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Posts Tagged ‘who’

18.1 Million New Cancer Cases, 9.6 Million Cancer Deaths Expected in 2018

Posted by feww on September 16, 2018

Submitted by Zombie Democracy Blog

Welcome to NZ: We offer 2nd highest rates of cancer in the world!

Cancer deaths to rise to 9.6 million worldwide in 2018 –WHO

20 Countries with the Highest Cancer Rates in the World

Ranked by estimated new cases per 100,000 people in 2018:

  1. Australia (468.0)
  2. New Zealand (438.1)
  3. Ireland (373.7)
  4. Hungary (368.1)
  5. United States (352.2)
  6. Belgium (345.8)
  7. France (344.1)
  8. Denmark (340.4)
  9. Norway (337.8)
  10. The Netherlands (334.1)
  11. Canada (334.0)
  12. New Caledonia (France) 324.2
  13. UK (319.2)
  14. South Korea (313.5)
  15. Germany (313.1)
  16. Switzerland (311.0)
  17. Luxembourg (309.3)
  18. Serbia (307.9)
  19. Slovenia (304.9)
  20. Latvia (302.2)

[NOTE: FIRE-EARTH MIU is unable to verify the accuracy of the above data.]

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Air Pollution Makes Earth Dwellers Even Dumber –Study

Posted by feww on August 28, 2018

Submitted by a reader

Let’s face it, you must be cognitively challenged to emit so much pollution in the first place!

Prolonged exposure to polluted air has a significant impact on our cognitive abilities, especially in older men, according to a new study.

Breathing dirty air causes a “steep reduction” in scores on verbal and math tests, says the report.

“Most of the population in developing countries live in places with unsafe air. Utilizing variations in transitory and cumulative air pollution exposures for the same individuals over time in China, we provide evidence that polluted air may impede cognitive ability as people become older, especially for less educated men, the report claims.

“Cutting annual mean concentration of particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM10) in China to the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard (50 μg/m3) would move people from the median to the 63rd percentile (verbal test scores) and the 58th percentile (math test scores), respectively. The damage on the aging brain by air pollution likely imposes substantial health and economic costs, considering that cognitive functioning is critical for the elderly for both running daily errands and making high-stake decisions.”

Air pollution linked to diabetes

Researchers found that air pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases, or 14% of the global total in 2016. In the US, where 30 million adults have diabetes, air pollution results in over 150,000 new cases of diabetes each year.

The diagnosed cases of diabetes almost quadrupled between 1980 and 2014, jumping from 108 million to 422 million cases, WHO reported.

How many people breathe polluted air?

Nine out of every 10 people on the planet breathe air containing high levels of pollutants, with Africa and Asia being the worst affected areas, WHO reported earlier this year.

Air pollution was responsible for an estimated 9 million deaths in 2015, according to medical research.

“Ambient air pollution alone caused some 4.2 million deaths in 2016, while household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels and technologies caused an estimated 3.8 million deaths in the same period,” according to WHO.

“Many of the world’s megacities exceed WHO’s guideline levels for air quality by more than 5 times, representing a major risk to people’s health,” says WHO.

 

 

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Measles cases hit record high in the Europe – WHO

Posted by feww on August 25, 2018

41,000+ people in the WHO European Region infected with measles Jan – Jun 2018

Over 41,000 children and adults in the WHO European Region have been infected with measles in the first 6 months of 2018. The total number for this period far exceeds the 12-month totals reported for every other year this decade. So far, the highest annual total for measles cases between 2010 and 2017 was 23,927 for 2017, and the lowest was 5,273 for 2016. Monthly country reports also indicate that at least 37 people have died due to measles so far this year.

More at WHO

 

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Sri Lanka Dengue Outbreak Kills 250, Infects 85,000

Posted by feww on July 28, 2017

Dengue cases in S-L increased 4.3 times compared with recent average

Ministry of Health (MoH) Sri Lanka has reported an increase in the number of dengue cases in the country this year. As many as 85,000 dengue cases, including 250 deaths, have been reported by MoH so far  this year (to July 7, 2017). The number of cases this year has reportedly increased by 4.3 times more than the average number of cases for the same period between 2010 and 2016, said WHO.

“The current dengue fever outbreak occurs in a context of massive heavy rains and flooding and is currently affecting 15 out of 25 districts in Sri Lanka where almost 600,000 people have been affected. Heavy monsoon rains, public failure to clear rain-soaked garbage, standing water pools and other potential breeding grounds for mosquito larvae attribute to the higher number of cases reported in urban and suburban areas.”

Risk Assessment (WHO)

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4). Infection with one serotype provides long-term immunity to the homologous serotype but not to the other serotypes; secondary infections put people at greater risk for severe dengue fever and dengue shock syndrome.

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the vectors widely adapted to urban and suburban environments. Dengue fever is endemic in Sri Lanka, and occurs every year, usually soon after rainfall is optimal for mosquito breeding. However DENV-2 has been identified only in low numbers since 2009 and is reportedly over 50% of current specimens which have been serotyped.

The current dengue epidemic is likely to have repercussions on public health in Sri Lanka.

