Swine Flu: No Need for Travel Restrictions or Border Closure Says WHO

The latest WHO (World Health Organization) press release on the Swine Flu reports 20 confirmed cases of death from Swine flu in Mexico, 40 confirmed human infections from Swine Flu in the United States, 6 cases in Canada and 1 case in Spain. However WHO sees no need for placing travel restrictions or closing down borders to stop the spread of the virus. Their advice to individuals is merely to regularly wash their hands with soap and seek medical treatment if they have symptoms of flu.

Related Link
WHO Swine influenza web site

The Hilarious XKCD Webcomic Mocks Swine Flu Induced Mass Panic

Swine Flu: World Health Organization raises pandemic alert level from three to four

The WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, has raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from the current phase 3 to phase 4. Level six denotes a full-blown pandemic, Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO Assistant Director General says that the current level signaled a significant step towards pandemic influenza. He also said that since the virus has already spread to several countries other than Mexico, "..at this time, containment is not a feasible option."

Meanwhile Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova declared that the suspected death count of the swine flu epidemic is now at 149, with 20 death confirmed to have been from swine flu. More than 2000 people in Mexico are believed to have been infected.

The European Union Commissioner for Health, Markos Kyprianou, issued a statement advising Europeans to avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the United States.

SCUCISD Texas School District that includes 14 Schools Closed for Fear of Swine Flu

On sunday, the the Texas Department of State Health Services, made the following press release:

All 14 schools and two district facilities in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District will be closed effective immediately after several more flu-like illnesses have been discovered in the ongoing Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) swine flu investigation. All extracurricular activities are also cancelled.

Public parks in Cibolo have also been closed.

The federal agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 2 confirmed cases of swine flu in texas and total of 20 cases in the US in their Human Swine Influenza Investigation.

CDC Fears US Deaths From Swine Flu as WHO Issues Warning

Following the warning issued by by the UN Agency World Health Organization (WHO) reports of swine flu infections keep turning up from more and more countries. The flu has killed a reported 81 people in Mexico. In the neighbouring US a spokesperson for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal agency responsible for countering communicable diseases, Dr Anne Schuchat said in response to a question about deaths from swine flu in the US, "I do fear that we will have deaths here". Audio: CDC Podcast on Swine Flu

Cases of swine flu have been reported from New Zealand, France, Spain, Israel and Australia. UK Health officals also expect to have to deal with cases of swine flu in the near future.

Deadly Swine Flu Epidemic in Mexico

Mexican government has ordered the closure of numerous schools and other public places in an effort to stop the spread of a flu virus that may have killed more than 60 people in or around the capital Mexico City

U.S. House of Representatives Gym Source of MRSA Infection

The 'House Staff Fitness Center' (HSFC) is reported to be the source of the MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) infection that has struck down a staff member at the U.S. House of Representatives

Why Does Influenza Spread More in the Winter?

Why do Influenza epidemics occur more in the winter? Virologist Dr. Pater Palese, president of the microbiology department at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York says it's all because of the cold dry air

Graham Linehan Mourns Daily Mail's Two-Faced Policy on HPV Vaccine

Graham Lineham (writer and director of The IT Crowd) reports that while the Irish Daily Mail supports vaccination against the HPV virus, the UK Daily Mail is running a scare campaign against HPV vaccination, pandering to the fears of ill-informed members of the public.

The infection of HPV (Human papillomavirus) is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Some HPV types cause the appearance of genital warts, and others cause the appearance of precancerous lesions in women, which lead to cervical cancer.

HPV Vaccination of girls has been opposed by Conservative Christian groups in the UK and the USA, because of the belief that widespread vaccination would encourage engagement in premarital sex.

Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Outbreak Forces Lockdown of Cancer Wards at Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The Enterococci superstrain VRE, so-named because of its resistance to the antibiotic Vancomycin (traditionally used only after all other antibiotics have failed), is especially dangerous to people with a compromised immune system.

According to the Dr. Peter Ford of Australian Medical Association, the superbugs have arisen due to the overuse of antibiotics.

