Doctors hide true cause of Death due to swine flu

This happend in Saudi Arabia and there is no reason why it shouldn't
happen in Malaysia or other countries.

Doctors even falsify cause of death as that of other diseases other
than the main contributor, i.e. flu-like symptoms.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009080645916

H1N1-death man may have spread infection
By Shahid Ali Khan
RIYADH – The death of Sri Lankan national Mohammed Mafaz Mohammed
Saleem in a hotel room here Monday, confirmed as resulting from swine
flu by the Ministry of Health, has raised concerns over whether he
could have spread the infection during his week-long attempts to find
treatment in at least four medical centers.
Saleem, a resident of Dubai, arrived in Riyadh on July 25 on a
business trip and, according to at least six of his friends who had
variously accompanied him to medical centers, was displaying flu-like
symptoms.
One of the six, all Sri Lankans speaking on condition of anonymity,
said he hosted Saleem for one day at home with his wife and children,
and said he had assisted in Saleem's efforts to seek urgent medical
attention.
According to the friend, Saleem was taken first to Olaya Polyclinic in
the upmarket district of Olaya where he was diagnosed with common flu
and given antibiotics. When the symptoms failed to subside, Saleem was
taken to Al-Shammary Polyclinic where he was advised to continue
taking the same medication.
Still showing no signs of improvement, he then checked in at Shumaisy
General Hospital at around 11 A.M. Friday where doctors repeated
advice to continue on the same medication before discharging him.
Friends of Saleem then took him to the Specialized Medical Clinic
Hospital on King Fahd Street where staff took a swab of his mucous and
charged him SR250 for the test and analysis. The hospital, however,
did not present the test report and instead told Saleem to return to
Shumaisy Hospital. The doctor there reportedly advised him to "stay
away from people".
"The tragedy is that none of the medical centers was ready to admit
him as an in-patient and treat him for the illness," said one of the
six friends. "All this happened despite clear instructions from Health
Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeah that hospitals should take in and treat
any persons with flu-like symptoms."
On Sunday, one day before his death, Saleem returned to the Golden
Tulip Hotel in the Nassariyah district.
The next day his friend knocked on the door of Room No. 332 after
receiving no reply to telephone calls, and when there was no response
hotel staff were informed.
When the door was opened Saleem was found dead on his bed.
Concerns have since centered on how many people may have been infected
by swine flu after coming into contact with Saleem, although a test
his friend was asked to take after the discovery of Saleem's body
proved negative. Staff at the hotel where he was found, however, are
among those concerned and question the lack of action taken by
authorities.
"Room 332 and the other rooms on the floor have not been disinfected,
because the Health Ministry has not informed us to do so," the hotel
source said, although the top floor of the hotel where Saleem's room
was located has been quarantined.
Further questions still remain over whether Saleem did actually die of
the swine flu virus or from other causes.
Sabarullah Khan, Charge d'Affaires at the Sri Lankan Embassy, said
that the Ministry of Health statement confirming the cause of Saleem's
death as swine flu was contradicted by a hospital report.
"According to Shumaisy Hospital medical report, Saleem died of cardio-
respiratory failure and other illness," Khan said. "The Embassy is
still awaiting a final medical report from the Health Ministry".
Staff at the Golden Tulip Hotel where Saleem was found dead in his
room, also question the diagnosis.
"We have not received any report from the Health Ministry suggesting
Saleem died from swine flu," said one member of staff who asked not to
be identified.
31-year-old Saleem, who was laid to rest in Riyadh's Umm Al-Hammam
Cemetery on Wednesday, is survived by his wife who consented to the
burial through an affidavit, and his parents. - SG

Swine flu just like common flu but so was Spanish Flu

Although this article quoted a figure of 2%, this is not consistent
with official Spanish flu death rates.

In Wales it was only 0.67% average true fatality rate.
In New York it varies from less than 0.1% in summer to 1.4% peak in
Winter but only as Case Fatality Rate(currently dead/currently sick)
which understates the true fatality rate(the number of people catching
the disease vs number of people who subsequently die).

