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MERS as bio-weapon

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arirish View Drop Down
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    Posted: September 07 2015 at 9:27am
MERS as bio-weapon

This is with reference to the report “MERS developed as bio-weapon ‘plausible’” (Sept. 6). We should take this report very seriously. It is true that the virus causing MERS has been found in camels but we cannot rule out the possibility of foul play. Unfortunately, most of such reports are conveniently rejected as conspiracy theories. The Internet is full of such reports and some of them are very credible but the mainstream media tend to downplay these reports. The excuse usually offered is that they don’t want to spread scare among the masses. This is not the correct approach to deal with such cases. No matter how much we suppress such reports, the truth will remain unchanged. At least, by acknowledging the facts we can get into a position to defend ourselves. Similar theories about Ebola are also doing the rounds on the Internet. It was only when the deadly virus reached the western countries, the entire world properly swung into action and concrete steps were taken to check further spread of the disease.
In this part of the world, biotechnology is still in its primitive phase and people are also not much aware about this field due to which we usually laugh at such claims and treat them as conspiracy theories.
We need to change this attitude and should realize that bio-weapons do exist and are being used against various nations. This is a new form of war, which is cost-effective and does not involve direct confrontation with one’s enemy. — Raja Umar Khattab, Jeddah

http://www.arabnews.com/letters/news/802746
Buy more ammo!
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The United States and Biological Warfare: Secrets from the Early Cold War and Korea

As per a major research work, MERS is a progression from the original Korean War bioweapon ARS Acute Respiratory Syndrome more popularly manifested as SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

The book "United States and Biological Warfare" argues persuasively that the United States experimented with and deployed biological weapons during the Korean War.

Endicott and Hagerman, authors of the work, explore the political and moral dimensions of this issue, asking what restraints were applied or forgotten in those years of ideological and political passion and military crisis.

For the first time, there is hard evidence that the United States lied both to Congress and the American public in saying that the American biological warfare program was purely defensive and for retaliation only.

The truth is that a large and sophisticated biological weapons system was developed as an offensive weapon of opportunity in the post-World War II years.

From newly declassified American, Canadian, and British documents, and with the cooperation of the Chinese Central Archives in giving the authors the first access to relevant classified documents, Endicott and Hagerman have been able to tell the previously hidden story of the extension of the limits of modern war to include the use of medical science, the most morally laden of sciences with respect to the sanctity of human life.

They show how the germ warfare program developed collaboratively by Great Britain, Canada, and the United States during the Second World War, together with information gathered from the Japanese at the end of World War II about their biological warfare technology, was incorporated into an ongoing development program in the United States.

Startling evidence from both Chinese and American sources is presented to make the case.

Written originally in French by Harper J. Lee for News 786
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CRS, DrPH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2015 at 9:31pm
I don't think so.  A superior bioweapon will also have an effective vaccine, so that the perpetrator has a means to protect its own population (unless the weapon is devised by a suicidal doomsday cult, which is plausible).  

The coronaviruses do not make effective vaccines, so the blow-back from a release of a CV weapon would be devastating.  Some nation-states like North Korea might not care, but otherwise, we are just seeing viral ecology at work.  

The MERS CV apparently originated in Egyptian tomb bats, so there are numerous reservoirs and hosts in the wild.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2015 at 10:45am
The most effective bioweapon would be one which is also contagious and where the country using it and its allies have an effective vaccine. You might notice that North Korea has been researching bioweapons for some time and announced it has a Mers vaccine out of nowhere.

http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/north-korea-vaccine-mers/2015/06/19/id/651395/

Ebola would be a far more dangerous virus to use. Though it has been stated it cannot be used in this way - some researchers disagree with that.

http://www.rt.com/news/178992-ebola-biological-weapon-terrorists/

For that matter Legionnaire's Disease if put into the water supply could be very bad. Most people are not that concerned with what has been brewing in labs all over the world and now is present in some rogue nations and with the flood of new immigrants from Syria into the U.S. could give us some serious problems.

The greatest thing lacking in current military and government policy in many areas is common sense.

What works, works. If we have it, others probably have it too and some are willing to sell it to unstable countries and radical religious factions. It is only a matter of time - not it, but when.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CRS, DrPH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 10 2015 at 10:53pm
^Thanks, Medclinician!  I work with experts in bioterrorism, and they all have different opinions.  Many are very concerned about anthrax, but of course, that is not transmissible. 

