denier - and this on the ASIF. I shudder to think what's going on in the general population.

[Shared Humanity]

In just a week we had one moon landing denier and one virus/vaccine denier - and this on the ASIF. I shudder to think what's going on in the general population.

The earth is flat?

[Human Habitat Index]

HHI, I'm not interested in virus/vaccination-discussions here. So, either refrain or go elsewhere.

I'm not surprised by the contempt prior to investigation, but I thought that I would get a fairer hearing on a science based forum.

Of course I respect your decision, but I note it was a political rather than a scientific one, which amounts to censorship.

I still hold hope for the awakening of the general public after the recent Italian elections.

[Human Habitat Index]

HHI. Order decays into disorder as time passes. That's the law.

 The structure of the body is order, and over time it will decay. Sometimes microorganisms cause the decay, sometimes chemicals cause the decay, sometimes a simple failure of correctly copying a cell cause the decay, even cosmic radiation can cause the decay.

There are no lifestyle choices that can avoid that decay, although some forms of decay can be minimized by lifestyle choices. There are ways to temporary fix that decay, and those ways are systematically explored in the field of medicine.

I play Australian Rules Football against people 20+ years younger than me, in fact I believe I'm the best 60+yo half-back flanker in the world.

Due to lifestyle choices.

[Archimid]

Good for you. However one day, regardless of how optimal your environment is, something in your body will fail and the rest is history. Let's hope is not for a very long time and I totally believe that by adopting the correct life style choices you can minimize decay significantly, but regrettably it will happen. Just like the rest of us.

[Human Habitat Index]

Good for you. However one day, regardless of how optimal your environment is, something in your body will fail and the rest is history. Let's hope is not for a very long time and I totally believe that by adopting the correct life style choices you can minimize decay significantly, but regrettably it will happen. Just like the rest of us.

I am not seeking immortality, I just don't want to be feeble in old age.

[Sigmetnow]

CHINCOTEAGUE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Virginia

On an island famous for wild ponies, a dangerous infection is killing horses

Managers of the herd worry that warmer weather will bring yet more infections and, potentially, a serious threat to the beloved ponies, one of the region’s iconic tourist draws and a feature of the Virginia coast for centuries.
...
The unexpected malady is pythiosis, an infection typically caused when a horse steps in water carrying a fungus-like organism known as Pythium insidiosum. Pathogens can enter small cuts or abrasions and, in some horses, create itchy, swelling lesions that will eventually become tumor-like growths. Untreated, the infection is invariably fatal. ...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/eastern-shore/bs-md-post-chincoteague-swamp-cancer-20181231-story.html

[vox_mundi]

Unintended consequences ...

Wild Monkeys With Killer Herpes are Breeding Like Crazy In Florida
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/wild-monkeys-with-killer-herpes-are-breeding-like-crazy-in-florida/

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/monkeys-swarm-ocala-mans-property/552589371

A quick reminder: there’s a band of feral monkeys running wild in Central Florida that carries a type of herpes lethal to humans. The mischievous simians—who are not shy around people—can transmit deadly disease with just a scratch, nip, or fling of poo.

Last year, experts warned that the rhesus macaques are a public health threat. It now seems that the monkey business is likely to get worse, with a wildlife expert revealing that their population is set to double in the next few years.

“It’s going to be a problem… Continual growth of that population is going to occur without intervention,” Steve Johnson told Florida ABC-affiliate WFTV in a report published January 3. Johnson is a professor and wildlife expert at the University of Florida and part of a team of researchers that has followed the monkeys for years.

Early last year, Johnson and colleagues published a study estimating that about 25 percent of Florida’s population of free-wheeling monkeys carries the deadly virus, known as macacine herpesvirus 1 (McHV-1), herpes B, or monkey B virus. The study appeared in the February issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

In humans, McHV-1 can cause a flu-like illness that can progress to neurological problems, such as double vision and paralysis. At that point, an infected person is likely to die of the infection.

The population got its start during the 1930s and 1940s when the captain of a glass-bottom boat released a handful of macaques on an island in Florida’s Silver River to amuse tourists. The monkeys, which are excellent swimmers, established in the surrounding Silver Spring State Park and nearby Ocala National Forest.