So New York official data is consistent with Wales data. Wales data is
more more because it is based on official records after the disaster,
although many deaths may be wrongly attributed to other diseases,
namely pneumonia.

These historical data is similar to current Swine Flu pandemic which
has fatality rates ranging from 0.1% in summer to more than 1.4% in
winter, but this time we have the cure and more sophisticated ICU
machines and yet it had failed to reduce the fatality rate
significantly, compared to Spanish Flu.

Spanish flu was also like common flu but it spreads rapidly because it
affects younger people equally likely as older people.

http://www.centrewellington.com/news.php?id=1285

H1N1 acting like seasonal flu
Published - Aug 5th, 2009
By Francis Baker

Public health officials are anticipating a busier-than-average flu
season this fall, thanks to H1N1 influenza.
But H1N1 or swine flu as it was called, is not making people sicker
than the varieties of seasonal flu virus that show up each year, says
Dr. Nicole Mercer, medical officer of health for the Wellington-
Dufferin-Guelph area.
"This virus is behaving exactly as we expected," she said – just like
seasonal flu.
What's happening with H1N1, is that more people are coming down with
it – many people don't seem to have developed an immunity to it,
because it's a "new" virus.
"In saying that, if you increase the number of people who get sick,
there's a similar increase in the number of people with complications"
and who develop a serious illness from the flu, Mercer said.
That's why Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health is focusing on
preventing people from getting sick – by publicizing methods to help
stop the disease from spreading, and by having an H1N1 vaccine for
those who need it and want it.
Young people seem to be susceptible to this flu, she said, as people
have seen in reports from summer camps where kids have come down with
it.
But there haven't been many people reported as becoming seriously ill,
and that's the pattern Mercer expects in the fall as well.
Most people who come down with H1N1 will get symptoms that are similar
to seasonal flu – chills and cough followed by fever, loss of
appetite, muscle aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes,
and throat irritation.
People who are most at risk of developing serious illness are those
with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women, and children under
age five, she said.
What's a little surprising about H1N1, though, is that older people
don't seem as susceptible to it as the younger generation.
"We see a lot less disease in people born before 1958," Mercer said.
Of all the cases in Canada, very few have been people over age 50 –
and other countries are getting similar statistics.
That's led medical officials to speculate a similar type of virus went
around in the 1950s or before – people alive then picked up an
immunity to it.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health advises people with symptoms
of respiratory illness to contact their doctor or Telehealth Ontario
at 1-866-797-0000.
The best ways to protect yourself and your family from H1N1 – and
seasonal viruses too – are to wash your hands regularly, make sure flu
shots are up to date, stay home if you feel unwell, and cover your
mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, the health unit states.
A new vaccine for H1N1 is going to be available, probably about mid-
November, Mercer said. There are actually two doses to cover the H1N1
flu – the second shot is given about three weeks after the first.
The vaccine will be rolled out to the population in stages, and health
officials have said everyone who needs or wants the shot will be able
to get it. The first people receiving the shots will likely be health
care workers.
And this year, the regular flu shot is going to be available earlier
than usual, around Thanksgiving in October, Mercer said.
The local public health website has detailed information about H1N1,
including information on prevention and how to take care of yourself
at home – go to HYPERLINK http://www.wdghu.org www.wdghu.org, or
call1-800-265-7293 ext. 4752.

Vaccine arrives to late to save millions

It will take 3 months if given the virus.

In 3 months it will be 1 million deaths, given that in the previous 3
months Swine Flu had recorded 1,000 Deaths, with many deaths not yet
attributed to Swine Flu.

Next month, it will be 10,000 based on previous trends, if only proper
records are kept, but I doubt it as governments will not benefit by
showing this record and doctors too busy to tackle a looming disaster.

In 4 months, it will 10 million deaths, and 5 months, 100 million. In
6 months, 1 billion deaths which is unlikely but this is the trend.

