Malaysian Pig Farms Breed new Influenza
- From: "Ir. Hj. Othman bin Ahmad" <othmana@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:22:31 -0700 (PDT)
The latest research quoted here states that new Influenza virus that
later kills hundreds of thousands of people yearly starts from East
Asia and South East Asia.
We all know that South East Asia has among the least hygienic pig
farms and pigs are the container vessels that cooks new versions of
influenza. These pig farmers are therefore mass murderers, not just
polluters of our environments.
If ever there are new versions of even more deadly influenza virus
such as the Bird Flu, H5N1, Malaysia will be the first nations to be
hit. Initially, I thought it was China, but this research shows
otherwise.
It is time for us to close all pig farms until we can afford the
hygienic versions of these farms for export. The cheapest and most
economical is just to close all of them, and help these farmers find
other jobs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/opinion/20sun3.html?ref=opinion
Why the Flu Vaccine Fizzled
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Published: April 20, 2008
Anyone who dutifully got a flu vaccination this year only to come down
with a serious fever, chills or cough had plenty of company. An
analysis issued last week by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimated that this year’s vaccine formulation was only 44
percent effective. That feeble performance, along with the virulence
of one of the strains, made the flu season much worse than the
previous three.
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Not all of the news is bad. In a separate report, scientists tracked
the previously mystifying origins and pathways of influenza viruses.
Such information should help them make better vaccines.
What makes flu so hard to prevent is that the virus changes its
molecular structure from year to year. Each year, experts try to guess
which strains found anywhere in the world are apt to circulate in this
country in the next flu season. They then formulate a vaccine to
protect against those strains.
When they guess right, as is usually the case, the vaccine can be 70
to 90 percent effective in healthy adults. When they guess wrong, as
happened this year, the mismatch leaves many recipients vulnerable.
This year’s vaccine was designed to protect against two strains of
influenza A and one strain of influenza B. Based on an analysis in
central Wisconsin, the vaccine proved 58 percent effective against the
predominant A strain but totally ineffective against the B strain.
In research that could improve the likelihood of picking the right
strains, an international team led by British scientists has
documented — through molecular and genetic analysis — how seasonal flu
strains evolve and sweep around the world. It turns out that new flu
strains emerge in several countries in East and Southeast Asia, and
are then carried by travelers to Europe and North America some six to
nine months later. Several months after that they reach South America,
where they die out. Then the whole process starts over.
Although scientists knew generally that influenza strains often emerge
from in and around China, the new research expands the area that bears
watching and surely bolsters the case for greatly enhanced
surveillance in Asia. With any luck, that would lead to better and
earlier identification of the strains that will be circulating — the
key to making an effective vaccine.
.
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