They found evidence that the human immune system can recognize bits of the new H1N1 virus that are similar to older, distantly related H1N1 strains.

"What we have found is that the swine flu has similarities to the seasonal flu, which appear to provide some level of pre-existing immunity. This suggests that it could make the disease less severe in the general population than originally feared," said Alessandro Sette, director of the Center for Infectious Disease at California's La Jolla Institute.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may also help explain why many older people are less likely to have severe disease, said Allison Deckhut-Augustine of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"Adults may have some pre-existing immunity for H1N1," Deckhut-Augustine said in a telephone interview.

That does not mean older people are protected from infection, and Deckhut-Augustine stressed that people should still be vaccinated against H1N1.

Swine flu has infected millions of people globally and killed an estimated 3,900 in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug makers are struggling to make vaccines and governments are working to vaccinate their populations.

Bjoern Peters and colleagues at the La Jolla Institute looked at flu epitopes - molecular markers or structures that the immune system recognizes - dating back 20 years.

"We found that the immune system's T-cells can recognize a significant percent of the markers in swine flu," Peters said in a statement.

Dual Protection

The human immune system has two kinds of protection. Antibody response can prevent infection, while T-cells fight infection once it has occurred.

Peters and colleagues found T-cell protection but not antibody response.

"This T-cell response decreases severity of disease but doesn't prevent infection," said Deckhut-Augustine, whose agency helped pay for the study and maintains the public database that Peters used.

The effect could be cumulative, Peters said, which could explain why people over 50 seem to be less likely to get noticeable H1N1 infections.

"This may also suggest why children are more susceptible to severe infection and why they might need two boosts," Deckhut-Augustine said. "They haven't been around as long and they haven't been exposed to different strains of H1N1 as long as adults."

Influenza is a very mutation-prone virus and from year to year the circulating strains drift, or change slightly. This is why new vaccines must be formulated each year and why people can catch flu again and again.

The new H1N1 was a never-before-seen combination of swine flu viruses, with a sprinkling of human and avian flu virus genetic sequences. But its long-ago ancestor was an H1N1 virus first seen in the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed upwards of 50 million people.

The researchers found that the new H1N1 swine flu shared 49 percent of its epitopes with older, seasonal H1N1 strains.

Using blood from healthy donors, they found that T-cells could recognize about 17 percent of these markers.

(NaturalNews) Here's what we know with some degree of certainty about the h2N1 virus in Ukraine right now: nearly 300 people have died from the viral strain, and over 65,000 people have been hospitalized (the actual numbers are increasing by the hour). The virus appears to be either a highly aggressive mutation of the globally-circulating h2N1 strain, or a combination of three different influenza strains now circulating in Ukraine. Some observers suspect this new "super flu" might be labeled viral hemorrhagic pneumonia (meaning it destroys lung tissue until your lungs bleed so much that you drown in your own fluid), but that has not been confirmed by any official sources we're aware of.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has issued emergency quarantine orders for nine of the country's regions and ordered the deployment of mobile military hospitals. He announced that the nation had been simultaneously hit with two different seasonal flu strains plus h2N1 -- and then hinted that all three might have recombined into the deadly new Ukrainian super flu.

In his own words, as reported by Daily Mail, "Unlike similar epidemics in other countries, three causes of serious viral infections came together simultaneously in Ukraine: two seasonal flus and the Californian flu. Virologists conclude that this combination of infections may produce an even more aggressive new virus as a result of mutation."

On November 6, Ukraine's Deputy Health Minister Zinovy Mytnyk announced that over 600,000 citizens had already caught the new flu. British scientists are now conducting tests on the new viral strain to find out why it appears to be so deadly (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...).

The mainstream media is blaming Ukraine's poor health care system for the relatively high rates of hospitalization and death (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/w...), but they refuse to mention (yet again) the vitamin D deficiency found across this population living at high latitude in the winter, where sunlight is relatively scarce.

Here's a useful blog for staying up to date on the Ukrainian plague:
http://ukraineplague.blogspot.com/

What we don't know

Now here's what we don't know about the Ukraine outbreak:

What is the actual genetic composition of this mutated strain?