  • Additional information available via FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

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Corporate Wealth Trumps Public Health

Posted by feww on May 28, 2016

Submitted by a reader

WHO rejects call for Rio Olympic Games to be moved or postponed, despite outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil

The World Health Organization (WHO) has rejected a call for the Rio Olympic Games to be moved or postponed despite the threat posed by the outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil.

WHO public health advice regarding the Olympics and Zika virus: News Release

Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus. Brazil is 1 of almost 60 countries and territories which to date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice.

Based on the current assessment of Zika virus circulating in almost 60 countries globally and 39 in the Americas, there is no public health justification for postponing or cancelling the games,” the WHO said in a statement.

The statement is in response to a letter signed by a group of at least 152 doctors, researchers, and health professionals to the United Nations health agency calling for the Rio Olympics to be postponed or moved because of concerns of the spread of the Zika virus.

“Our greater concern is for global health. The Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before,” states the letter, signed by experts in the United States, India, Canada, Britain, Australia, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan and Brazil, among others.

“An unnecessary risk is posed when 500,000 foreign tourists from all countries attend the Games, potentially acquire that strain, and return home to places where it can become endemic,” it said.

“Should that happen to poor, as-yet unaffected places (e.g., most of South Asia and Africa) the suffering can be great.”

“… the Brazilian viral strain causes microcephaly and probably Guillain-Barré syndrome. Further, because human, animal and in vitro studies demonstrate that the virus is neurotrophic and causes cell death, it is biologically plausible that there are other as yet undiscovered neurological injuries, as exist for similar viruses (e.g. dengue). [… ] That while Zika’s risk to any single individual is low, the risk to a population is undeniably high. Currently, Brazil’s government reports 120,000 probable Zika cases,9 and 1,300 confirmed cases of microcephaly (with another 3,300 under investigation)10, which is above the historical level of microcephaly. […] Rio de Janeiro is highly affected by Zika. Brazil’s government reports Rio de Janeiro state has the second-highest number of probable Zika cases in the country (32,000)… and the fourth-highest incidence rate (195 per 100,000), demonstrating active transmission. […] despite Rio’s new mosquito-killing program, the transmission of mosquito-borne disease has gone up rather than down. While Zika is a new epidemic and lacks historical data, using dengue fever as a proxy, cases in Rio from January thru April 2016 are up 320% and 1150% over the same periods in 2015 and 2014, respectively.”

“It is indisputable that option (a) of holding the Games as scheduled has a greater risk of accelerating the spread of the Brazilian viral strain than the alternatives. Postponing and/or moving the Games also mitigates other risks brought on by historic turbulence in Brazil’s economy, governance, and society at large—which are not isolated problems, but context that makes the Zika problem all but impossible to solve with the Games fast approaching.”

The Letter questions whether the UN health agency can give a non-biased view of the situation because of its “secret” high – level partnership with the International Olympic Committee.

WHO and IOC in Partnership

WHO has a decades – long, high – level partnership with the International Olympic Committee. That partnership was last affirmed in 2010 at an event where the Director General of WHO and President of the IOC signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which is secret because neither has disclosed it.

Inappropriately, WHO sees its role as not just providing public health advice. It established a “Virtual Interdisciplinary Advisory Group”, whose “ important promotional point,” according to WHO is “that the Group can help in bidding for major events (like the Olympic Games)”.  That is a clear conflict of interest, when WHO must also evaluate and make recommendations about Olympic travel during a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The overly close relationship between WHO and the IOC is apparent in the comments of WHO’s Executive Director responsible for Zika, just days after it was declared a PHIEC:

“Brazil is going to have a fantastic Olympics and it’s going to be a successful Olympics and the world is going to go there. I just wish I was going there, but there’s not going to be a lot of problems there by then. ”

With respect, this is a troubling statement. WHO cannot credibly assess the public health risks of Zika and the Olympics when it sets neutrality aside. Declaring that “it’s going to be a successful Olympics and the world is going to be there” implies that WHO has given the Olympics an unconditional green light, without regard to rapidly emerging medical, entomological, and epidemiological evidence — all of which must be considered in assessing whether this mass gathering could accelerate the global spread of the Brazilian strain of Zika virus. To prejudge that “there’s not going to be a lot of problems” before reviewing this evidence is extremely inappropriate of WHO, and suggests that a change in leadership may be required to restore WHO’s credibility.

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Zika Virus Outbreak Result of Bioweapon?

Posted by feww on February 2, 2016

ZIKV outbreak possibly resulted from  biological warfare: Russian expert

Russia’s former Surgeon General has said that the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak could be due to the use of biological warfare, said a report.

One of the possible causes for the spread of the deadly Zika virus outbreak could be the use of biological warfare, Russia’s former Chief State Sanitary Physician Gennady Onishchenko said Tuesday.

“This is being looked into… If we don’t do anything at all, this will become a man-made spread [of the disease]. This infection has been known since 1948 and it lived very quietly, but over the last few years, it began to grow,” Onishchenko told RIA Novosti.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on February 1.

WHY WHO Imposed No Travel Ban?

WHO failed to explain, however, as to why its Emergency Committee had “found no public health justification for restrictions on travel or trade to prevent the spread of Zika virus,” despite the “explosive” outbreak.