----------------------------

Escapades in Ecology: Bart Simpsons
https://ekostories.com/2013/03/08/simpsons-bart-mother-ecology/

... Bart discover that they are in fact Bolivian tree lizards, an invasive species responsible for the demise of many native birds and must by law be exterminated. After developing a bond with the hatchlings, Bart refuses to hand the lizards over and instead releases them to freedom.

“Our top story, the population of parasitic tree lizards has exploded, and local citizens couldn’t be happier! It seems the rapacious reptiles have developed a taste for the common pigeon, also known as the ‘feathered rat’, or the ‘gutter bird’. For the first time, citizens need not fear harassment by flocks of chattering disease-bags.” (Kent Brockman)

Much to everyone’s surprise, the lizards turn out to be a blessing, dining on the town’s pesky pigeon population. Bart is thanked and praised by Mayor Quimby, but Lisa worries about the long-term ramifications of the introduced lizards. Principal Skinner reassures her that releasing other non-native species will keep the lizards in check.

Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn’t that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we’re overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They’ll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren’t the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we’re prepared for that. We’ve lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we’re stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that’s the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

[vox_mundi]

Biologists Are Trying to Make Bird Flu Easier to Spread. Can We Not? 
https://www.vox.com/2019/2/17/18225938/biologists-are-trying-to-make-bird-flu-easier-to-spread-can-we-not



Bird flu is a deadly virus with the potential to spark a global pandemic. Now, thanks to the US government, two lab experiments - trying to find ways to make it more dangerous - will resume their work after years on hold. 

Science Magazine last week broke the news that the US had quietly approved the two dangerous and controversial experiments. One of them will begin within the next few weeks. The other is expected to begin later this spring. The two had been on hold since 2012 amid a fierce debate in the virology community about gain-of-function (increased lethality) research. In 2014, the U.S. government declared a moratorium on such research.

That was a bad year on the biohazard front. In June 2014, as many as 75 scientists at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention were exposed to anthrax. A few weeks later, Food and Drug Administration officials ran across 16 forgotten vials of smallpox in storage. Meanwhile, the “largest, most severe and most complex” Ebola outbreak in history was raging across West Africa, and the first patient to be diagnosed in the U.S. had just been announced.

In 2017, the government released new guidelines for gain-of-function research, signaling an end to the blanket moratorium. And the news from last week suggests that dangerous projects are proceeding.



Experts in biosecurity are concerned that the field is heading toward a mistake that could kill many innocent people. They argue that, to move ahead with research like this, there should be a transparent process with global stakeholders at the table. After all, if anything goes wrong, the mess we’ll face will certainly be a global one. 

What Gain-of-Function Research Looks Like

In 2001, an Australian research team went to work on what was intended to be a contraceptive virus for pest control, targeting mice. Instead of sterilizing the mice, the Ectromelia virus the scientists were using killed the mice — all of them.

In 2011, two different groups of researchers announced plans to publish research in which they’d modified H5N1 — in ferrets, not in humans — to make it transmissible through the air. H5N1 has killed more than half of people it infects

Now, both of these labs have been given the green light to increase the lethality of bird flu.

... “Do you think we have problems with anti-vaxxers now?” If vaccine research, however well-intentioned, results in dangerous diseases escaping the lab, things could get a great deal worse.

---------------------------

EXCLUSIVE: Controversial experiments that could make bird flu more risky poised to resume
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/exclusive-controversial-experiments-make-bird-flu-more-risky-poised-resume

[vox_mundi]

Texas Lawmaker Completely Unconcerned About Measles Outbreak Because of 'Antibiotics'
https://gizmodo.com/texas-lawmaker-completely-unconcerned-about-measles-epi-1832919951/amp

Some lawmakers in Texas are apparently very unworried about the growing number of epidemics across the country involving diseases once nearly eradicated by vaccines, including a five-county one in their state. A few of them are even pushing a bill that would make it even easier to opt out of vaccinations, the Texas Observer reported Tuesday, with one of them claiming that people can always just get “antibiotics.”