It takes time for the vaccine to be produced and if hurriedly
produced, it will kill or paralyse many people. But it will be lower
than the 100 million deaths if we don't vaccinate key people.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSBNG25219520090805
UPDATE 1-Novavax says can ready H1N1 vaccine within 11 weeks
Wed Aug 5, 2009 9:00am EDT

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* Says can produce vaccine 11 weeks from gene sequence

* Says adhered to current good-manufacturing practices

* Plans to produce more batches for human testing

* Shares up more than 20 pct in pre-market trade

Aug 5 (Reuters) - Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) said it could manufacture its
vaccine candidate for the new strain of H1N1 influenza virus within 11
weeks of receiving the gene sequence from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control, sending its shares up more than 20 percent in trading before
the bell.

Production of the vaccine was carried out at Novavax's new facility in
Rockville, Maryland, in accordance with current good-manufacturing
(GMP) practices laid down by health regulators, the company said.

"Demonstration of our ability to construct and produce GMP-quality
influenza vaccine within 12 weeks under real pandemic conditions is an
important and successful test of our VLP technology," Jim Robinson,
vice president of manufacturing and quality operations at Novavax,
said in a statement.

The company's virus-like particle technology uses a mimic or decoy of
the virus to shorten the time to develop a vaccine for a new viral
strain.

Novavax has completed a Phase I/IIa clinical study with a H5N1
influenza VLP vaccine candidate and is currently in mid-stage trials
with a VLP based seasonal flu vaccine candidate.

Shares of the company were up $1.07 in pre-market trade. They closed
at $4.63 Tuesday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Anand Basu in Bangalore;
Editing by Anthony Kurian)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Proven: Masks do help

So let us all wear masks.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/03/face.mask.flu/

Health

From Mexico to China, people around the world have worn face masks to
protect against swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus. The problem?
Experts could never say for sure whether such masks actually help you
stay healthy.
In tandem with hand-washing, face masks seem to work better than hand-
washing alone.

In tandem with hand-washing, face masks seem to work better than hand-
washing alone.

Now, the largest study to date on the subject suggests they do. When
sick people and their families wear surgical face masks and wash their
hands within the first 36 hours of symptoms, healthy family members
are indeed less likely to get seasonal flu, researchers say. They
think the results may apply to H1N1 as well.

So far, 94,512 people around the world have been infected with swine
flu, and there have been 429 deaths in 122 countries.

"Many people believe that coughs and colds are so infectious that
there is really no stopping them, however hard we try," says Benjamin
Cowling, Ph.D., the lead author of the study published this week in
Annals of Internal Medicine. "Our results suggest that is not the
case, and, in fact, transmission can be effectively stopped with just
some simple precautions."

Cowling, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the
University of Hong Kong, and his colleagues looked at 407 locals who
came down with regular seasonal flu (not swine flu), which was
confirmed by laboratory tests. Health.com: Four things you didn't know
about natural medicine

The patients were divided into three groups: One group (the control
group) was told about the benefits of a healthy diet and lifestyle in
terms of preventing illness; members of a second group were told to
wash their hands with soap and water frequently, including when they
coughed or sneezed, and to use an alcohol hand rub after touching
contaminated surfaces; and a third group's member were told to wash
their hands and use surgical face masks as often as possible at home
(except when they were eating or sleeping).
Don't Miss

* Federal panel issues H1N1 vaccine guidelines
* Study: H1N1 virus more severely affects pregnant women

The researchers found that when people and their families wore face
masks and washed their hands within 36 hours of the first symptoms,
their family members were less likely to become infected. However,
those who started using masks or washing their hands after the 36-hour
time period had passed saw no benefit.

In tandem with hand-washing, face masks seem to work better than hand-
washing alone, but the authors could not conclusively prove which
intervention was responsible for the drop in infections of family
members.

Cowling says these results definitely apply to the H1N1 virus too,
because swine flu is transmitted much as seasonal flu. Health.com:
Young and short of breath: Could it be COPD?

