1918 killer flu virus to be tested in UW lab

Its Leaaaked

*whisper*

i´ll meets yous in the cornfield......

bring a rocking chair

Setting the stage!:dubya:

david booth------right again

that virus is dead and it will never come back.
It has been burned.

Has anyone seen my pet monkey?


davey? davey?

that virus is dead and it will never come back


so what´s in the tube?

it´s a small world after all
it´s a small world after all.

"the stand"
it´s a new reality show


Current flu vaccine not made to fight new strain of virus

By SABIN RUSSELL
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

As Americans scramble for scarce doses of flu vaccine in hopes of warding off the respiratory bug this winter, the wily influenza virus may have other plans.

Through a natural process known as antigenic drift, a new strain of influenza that can diminish the effectiveness of today´s vaccine is already emerging on the far side of the world.

King is a red sox fan!!!!!!!!!!!

Stop scaring me Beastie..

How long before the AP newswire runs the headline "KILLER FLU VIRUS ESCAPES UW LAB IN FREAK MISHAP".

The trail…

shall we ride?

~snip~

M.A.J. McKenna
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/12/97

Seventy-nine years ago this Friday, the bodies of seven young men were lowered into the stone-hard ground of a snow-covered island so far above the Arctic Circle that polar bears have been seen in the streets of its only town. The seven men were miners, who had come from the Norwegian mainland to dig coal in the icy Svalbard archipelago 720 miles below the North Pole. But instead of taking from the earth, they were added to it: Sick on arrival, they died within days and were buried in the wind-scoured cemetery of the town of Longyearbyen.
If they find what they hope to find ---that the bodies lie frozen in undisturbed permafrost ---they will return in a year to dig them up and sample their tissues. The samples will be analyzed at some of the most sophisticated infectious-disease laboratories around the world.
If conditions are perfect and the team is lucky, the secret the seven miners have kept for eight decades may be revealed: The virus that killed 40 million people in the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918.

[link to www.botany.uga.edu]
mckenna1.html

~snip~ 2

In March of 1997 the influenza research community was startled by the appearance of a remarkable 3-page report¹ in the journal Science. In the paper Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger and colleagues, of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, announced that they had recovered and analyzed fragments of the RNA genome of the virus responsible for the infamous 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

The shattered genes of the virus were retrieved from lung-tissue samples fixed by formalin, preserved in paraffin wax, and stored for the last 80 years at the National Tissue Repository, located within the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Maryland. The warehouse contains autopsy specimens dating back to the time of the Civil War.

Because of RNA´s extreme delicacy, the team´s successful extraction and sequencing of the genetic material has both delighted and tantalized those seeking to understand the mysteries of this historically and epidemiologically important influenza strain. Full sequencing of the 1918 genome is expected to take years, although one key gene (coding for the surface protein hemagglutinin) has already been completely pieced together.

Dr. Taubenberger was kind enough to review the manuscript for "Ninth Day of Creation" (a novel in which the 1918 strain is resurrected) and offer useful suggestions for its improvement. The following interview with him about his group´s work was carried out through e-mail in May of 1998.

[link to www.ninthday.com]

I live there near there. Those of you who hate me should start praying It´ll escape and claim me as a victim.

nice hoax article, disinfo

oct 29th.

This also has to do with one of my favorite dead scientists, Dr. Pasechnik. What was up with the dead scientists anyway? I haven’t forgotten them. Vladimir had quite a history with Spanish Influenza. In fact there seems to be quite a link here.

~snip~

Gorbachev"s epoch enables Pasechnik to change the direction of his research work at the lab. As a true scientist, Pasechnik could not stop worrying about the results he was getting.

Naive Soviet Scientist could not even conceive the idea that his work had somehow violated International agreement of 1972. He did however feel that the weapon he was working on was in fact a disgrace to his scientific professionalism. In addition, he could not have possibly been totally unaware of the fact that his genetically-modified weapon was a crime against humanity.