One proponent, Republican state representative and outspoken Texans for Vaccine Choice ally Bill Zedler, told the Observer the U.S. is “not the Soviet Union,” bragged about how he was never debilitated by contracting diseases that hadn’t had vaccines yet, and said no one is dying from measles since we have “antibiotics and that kind of stuff”

Word to Zedler: Measles is a virus. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections. There is no prescription medication to treat measles.

By the way, reports of measles-related deaths do occur in the U.S., and in epidemics from 1989-1991 that saw about 55,000 cases, 11,000 were hospitalized and at least 123 people died according to the CDC.

[kassy]

In a way vaccines are a victim of their success.

If you look back at historical child mortality related to the diseases and suffering caused by symptoms or complications of the diseases you understand how useful they are. But almost no one remembers that because they have not experienced those times and actually researching a subject instead of thinking your kid might get ADHD from them because some idiot friend of yours says so on facebook is something most people don´t even think of.

People also have a hard time understanding herd immunity.

[vox_mundi]

WHO Launches Strategy to Fight 'Inevitable' Flu Pandemics
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-strategy-inevitable-flu-pandemics.html

... "Another influenza pandemic is inevitable," the UN health agency said, adding that "in this interconnected world, the question is not if we will have another pandemic, but when."

Launching the new strategy, the WHO chief stressed the need for vigilance and preparation.

"The cost of a major influenza outbreak will far outweigh the price of prevention," he said.

While pandemic preparedness is estimated to cost less than $1 per person per year, WHO said responding to a pandemic costs roughly 100 times that amount.

... "In a perfect world, everyone would be vaccinated," Friede told reporters in Geneva.



---------------------------------------

Study Warns of Disinfectant Use in Hospitals
https://phys.org/news/2019-03-disinfectant-hospitals.html

In a study published in Nature Microbiology, Dr. Karolin Hijazi, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen Institute of Dentistry, in collaboration with Professor Ian Gould, Consultant Microbiologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and colleagues at the University of Leicester analysed resistance to disinfectants in a specific type of bacteria.

The team looked at Staphylococcus epidermidis, a type of bacteria found on the skin of healthy people and is traditionally considered harmless. They previously found that in environments with a high concentration of disinfectant, such as intensive care units, this otherwise benign bacteria can become pathogenic and multidrug resistant.

When this happens, the drug resistant strain can potentially transfer 'resistance' genes to Staphylococcus aureus, which then transforms into 'superbug' MRSA.

Up until now, previous research has focussed largely on MRSA, with little attention paid to Staphylococcus epidermidis in this context. According to Dr. Hijazi, however, these results indicate that Staphylococcus epidermidis may also pose a potentially a significant risk to public health.

Professor Gould explains: "Our research shows that in environments with a high concentration of disinfectant, this previously harmless bacteria can develop resistance to treatments commonly used to treat infection. This is potentially a very significant public health issue and highlights the importance of investigating how these bugs can become resistant to disinfectants.' ... "Basically, we are saying that intensive use of the particular disinfectants used in hospitals can contribute to the prevalence of bugs that are resistant to most antibiotics commonly used to treat infections.



---------------------------

Drug-Resistant Superbug Spreading in Hospitals
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-09-drug-resistant-superbug-hospitals.html

[vox_mundi]

Congo's Ebola Outbreak Might Be Declared Global Emergency
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/congo-s-ebola-outbreak-might-be-declared-global-emergency-n993856

A top Red Cross official says he’s “more concerned than I have ever been” about the possible regional spread of the Ebola virus after a new spike in cases, as the World Health Organization met on whether to declare the outbreak in Congo an international health emergency.

Emanuele Capobianco, head of health and care at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, cited Congolese health ministry statistics showing 40 new cases over two days this week. He called that rate unprecedented in this outbreak. ... 75% of new Ebola cases have no obvious link to previous patients, meaning that officials have lost track of where the virus is spreading.

“We’re discovering people when it’s way too late,” ... noting numerous cases were buried in secret and never reported to authorities. “Given the average number of cases we’re seeing now, this is not going to be over for at least another six months or more.”

