COMMENT: The government seems to keep pulling out the same play book: Swine flu then smallpox now Bird flu. Wonder if they are not learning the lessons of history or running the same play over and over until they figure out how to make it work? For a complete review and comparison with what is going on today, see Chapter 5: Recent Fiascos: The Swine Flu and the Smallpox Scare from my book, FOWL! Bird Flu: It's Not What You Think
August 20, 2006: Bird flu looks swine-like disease: Recalling outbreak predicted 30 years ago. The nation's pharmaceutical companies started a crash program to make enough vaccine for the start of the flu season in October, even though the Fort Dix disease grew poorly in the chicken egg growth medium used for flu viruses. The vaccine was free to anyone who wanted it. In California, 2.5 million people, 17 percent of the population in 1976, took the vaccine between Oct. 1 and Dec. 2. Nationwide, more than 45 million people were inoculated. But problems appeared almost immediately. Health officials noticed a link between the swine flu vaccine and an increased risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare form of paralysis. The worldwide epidemic never occurred, and Lewis was the only person known to have died of swine flu. __________________________________
COMMENT: The use of religion to promote the plans of the government is becoming pervasive. In May, 2006, the US government started its own plan to use churches in the event of Martial Law---which could be instituted in the event of a pandemic.
See: Secret FEMA Plan To Use Pastors as Pacifiers in Preparation For Martial Law A Pastor has come forward to blow the whistle on a nationwide FEMA program which is training Pastors and other religious representatives to become secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to "obey the government" in preparation for a declaration of martial law, property and firearm seizures, and forced relocation.
August 10, 2006 TODAYonline Cambodia enlists Buddhist monks to help fight bird flu. Cambodia has enlisted the help of Buddhist monks and teachers in its drive to prevent a fresh outbreak of bird flu, the UN children's agency and government officials said. "Buddhist monks play an important role in helping to prevent bird flu by educating people about its danger," said Yim Voeunthan, secretary of state at the ministry of agriculture. "Cambodian people respect monks the most and they will follow the monks' advice," he said, adding that monks have strong spiritual influence on people in rural areas. __________________________________
COMMENT: Hope the US Congress doesn't see this bill any time soon!! If they do, we might be adding "property and land grab" to the agenda behind the bird flu!
May 29, 2006: New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz: Bird-flu bill lets medical officers seize land, cars The bill proposes significantly extending the powers of medical officers. They would be able to [seize] any land or buildings “ publicly or privately owned “ for a wide range of reasons, including the treatment of patients or storing or disposal of bodies. Vehicles could also be taken if they were needed to transport patients, doctors or medical equipment, or to carry food, tents or other temporary facilities. Medical officers would also have the authority to close any premises in their district, except private homes, courts and prisons, and to insist on certain infection-control measures. Police would have the power to "do anything reasonably necessary, including the use of force", to help medical officers exercise their powers. __________________________________
COMMENT: Another "winner" in the bird flu scramble: research scientists. Millions of tax dollars "at work."
May 21, 2006: Scotsman.com News - Health - Bird flu fight boosted by £10m in research grants The council has set aside an additional £10 million, on top of the £1.6m normally set aside, to look into the threat of the H5N1 virus, with the aim of tackling the threat of a flu pandemic. Ten research grants, totalling £4m, have so far been awarded to scientists to look at the source, spread and potential cure for the virus. __________________________________
May 5, 2006: Bush: Bird Flu Is 'Global Threat' - CBS News Even the most draconian steps, such as shutting down U.S. borders against outbreaks abroad, would almost certainly fail to keep a flu pandemic from spreading here, the report acknowledges, and thus it outlines more limited travel restrictions that would be used instead. __________________________________
COMMENT: The new bird flu plan is draconian. Billions of dollars that could be better spent, among other things, on providing health insurance for 43 million Americans.
May 4, 2006: USATODAY.com - Bird flu plan lacks a key detail The new plan outlines the roles of each federal department in a pandemic. It assigns responsibility for medical issues to the secretary of Health and Human Services, non-medical emergency efforts and coordination to the secretary of Homeland Security, and international response issues to the secretary of State. (NOTE: THE SECRETARY OF HHS A POITICIAN, NOT MEDICAL DOCTOR.)
"The comprehensiveness (of the plan) is an important message about how broadly felt across society a pandemic would be," Levi says. He praises the plan's "level of detail with relatively specific accountability measures and timelines." But he says, "The critical piece that is missing is how we will pay for implementation of these plans when a pandemic hits."
For example, he says, there is no mechanism by which the HHS secretary could grant emergency medical coverage to the uninsured.
__________________________________
COMMENT: The more indebted the World Bank can make a country become, the more that country is beholding to the huge Multinational groups. See Recommended Books for more details.
April 24, 2006: Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com The World Bank approved a $34.4 million loan on Monday to help Turkey combat avian flu in birds and humans, the bank said in a statement.The loan, drawn from $500 million credit line the World Bank approved in January for countries needing help fighting bird flu, will support prevention, preparedness and planning as well as response and containment of the disease, it said __________________________________
March 17: Winston-Salem Journal | Burr to revive biomedical bill Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., wants a second shot at convincing Congress of the need for a new federal agency with oversight of biomedical research. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency, or BARDA, would still be partially exempted from the Freedom of Information Act, Burr said yesterday __________________________________
When the chemotherapy is given immediately, the treatments increased survival rates from 56% to 90% in comparison with giving treatment at four weeks or not at all, according to one retrospective study of patients with Epstein-Barr-virus-associated HLH.
