Pig-borne epidemic shows no signs of slowing down

[dArKeR]

The death toll in China from a mysterious pig-borne disease continued to rise, with several more cities affected, statistics showed yesterday, despite the government saying that the epidemic was under control.
The number of people killed by the streptococcus suis bacteria, which is usually spread among pigs, rose to 32 while the number of cases increased to 163, according to the health ministry's Web site.

That was one more death and 11 more cases than on Friday.

While some suspected cases had tested negative, more suspected or confirmed cases were being found, with a significant number of people still in hospital, 24 of them in critical condition.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/07/31/2003265758

[Coastie for Truth]

1. Maybe Halacha and Sharia / Kosher and Hallal are right

This may result in a joint Pulsa D'Nora - Fatwa against eating pig meat.

[Skink]

2. The U.S. covert biological war show no sign of slowing..

[Coastie for Truth]

3. The ultimate PNAC plan

"wipe BOTH OF THEM out."

[bahrbearian]

4. The thought PNAC was full of Pigs.

[okoboji]

6. but without the Chinease

people, how will K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, Nike, Dell, Gateway, Intel, HP, JCPenny, Younkers, Best Buy, etc... ever get the products they need to place on store shelves?

[wildcat78]

20. God-forbid, they'll have to build an American factory!

[rman]

58. Without people, there's no need to put products on the shelves.

Assuming there's a finite amount of 'stuff' (and there's every indication that it is finite), the less people, the more stuff "they" will have, and more "lebensraum" to. It's the ultimate fulfillment for the greedy.

[brentspeak]

7. You should put a tin-foil smilie with your post (n/t)

[wli]

12. people suspect this, are there any leaks/whistleblowers?

[rman]

59. Presumably they already were taken care of.

Besides several websites of disputable credibility, Mike Ruppert has also reported on this.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/02_14_02_microbio.html

[MellowOne]

61. I've always wondered

about AIDS if it's purpose is to reduce world population.

[rman]

62. i wonder about that to

to me it's entirely plausible.

I do have reasons to believe that something is up with it.

Sure something like HIV/AIDS does exist, and sure it is a big problem in places such as Africa. But there are persistent and in my mind convincing reports and arguments that point to the problem being exaggerated - on purpose. Even without being exaggerated it's a huge problem, but likely not as big as it is made out to be.
What it comes down to that very simplistic methods for diagnoses are being used, that do no more then check for a number of symptoms that are typical of... dehydration, especially in those areas. The problem is not only that there's lack of drinking water, but also that in the absence of drinking water people do drink polluted water, more often then not causing diarea and thereby (more) dehydration.

WHO sources seem to confirm

Bangui Report
http://www.who.int/hiv/strategic/en/bangui1985report.pdf
( http://www.who.int/hiv/strategic/surveillance/definitions/en/ )

"The symptoms exhibited by patients in Central Africa include:
I. Four clinical signs that are invariably or almost invariably present,
termed major symptoms:
- significant weight loss exceeding 10% of body weight (100% of cases);
- considerable asthenia (100% of cases);
- chronic diarrhoea *with no apparent cause* lasting for more than one month (80% of cases);
- prolonged or intermittent and recurring fever (70% of cases)

===

And then there is a trade issue wrt aids medicine: Venezuela makes it cheap, but African nations are forced (by some Free Trade agreement) to buy it expensive, from the US.

[kestrel91316]

64. AIDS' purpose is not to reduce world population, BUT

the Bush administration and RW attempt to destroy AIDS prevention efforts and to hinder treatment programs IS intended to reduce Third World and gay populations.

IMHO

[still_one]

5. This is potentially the big one

in the influenza outbreak of 1918 pigs were the intermediate pathway between avian, human, and swine which caused the viral shift

[Coastie for Truth]

8. That means a healthy diet is

1. Hallal or Kosher Lamb kabobs
2. Hummus
3. Tehina
4. Felafel
5. Stuffed grape leaves
6. Real Turkish brew coffee
7. Coose-Coose
8. Baklava
9. Pita bread
10. Yogurt

[still_one]

9. I wish it were that simple

[TahitiNut]

10. Looks good to me. (I miss Vivi's falafels! Yum!)

Real, legitimate baklava is hard to find ... but yummy! Yoghurt on wild rice is the bestest.

[nodehopper]

13. can you not distinguish between bacterial and viral illnesses?

a bacterial outbreak has nothing to do with bird, pig or any other flu, b/c the flu is transmitted through a viral pathogen.