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which
partly funded the study, does not generally recommend the use of face
masks or respirators to prevent the spread of H1N1 because of their
uncertain benefit. The CDC says face masks are recommended only if a
person is at a very high risk of flu complications (such as someone
who is pregnant), and has no other choice but to be the primary
caregiver for a family member with H1N1. (The CDC says this scenario
should be avoided if at all possible.)

Despite the new study, CDC spokesperson Artealia Gilliard says the
current guidelines for face masks will not change. "This is another
piece of great information, but this study alone shouldn't have an
effect on current CDC guidelines about face masks," says Gilliard.

It's still not clear whether healthy people who wear face masks in
public can prevent themselves from getting the flu. The researchers
could not determine whether the masks worked because they prevented
sick people from transmitting viruses or if they helped prevent
healthy people from picking up the virus. Health.com: Eat smarter in
your 30s, 40s, and 50s

Cowling explains that the healthy subjects had a hard time wearing the
face masks and were less likely than sick people to do so. Only about
half of the sick patients used the face masks routinely, and some
people in the control group wore them because their use is common in
Hong Kong.

"Perhaps with better compliance even more transmission could be
prevented," he says.

Cowling says his research is different from past studies because it
didn't rely on symptoms alone; the researchers swabbed the healthy
family members at three-day intervals and confirmed infections in the
laboratory. (Nearly one-third of people with influenza may not develop
classic flu symptoms, such as a cough, fever, and muscle aches.)
Health.com: Diabetes and sick days: Expect a rise in blood sugar

Henry Chambers, M.D., the chief of infectious diseases at San
Francisco General Hospital, says the results aren't surprising. The
flu virus is spread in droplets in the air, so face masks may help
prevent sick people from spreading these infectious droplets, or
healthy ones from inhaling them, he says. Hand-washing helps kill
germs too.

According to Gilliard, the CDC recommends that people with H1N1 remain
home for seven days after symptoms begin, or until they've been
symptom free for at least 24 hours. People should avoid touching their
eyes, nose, and ears, because infections can get started when the
virus is picked up by the hands and transmitted to the face.
Health.com: The healing power of tea
Health Library

* MayoClinic.com: Swine flu (H1N1 flu)

Cowling believes a surgical face mask is an effective way to reduce
flu transmission; even the World Health Organization advises health-
care workers to wear face masks when treating H1N1 patients, he says.
He adds that N95 respirators, which are tight-fitting masks that
filter airborne particles, are also beneficial, but they can be
uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.

A second study in Annals of Internal Medicine found that long-term
treatment (more than four weeks) with the antiviral drugs zanamivir
(Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) could prevent seasonal flu with
symptoms, but did not prevent symptom-free influenza infections. In
terms of efficacy, there was no difference between the two drugs,
according to the research team from Stanford University School of
Medicine.
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Many Swine Flu deaths are not confirmed H1N1

This is not the only case. But based on travel history and age, we can
safely assume that it is swine flu, and not common flu.

WE have a case of a doctor attached to a Malaysian University. he died
of pneumonia after showing symptoms of flu at age 36. He was tested
negative for H1N1.

It shows that Swine Flu is much more virulent and stealthy as well,
than common flu. It killed suddenly even healty young people. It may
be common flu, but what a flu.

The safest way is to prevent ourselves from catching any flu
especially from those that are already heavily infected i.e. US and
Australia.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/girl-with-flulike-symptoms-dies-on-flight-20090803-e6fm.html

Girl with flu-like symptoms dies on flight
August 3, 2009 - 10:26AM

A 15-year-old Brazilian girl who was suffering flu-like symptoms died
on a flight home to Sao Paulo after a group trip to Disneyland in
Florida, media reported.

The teenager, identified as Jaqueline Ruas, came down with flu
symptoms just days before boarding the Copa Airlines flight in
Orlando, Florida, but a check-up by US doctors excluded a swine flu
infection, the state news agency Estadao said.

