PREPAREDNESS
BIRD FLU HYPE
Commentary By: Dr. Sherri J. Tenpenny
COMMENT: Plans for community disasters are always good. But "scrambling" to create plans for quarantine, mass vaccination and drug dissemination is overkill.
May 21, 2006: Keep spreading information on bird flu - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM The importance of easily available information and its comprehensive dissemination to the public, almost to the point of saturation, cannot be over-emphasized in relation to this disease.
For, as we have already heard from Dr Lee Jong-wook, the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general, only about 50 countries have concrete plans to effectively deal with this highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, and the others are either scrambling to have a plan or have plans that are inadequate.
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COMMENT: Recall that the UN, WHO and the FAO all have been telling us about WHEN the "bird flu" pandemic begins, not "if" it begins. Here' s more proof that they seem to know something that we don't know:
May 13, 2006: news - US Official: UN Crisis Center For Bird Flu To Be Launched Within A Month UN crisis management center to coordinate international efforts against the spread of bird flu will be opened within a month, a top official with the US Agriculture Department said Monday, reports The Associated Press. It will take eight months for the center to be fully operational, employing 40-50 people and with a projected 3-year budget of $28 million, DeHaven said.
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May 3, 2006: Daily Times - Site Edition Disposable masks are made of a mesh of fibres, which can trap harmful particles, which cannot be cleaned or disinfected without damaging the fibres or other components of the mask, according to a web report. The report further says that it is possible to reuse an N95 respirator by following a series of steps to protect it from contamination.
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April 22, 2006: EUobserver.com "All countries, even those in the top group, have significant gaps, and these vary from country to country," said Mr Coker. "No plan stands out as being much better than the others."
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COMMENT: Good grief...the Red Cross?? Will they be part of the army going door to door to vaccinate everyone? See details in FOWL! Bird Flu: It's Not What You Think.
April 23, 2006: VOA News - Red Cross Steps Up Bird Flu Prevention Activities The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is launching an appeal for $13.4 million for operations aimed at preventing the spread of bird flu from animals to humans. The agency says it plans to step up activities in remote areas of Africa and Asia. Red Cross Public Health Emergency Chief Adelheid Marschang says 50,000 national volunteers will be specially trained to deal with this crisis. She says, they will inform people in remote rural communities of the risks, and measures they must take to prevent bird flu from spreading to humans.
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COMMENT: The "arrival" of the bird flu virus is eminent.
April 16, 2006: North Jersey Media Group providing local news, sports & classifieds for Northern New Jersey! WASHINGTON -- President Bush is expected to approve a national influenza pandemic response plan that identifies more than 300 specific tasks for federal agencies.The Treasury Department is poised to sign agreements with other nations to produce currency if its facilities cannot operate. The Pentagon, anticipating difficulties acquiring supplies from the Far East, is considering stockpiling millions of latex gloves. And the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a drive-through medical exam to quickly assess patients who suspect they have been infected...."Any community that fails to prepare -- with the expectation that the federal government can come to the rescue -- will be tragically wrong," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a speech last Monday.
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April 8: Britain tests bird flu readiness An exercise simulating what would happen in the event of a major bird flu outbreak in Britain is taking place today. Vets, farmers and government officials are all taking part in the real-time exercise, which is being conducted indoors.
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April 7: Bloomberg.com: Germany The U.K. and Singapore are planning drills to test their preparedness for avian influenza outbreaks as the spread of the virus across Europe, Asia and Africa raises concern that the disease will become easily transmitted among people. Poultry prices may decline further as consumers shun meat and eggs. France reported an H5N1 infection on a turkey farm in February.
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April 1: The Hawk Eye Newspaper The Iowa Department of Public Health, in cooperation with the Iowa Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and health departments, hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Lee and five other counties are taking part in the exercise, called Operation VIPER. Spread of the pretend disease will begin as a real outbreak would, with illnesses popping up here and there. By spreading things over three weeks, participating health departments, hospitals and paramedic services will continue to perform their routine daily duties throughout the drill — just as they would during the early phase of an outbreak. As for the name of the exercise, VIPER stands for Virtual Influenza Pandemic Exercise Response
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March 17: Winston-Salem Journal | Burr to revive biomedical bill Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., wants a second shot at convincing Congress of the need for a new federal agency with oversight of biomedical research. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency, or BARDA, would still be partially exempted from the Freedom of Information Act, Burr said yesterday
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March 2: New Scientist Breaking News - Chemotherapy may help human bird flu victims When the chemotherapy is given immediately, the treatments increased survival rates from 56% to 90% in comparison with giving treatment at four weeks or not at all, according to one retrospective study of patients with Epstein-Barr-virus-associated HLH.
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October 17, 2005 - Avian flu: it's a danger but keep feeding the birds, for the moment - The London Times - "Professor John Oxford, the flu expert who can be relied upon to give a balanced opinion, has supported the popular and reassuring suggestion that it is likely when the avian flu virus mutates that there will be a shift in its virulence and in its infectiousness. It is thought that it will be likely to become more infectious and less lethal."
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ANIMAL HEALTHSPECIAL REPORT Avian Influenza - Questions & Answers
Soapy water and detergents are first choice for many items. The avian influenza virus is more simple to destroy than many viruses since it is very sensitive to detergents which destroy the fat containing outer layer of the virus. This layer is needed to enter
cells of animals and therefore destroys the infectivity. The virus survives well in water and simple washing may assist the virus to enter into areas where it is picked up by other birds. Therefore any washing to remove contamination should always be with detergents (soapy
water) or specific disinfectants.
The biggest danger is bird droppings. The virus likes moist, dirty conditions so it is essential to thoroughly disinfect items that have been in contact with bird droppings - cages, shoes, clothes before working with poultry/entry to a place where poultry are kept.