Ebola or another filovirus like Marbug would likely make an effective bioweapon, and it pretty much meets our criteria.  The Soviets tried to weaponize filoviruses without much luck, but I think they were trying to make a weapon of war vs. bioterror agent. 

If someone could weaponize rhabdoviridae (rabies viruses), we'd be in a world of hurt!  Their case fatality rate is basically 100% (only a few have recovered from fulminant rabies).  It isn't very transmissible unless the patient bites someone.
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The US has been collateralizing fecal matter since 1967-69 eg. the accidental outbreak of Marburg virus at several vaccine labs across Europe.

Now according to Endicott and Hagerman MERS is a progression from the original Korean War bioweapon ARS Acute Respiratory Syndrome more popularly manifested as SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome that would take us back to 1950-53.

It's possible that US managed to keep their work secret until the accidental Marburg outbreak which I think from memory was in 1969 ? (would need to consult my archives for the date), the outbreak was due to the shipping of infected primates from Merck's labs (a bioweapons contractor for the US Army) to vaccine labs accross europe.

The actors involved and the conclusions of Endicott and Hagerman suggests to me that their conclusions have substance, may well be credible and should therefore be taken seriously
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cobber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2015 at 3:33am
Bioweapons.. the USA have been busted breaching the Geneva convention so many times its not funny. They secretly started a program which was to develop bioweapons that they thought their opposition was developing so they could produce defensive vaccines..  Nice excuse. Sounds believable. 

Dog ate my homework!

I seem to recall they were busted with weaponized Anthrax.  In recent times.

There were also sloppy with several breaches of protocol where (i think it was) MERS was found outside the approved research facilities. Wikileaks has a few articles on the us involvement.

The US may have produced bioweapons based around MERS. they may have also not. We shouldn't speculate on what we don't know


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2015 at 5:14am
 Thanks for that cobber, you're right we should not speculate, but I don't believe that I made unsupported conclusions here.

(MERS comes from the same source as Marburg) Marburg can be traced back to US Bioweapons Contractor 1967-69,  what I am now saying is Endicott and Hagerman suggests that they can take this further back to 1950-53 this is a real possibility, their investigation and conclusion has substance, this leads me to my conclusion that they may well be credible and should therefore be taken seriously.

I am not in the business of speculation or hearsay but I base my conclusion on factual evidence that Endicott and Hagerman may well be credible and their work should be taken seriously.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cobber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2015 at 7:46am
Don't worry i wasn't having a go... It was more a comment about being kept in the dark by governments. Hell, the amount of insiders who have spoken out only to be disappeared (or suicide). Its an eyeopener. Look into it.. heaps of googling fun to be had..

Regarding the links between the viruses.

MERS is a corona virus.. Its similar to SARS. Usually its a respiratory killer which causes pneumonia etc.   Marburg is a filovirus which is similar to Ebola (maybe this is where the reference is from?) Filo's cause hemorrhagic fever. They are significantly different viruses.  Not saying they didn't come from the same source originally. Think of them as distant cousins, something akin to what gorillas are to monkeys

Both these viruses fall squarely in biowarfares sweet spot. Both single strand RNA which is quick to mutate and easy to manipulate. They share commonality and  in a lab they could be re-spliced for sure. I would bet money on it.

I wouldn't put anything past governments. The Geneva convention is complete BS. I'm certain biowarfare never halted not even for a day. Lets face it.  The rules were put there so the strong could stop the weak. 

Having said all this antiestablishment guff. I came to the conclusion a while back: do i want the bastards working for us, or against us. 

When i think about the grand chess board....I don't want to have communist oppressors telling me what to do, so i accept the whole messed up bull$h1t and say thanks while posting my free speech rants here.


do i hear an anthem coming on??
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Originally posted by Medclinician Medclinician wrote:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/2015/11/09ew-sars-like-virus-can-jump-directly-from-bats-to-humans-no-treatment-available/%20 - http://uncnews.unc.edu/2015/11/09/new-sars-like-virus-can-jump-directly-from-bats-to-humans-no-treatment-available/

New SARS-like virus can jump directly from bats to humans, no treatment available

 

Findings provide an opportunity to develop drugs and vaccines for coronaviruses before they emerges from animals to cause a human epidemic

 

(Chapel Hill, N.C. – Nov. 9, 2015) – Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a new bat SARS-like virus that can jump directly from its bat hosts to humans without mutation. However, researchers point out that if the SARS-like virus did jump, it is still unclear whether it could spread from human to human.