State of Emergency Declared in Honduras

Meanwhile, Honduras declared a state of emergency, after recording nearly 3,700 suspected cases of Zika infections since late November, reports said.

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ZIKV: Media Sensationalism Forcing WHO to Overreact?

Posted by feww on January 28, 2016

If WHO believes ZIKV outbreak is that serious, WHY wait until WHEN?

The WHO announced today it will convene Emergency Committee on Zika virus (ZIKV) and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations on February 1, 2016.

Statement by WHO:

WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations.

The Committee will meet on Monday 1 February in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Decisions concerning the Committee’s membership and advice will be made public on WHO’s website.

Outbreak in the Americas

In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 22 other countries and territories in the region.

Arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis.

A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects and neurological syndromes has not been established, but is strongly suspected.

WHO action

WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas (PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since May 2015. PAHO has mobilized staff and members of the Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) to assist ministries of health in strengthening their abilities to detect the arrival and circulation of Zika virus through laboratory testing and rapid reporting. The aim has been to ensure accurate clinical diagnosis and treatment for patients, to track the spread of the virus and the mosquito that carries it, and to promote prevention, especially through mosquito control.

The Organization is supporting the scaling up and strengthening of surveillance systems in countries that have reported cases of Zika and of microcephaly and other neurological conditions that may be associated with the virus. Surveillance is also being heightened in countries to which the virus may spread. In the coming weeks, the Organization will convene experts to address critical gaps in scientific knowledge about the virus and its potential effects on fetuses, children and adults.

WHO will also prioritize the development of vaccines and new tools to control mosquito populations, as well as improving diagnostic tests.

A “news” outlet said:

Three to four million people will be infected with Zika in the Americas this year, the World Health Organization says.” [They have provided NO link to the person saying this.]

“Most cases result in no symptoms and it is hard to test for, but WHO officials said an estimated 1.5 million people had been infected in the country.” [Again, no one in WHO is aware of any source for this statement.]

The only statement made in this regard is the following:

FIRE-EARTH Models show more than one million incidences of ZIKV infections may have occurred worldwide since October 2015.

Neither WHO (PAHO), nor CDC currently has a working model for predicting the “explosive” growth of ZIKV.

“Zika virus spreading in Europe”

Earlier this week, another “news” outlet predicted that the virus would be spreading in Europe rapidly because a Danish traveler had been found infected with the disease.

The idiots who make up such silly stories about the virus outbreaks have ZERO to NO idea how the disease is transmitted, or how fast it could spread.

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Most Dangerous Pathogens

Posted by feww on December 12, 2015

Top Emerging Diseases Likely to Cause Major Epidemics: WHO

The current list of disease priorities needing urgent R&D attention comprises: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg, Lassa fever, MERS and SARS coronavirus diseases, Nipah and Rift Valley fever, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

Scientists and public health experts met in Geneva this week to prioritize the top emerging pathogens that are “likely to cause severe outbreaks in the near future, and for which few or no medical countermeasures exist.”

Experts who prepared the list represented a range of disciplines, including “virology, microbiology, immunology, public health, clinical medicine, mathematical and computational modelling, product development, and respiratory and severe emerging infections,” according to the report.


Photo Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
This highly-magnified, digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals ultrastructural details at the site of interaction of numerous yellow-colored Middle East respiratory syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) viral particles that were on the surface of a Vero E6 cell, which had been colorized blue.

MERS-CoV spreads between people who are in close contact including transmission from infected patients to healthcare personnel. Clusters of cases in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UK, France, Tunisia, and Italy are being investigated. [NAIAID – 2014]

In addition to the top eight pathogens listed above, three other diseases have been designated as “serious,” requiring R&D as soon as possible. These arechikungunya, severe fever with thrombocytopaenia syndrome, and Zika.

“Other diseases with epidemic potential – such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Avian influenza and Dengue – were not included in the list because there are major disease control and research networks for these infections, and an existing pipeline for improved interventions,” said WHO.

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Ebola Mass Quarantine: 2.5 Million People in Sierra Leone Lockdown

Posted by feww on March 20, 2015

Updated

Sierra Leone enforcing lockdown to contain Ebola epidemic

Sierra Leone authorities will enforce a three-day lockdown of key parts of the country to try to contain the Ebola epidemic.

Some 3,702 deaths from the epidemic have been reported across the West African country, said World Health Organization (WHO).

The lockdown is expected to affect about 2.5 million people, and will come into effect next week.

“The lockdown will be conducted from March 27 to March 29 and will be like the one we conducted in September last year,” said the country’s National Ebola Response Center.

It follows a three-day curfew in September 2014, which forbade people from leaving their home.

WHO released the EBOLA situation summary on March 20, 2015 (latest), which includes the total number of reported cases and deaths (confirmed, probable and suspected) for the high transmission countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone).

  • Guinea: 3,404 cases, with 2,241 deaths [As of March 18, 2015]
  • Liberia: 9,555 cases, with 4,283 deaths  [As of March 17, 2015]
  • Sierra Leone: 11,794 cases, with 3,712 deaths [As of March 18, 2015]
    Sub total: 24,753 cases, with 10,236 fatalities

In addition to the above, 8 Ebola deaths were reported in Nigeria, 6 in Mali and 1 in the U.S., bringing the total number of reported deaths since the start of the latest epidemic to 10,251.