She complained of feeling seriously ill on the plane before losing
consciousness. Two doctors on board tried in vain to revive her.

The travel agency that organized the trip, Tia Augusta Turismo, said
Ruas and the 30 other people in her group left for the 12-day trip on
July 19.

She started feeling ill on July 30, and was admitted to hospital, but
she was released after laboratory tests showed she did not have swine
flu.

AFP

All Malaysia will be infected by 15 Oct 2009

The first case in Malaysia was detected on the 15th of May.
I am oversimplifying the situation by assuming that there is only one
of this case, not other multiple undetected cases that will give rise
to confirmed cases, which is what is really happening.

By the 15th of July, Malaysia already have confirmed 1000 cases. I'm
not sure of this, but I knew that by the 30th July it was more tan
1000. I am just rounding up the figure to make calculations easy but
careful to underestimate rather than overestimate. If you want a more
accurate figure you can get the corrected figure and calculate it
yourself for a much more accurate result but it is meaningless when
the data is not that accurate.

In 2 months, 1000 cases.
In 4 month, i.e. by the 15th of September, there will be 1 million
cases.
In 5 months, i.e. by the 15th of October, there will be 32 million
cases.

Based on a logarithmic table prediction, it will be 13 million by the
8th of October.

All these are based on current efforts at preventing this swine flu,
i.e. school closures and disinfections but without any thermal scanner
at airport or hospitals.

Hospitals are supposed to have tents where they measure temperatures,
but the last time I was there, about a month ago, there was nobody
there at all, and assuming that nobody wears any mask at all.

With a fatality rate of 0.4%, currently with idiotic doctors who
believe that Swine Flu is milder than Common Flu, we can expect,
4000 dead on the 15th of September
53 000 dead on the 8th of October.

In the space of 3 weeks we should have 50,000 additional deaths.
With a devastated lung, patients expect to be in the ICU for weeks to
survive and do we have enough ICU for 50,000?
If we don't, the fatality will be much higher, approaching the Spanish
Flu of 1.2%, i.e. 150,000.

Do we have enough people to bury them or more correctly, able people
to transport and bury this amount of dead people, especially when
there will be an additional 11 million infected with swine flu that
can incapacitate even strong individuals in just 3 weeks. One in 3
people will get infected.

What makes it even worse, is that, infection happens in clusters,
which makes it very probable that the maximum rate of 80% will be
infected all at once, whereas there will be none at other clusters.

Just imagine if 80% drivers are infected. Will there be enough
transport to transport the sick? You have to carry the dead yourself.

The bad news is that the vaccine will only come in September, but even
these are the trial versions only. They are untested, and it had been
proven in the past that it will also kill and paralyse healthy people
that it tried to protect, and by September, it will not be enough for
all.

Am I dreaming? No. It is just the maths. Do you want to argue with
mathematical reasoning based on facts???

CAn we stop this? Too late. Only China and Japan will survive. They
have delayed the infection sufficiently well enough to allow vaccines
to be produced reliably. Hong Kong is not doing well. It had suffered
3 deaths already, almost as much as Malaysia.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=65047
M'sia confirms first swine flu case

Published on: Saturday, May 16, 2009

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Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia confirmed the first case of swine flu amid
fears that some of those exposed to the infected patient could have
gone on to Indonesia.

"I can confirm (that it) is the first case in Malaysia," Health
Ministry Director General Ismail Merican told AFP.

Acting Health Minister Kong Cho Ha, who addressed a hastily-convened
press conference later, said the patient was a 21-year-old male
student who arrived on a flight from the United States on May 13,
giving no further details as to his identity.

He said the patient came down with fever, sore throat and body aches
the next day and was admitted to the Sungai Buloh quarantine facility
in Selangor the same evening and is now in stable condition.

He said five family members who live with the patient have been placed
under home quarantine in order to monitor their condition.