__________________________________
COMMENTS: Take a look at what is in store....
_________________________________
COMMENT: Note that Sen Bill Frist is on this list.
The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released a 93-page report entitled Beyond DeLay: documenting the egregious, unethical and possibly illegal activities of the most tainted Members of Congress. __________________________________
November 11, 2005: USATODAY.com - Lawmakers voice qualms about Bush flu plan Rep. Joe Barton, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Tuesday that he would not support the spending request if it means increasing the deficit. "I would vote against it and I would encourage others to vote against it," said Barton, R-Texas. __________________________________
November 3, 2005: FOXNews.com - Views - Junk Science - Flu Proposal Misguided Faced with growing frenzy about the possibility of pandemic flu, President Bush reached back into the politician's bag of traditional "solutions" this week and proposed that taxpayers pay an additional $7.1 billion to prepare for the possibility of an outbreak...Spending that kind of money to avert that kind of catastrophe may sound reasonable, but in this case, it's misguided. __________________________________
COMMENT: Billions more, and lawmakers don't think its enough....remember these are TAX PAYOR dollars they are freely spending, without cause.
Nov. 2, 2005: Bush Bird Flu Plan, Barely Out of Nest, Winged on Capitol Hill A $7.1 billion White House plan to deal with a potential bird-flu pandemic drew buckshot Wednesday from lawmakers and advocates concerned that it was scant and tardy and could actually undermine global efforts to control the killer disease. __________________________________
COMMENT: This is a good article to pass along re: S. 1873 with links to NVIC's web site. Please pass along and take time to make a call to your US Senators ASAP if you haven't already.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn17.htm
__________________________________
COMMENT: Note that Operation Bioshield allows the use of "unapproved products or unapproved uses of EU approved products" that may be effective. The product must be "reasonably likely" to have a clinical benefit. That's pretty scarey.
__________________________________
October 23, 2005 - Government should stay out of bird flu vaccine market - The Times Republican - "The government is the largest and in some cases only customer for vaccines, the bulk of which are purchased at politically determined prices under programs such as "Vaccines for Children." In such a heavily price-controlled market, the only opportunity for financial reward for the significant business risks of manufacturing is an expansion of markets. It all boils down to high risk, low reward. With little competition in vaccine manufacturing, inevitable production glitches in a difficult technical process almost immediately balloon into serious vaccine shortages, as occurred last flu season." __________________________________
October 20, 2005 - CDC chief treads lightly with flu news (requires registration or subscription) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Gerberding told the business gathering that if avian flu turns out to be a repeat of the 1977 swine flu scare --- or if it becomes the medical equivalent of the "millennium bug" that was widely expected to paralyze the world's computer networks at the end of 1999 --- the world may ignore other warnings and fail to prepare for future pandemics. The swine flu controversy cost the job of Gerberding's predecessor at CDC, Dr. David Sencer, after influenza vaccine developed for the virus --- and urged upon the public by then-President Gerald Ford --- caused paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome in more than 500 people, killing 32." __________________________________
COMMENT: This was sent to congress to stop BARDA. It is from a group of concerned scientists: Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology. Take a look at the member organizations.
October 18, 2005. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology is opposed to the creation of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) under the proposed S.1873 stating that the NIH and the dozens of universities and research institutions around the country already have the scientific expertise and research infrastructure in place to carry out the bioterrorism research that our nation needs. This is VERY good news. ______________________________________________________________________________
COMMENT: Here are the laws and Executive Orders that have been put in place for the possible implementation of Mandatory Vaccination in the event of a pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of HHS is a Cabinet level position within the US government. It was created in October, 1979 when President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act (PL 96-88) which in effect split the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, (HEW), into the Department Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Education
Executive Order 13295 was signed on April 4, 2003. Through that Presidential order, The Secretary, in the Secretary's discretion, shall determine whether a particular condition constitutes a communicable disease. Based upon his recommendation, the Secretary in consultation with the Surgeon General, can provde for the apprehension, detention, or conditional release of individuals to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of suspected communicable diseases.
The current Secretary of HHS is Mike Leavitt. He is the man who has the power to order quarantines. Combined with the powers given to the Secretary of HHS through the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 ,The combined effect of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, the Secretary can issue a directive for a person to be quarantined under the “suspicion” of exposure or “possibility” that he or she may become sick. A cough or sneezing from seasonal allergies could put a person at risk of being quarantined without recourse and for an extended period.
Because the office is not particularly powerful and the Surgeon General has little direct impact on policy-making, Surgeon Generals are often vocal advocates of unconventional, unusual, or even unpopular health policies. Interestingly, the Surgeon General reports to the Assistant Secretary of Health and not even directly to the Secretary.
__________________________________
The Senate already has approved an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) that added $3.9 billion to the military spending measure to prepare for the flu. The money will be used to stockpile medications to combat the flu. This month, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded Sanofi-Aventis a $97 million contract to develop a new type of flu vaccine. Lobbyists from pharmaceutical companies say a critical component of any effort is immunity from lawsuits if a vaccination causes harm. Without new legal safeguards, pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to produce vaccines, a business that offers little reward but a lot of risk, lobbyists say. "We need to provide incentives to companies to bring drugs and vaccines to the marketplace," said Doug Heye, a spokesperson for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Health Committee's Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Subcommittee.