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Ebola: 1.4 Million Cases by January 20, 2015?

Posted by feww on September 24, 2014

GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
DEADLY EBOLA HF EPIDEMIC
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN WEST AFRICA
SCENARIOS 797, 444, 333, 080, 011
.

Ebola Cases in Sierra Leone and Liberia Could Reach 1.4 Million by January —CDC

Up to 1.4 million people in West Africa could be infected with the Ebola virus by January 20, 2015, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC says it has has developed a dynamic modeling tool called Ebola Response that allows for estimations of projected cases over time in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The agency’s estimate ranges between 550,000 and 1.4 million. The top range assumes that the number of cases, which currently stands at nearly 6,000, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is underreported by a factor of 2.5 and should be adjusted to 15,000.

Projecting Ebola Case Estimates

CDC has used the Ebola Response modeling tool to calculate Ebola cases through mid-January in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The model estimates a range of between 550,000 and 1.4 million cases by January 20, 2015. The top range of the case estimate, 1.4 million, is explained by the model’s assumption that cases are significantly underreported by a factor of 2.5.

The World Health Organization has projected that Ebola outbreak could infect 20,000 people by early November, failing rigorous infection control measures, and become an endemic disease in the region.

The death toll is at least 2,811 out of 5,864 reported cases, according to the U.N. agency.

CDC analysis, published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), projects the cases in Liberia doubling every 15 to 20 days, and those in Sierra Leone doubling every 30 to 40 days.

Global Health Emergency

WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa  a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations on August 8, 2014.

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Ebola Outbreak Declared Global Health Emergency

Posted by feww on August 8, 2014

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
DEADLY EBOLA HF EPIDEMIC
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN WEST AFRICA
GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
SCENARIOS 797, 444, 080, 011
.

The largest ever Ebola outbreak continues spreading

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations.

Earlier this week, the organization released the following statistics concerning the deadly outbreak:

  • No of reported infection: 1,779 cases (including confirmed and probable cases)
  • No of mortalities: At least 960
  • Cases reported in Nigeria, the most recent country to be affected

The WHO director-general called the outbreak the “most complex outbreak in the four decades of this disease.”

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF)

EHF is a highly contagious virus that spreads via close personal contact and kills up to 90% of the victims.

Five subspecies of Ebolavirus have so far been found. Four of those have caused disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans, according to CDC.

  • Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and damage to central nervous system.
  • There are  no known cure or vaccine for the Ebola virus.
  • Incubation period is from two to 21 days.

In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have previously been reported in the following countries:

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
  • Gabon
  • South Sudan
  • Ivory Coast
  • Uganda
  • Republic of the Congo (ROC)
  • South Africa (imported)

The current outbreak  is the first known occurrence of Ebola HF in Guinea.

“The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States,” said CDC.

Ebola_2_thumb_colorized
Ebola virions (image 2 colorized 1), diagnostic specimen from the first passage in Vero cells of a specimen from a human patient — this image is from the first isolation and visualization of Ebola virus, 1976. In this case, some of the filamentous virions are fused together, end-to-end, giving the appearance of a “bowl of spaghetti.” Negatively stained virions. Magnification: approximately x40,000.  Micrograph from F. A. Murphy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

Affected Countries [August 4, 2014]

Guinea

Liberia

Nigeria

Sierra Leone

12 deadly pathogens could spread into new regions aided by climate change

A report by Wildlife Conservation Society released on October 7, 2008 lists 12 deadly pathogens that could spread globally as a result of climate change. “All have potential impacts to both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.” Report said.

Titled ‘The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change,’ the report illustrates examples of diseases that could spread due to temperatures changes and variations in regional precipitation levels.

The “Deadly Dozen” list [ABC order]

  1. Avian influenza
  2. Babesia
  3. Cholera
  4. Ebola
  5. Intestinal and external parasites
  6. Lyme disease
  7. Plague
  8. Red tides
  9. Rift Valley fever
  10. Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
  11. Tuberculosis
  12. Yellow fever

Related Links

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Global Health Emergency Declared as Poliovirus Spreads

Posted by feww on May 5, 2014

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
INTERNATIONAL SPREAD OF WILD POLIOVIRUS
GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO 011
.

Global Health Emergency Declared as Wild Poliovirus Spreads

The international spread of wild poliovirus in 2014 is a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC),” the Director General of WHO  declared on 5 May 2014, based on the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee’s assessment.

“… the international spread of polio to date in 2014 constitutes an ‘extraordinary event’ and a public health risk to other states for which a co-ordinated international response is essential,” said the WHO’s Emergency Committee.

