Nearly 1 million Pigs May Have Died China

 

DEC 2005

 

 

 

 

Excerpt- 

 

H5N1 has high affinity for
a specific amino acid linkage on avian
RNA but does not readily establish
this same linkage on human RNA,
thus, it is very difficult for humans to
become infected. (was?)

 

The possibility of a
new H5N1 subtype that can lead to
highly efficient human-to-human
transmission is very real.10

 

There are a few ways a new human subtype can
evolve:

 

1) the virus can infect humans
and undergo adaptive mutations that
allow it to recognize the linkage on
human RNA, or it could obtain genes
from a human influenza virus that
would allow it to replicate effectively
in humans, or

 

2) both an avian flu
virus and human virus are present in a
third host and then “mix” together. Ito
and coworkers11 suggest that pigs
have both linkages, so they can be
infected by both avian and human
influenza A virus at the same time.

 

It is
theoretically possible for the avian flu
virus to adapt the human linkage or
acquire genes from the human virus
while residing in the pig.12 This
mutation could result in a new virus
subtype that would be able to have
efficient human-to-human
transmission while retaining the
virulence of the avian influenza.

 

 

 

Kerala - Thrissur    

Pigs' death: swine fever confirmed Staff Reporter

THRISSUR: Tests conducted at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, have confirmed that swine fever was the cause of the large-scale death of pigs at the farm of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CoVAS), Mannuthy, near here, in recent weeks.

College Dean E Nanu told The Hindu here that the test results were received from the IVRI authorities by fax on Tuesday afternoon. The samples collected from the dead pigs were taken to the IVRI by an expert veterinarian from the CoVAS last week by air.

Tests conducted at the CoVAS and at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University earlier also indicated that `swine fever' caused the death of the pigs at the CoVAS farm.

Now, with the arrival of the test results from the IVRI, which has advanced test facilities, the college authorities have formed a conclusive diagnosis that swine fever led to death of the pigs, Dr. Nanu said.

With this, the fear that the administration of the vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease caused the death of the pigs has been proved unfounded.

Dr. Nanu said the CoVAS farm had about 1,115 pigs. Of them, around 135 had died in the recent weeks, while another 25 were in a critical condition.

About the measures to be adopted in view of the latest findings, Dr. Nanu said the normal practice would be to cull the pigs affected by swine fever. But this could be done only after getting the consent of the authorities concerned.

He said he had convened a meeting of the heads of the departments at CoVAS on Wednesday to chalk out follow-up action.

He said swine fever could spread through air, food or physical contact.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/04/stories/2006100412890300.htm

 

WALLACE: Mary, did you take a swine flu shot?

MARY TYLER MOORE: No, I did not.

WALLACE: Did you give them permission to use your name saying that you had or were going to?

MOORE: Absolutely not. Never did.

WALLACE: Did you ask your own doctor about taking the swine flu shot?

MOORE: Yes, and at the time he thought it might be a good idea. But I resisted it, because I was leery of having the symptoms that sometimes go with that kind of inoculation.

WALLACE: So you didn't?

MOORE: No, I didn't.

WALLACE: Have you spoken to your doctor since?

MOORE: Yes.

WALLACE: And?

MOORE: He's delighted that I didn't take that shot.

WALLACE: You're in charge. Somebody's in charge.

DR SENCER: There are -

WALLACE: This is your advertising strategy that I have a copy of here.

DR SENCER: Who's it signed by?

WALLACE: This one is unsigned. But you--you'll acknowledge that it was your baby so to speak?

DR SENCER: It could have been from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. It could be from CDC. I don't know. I'll be happy to take responsibility for it.

WALLACE: It's been three years now since you fell ill by GBS right?

ROBERTS: Right.

WALLACE: Has the federal government, in your estimation, played fair with you about your claim?

ROBERTS: No, I don't think so. It seems to be dragging on and on and on, and really no end in sight that I can see at this point.

JOSEPH CALIFANO: With respect to the cases of Guillain Barre...

WALLACE: Former Secretary of HEW Joseph Caifano, too was disturbed that there was no end in sight. So a year and a half ago, he proposed that Uncle Sam would cut the bureaucratic red tape for victims suffering from GBS and would pay up quickly.

CALIFANO: We shouldn't hold them to an impossible or too difficult standard of proving that they were hurt. Even if we pay a few people a few thousand dollars that might not have deserved it, I think justice requires that we promptly pay those people who do deserve it.

WALLACE: Who's making the decision to be so hard-nosed about settling?

CALIFANO: Well, I assume the Justice Department is.

WALLACE: Griffin Bell, before he left?

CALIFANO: Well, the Justice Department agreed to the statement I made. It was cleared word for word with the lawyers in the Justice Department by my HEW lawyers.

CALIFANO: That-that statement said that we should pay Guillain Barre claims without regard to whether the federal government was negligent, if they - if they resulted from the swine flu shot.

GENE ROBERTS: I think the government knows its wrong.

JUDY ROBERTS: If it drags out long enough, that people will just give up, let it go.

GENE ROBERTS: I—I am a little more adament in my thoughts than my wife is, because I asked - told Judy to take the shot. She wasn't going to take it, and she never had had shots. And I'm mad with my government because they knew the fact, but they didn't realise those facts because they - if they had released them, the people wouldn't have taken it. And they can come out tomorrow and tell me there's going to be an epidemic, and they can drop off like flies to - next to me, I will not take another shot that my government tells me to take.

WALLACE: Meantime, Judy Roberts and some 4,000 others like her are still waiting for their day in court.