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

14. Right you are. ;)

[still_one]

19. Yes you can, provided you can trust the source

Reports that I have read indicate that the WHO is not so sure what is causing this

[Media_Lies_Daily]

40. Unfortunately, the WHO is not sure of much of anything these days.

[still_one]

43. you got that right

I am not sure what is happening

[still_one]

31. CCTV is now saying it is the swine flu

[Media_Lies_Daily]

39. And they're reporting this because.....?

[still_one]

41. I have no idea why the story keeps changing

CHINA today rushed the first batch of swine flu vaccine to the south-western province of Sichuan, where an outbreak of the disease has killed 34 people and left 28 in critical condition.

Vaccines for 350,000 pigs were flown to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, where the infection has swept through about 100 villages, Xinhua news agency reported.
It said vaccines for 10 million pigs were being produced to combat the disease, which is contracted from slaughtering, handling or eating infected pigs.


http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16110154-1702,00.h...

[still_one]

42. also on an unrelated matter their was confused reporting

on the Sudan VP. First his plane crashed, then it didn't, then he died in a helicopter crash

I think your DU name accurately portrays the state of afairs

[kestrel91316]

47. CCTV may be reporting it as "swine flu", but

that is a MEDICAL MISNOMER. It is misleading and needlessly confusing and you, also, should help to stop perpetuating the confusion by not using this term. The infection has been confirmed as Streptococcus suis, a bacterium. I trust China to have microbiologists who know their Strep suis, given their pig husbandry numbers. The vaccine is Streptococcus suis bacterin.

None of this has ANYTHING WHATSOEVER to do with influenza virus, whether we are talking about bird "flu", swine "flu", or human "flu". Unless their microbiologists are stupid and/or liars.

[still_one]

50. there is misinformation coming out and it is coming out from

the CHINESE government. They are NOT allowing reporters in the area. Do you forget how they dealt with the SARS issue?

In fact there has NOT been an independent confirmation

China's diagnosis of Streptococcus suis was only a preliminary one, especially since authorities there have confirmed the presence of the bacteria in only five cases through laboratory tests

[kestrel91316]

53. You mean "disinformation"?

Misinformation means they are in error by mistake.
Disinformation means they are deliberately lying.

I am not convinced that they are lying. Where is your evidence that they are (not allowed to say "well they lied before so they are lying now)?

[still_one]

54. why won't they let reporters in to cover it

what are they hiding?

[Karmakaze]

57. I don't know, infection control?

Could it also be that the Chinese rarely let reporters in to cover ANYTHING?

As for using SARS as an example - that is the WORST possible example you could use, because it PROVES that hype like this is bullshit. SARS was supposed to be killing us all by now, and especially the Chinese, because they were "doing nothing" and "covering up".

What ended up happening with SARS?

[kestrel91316]

60. I think it is a combination of their traditional secretiveness and

medical common sense. I don't know that we should be seeing anything overtly EVIL in their secretiveness ..........they don't want to lose face by looking like Third World hicks with these horrible but preventable disease outbreaks.

[still_one]

55. By the way, thanks for the clarification

[kestrel91316]

16. Strep suis is a bacterium, not a virus ..................

It would take a type of "shift" not known to any microbiologist for a bacterium to turn into a virus.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

33. Do you really believe that a bacteium is causing the Chinese problem?....

...or is it possible that they're delaying having to report that that have an issue with Avian Flu?

[kestrel91316]

48. I have no reason to beleve it is anything other than S. suis ...........

if somebody with a medical background can prove otherwise to me, I am open to discussion. I do not consider journalists without a medical background to be a reliable source of claims of "swine flu" here. The term is bandied about as if it has no actual meaning.

[Karmakaze]

17. Except this has NOTHING to do with bird flu or even a virus...

It is a bacterial infection, it has infected only a couple hundred, and it is not related to Bird Flu or Flu of any kind in any way.

So no, this is NOT the "big one".

[Media_Lies_Daily]

32. After SARS, do you believe what the Chinese are telling us about this?....

...I guess you haven't heard much about the dead migratory birds in China that have tested positive for H5N1.

[kestrel91316]

49. Where is your proof that the dead birds ...............

have ANYTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH these swine?

Fearmongering is SOOOOOOOO childish, and so Right-wingish.

[Karmakaze]

56. After SARS, do you believe what the "experts" are telling us?

After all we were all supposed to be dead or dying from SARS by now...