At end-2013, 60% of polio cases were the result of international spread of wild poliovirus, and there was increasing evidence that adult travellers contributed to this spread. During the 2014 low transmission season there has already been international spread of wild poliovirus from 3 of the 10 States that are currently infected: in central Asia (from Pakistan to Afghanistan), in the Middle East (Syrian Arab Republic to Iraq) and in Central Africa (Cameroon to Equatorial Guinea). A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop this international spread of wild poliovirus and to prevent new spread with the onset of the high transmission season in May/June 2014; unilateral measures may prove less effective in stopping international spread than a coordinated response. The consequences of further international spread are particularly acute today given the large number of polio-free but conflict-torn and fragile States which have severely compromised routine immunization services and are at high risk of re-infection. Such States would experience extreme difficulty in mounting an effective response were wild poliovirus to be reintroduced. As much international spread occurs across land borders, WHO should continue to facilitate a coordinated regional approach to accelerate interruption of virus transmission in each epidemiologic zone.

States currently exporting wild poliovirus

Pakistan, Cameroon, and the Syrian Arab Republic pose the greatest risk of further wild poliovirus exportations in 2014.

States infected with wild poliovirus but not currently exporting

Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia and particularly Nigeria, given the international spread from that State historically, pose an ongoing risk for new wild poliovirus exportations in 2014.

Global Public Health Emergency

Based on the Committee’s assessment, the Director General of WHO  on 5 May 2014 declared the international spread of wild poliovirus in 2014 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).”

Scanning electron photomicrograph of polio virions

poliovirus - PHIL_2446_lores-small
The poliovirus lives in the human pharynx and intestinal tract. Poliomyelitis is an acute infection that involves the gastrointestinal tract and, occasionally, the central nervous system. It is acquired by fecal-oral transmission. Source: CDC

What’s Polio

Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person invading the brain and spinal cord and causing paralysis. Because polio has no cure, vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and the only way to stop the disease from spreading. The spread of polio has never stopped in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Poliovirus has been reintroduced and continues to spread in Syria, Cameroon and the Horn of Africa after the spread of the virus was previously stopped.

Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

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Unusual Mortality Event (UME) Declared for California Sea Lions

Posted by feww on March 29, 2013

It’s going to be a bad year or two for sea lions – Biologist

More dying sea lion have stranded themselves on SoCal beaches since January 2013 than in the previous five years combined. “It’s going to be a bad year or two for sea lions,” said a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Beginning in January 2013, elevated strandings of California sea lion pups have been observed in Southern California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties). The area with the highest reported stranding rates is currently Los Angeles County, followed by Orange County, and strandings are increasing in San Diego County.

The increase of sea lion strandings continues and has intensified over the last few weeks. Live sea lion strandings are nearly three times higher than the historical average.

“We anticipate this will get worse when the pups begin to wean from their mothers and have to forage on their own.” NMF biologist said.

“The oddest part of this is the pups should have been with their mothers,” the biologist said. “We think the mothers are having to go out farther and stay out longer to find food and the pups begin to forage on their own after they’ve been alone for some time.”

csl_strandings_graph
Live California sea lion historical stranding rates for 2008-2012 (admits to rehabilitation facilities from Jan 1-March 31). Data for 2013 is as of March 24, 2013.  Source: NOAA FISHERIES

At least 948 sea lion pups have stranded themselves on SoCal beaches between January 1 and March 24, 2013, with the largest number, 395 pups, reported in the Los Angele County.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Death toll from novel coronavirus (nCoV) reaches 11: World Health Organization (WHO)

A new confirmed case of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection has been reported, said WHO.

  • The patient was a 73-year-old male from United Arab Emirates, who was transferred from a hospital in Abu Dhabi to Munich by air ambulance on 19 March 2013. He died on 26 March 2013.
  • WHO has been informed of a global total of 17 confirmed cases of human infection with nCoV, including 11 deaths as of March 26, 2013.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that includes viruses that may cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to SARS. Viruses of this family also cause a number of animal diseases. -CDC

matured SARS-CoV (coronavirus) particles
This colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals the “rosettelike” appearance of the matured SARS-CoV (coronavirus) particles (arrows). See PHIL 6400 for a black and white version for this image. Credit: CDC/ Dr. Mary Ng Mah Lee, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

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Drought Disaster Declared in Montana

Posted by feww on July 5, 2012

Stillwater and Yellowstone counties, Montana, declare drought disasters

Drought conditions created by unseasonably warm temperatures and below average precipitation has stunted crop growth to about 50 percent of normal.

Livestock feed on pasture is reduced by about 50 percent, while dry land hay production has suffered losses of about 85 percent, said an agricultural agent at Yellowstone County.


Total Weekly Precipitation (in)

Worst Drought Conditions Ever Reported

“I’ve never seen anything take hold quite this quickly. We are in mid-September conditions right now,” said Dave Kelsey who’s been farming and ranching in Yellowstone and Stillwater counties for 35 years.

Shrinking Crops

“Dryland hay production is estimated to be 15 percent of normal, and most of the dryland spring wheat is ‘not expected to make a harvestable grain crop,’ Stillwater’s resolution read. ‘Livestock pasture and range conditions are extremely poor due to lack of precipitation, excessive winds and grasshoppers.’” Said a report.

  • Agriculture is Montana’s no. 1 industry.