... To be designated a public health emergency of international concern, a situation must be “serious, unusual or unexpected,” threaten to infect other countries and require “immediate international action.”

-------------------------------

Drug-Resistant “Superbugs” are Spreading
https://www.vox.com/2019/4/8/18300388/candida-auris-superbug-drug-resistant

In a breathtaking Saturday feature in the New York Times, reporters Matt Richtel and Andrew Jacobs shined a light on one such hidden outbreak: the spread of a drug-resistant fungus, Candida auris, around the world.

[Shared Humanity]

Given our inaction with regards to climate change and the accelerating extinction event, a raging global pandemic which kills a couple of billion may be Mother Earth's last best hope. May it be particularly deadly in the most developed nations as this will have the greatest ameliorative impact.

[bbr2314]

Given our inaction with regards to climate change and the accelerating extinction event, a raging global pandemic which kills a couple of billion may be Mother Earth's last best hope. May it be particularly deadly in the most developed nations as this will have the greatest ameliorative impact.

Anything that threatens the nuclear power plants in the developed world in a substantial way would result in "game over" for the entire Northern Hemisphere.

I think the Ebola situation is much more likely to result in something substantially deadly (and if we ever do have a devastating pandemic it is probably going to rise in a similar fashion). My suspicion is that Ebola is evolving into an STD, which is why women are more impacted than men in the current outbreak (men are more promiscuous and often have multiple partners especially in a war-torn region like where the outbreak is currently occurring in DRC).

Beyond handling corpses at funerals, it is actually fairly difficult to contract Ebola, barring large cross-contamination of bodily fluids, i.e., sexual intercourse, and I think this is what is now occurring. The rebels may also be weaponizing Ebola patients to sow additional civil / societal discord, also possibly explaining why it is seemingly impossible to get a hold of the current situation despite the administration of nearly 100K doses of vaccine to this point.

[SteveMDFP]

Measles outbreak kills 1,200 in Madagascar, where parents want to vaccinate but lack means
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/measles-outbreak-kills-1-200-madagascar-where-parents-want-vaccinate-n994266
...
As Madagascar faces its largest measles outbreak in history and cases soar well beyond 115,000, resistance to vaccinating children is not the driving force.
...
This epidemic is complicated by the fact that nearly 50 percent of children in Madagascar are malnourished.

"Malnutrition is the bed of measles," Sodjinou said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

We have a highly effective measles vaccine.  It looks like the new Ebola vaccine may be highly effective as well.  But we have expanding epidemics of both, due to poverty, armed conflict, and societal breakdown.

More to come?

[Tor Bejnar]

... My suspicion is that Ebola is evolving into an STD ...

It is an STD and 'always' has been.

[bbr2314]

... My suspicion is that Ebola is evolving into an STD ...

It is an STD and 'always' has been.

It has never successfully replicated as an STD or otherwise in the human population for more than a few months outside of the current outbreak and the 2014 outbreak. While the current outbreak has been curtailed by vaccines, the virus has had many replications within the human population of the DRC since its initial incursion in August of 2018.

In the same time the current outbreak has taken to reach 1,500 confirmed+suspected cases, the 2014 outbreak had surpassed 17,000 confirmed+suspected. However, the total twelve months after 11/2014 was only 28,613, as the outbreak was brought under control by early 2015.

Unlike the 2014 outbreak's course at the current moment, the 2018+ outbreak is accelerating in spread. The week ending today (the 14th) saw the first instance of 100+ confirmed new cases, and also saw 80 deaths, almost double any other period.

There is one major difference between West Africa and DRC, and it is fertility rates. The region of the current outbreak's fertility rate is approximately 50% above Liberia / Sierra Leone / Guinea. This does not necessarily mean people are having more sex, but it certainly seems they are having more unprotected sex. I think thusly we have conditions present for selection in a way that was not quite as prevalent in the 2014 outbreak and that gives rise to the prospect of SUSTAINED transmission in populations as an STD versus just another failed incursion.

[Tom_Mazanec]

Marin county supervisors receive report on AGW impact on health, diseases, sea level rise:
https://www.marinij.com/2019/04/13/marin-supervisors-receive-harrowing-report-on-climate-change-sea-level-rise/

[vox_mundi]

Unintended consequences ...