The Government has urged all passengers who travelled on Malaysian
airlines flight MH091 from Newark in the United States to Kuala
Lumpur, that landed at 7.15am on May 13 to contact the ministry for
further instructions.

"No passengers have been quarantined, we are still trying to trace
them," Kong said of the 199 passengers and crew onboard the flight.

"We will segregate them (when located). If they have no signs (of the
disease) they can go after a certain number of days," he added.

However, he said there was a fear that some of those exposed to the
infected patient may have gone on to Indonesia.

"We mention Indonesia because that flight is a code share with
(Indonesian carrier) Garuda so the assumption is that there could be
some passengers going to Indonesia," he added.

Officials could not immediately confirm how many Indonesians were on
board nor if any passengers continued onto Indonesia.

Kong said Malaysia's alert level would remain the same despite its
first confirmed swine flu case as the country was already at its
highest state of preparedness since the World Health Organisation
raised its flu alert to phase five out of six.

"We have been on full alert," said Kong. "We are on a level of full
preparedness."

Malaysia is also pushing for the WHO to get affected countries to
implement exit screening in order stop the spread of the disease amid
concerns that a second wave of the officially named A (H1N1) disease
could be deadlier.

"If we can have travellers from affected countries screened before
they are allowed to travel out, this will help us to contain the
spread of such virus to other places," health minister Liow Tiong Lai
told state media before heading off for the62nd WHO General Assembly
in Switzerland from May 18 to 22.

The world health body has not recommended travel restrictions
following the outbreak but has advised those who are ill to delay
their travel plans and urged returning travellers who fall ill to seek
medical treatment.

Health officials could not immediately confirm if Malaysia would be
implementing exit screening after confirming its first swine-flu case.

On Tuesday, the government urged its citizens to defer travel to the
US, Mexico, Canada, Spain and Britain following reported cases of
swine flu in those countries.

Malaysian health authorities have installed 20 thermal scanners at the
country's entry points to help detect cases with 9,324 passengers
screened so far.

The latest World Health Organisation figures show the number of
laboratory-confirmed swine flu cases worldwide is 7,520 in 33
countries.

A total of 65 people have died from the disease, most of them in
Mexico, WHO figures show. - AFP

Swine Flu fatality of Saudi Arabia is 1.7%

This is only the case fatality rate and is consistent with Spanish Flu
in 1918 except that it is Summer in Saudi Arabia.

Malaysia, which is also experiencing summer, has fatality rate of
about 0.4% which is much higher than the summer of Spanish Flu.

The data for Saudi Arabia is troubling because the number is still
small. The true fatality is therefore much higher since it took more
than 7 days to kill a Swine Flu patient.

You can always claim that many cases are not recorded, but similarly
many deaths are not recorded, and in 1918, many cases were also not
detected. So the figure is useful as a comparison only, not as an
absolute number.

But we all know that it has caused massive suffering in New York in
1918, so it will affect our nations similarly if the same fatality
rates were not reduced much further.

It is made much worse compared to 1918, because we are supposed to
have treatment for flu(Tamilflu) that is extremely effective and we
have powerful respirators that can prolong someone with pneumonia
symptoms.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1019338&lang=eng_news&cate_img=316.jpg&cate_rss=news_Health
Saudi: swine flu deaths in kingdom rise to 4
Associated Press
2009-08-01 12:04 AM
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Saudi Arabia says two more people have died of swine flu in the
kingdom, raising the deaths so far to four.

Health official Khaled al-Merghalani says the two new victims died on
Friday. He didn't reveal their nationalities.

Saudi's earlier swine flu deaths were a 30-year-old Saudi man and a 28-
year-old Indonesian woman. Both died earlier this week.

The kingdom has registered 230 cases of swine flu _ the most in the
Arab world.

With the latest Saudi deaths, the Mideast has had five fatalities in
the pandemic.

The July 19 death of an Egyptian woman, who had returned from a
pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, prompted Arab health ministers to ban
children, the elderly and chronically ill from attending this year's
hajj pilgrimage to the kingdom.