[mike_c]

24. no-- this has nothing to do with avian flu....

Although you're right about the danger posed by flu infected pigs-- pigs and humans share many viruses, so lethal recombinants are likely to emerge from pigs. But this outbreak is a bacterial disease, not influenza.

[SpiralHawk]

11. Urgent Bulletin to the Traitors in the White House

Hurry up and get out to the Imperial Pig Farm Upon Crawford.

All pigs are equal. But some pigs think they are more equal that others.

[Coventina]

15. Sounds like pigs are finally getting their revenge

for the horrible treatment they've suffered at the hands of humans.

It's called come-uppance.....and we've got a lot of it coming to us.

[Karmakaze]

18. Nah, just have to cook that bacon extra crispy!

Hmmmmmmm, pork!

[wildcat78]

21. Do they cook their pork?

Or eat it raw?

Just curious. If they don't follow standard pork handling procedures, disease can spread.

[mike_c]

25. this bug can even be spread by handling diseased pigs....

It isn't necessarily transmitted through eating undercooked pork.

From: http://www.animalgenome.org/edu/PIH/118.html

While the most common method of spreading Strep suis between herds is through introduction of carrier pigs, flies and dead carcasses may also transport the bacteria. Strep suis will live in flies for at least 5 days. Flies regurgitating as they feed
may spread Strep suis throughout a hog unit or between units. Flies will travel up to 2 miles on their own, and may hitch a ride on or in vehicles much farther. Carcasses of dead pigs are also a good source of the infection. Proper disposal of infected carcasses by burning, burial, or removal from the premises is advised.

[madrchsod]

22. they were digging up buried diseased pigs

and selling the meat. that is a really good way to make a lot of people very ill. it has nothing to do with the flu bugs

[kestrel91316]

27. As a veterinarian who recently was asked to ................

take cause-of-death X-rays of a cat that had been buried and then dug up, I CAN TESTIFY THAT THIS (about the pigs) IS TRULY DISGUSTING!!!!

Eating diseased meat is bad enough. But eating decaying, dirty diseased meat is beyond the pale.

It's a good thing I have a strong stomach or my keyboard would be a mess.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

35. So, do you think the Chinese mainstream media is any more truthful....

...than the U. S. mainstream media? Is it possible the Chinese are passing this story out as a cover for other more serious problems?

[kestrel91316]

51. Yes, it is possible, but I consider it far more likely that .............

these pigs ACTUALLY HAD S. suis. Sometimes what sounds like a duck is ACTUALLY a duck.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

34. They were doing that because they were starving and EATING the....

...meat they could salvage. The locals don't produce anything but pigs for sale to those that will butcher and sell the meat. The digging up of the dead pigs took place well after the Chinese authorities had culled the pigs in the region.

I think you need to do a little more research on what's happening inside China before dismissing "the flu bugs" out of hand.

[Timmy5835]

23. Take a deep breath...

I think we all need to calm down and THINK. Remember the upcoming, deadly SARS pandemic?

[kestrel91316]

28. IMHO, the only reason this outbreak is even happening ............

is because people are not taking any safety/hygiene precautions at all in handling these pigs.

If it happened here, it couldn't happen here..............only a couple workers at a pig factory or slaughterhouse would be affected.

Food safety regulations prohibit dead, dying, diseased, or downer animals from going into the human food supply. And they get cooked before entering the animal food supply.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

37. The Chinese have been raising pigs for centuries, perhaps longer,...

...but you desperately want to believe what their mainstream press is selling, don't you?

Hey, speaking of food safety regulations, how many cases of human Mad Cow do you think have taken place in the U. S. up to now?

[kestrel91316]

44. Why on earth do you think I am desperate about anything??

I am taking their reports at face value because I have nothing else to go on. From what is being described, I see no reason to think S. suis infection is NOT the problem. I know my bacteria and viruses.

Why are you so "desperate" to blame influenza virus?? You maybe want to start a panic needlessly?

Re food safety regulations and Mad Cow in the US: I think you will only find Mad Cow if you actually LOOK for it, and our current testing program is severly deficient. The three cases so far are, IMHO, merely the tip of the iceberg. But you DO realize this has nothing whatsoever to do with the presence or absence of S. suis in those pigs, RIGHT??


(edited for spelling)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

36. The one that China covered up and thought would go away? The one....

...that cost the economy in Southeast Asia tens of billions of dollars by losses in tourism and trade? Do you mean the one that was finally brought under control by China finally seeing the light and quarantining several city blocks in several major cities including Beijing?

