A/Fujian/411/2002 [H3N2] Info & links to info about the flu

[tlcandie]

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/content_objectid=13670834_method=full_siteid=50082_headline=-Doctors-fear-killer-flu-epidemic-name_page.html

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The new strain of the disease was first identified in the Fujian area of China, from where it takes its name, and scientists believe it may have crossed the species barrier, passing from animals to humans.
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http://www.redflagsweekly.com/conferences/vaccines/2003_dec08.html

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What is of great concern it that the CDC has subtyped so few samples. What if 50% or 60% or 80% had been subtyped? Would more A/Panama and A/New Caladonia viruses have been found? Would further testing implicate FluMist as a source of influenza?

Does the A/Panama virus come directly from FluMist? Is it possible to use this technology to differentiate vaccine-type A/Panama flu virus from an A/Panama wild-type virus?

Technology is available to differentiate wild virus from vaccine virus. For example, when a case of acute flaccid paralysis is identified in a Third World Country, PCR testing is used to differentiate wild poliovirus vs. vaccine-induced poliovirus vs. other types of viruses known to cause paralysis. Why are we not using this technology to determine community-acquired influenza from vaccine-induced influenza?

In addition to “finding” these strains within the community, it is known that FluMist contains the viral strains identified by the CDC. The question that demands an answer is this: Is FluMist shedding live viruses and infecting others? Could this nasal spray vaccine be a cause of the flu that is spreading throughout regions of the U.S.?
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http://www.redflagsweekly.com/conferences/vaccines/nov30_Tenpenny.html

NEW CAMPAIGN TO MARKET TOUGH-SELL FluMist
By RFD Columnist, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny
www.nmasemianrs.com

Having had some difficulty in convincing people of the value of its new anti-flu product Wyeth and MedImmune are co-sponsoring a new website, http://www.Flumist.com designed to answer the most frequently asked questions about FluMist, the first intranasal flu vaccine.

In addition to a $25 rebate coupon and a seven-page, full-color brochure that emphasizes the inconveniences of having the flu, the site contains a section referred to as the “The FluMist™ Finder.” By placing the name of a city or a zip code in locator box, a dispensing doctor or pharmacist can be quickly located within a 5 mile radius of a given zip code. A cursory scan identifies specific categories, such as primary care providers and pediatricians,. RiteAid and Discount DrugMart are pharmacies that pop up. Links connecting the FluMist website to the provider’s location are available for easy identification—and advertising. It appears that even though WalMart withdrew from participating with MedImmune, many large retailers and physicians are selling FluMist.

As everyone knows by now, given the huge amount of media play given to the flu, this appears to be a particularly bad year for it. But besides the current vaccine not having a match for the A Fujian strain, there is also the potential of FluMist to spread the flu. Maybe there should be more media investigation of that issue and how people with compromised immune systems might be affected.


http://www.redflagsweekly.com/conferences/vaccines/oct03_Tenpenny.html

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Hundreds of TV and print advertisements have been designed to persuade everyone into taking the FluMist plunge. The campaign will be the "most intense, direct-to-consumer marketing campaign ever waged for a vaccine," costing an estimated $25 million over the next 2.5 months <2>. In addition, Wyeth, MedImmune’s partner, plans a three-year, $100 million campaign to encourage use of the nasal flu vaccine among physicians.<3>

The television arm of the blitz campaign will focus on the "inconveniences" that your family, friends and co-workers will endure if you don’t get the flu shot and subsequently contract the flu. Print advertisements and magazine articles apparently will use scare tactics–similar to those that were used while promoting the smallpox vaccine–which warned of the high possibility of a "bioterror attack using the flu virus."<4>

Apparently, the goal seems to center around frightening–or inducing enough guilt–that everyone would begin to demand the vaccine as soon as it is available. And at nearly $70 a dose, this will be a financial bonanza for MedImmune and Wyeth, who are expecting the vaccine to become the blockbuster new drug that will push MedImmune’s revenues to more than $1billion/year. <5>
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http://www.redflagsweekly.com/conferences/vaccines/nov24_Tenpenny.html

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The influenza virus is grown in “specific pathogen-free” (SPF) eggs. Eggs are tested for a variety of agents—usually between 23 and 31—to confirm the absence of those specific pathogens. Laboratories limit the number of agents that are screened due to the shear abundance of potential viruses and/or bacteria to choose from. In addition, screening for every potential agent would be cost prohibitive. If none of the tested agents are detected, the vaccine is reported as “pathogen free.”

However, it should be understood that there is a distinct difference between “pathogen free” and “specific pathogen-free.” In its July 1996 report, the Institute of Medicine acknowledged that “although it is not possible to produce a completely uncontaminated animal, it is possible to produce an animal certified to be free of specific pathogens.” Viruses that are harmless to their animal host, however, may be potentially harmful to humans.

During the manufacturing process, antibiotics (neomycin, polymyxin B and gentamicin) are added to eliminate stray bacteria found in the mixture. The final solution can contain the following additives in any combination: Triton X-100 (a detergent); polysorbate 80 (a potential carcinogen); gelatin; formaldehyde; and residual egg proteins. In addition, many of the influenza vaccines still contain thimerosal as a preservative. Thimerosal (mercury) is being investigated for its link to brain injury and autoimmune disease.
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Hugh Fudenberg, MD, an immunogeneticist and biologist with nearly 850 papers published in peer review journals, has reported that if an individual had five consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease is ten times higher than if they had zero, one, or two shots.


About the Author
http://www.redflagsweekly.com/tenpenny_about.html


DISCLAIMER: I'm just researching this myself because I'm not convinced and thought some might enjoy the links and info. I'm not into debating the you should or shouldn't get the flu shot. This is strictly posted so that YOU can make your own determination.