Gene-Editing Technology to Create Virus-Resistant Cassava Plant has Opposite Effect
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-gene-editing-technology-virus-resistant-cassava-effect.html

Using gene-editing technology to create virus-resistant cassava plants could have serious negative ramifications, according to new research by plant biologists at the University of Alberta, the University of Liège in Belgium and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

Their research shows that attempts to genetically engineer the plants to fight off viruses resulted in the propagation of mutated viruses in controlled laboratory conditions.

"Because this technology creates a selection pressure on the viruses to evolve more quickly, and also provides the viruses a means to evolve, it resulted in a virus mutant that is resistant to our interventions," explained U of A post-doctoral fellow Devang Mehta.



Open Access: Devang Mehta et al. Linking CRISPR-Cas9 interference in cassava to the evolution of editing-resistant geminiviruses, Genome Biology (2019).

[vox_mundi]

Ebola Death Toll to Pass 1,000: UN
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-ebola-death-toll.html

The current Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed nearly 1,000 people, the UN said Friday, warning the "intense" spread of the virus was set to persist.

... in recent weeks senior WHO officials have conceded that insecurity in the restive region, scarce financial resources and manipulation of the Ebola issue by local politicians to turn people against health workers has seriously undermined the containment effort.

"We are anticipating a scenario of continued, intense transmission," he added.

[vox_mundi]

'Terrifying' Ebola Epidemic Out of Control In DRC, Say Experts   
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/15/terrifying-ebola-epidemic-out-of-control-in-drc-say-experts

...  More than 1,600 people have been infected with the Ebola virus in the North Kivu region of DRC and more than 1,000 have died so far – the great majority women and children. At least 10 months since the outbreak began, the numbers are rising steadily and the fatality rate is higher than in previous outbreaks, at about 67%.

... “The situation is far more dangerous than the statistic of 1,000 deaths, itself the second largest in history, suggests and the suspension of key services threatens to create a lethal inflection point in the trajectory of the disease,” he said. “The danger is that the number of cases spirals out of control, despite a proven vaccine and treatment.” 

[vox_mundi]

DRC Set to Exceed 2,000 Ebola Cases in Second Largest Outbreak Ever   
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/03/drc-set-to-exceed-2000-ebola-cases-in-second-largest-outbreak-ever

Aid agencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are set to announce that more than 2,000 people have been infected with Ebola since the outbreak was declared in August last year.

So far, there have been 1,994 confirmed and probable cases of infection with the virus, making the outbreak the second largest in history. New cases are being reported at a rate of around 10 every day. Some 1,339 people have died

[SteveMDFP]

In this global forum, there may be a few near Hannover, Germany who might have an interest in a conference:

Understanding and Responding to Global Health Security Risks from Microbial Threats in the Arctic: A Workshop
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Global/UnderstandingandRespondingtoGlobalHealthSecurityRisksfromMicrobialThreatsintheArctic/2019-NOV-06.aspx

When:
November 6, 2019 - November 7, 2019 (12:00 AM GMT+2)

Where:
Herrenhausen Palace Conference Center • Vahrenwalder Straße 7 , Hannover, Germany 30165

At this early stage, there's no agenda published, nor indication of presenters.

It's known that anthrax can emerge from thawing permafrost.  But anthrax responds to early treatment with antibiotics.  It's conceivable that agents like smallpox might emerge from thawing bodies.  This isn't treatable with antibiotics, and essentially everyone born since 1972 would be susceptible.  Who knows what other microbes might be released.  So, the workshop may be worth keeping an eye on, as the arctic permafrost thaws ever faster.

[Tom_Mazanec]

Most rivers are awash in antibiotics, fueling bacterial resistance (this is the real coming plague):
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2019/05/first-global-look-finds-most-rivers-awash-antibiotics

[vox_mundi]

Ebola Spreads in Uganda—2 Deaths, 27 in Contact—as WHO Calls Emergency Meeting
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/ebola-spreads-in-uganda-2-deaths-27-in-contact-as-who-calls-emergency-meeting/

Local and international health officials are scrambling to smother a flare-up of Ebola in Uganda, which spread this week from a massive, months-long outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak has sickened 2,084 and killed 1,405 since last August.