Texarkama Syphilis Outbreak Caused by A High Prevalence of Unprotected Sex

Texarkana, in Bowie County Texas, is experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of the sexually transmitted disease syphilis since the 1940's.

Meningococcal Meningitis Kills 102 in Chad

According to the World Health Organization, Sub-Saharan Africa is facing an epidemic of Meningococcal meningitis with over 17,462 cases reported in Nigeria, the hardest hit country, with over 960 deaths.

Recently, another sub-Saharan African country, Chad also declared a meningitis outbreak.

WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib says, "A meningitis epidemic is always serious, It overwhelms the health facilities, disrupts routine activities, kills between five and 10 per cent of the patients and can cause brain damage in 10 to 20 per cent of those who survive."

Clostridium difficile (C.diff) Rates Rise in Grampian Scotland

NHS survey reveals that cases of infection from antibiotics resistant superstrain Clostridium difficile (C.diff) continue to rise at a significant rate among elderly patients (The Press and Journal)

MRSA Outbreak at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston

37 MRSA Cases among mothers and newborns at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center over the past six months.

Hand-foot-and-mouth Disease Kills at least 18 Children in China

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease in China kills at least 18 children, possibly more

Measles Outbreak Feared in Wales

Presence of large numbers of children who have not been vaccinated against measles causes fears of serious measles outbreak in Wales.

Human Reovirii Offer Hope in Cancer Treatment

Cancer researcher Dr. Patrick Lee has proven that human reovirus can infect and kill breast cancer stem cells

Possible HIV, Hepatitis C Infections Among Colonoscopy Patients at Veterans Administration Medical Facility

Patients Diagnosed with HIV Following Unhygenic Colonoscopy Procedure at VA Hospital

MRSA Vs. the NFL

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the cause of an estimated 19,000 deaths in the United States, every year. Recently the National Football League has been greatly concerned about the spread of MRSA through NFL facilities. Surveys of seven NFL facilities have revealed that the the NFL is winning the fight against MRSA. (sportingnews)

Anthrax War - Documentary Film Unveils US/UK Ties to South African Apartheid Govt.'s Chemical and Biological Weapons Program

Anthrax War takes a look at "shadow underworld of bio-war research and development". The film sheds light on the largest recorded outbreak of anthrax among humans in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1978, the South African government's Project Coast a Chemical and Biological Weapons program run with assistance from the U.S. and British governments, horrifying tales of human experimentation and mysterious deaths of Bio-weapons researchers, the mysterious 2001 anthrax attacks and the dangers of the modern "Bio Defence" Industry. The film includes an interview with Wouter Basson AKA Doctor Death, the head of 'Project Coast'.

Here's an interview with Bob Coen

Here's another

West Nile Virus Scare in California

The California Department of Public Health West Nile Virus Website reports that there was a new West Nile Virus positive mosquito sample reported in California this week from Contra Costa County also one dead crow and 3 sentinel chickens have tested positive for the WNV.

KMPH-TV website quotes Tim Phillips, assistant manager of The Fresno Mosquito and Vector Control District as saying, "The mosquitoes in your backyard could potentially kill you or your neighbor, and it's especially true this year, because it's come so early and we are so far behind"

While Mercury News reports that The Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District spokesperson Deborah Bass said, "Finding infected mosquitoes this early is evidence the West Nile danger will be present longer this year than usual". The early warm weather this year not only has sped up the mosquitoes' life cycle, she said, but enables mosquitoes' salivary glands to harbor more of the virus, making them potentially more dangerous.

According to the CDC, the West Nile Virus is a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall.

21 Hospital Trusts in Britian Fail to Meet Hygiene and Infection Control Standards

New British Health-Care regulatory authority, the CQC (Care Quality Commission) has identified 21 trusts in England which were not doing enough in areas such as cleanliness and decontamination. (BBC)

USA in the Grip of a Salmonella Outbreak?

Various food products containing pistachios, peanuts, white pepper and black pepper have been recalled in the U.S at the orders of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 691 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 46 states.