Montana Wildfires

A dozen large wildfires in Montana have destroyed more than 100 structures and forced at least 1,000 people to flee their homes amid dry conditions in recent days. The fires include

  • Ash Creek Complexhas consumed about 250,000 acres
  • Pony Fire: 5,000 acres
  • Horse Creek Fire:  8,000 acres
  • Dahl Fire: 22,000 acres
  • Bear Trap 2:  15,000 acres

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

  • Kansas.  Governor Brownback has updated the Drought Declaration for Kansas counties, amid  worsening drought conditions throughout the Wheat State.
    • The updated drought declaration covers all of the state’s 105 counties. A drought  emergency is in effect for 36 counties, while 55 counties are in a warning status and the remaining 14 in watch status.“Dry, windy and above normal temperatures in Kansas have led to a Drought Emergency declaration for 36 counties,”  said Brownback. “Below normal precipitation patterns are not only depleting available soil moisture, but these types of conditions have resulted in numerous fires as well.”
    • Norton, Kansas, was the hottest location in the U.S. with 118 degrees (47.8ºC) last week, NCDC reported.  Some 22 other locations across the state topped 110 degrees on Thursday June 28.
    • Executive Order 12-08 – Governor Updates Drought Order for Kansas Counties

Kansas Drought Map (June 26, 2012)


Drought has returned to Kansas with 100.00% of the state reporting abnormally dry or drought conditions (D0 – D3) as of June 26, 2012.

  • Florida. Six more counties have been added to the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Florida, state officials said. They are Clay, Franklin, Hernando, Highlands Pinellas and Suwanee counties.
    • On Tuesday, the Disaster President declared major disaster areas in Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Pasco and Wakulla counties due to the damage and losses caused by tropical storm DEBBY.
    • DEBBY landed on June 27 in Steinhatchee, Fla, dumping more than a foot of rain in some areas and causing major flooding across the state.
  • Eastern U.S. A massive heat wave continues to affect the eastern two thirds of the U.S., breaking high temperature records from the Midwest to the East Coast, said NWS.


US Weather Hazards Map, July 5, 2012.  Excessive Heat Warnings and
Heat Advisories were in effect throughout or in parts of at least 26 states, as of posting.

Mystery Illness Killing Cambodian Kids

See Global Alert in the next post.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

Posted in Global Disaster watch, global disasters, global disasters 2012, global drought, global economy, Global Food Crisis, Global Food Shortages, global ghg emissions, global health catastrophe, global heating, global precipitation patterns, global Temperature Anomalies | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

WHO’s Disinformation Regime Exposed [AGAIN]

Posted by feww on October 21, 2010

India malaria deaths grossly underestimated: Report

At least 205,000 people die from malaria in India each year, 13 times higher than UN estimates

When the Moderators posted the following CAUTION on Fire-Earth’s display margins, a number of readers called the action “irresponsible”

All technical information and scientific data released by US Government agencies (e.g., NASA, EPA…) are subject to sudden variation because of political expediency. This caution also extends to the fidelity of the information provided by UN organizations (e.g., FAO, WHO…)

New data, published in the Lancet medical journal, indicates that 13 times more malaria deaths occur in India than the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) previously suggested..

The authors reveal that 205,000 people die before the age of 70  by malaria in India each year.

Field workers investigated at least 122,000 premature deaths between 2001 and 2003 for the purpose of this study.

However, and despite the glaring evidence, Dr Robert Newman, the director of its global malaria program at WHO said, the report had “implausibly high case incidence rates”, which indicated that the findings of this study cannot be trusted.

“It is vital to evaluate cause of death correctly because different diseases require different strategies for control,” he added contemptuously.

The report also suggests that huge under-reporting of malaria deaths in other countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan may be occurring.

Going to press…

A reader in Europe has just informed us that Reseaux IP Europeens Network Co-ordination Centre has blocked large sections of Fire-Earth blog  in the  RIPE NCC Region, which includes the following countries:

  • ALAND ISLANDS, ALBANIA, ANDORRA, ARMENIA, AUSTRIA, AZERBAIJAN
  • BAHRAIN, BELARUS, BELGIUM, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOWINA, BULGARIA
  • CROATIA (Hrvatska), CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • DENMARK
  • ESTONIA
  • FAROE ISLANDS, FINLAND, FRANCE
  • GEORGIA, GERMANY, GIBRALTAR, GREECE, GREENLAND, GUERNSEY
  • HOLY SEE (VATICAN CITY STATE), HUNGARY
  • ICELAND, IRAN (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF), IRAQ, IRELAND, ISLE OF MAN, ISRAEL, ITALY
  • JERSEY, JORDAN
  • KAZAKHSTAN, KUWAIT, KYRGYZSTAN
  • LATVIA, LEBANON, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG
  • MACEDONIA, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MALTA
  • MOLDOVA (REPUBLIC OF), MONACO, MONTENEGRO, NETHERLANDS
  • NORWAY
  • OMAN
  • PALESTINIAN TERRITORY (OCCUPIED), POLAND, PORTUGAL
  • QATAR
  • ROMANIA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
  • SAN MARINO, SAUDI ARABIA, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA (Slovak Republic), SLOVENIA, SPAIN, SVALBARD AND JAN MAYEN ISLANDS, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
  • TAJIKISTAN, TURKEY, TURKMENISTAN
  • UKRAINE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UNITED KINGDOM, UZBEKISTAN
  • YEMEN

Related News Links:

Related Links:

Posted in India malaria deaths, infectious diseases, U.N., World Health Organization | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Swine Flu Pandemic: Pharmaceuticals Payday

Posted by feww on June 11, 2009

WHO’s done it: Swine flu scam enters $600 billion phase!