Uganda announced its first case stemming from the outbreak on Tuesday, June 11. The case was in a 5-year-old Congolese boy who traveled across the border with family a few days earlier. The Ugandan Health Ministry reported shortly after that the boy succumbed to his infection the morning of June 12. Two of his family members also tested positive by that time: the boy’s 50-year-old grandmother and his 3-year-old brother.

Today, June 13, the Ministry announced that the grandmother had also passed. In an urgent meeting over the situation, officials from Uganda and the DRC mutually decided to send the remaining family back to the DRC. That includes the 3-year-old boy with a confirmed case, as well as the mother, father, a 6-month-old sibling, and their maid. Health officials noted that the latter four family members are all considered “suspected cases.”

[vox_mundi]

Salmonella Resistant to Antibiotics of Last Resort Found in US
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-06-salmonella-resistant-antibiotics-resort.html

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a gene that gives Salmonella resistance to antibiotics of last resort in a sample taken from a human patient in the U.S. The find is the first evidence that the gene mcr-3.1 has made its way into the U.S. from Asia. ... The sample came from a person who had traveled to China two weeks prior to becoming ill with a Salmonella infection.

... "Public health officials have known about this gene for some time," says Siddhartha Thakur, professor and director of global health at NC State and corresponding author of the research. "In 2015, they saw that mcr-3.1 had moved from a chromosome to a plasmid in China, which paves the way for the gene to be transmitted between organisms. For example, E. coli and Salmonella are in the same family, so once the gene is on a plasmid, that plasmid could move between the bacteria and they could transmit this gene to each other. Once mcr-3.1 jumped to the plasmid, it spread to 30 different countries, although not—as far as we knew—to the U.S."

Daniel F. Monte et al, Multidrug- and colistin-resistant Salmonella enterica 4,[5],12:i:- sequence type 34 carrying the mcr-3.1 gene on the IncHI2 plasmid recovered from a human, Journal of Medical Microbiology (2019)

[Tom_Mazanec]

Flesh eating bacteria in New Jersey from AGW:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/17/health/climate-change-flesh-eating-bacteria-study/index.html

[vox_mundi]

Ebola Case Reported Near South Sudan Border
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-ebola-case-south-sudan-border.html

Authorities have confirmed an Ebola case not far from Congo's border with South Sudan, a country with a weak health care system after years of civil war that is vulnerable to the potential spread of the deadly disease.

The 40-year-old woman had traveled nearly 500 kilometers (289 miles) from Beni, despite having been identified by health officials as having been exposed to Ebola and warned not to travel.

Her case was confirmed in Ariwara, Congo, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the border with South Sudan's Yei River State, according to a report from South Sudan's health ministry that was viewed Tuesday by The Associated Press.

[vox_mundi]

DR Congo Ebola Death Toll Exceeds 1,600 Mark
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-dr-congo-ebola-death-toll.html

Deaths from an 11-month-old epidemic of Ebola in eastern DR Congo have crossed the 1,600 mark and a new fatality has been reported near the border with Uganda, the health ministry said on Friday.

[Shared Humanity]

DR Congo Ebola Death Toll Exceeds 1,600 Mark
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-dr-congo-ebola-death-toll.html

Deaths from an 11-month-old epidemic of Ebola in eastern DR Congo have crossed the 1,600 mark and a new fatality has been reported near the border with Uganda, the health ministry said on Friday.

Not the pathogen we need, kills too quickly and transmits only through bodily fluids. We need a pathogen that is airborne, highly contagious, high fatality rate and slow incubation.

[kassy]

Just out of curiosity what do you consider slow?

[Shared Humanity]

Just out of curiosity what do you consider slow?

several weeks to diagnosis but virulently contagious long before that...

I am, of course, being gloomy and sarcastic. In my darkest moods, a global pandemic seems the only way out of the current crisis...would be best if the highest fatality rates occur in those people with rich diets and high caloric intake.