So, after a number of turbulent years, Pasechnik has finally settled in England. He works for a British company, loves his job. Around this time however world"s leading microbiologists start dying under rather strange circumstances. Eleven scientists have mystically died in the course of half a year. All of them were somehow related to the development of bacteriological weapons. The first three scientists died in 2001. Several days afterwards, Vladimir Pasechnik dies suddenly in Salsbury. His body was found not far from his house. According to a later report, he died of a heart attack. More deaths occurred afterwards.

It appears that profession of a microbiologist could become one of the most dangerous ones. The his buddy David Kelly gets it. Wow these guys, all of em, I just know they’re all connected.

[link to www.stevequayle.com]

[link to english.pravda.ru]

for dead scientist overview

[link to www.stevequayle.com]

So say we tweak the “Spanish Influenza” a wee little bit throw in something sort of benign maybe coxsackie virus and voila death deluxe.
Does Sars have something to do with it. Little test gone sadly awry?

Sorry guys ;(
it´s spookier than Halloween...

Link to recreating the Spanish Flu

[link to www.stevequayle.com]

Beast we´re riding the same trail

Don´t you see it?

They will release it and the jet stream will bring it upon us all.

Who are the terrorists?

happy halloween! trick or treat!

the red sox and the flu bug cant be beat!

first page bump.

1918 flu makes ebolapox look like the measels

Has anybody noticed that in the last two years that when they or their friends and family have had the flu that it begins or ends with a very mild rash?

I have...

Living in a small town with its own small graveyard I noticed the many graves with 1918 on them-a little baby´s ´our sunny boy´ always makes me weep when I see it-you can feel the parents´ pain and suffering though they too are probably long gone...

That is what piqued my interest into why so many people died and I have had an unusual interest in that unusual flu for most of my life. I run across references to it in the most unusual places. Jaqueline Susann´s autobiography referenced it-"all the people in New York city were fleeing to the countryside all wearing masks over their faces. My parents quickly got me safely out of the city. People died very quickly..."

But the best reference I ever have come across is one from an English herbalist book in the 80´s I had been reading a lot of Dane Rhudyar´s astrology books so this hit home with me.

This neat cool author wrote that the 1918 pandemic was caused by the "collective guilt of all the people in the world over the hideousness of the WWI" Their guilt caused this flu to spread like wildfire and for millions tens of millions to die-as quickly as those on the battlefield.

Dane Rhudyar´s incredible body of work illustrates the cycles and causes of all disease and illness from politics and living conditions and astrological events.

Now along with the Red Sox winning there is another big event that hasn´t happened since 1918 and that is Uranus in Pisces--the placement is the same. Uranus rules technology and Pisces rules the 12th house of self-imprisonment, deep emotions and self-undoings among many other things. It is also the sign made up of all the other signs. I am a Pisces and I have all signs in my chart but earth signs, maybe that is typical making Pisces able to easily relate to all, discernment is a learned trait with Pisces--

The guilt and shame over these sham invasions killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people under the lies of liberation WILL BE CAUSE FOR GUILT-HIDEOUS GUILT BY THE MANY WHOSE NAMES THESE ACTS HAVE BEEN DONE IN.

Bush and Kerry´s family didn´t die with the flu during 1918-hmmm no guilt over the horrors of WWI for these elite´.

The working up of the 1918 strain is STRAIGHT OUT OF THE STAND! Stephen, I wonder about you, I really do. When I first read that in the ´70´s I could easily envision the CDC doing that-releasing one of the creations to the world, everyone staggering around dying with strings of green snot hanging from their nose, just dying wherever they were...

I always like that book, Colorado vs Las Vegas, never have like Las Vegas. You either got it and immediately died or you didn´t. Most did.

Viva Las Vegas-does George Bush remind you of the walking dude?

n-95 mask from home depot

Colloidal silver 10 ppm
Rife or equivelent therapy - get a zapper for your household and educate yourselves regarding the impact of an alkaline physiology on viral diseases (in an emergency fast and drink pure water with lemon)

thanks good to know-it´s an N-95 mask? How many per person?

We have to get the computer geeks, boeing aerospace people, and coffee distributors first!