Responding to pharmaceuticals business emergency, WHO ‘phinally’ declares swine flu ‘phandemic’

Here are some of the issues to consider:

1. Swine flu is a ‘phandemic’; it’s a ‘pandemic’  created by the World Health Organization (WHO), for pharmaceuticals. [See background, and scam  details.]

2. The recent influenza A(H1N1) viral mutation was most likely laboratory-engineered by/ for the multinational pharmaceuticals.

3. Flu viruses, laboratory-engineered or not, are pharmaceuticals’ ‘backbone’ business, especially when they’re elevated into a “pandemic.” They’re exploited as global, wholesale, long-term lucrative trade prospects. As WHO’s top flu expert Keiji Fukuda said: “When you’re talking about pandemic influenza, you are talking about a marathon, you are not talking about a sprint.”

4. The “flu experts” on whose advice the WHO supposedly acts, are pals of the same order eating from the same trough. If there are any ‘independent’ experts anywhere in the world, and don’t bet your life on finding one, they could only arrive at the same [desired] conclusion concerning a ‘pandemic’ because they’d be looking at the same set of flu data provided by the WHO.

5. To keep all other conditions normal, preventing  any  animosity/ rivalry between the pharmaceuticals and the other industries over potential loss of trade opportunities, and no doubt “acting on the recommendation of flu experts,”  the WHO has again advised its 193 member countries “not to close borders or impose travel restrictions to halt the movement of people, goods and services,” a call which has been approved and “echoed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

6. The languishing pharmaceuticals are not immune to the impacts of global economic slowdown. [Though they are clearly more enterprising than other industries, and can bank on the WHO to bail them out every time!]

7. When asked, Dr Thomas Frieden, new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference: “This is not a surprise… It is expected based on the data.”

World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic – WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan

Her full statement to the press:

Dr Margaret Chan – Director-General of the World Health Organization

Ladies and gentlemen,

In late April, WHO announced the emergence of a novel influenza A virus.

This particular H1N1 strain has not circulated previously in humans. The virus is entirely new.

The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.

This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place.

Spread in several countries can no longer be traced to clearly-defined chains of human-to-human transmission. Further spread is considered inevitable.

I have conferred with leading influenza experts, virologists, and public health officials. In line with procedures set out in the International Health Regulations, I have sought guidance and advice from an Emergency Committee established for this purpose.

On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met.

I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6.

The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic.

We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch.

No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness.

We have a head start. This places us in a strong position. But it also creates a demand for advice and reassurance in the midst of limited data and considerable scientific uncertainty.

Thanks to close monitoring, thorough investigations, and frank reporting from countries, we have some early snapshots depicting spread of the virus and the range of illness it can cause.

We know, too, that this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time.

Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity. As we know from experience, severity can vary, depending on many factors, from one country to another.

On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.

Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections.

We know that the novel H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years.

In some of these countries, around 2% of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia.

Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years.

This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people.

Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.

At the same time, it is important to note that around one third to half of the severe and fatal infections are occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people.

Without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications. This heightened risk takes on added importance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger age groups.

Finally, and perhaps of greatest concern, we do not know how this virus will behave under conditions typically found in the developing world. To date, the vast majority of cases have been detected and investigated in comparatively well-off countries.

Let me underscore two of many reasons for this concern. First, more than 99% of maternal deaths, which are a marker of poor quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, occurs in the developing world.

Second, around 85% of the burden of chronic diseases is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.

Although the pandemic appears to have moderate severity in comparatively well-off countries, it is prudent to anticipate a bleaker picture as the virus spreads to areas with limited resources, poor health care, and a high prevalence of underlying medical problems.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A characteristic feature of pandemics is their rapid spread to all parts of the world. In the previous century, this spread has typically taken around 6 to 9 months, even during times when most international travel was by ship or rail.

Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection.

Guidance on specific protective and precautionary measures has been sent to ministries of health in all countries. Countries with no or only a few cases should remain vigilant.

Countries with widespread transmission should focus on the appropriate management of patients. The testing and investigation of patients should be limited, as such measures are resource intensive and can very quickly strain capacities.

WHO has been in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers. I understand that production of vaccines for seasonal influenza will be completed soon, and that full capacity will be available to ensure the largest possible supply of pandemic vaccine in the months to come.

Pending the availability of vaccines, several non-pharmaceutical interventions can confer some protection.

WHO continues to recommend no restrictions on travel and no border closures.

Influenza pandemics, whether moderate or severe, are remarkable events because of the almost universal susceptibility of the world’s population to infection.

We are all in this together, and we will all get through this, together.

Thank you. [NO, thank you! Really!]

Related Links:

[NOTE: IF you use the term ‘phandemic’ in the above context, quote this source!]