 The discovery, reported in the Nov. 9 issue of Nature Medicine, is notable not only because there is no treatment for this newly discovered virus, but also because it highlights an ongoing debate over the government’s decision to suspend all gain of function experiments on a variety of select agents earlier this year. The move has put a substantial standstill on the development of vaccines or treatments for these pathogens should there be an outbreak.

 “Studies have predicted the existence of nearly 5,000 coronaviruses in bat populations and some of these have the potential to emerge as human pathogens,” said senior author Ralph Baric, a faculty member at the Gillings School of Global Public Health and world-renowned expert in coronaviruses. “So this is not a situation of ‘if ‘there will be an outbreak of one of these coronaviruses but rather when and how prepared we’ll be to address it.”

Medclinician


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2016 at 9:40am
MERS Virus Could Be Bio-Weapon Says Saudi Ministry of Health

In September 2015, it was reported in Arabian Business that a Saudi ministry of health official suggested that MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) could actually be a biological weapon. At least it’s a plausible explanation for the cross-over from animals to humans (1).

While in Saudi Arabia, the cases of MERS seem to be limited to specific geographic areas. This confinement of the spread of the virus is partly why the possibility of it being a bio-weapon has been suggested. Asiri was quick to point out that such allegations and any subsequent information would have to be verified.

MERS Then Spreads to Korea


In June 2015, Top Secret Writers reported that a patient suffering from MERS had been reported in South Korea. As of “June 14, 2015, a total of 145 people have been infected and 15 patients have died.” Patient Zero, a businessman (64) became ill eight days after returning from a trip to Bahrain (3).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the patient visited two out-patient clinics and two South Korean health facilities in an attempt to get treatment and was finally correctly diagnosed with MERS (4).

A patient in the same hospital room was later diagnosed with MERS. In fact, most of those subsequently infected seemed to have made contact with the contagion in one of the hospitals patient zero had visited.

This is the largest known MERS outbreak outside Saudi Arabia (5).

What’s being done about MERS Spreading? So far, WHO hasn’t made any advisory about special screenings for travelers returning from Saudi Arabia or any kind of trade restrictions (6).

http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2015/09/mers-virus-could-be-bio-weapon-says-saudi-ministry-of-health/


Originally posted by Medclinician Medclinician wrote:

http://mbio.asm.org//6/5/e01280-15.utive-summary%20 - http://mbio.asm.org/content/6/5/e01280-15.executive-summary

Published 8 September 2015

Origin and Possible Genetic Recombination of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus from the First Imported Case in China: Phylogenetics and Coalescence Analysis

  1. http://mbio.asm.org/search?author1=Wenjie+Tan&sortspec=date&submit=Submit - Wenjie Tan http://mbio.asm.org//6/5/e01280-15.utive-summary#aff-1 - a

http://mbio.asm.org//6/5/e01280-15.utive-summary# - + Author Affiliations

  1. aKey Laboratory of Medical Virology, Ministry of Health, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
  2. bCAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  3. cNetwork Information Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  4. dInstitute of Pathogen Biology, Taishan Medical College, Taian, China
  5. eState Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
  6. fOffice of Director-General, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
  1. Address correspondence to George F. Gao, mailto:gaofu@chinacdc.cn - gaofu@chinacdc.cn, or Wenjie Tan, mailto:tanwj28@163.com - tanwj28@163.com.
  1. Yanqun Wang, Di Liu, Weifeng Shi, and Roujian Lu contributed equally to this work.

  2. Editor Michael J. Buchmeier, University of California, Irvine

IMPORTANCE

The recent outbreak of MERS-CoV in South Korea has attracted global media attention due to the speed of spread and onward transmission. Here, we present the complete genome of the first imported MERS-CoV case in China and demonstrate genetic recombination events between group 3 and group 5 of clade B that may have implications for the transmissibility of MERS-CoV.

Footnotes

  • Citation Wang Y, Liu D, Shi W, Lu R, Wang W, Zhao Y, Deng Y, Zhou W, Ren H, Wu J, Wang Y, Wu G, Gao GF, Tan W. 2015. Origin and possible genetic recombination of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus from the first imported case in China: phylogenetics and coalescence analysis. mBio 6(5):e01280-15. doi:10.1128/mBio.01280-15.

  • This article is a direct contribution from a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

  • Received 28 July 2015
  • Accepted 30 July 2015
  • Published 8 September 2015
comment: It has changed.

http://www.nwcreation.net/geneticrecombination. - http://www.nwcreation.net/geneticrecombination.html

Medclinician



MERS getting help to find it's dance partner in CHINA



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