Not so deadly to those of us who live in different areas of the world, but I can guarantee you that Southeast Asia didn't think it was humorous in the least.

Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they post comments like yours.

[despairing optimist]

26. Wait till it reaches the Rayburn Building

It'll spread like wildfire.

[achtung_circus]

29. From a clipping service to which I subscribe (don't ask)

China flies vaccine to area affected by deadly pig disease
July 31, 2005
Agence France Presse English
BEIJING - State media were cited as reporting that the first batch of vaccine for treating a mysterious pig-borne disease that has killed at least 34 people in China was flown Sunday to the southwestern province of Sichuan.
Xinhua news agency was cited as saying about 160 boxes of vaccine for treating streptococcus suis bacteria -- enough for 350,000 pigs -- was sent from the southern city of Guangzhou by plane to Sichuan, where the disease was first found.
Guangzhou-based Yongshun Biomedical Company was cited as saying that larger quantities of the vaccine, enough for 10 million pigs, were being manufactured and would be sent to the areas affected by the disease,
Meanwhile, Health Minister Gao Qiang called on local officials to step up precautions against the disease and to keep casualties to a minimum, telling China Central Television that, "The most urgent task for the time being is to send large numbers of staff to the villages to help peasants with protection measures."




top

Chinese cities on alert to block diseased pork
July 29, 2005
Reuters
BEIJING - Beijing and several other cities were cited as setting up checkpoints Friday to block diseased pork linked to the deaths of 32 people in China as authorities ordered a halt to the slaughter of infected pigs in Sichuan province.
A veterinary inspection official was cited as saying that screening was tightened on highways leading into the capital from surrounding Hebei province to prevent a health threat to nearly 15 million people.
Beijing's Food Safety Bureau was quoted as saying Friday afternoon in a statement carried by Xinhua news agency that, "City departments have taken effective control measures and stopped the import of pork products from areas affected by the pig-borne disease. If pork from the affected areas is found, it will be preserved and tested."
The story goes on to say that more than 50,000 health workers and officials had been sent to the Ziyang area to inspect and register every pig and set up 39 temporary roadside quarantine stations to stop dead pigs from going to market, the China Daily said.




top

More cases reported in deadly China pig disease
July 30, 2005
Agence France Presse English
Cindy Sui
BEIJING - Statistics were cited as showing Saturday that the death toll in China from a mysterious pig-borne disease continued to rise, with several more cities affected, despite the government saying that the epidemic was under control.
The health ministry's website was cited as saying the number of people killed by the streptococcus suis bacteria, which is usually spread among pigs, rose to 32 while the number of cases increased to 163.
While some suspected cases had tested negative, more and more suspected or confirmed cases were being found, with a significant number of people still in hospital, 24 of them in critical condition.
Only 11 have been treated and released, the ministry said.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

38. The pigs in the affected area of China have been dead for a while now...

...why do you think they still need vaccine?

And what kind of vaccine would be used to treat a bacterial infection?

[kestrel91316]

45. Vaccines are rarely used to "treat" anything at all ..............

they are most commonly developed and used to PREVENT infection. There are a number of bacterial vaccines in existence (properly called "bacterins") but by far the greatest percentage of vaccines are against VIRAL disease. Bacterial vaccines are not known for beng highly effective, but they are usually better than nothing for prevention. The can have a high rate of side effects, some quite serious. I do not know if this vaccine would be used to prevent or treat, but I suspect it is to prevent and the journalist reporting here is merely medically uninformed.

[Athame]

46. That's what I was wondering

Are there ANY vaccines for prevention of bacterial infection?

[kestrel91316]

52. Yes:

Strangles vaccine in horses - Streptococcus equus, IIRC
Bordetella bronchiseptica in dogs - "kennel cough"
Chlamydia vaccine in cats - not technically a bacterium, but NOT a virus at all
Maybe others but I am tired and can't think

[Athame]

63. Thanks, kestrel.

I see I am not the only one with that misconception.

However, the info linked upthread on this disease indicates a very low mortality and very infrequent human infection. There is no mention, either, of bleeding under the skin. So this seems to be either a new strain or not what they say it is.

[kestrel91316]

65. My money is on a super-strain of S. suis, BUT

I am open to the presence of coinfection with some other bad bug if there is any OBJECTIVE evidence of such (as opposed to hysterical laypersons' speculation, lol).

[west michigan]

30. Is this a Limpball thing?

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