Posted in $600 billion scam, A (H1N1) virus, Double Psychology, flu vaccines, Swine Flu Mystery | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Malaria parasites resist old drugs, need new ones!

Posted by feww on May 29, 2009

What is Malaria?

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases  caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

Malaria parasites are micro-organisms of the genus Plasmodium. Of the more than 100 species of Plasmodium, four species can infect humans in nature.

Plasmodium falciparum is the only species that can cause severe, potentially fatal malaria because it multiples rapidly in the blood, often causing anemia (severe blood loss). Additionally, the parasites can clog small blood vessels. If this complication occurs in the brain, it causes cerebral malaria, which can be fatal.


This 2005 photograph depicted a female Anopheles albimanus mosquito while she was feeding on a human host, thereby, becoming engorged with blood.  Like other species in the genus Anopheles, A. albimanus adults hold the major axis of the body more perpendicularly to the surface of the skin when blood feeding. Anopheles spp. adults also generally feed in the evening, or early morning when it is still dark. This species is a vector of malaria, predominantly in Central America. Photo Credit:   James Gathany/CDC.

Each year infective female Anopheles mosquito infect about 300 million people, killing  about 1.5  million. About ninety percent of malaria-related deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa.  [Only Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria, and they must have been infected through a previous blood meal taken on an infected person.

See also:  Malaria Disease


The life cycle of the malaria parasite in the human body. Image courtesy of the Medical Arts and Photography Branch, NIH.

Researchers say they have found evidence malaria parasites are showing resistance to the artemesinin family of drugs, previously the  most effective drug for treating malaria.

“They say the trend in western Cambodia has to be urgently contained because full-blown resistance would be a global health catastrophe.” BBC reported (!)

Drugs are said to take four to five days, instead of the previous norm of two to three days, to remove  malaria parasites from blood, which is “an early warning sign of emerging resistance to a disease which kills a million people every year.”

“The artemesinin family of drugs is the world’s front-line defence against the most prevalent and deadly form of malaria.” BBC said.

“Two teams of scientists, working on separate clinical trials, have reported seeing the disturbing evidence that the drugs are becoming much less effective.”

“There is particular concern because previous generations of malaria drugs have been undermined by resistance which started in this way, in this part of the world, our correspondent reports.”

This may be true, but that’s how/why new generations of drugs are formulated. Is this another bout of scaremongering?

For the scaremongering to be more effective, the BBC needs three other components involved

  • The World Health Organization
  • A British professor
  • And some lab data

“The World Health Organization warned in 2006 there was a possibility the malaria parasite could develop a resistance to artemesinin drugs, and that there was particular concern about a decreased sensitivity to the drug being seen in South East Asia.” BBC said.

“It urged drug firms to stop selling artemesinin on its own in order to prevent resistance building up.

“Early results from two studies by US and UK teams have both revealed the early stages of resistance.

“Between a third and a half of patients in the US study saw delayed clearance of the malaria parasite.

“In the UK study, patients in the Cambodia arm of the trial took almost twice as long to clear the parasite as a comparison group in Thailand.”

YES! It’s bad, really bad. We need a breakthrough. All you pharmaceuticals out there: Are you designing anything new? Please?

Professor Nick Day, director of the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit,  which is carrying out the UK study said: “Twice in the past, South East Asia has made a gift, unwittingly, of drug resistant parasites to the rest of the world, in particular to Africa,” according to BBC.

“That’s the problem. We’ve had chloroquine and SP (sulfadoxine pyrimethamine) resistance, both of which have caused major loss of life in Africa,” he said in reference to earlier generation anti-malarial drugs.

“If the same thing happens again, the spread of a resistant parasite from Asia to Africa, that will have devastating consequences for malaria control,” he said.

“If it strengthens and spreads, they warn, many millions of lives will be at risk. About half the world’s population faces exposure to the disease.” BBC WARNED (AGAIN).

Where is all of this leading to? Watch out for the next malaria silver bullets from the top ten pharmaceuticals SOON!

Related Links:

Posted in Anopheles albimanus, genus Plasmodium, malaria mosquito, Plasmodium falciparum, protozoan parasites | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Swine flu kills dozens in Mexico

Posted by feww on April 24, 2009

Swine flu kills 60 people and sickens 1,000  others in Mexico

60 people have died and hundreds more have been infected by a viral outbreak in Mexico believed to be a new strain of swine flu.

The cases are centered around Mexico City since mid-March, World Health Organization (WHO) said, prompting the authorities to close schools and launching a vaccination campaign in affected areas.

57  people died in Mexico City and another three in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, with nearly a 1,000 suspected cases reported.

The infections follow seven non-fatal cases of a new form of swine flu confirmed in California and Texas, where tests are being carried out to establish if the two strains are linked.

Mexico’s Health Minister said the virus seems to have  “mutated from pigs and then at some point was transmitted to humans.”

“This is the first time that we’ve seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain,” a spokesperson for the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the media.

The seven victims in the United States had NOT been in contact with pigs, which is how the swine flu virus would normally have been transmitted.

Related Links:

Posted in A (H1N1) virus, health news, Human Swine flue, public health, San Luis Potosi | Tagged: , , , , | 5 Comments »