Then we shall rule the world

I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU ALL GET READY FOR THE WORST DISASTER THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN


[link to www.pnas.org]

This is the abstract of the article of the genetice recombination of Spanish Flu:

Published online before print October 4, 2002, 10.1073/pnas.212519699
PNAS | October 15, 2002 | vol. 99 | no. 21 | 13849-13854


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Articles by Tumpey, T. M.
Articles by Basler, C. F.
Microbiology
Existing antivirals are effective against influenza viruses with genes from the 1918 pandemic virus
Terrence M. Tumpey*, Adolfo García-Sastre, Andrea Mikulasova, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, David E. Swayne*, Peter Palese, and Christopher F. Basler,§

* Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Athens, GA 30605; Department of Microbiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029; and Division of Molecular Pathology, Department of Cellular Pathology and Genetics, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rockville, MD 20850

Contributed by Peter Palese, August 27, 2002

The 1918 influenza pandemic caused more than 20 million deaths worldwide. Thus, the potential impact of a re-emergent 1918 or 1918-like influenza virus, whether through natural means or as a result of bioterrorism, is of significant concern. The genetic determinants of the virulence of the 1918 virus have not been defined yet, nor have specific clinical prophylaxis and/or treatment interventions that would be effective against a re-emergent 1918 or 1918-like virus been identified. Based on the reported nucleotide sequences, we have reconstructed the hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and matrix (M) genes of the 1918 virus. Under biosafety level 3 (agricultural) conditions, we have generated recombinant influenza viruses bearing the 1918 HA, NA, or M segments. Strikingly, recombinant viruses possessing both the 1918 HA and 1918 NA were virulent in mice. In contrast, a control virus with the HA and NA from a more recent human isolate was unable to kill mice at any dose tested. The recombinant viruses were also tested for their sensitivity to U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved antiinfluenza virus drugs in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant viruses possessing the 1918 NA or both the 1918 HA and 1918 NA were inhibited effectively in both tissue culture and mice by the NA inhibitors, zanamivir and oseltamivir. A recombinant virus possessing the 1918 M segment was inhibited effectively both in tissue culture and in vivo by the M2 ion-channel inhibitors amantadine and rimantadine. These data suggest that current antiviral strategies would be effective in curbing the dangers of a re-emergent 1918 or 1918-like virus.


www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.212519699

The world is on the brink of a major flu epidemic - one that could claim more than a billion lives, the head of the Russian Virology Institute, Academician Dmitry Lvov said at a press conference organized by the RIA-Novosti news agency on Thursday.

"Up to one billion people could die around the whole world in six months," Lvov said. The expert did not give a timeframe for the epidemic, but said that it is highly probable that it will start this year. "We are half a step away from a worldwide pandemic catastrophe," the academic said.

The Russian expert said that U.S. researchers possessed data suggesting that if a pandemic hits, up to 700,000 people will fall ill in the United States. He said that the population of the United States can be roughly compared to that of Russia and thus the number of cases will be approximately the same.

The academician said the pandemic was most likely to be caused by the so-called bird flu stem. "The death rate among those who contract this type of flu reaches 70 percent," Lvov said.

The expert called for the Russian authorities to prepare for the epidemic. The country will need a reserve of at least 300,000 hospital beds if an epidemic breaks out, he said.

[link to www.mosnews.com]

The FluMist nasal spray LIVE VIRUS vaccine was one reason for me homeschooling my one and only. I brought it up at PTA advising that all who receive it should be quarantined until the shedding of the live virus was through (21 days) Oh how the others on the board looked at me like I was maniacal.

Schools, even if they have SINKS IN THEIR ROOMS will not train the children to regularly wash their hands. Horrible places to spread disease. My kid has not been sick-AT ALL once since he has been homeschooled. His little buddies have all been sick many times in the 2 months school has resumed.

Any flu or sickness or FluMist given should be the cue to keep YOUR kids home from school.

WASHINGTON Oct 31, 2004 — The World Health Organization has called an unprecedented summit meeting next week of flu vaccine makers and nations to expand plans for dealing with the growing threat of a flu pandemic.

