the Centrist

Dan called the other day he asked, “Did you hear about this flu that started in Mexico?”
Truth be told I have been busy unpacking and catching up around Bellavia North to even bother with the Buffalo Bill’s Draft let alone the news… but his call caught my attention.
He reported correctly, “It seems to be a combination Avian, Swine, and Human variety and is still mutating. What do you think?”
“Son, let me get back to you… this seems serious. Any deaths?”
“That’s just it Dad, there seems to be two things which are unique about this one. First those it kills seem to be in the prime of their lives, 20-40’s, rather than the very young and very old. The only other flu that did this was the Swine Flu in the early 20th century. The other thing is that there are fatalities in Mexico, but none so far in the United States. Dad, they are already talking pandemic here. The World Health Organization (WHO) is saying it is too late to contain it.”
That was Friday night, by Sunday night we learned that a group of students from a private school in New York City had the same symptoms after returning recently from Mexico. They now believe it is the same strain of flu. Moreover, another student group has spread the disease to New Zealand. Truly it is too late to stop its spread as we listen to the Mexican government warn that people should refrain from kissing and shaking hands when greeting. Then we see those images of people walking around Mexico City with surgical masks which are very sobering.
On Oct. 21, 2005 (see Centrist archives: “Book of Revelations (4th Seal 6th Chapter) … the Pale Horse is Here”) I reported on several diseases for which we had no answers. Amongst these diseases were strains of the flu. “The first may be the most dangerous because it is air born in birds. That is why the White House has given it so much attention. It is the Avian Virus better known as the Bird Flu. The virus is referred to officially and specifically in scientific circles as H5N1. … The disease is relentless as it attacks virtually all parts of the body. Last spring he World Heath Organization (WHO) confirmed at least 55 cases with 42 deaths. The virus is feared because the H-5 bug may borrow DNA from the H-3 bug (current human flu virus) and attack humans on a heretofore unheard of scale. H5 has done this in the recent past. In Hong Kong 18 people got infected and six died in 1998 when H5 and H3 ‘got together’. It was only because it was immediately isolated and contained that the disease was controlled. .. Flu pandemics are not new to humanity. There were three in the last century. They were: the Spanish Flu (Swine H-1) in 1918-19 which was the worst, killing 50 million world wide; the Asian flu (H2) killed as many as 3 million world wide in1957-58; and the Hong Kong Flu (H3) was responsible for 34,000 American deaths alone in 1968-69…”

According to Reuters Aug. 24: “Our concern has grown as of yesterday,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acting director Dr. Richard Besser told reporters in a telephone briefing.
“It first looked mostly like a swine virus but closer analysis showed it is a never-before-seen mixture of swine (H-1), human (H2 or 3) and avian (H-5) viruses, according to the CDC. (Virus labels mine) … We do not have enough information to fully assess the health threat posed by this new swine flu virus,” Besser said. …The WHO said it was ready to use rapid containment measures if needed, including antivirals, and that both the United States and Mexico are well equipped to handle the outbreak.”
When they described the virus they stated it was something that they had never seen before: “The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1. It contains DNA from avian (H-5), swine (H-1) and human (H3) viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses, the CDC has said.”
In an article from Bloomberg on April 24 (Gale and Randall):
“It will be critical to determine whether the strains of H1N1 isolated from patients in Mexico are also swine flu,” Donald Low, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, told the Canadian Press… Symptoms of the illnesses in Mexico include high fever, headache, eye pain, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue with rapid progression of symptoms to severe respiratory distress in about five days, the Canadian agency said. A “high proportion” of cases require mechanical respiration, it said”
Sunday afternoon we were treated to a news conference headed by Janet Napolitano (Department of Homeland Security). According to AP and Fox News: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the strain of swine flu and is prepared to distribute a quarter of the U.S. stockpile of 50 million doses of anti-viral medications in places around the country where swine flu has been located or may be expected to spread…”
We were further informed: “In the U.S., 20 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in California, New York, Texas, Ohio and Kansas. Patients have ranged in age from 9 to over 50. Besser (CDC) said that all the cases have resulted in recovery and one person remains hospitalized. However, the same flu has sickened more than 1,324 in Mexico since April 13.”
It is important to note that “The incubation period for swine flu is 24-48 hours. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said despite reports Obama did not have a medical exam since it’s been nine days since he left Mexico.”

Napolitano assures us: “You cannot get the swine flu from eating pork,” and Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, a FOX News contributor added: “that Swine flu is dangerous because it changes its form and takes on characteristics like bird flu, and there is no vaccination.”
Rosenfeld added: “swine flu is usually a mild infection. He suggested staying away from crowded places where people are sneezing and coughing and washing hands. But he said he’s a bit confounded about why so many people in Mexico have died because swine flu does respond to Tamiflu and other anti-viral medicines.”
At this time we can conclude that the strain in Mexico is apparently more virulent than that in the United States. Many countries around the world are reporting new cases, including Israel, New Zealand, Spain, France and Canada who have reported suspected isolated cases after citizens from those countries returned home from Mexico.
Considering the above information in what has to be the most ridiculous attempt at Political Correctness in decades we were informed that: “Travel advisories have not been issued by the State Department, Napolitano said, nor is the United States going to screen passengers on flights arriving from Mexico. (WHY?). She said funds have been freed up in case a larger response is needed.” If this is has the potential to become a pandemic and if we do not know why the people in Mexico are dying, then why are we not taking common epidemiologic steps to isolate it and protect our population?

Make no mistake, this is a very serious situation. What we do know it that the H5 (bird) strain has combined with the H3 (human), and H1 (swine) variants to make up a perplexing and constantly changing microbe. Presently there is no vaccination nor is there a definite connection between the out breaks.
As of this writing authorities say we should avoid those with the flu, wash our hands frequently, and avoid public places as well as travel to outbreak areas.