Sixteen vaccine companies and health officials from the United States and other large countries already have agreed to attend the summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 11, said Klaus Stohr, influenza chief of the United Nations´ health agency.

With increasing signs that bird flu is becoming established in Asia and several worrisome human cases that can´t be linked directly to exposure to infected poultry, it´s only a matter of time until such a virus adapts itself to spread more easily from person to person and cause a severe worldwide outbreak, he said.

"We believe that we are closer to the next pandemic than we ever were," Stohr said Sunday in an interview before a speech at an American Society for Microbiology meeting in Washington, D.C.
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Stohr said several European countries had been invited to the meeting, but he declined to name them. Vaccine makers in Russia and Japan were also invited.

The world´s total capacity for flu vaccine now is only 300 million doses, and it would take at least six months to develop a new vaccine to fight a pandemic. The WHO wants to get "all issues on the table," monetary and scientific, that prevent getting more vaccine more quickly, he said.

"If we continue as we are now, there will be no vaccine available, let alone antivirals, when the next pandemic starts," Stohr said. "We have a window of opportunity now to prepare ourselves."

Flu kills about 36,000 people in the United States and a million worldwide each year by conservative estimates, Stohr said. But tens of millions die in a pandemic, which occurs every 20 to 30 years, when a flu strain changes so dramatically that people have little immunity from previous flu bouts.

There were three pandemics in the 20th century; all spread worldwide within a year of being detected.

The worst was the Spanish flu in 1918-19, when as many as 50 million people worldwide were thought to have died, nearly half of them young, healthy adults. More than 500,000 died in the United States.

The 1957-58 Asian flu caused about 70,000 deaths in the United States, followed by the 1968-69 Hong Kong flu, which caused about 34,000 U.S. deaths.

The current vaccine shortage in the United States, caused by loss of one of the country´s two major flu shot suppliers, reveals how vulnerable the world is and serves as a "dress rehearsal" for the kind of rationing and emergency measures that would be needed in a pandemic, said Dr. Wendy Keitel of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

"The ability to respond with the production of billions of doses of vaccine is quite limited," Keitel said. "We need to think through these problems now. Ninety percent of vaccines are produced in 10 countries that have 10 percent of the world´s population."

The United States is the only nation that has commissioned work on potential pandemic bird flu vaccines, Stohr noted. The National Institutes of Health has given Aventis Pasteur and Chiron Corp. contracts to produce prototype bird flu vaccines that are expected to be ready for human tests late this year. Aventis already has made 8,000 doses at its plant in Swiftwater, Pa.; Chiron is making its doses at a factory in Europe, not the one in Britain that regulators shut down last month, causing the U.S. vaccine shortage.

If a pandemic occurred and a vaccine wasn´t ready, antiviral drugs could play a key role in slowing its spread, said Dr. Frederick Hayden, a University of Virginia virus expert who has researched and consulted on many flu vaccines and drugs including oseltamivir, or Tamiflu, which showed some activity against bird flu in lab experiments.

It, too, is in short supply.

"It´s hard to get explicit numbers but the production capacity worldwide is very limited," making it difficult to develop an international stockpile that could be used in a pandemic, Hayden said.

The WHO has 120,000 packages of the drug, Stohr said, and the United States is stockpiling several million doses.

"That will not go very far" he said, but if targeted to a region where a pandemic was breaking out, "we might be able to buy time" and limit its spread while a vaccine was being readied, he said.

Bird flu actually describes three deadly strains of avian influenza, which have wiped out millions of chickens in Asia. So far they have not spread easily from person to person but have been very deadly to those who have become infected. They´re named and numbered for the two "H" and "N" proteins on the surface of the virus.

The first strain, H5N1, appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, causing 18 human infections and six deaths. It reappeared last year and so far this year has caused 44 human cases and 32 deaths throughout Asia, according to Stohr.

A second strain, H9N2, appeared in 1999 in Hong Kong and China, and caused two human cases in Hong Kong last year. A third strain, H7N7 appeared in 2003 in the Netherlands.