Scientists have not released any meaningful news about the genetic sequence of the Ukraine strain. For the moment, the WHO is somewhat quiet on the matter. The last WHO update was from November 3 (and the situation has become considerably worse since). (http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_11_...).

Was this viral strain released as a bioweapon?

There are numerous reports circulating widely across the 'net that cite aerial spraying across Kiev in the days before the new "super flu" outbreak. People are speculating that this was a bioweapon attack intentionally unleashed upon the Ukrainian population. So far, NaturalNews can find no credible information supporting this theory, but it remains a possibility to be researched further.

Does Baxter Pharmaceuticals have anything to do with the outbreak?

You may recall that earlier this year, Baxter shipped live avian flu viral material to labs in 18 countries, including one in the Ukraine. (http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html) There is suspicion that Baxter could be tied to a planned outbreak of a weaponized virus as a population control bioweapon of some sort, but NaturalNews has not been unable to find any credible information sources supporting this theory. Lacking any better leads on this subject, as far as we can tell right now this remains an unproven conspiracy theory. (If anyone has more credible info on this, please send it our way for review.)

It is plausible that Baxter had something to do with this, but we just don't have any convincing evidence to back it up at this point.

h2N1 vaccines likely offer little protect against the Ukraine super flu

Depending on the degree of genetic changes, there is a possibility that some level of immunity may be conferred to people who already have h2N1 antibodies, but here's the dirty little secret the vaccine industry doesn't want you to know: People who built their own natural immunity to h2N1 through exposure rather than vaccines have a much greater likelihood of exhibiting natural immunity to genetic variations of h2N1. In other words, people who overcame h2N1 exposure on their own, without being vaccinated, have a far stronger defense against h2N1 variations that might appear.

This is yet another reason why flu vaccines are so dangerous: The deny your immune system the important opportunity to exercise its own adaptive defenses and build stronger protections against future infections.

One possible scenario that could unfold with all this is that the Ukraine strain might spread around the world, wiping out those who got vaccinated against h2N1 because their immune systems suffer from a suppressed ability to naturally generate antibodies to a new strain. Meanwhile, drug companies will try to scramble and create a whole new batch of "super flu" vaccines, but they're always too little, too late. Theoretically, millions of people could die around the world while waiting in line for yet another vaccine shot.

All they really need is vitamin D3, some herbal anti-virals, a healthy diet and plenty of rest, but no one is telling them that.

Even the Ukraine super flu is no match for a healthy immune system. Remember: Out of 65,000+ hospitalizations, fewer than 300 people have died so far. That's still a very low mortality rate, even if the spread of the viral infection seems aggressive.

WHO cranking up anti-viral drug push

They still won't recommend anti-viral herbs, foods, supplements or natural remedies, of course. The WHO remains a faithful pusher of Big Pharma's profit agenda, even while denying the People of the world the truth about how they can save their own lives with anti-viral natural remedies. To both the WHO and CDC, the swine flu pandemic has always been about pushing a pharmaceutical agenda at the expense of public health.

Had the public been informed about vitamin D and natural anti-virals like Lomatium, many lives could have already been saved. Instead, the drug pushers at the CDC and WHO have tens of millions of people standing in line waiting for vaccines instead of consuming natural supplements and remedies that could help protect them from influenza.

The profit agenda forces us to wonder: With the current h2N1 strain fizzling out -- and yet billions of dollars worth of vaccines still needing to be sold -- could the Ukraine strain have been engineered to scare up more demand and more sales of vaccines and anti-virals?

That's a question that all thinking people need to be asking right now. But we also need to be careful in assessing what's true here. Reading the postings about this on the "net", I've noticed way too many people leaping to assumptions about what's happening in the Ukraine without any real evidence to back that up. The reports about Joseph Moshe, in particular, appear to be a complete hoax.

While it's possible this was an engineered bioweapon of some sort, it's not enough to just assume that's true and then declare it to be so. More evidence is needed before NaturalNews would back a theory like that.

We'll keep you posted on what we find. New documents tend to come our way after we post the first story on a subject like this, often leading to a follow-up story that benefits from more information.

Sources for this story include:
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_11_...
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/1...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/w...

(Article reproduced here by permission of NaturalNews.com) ]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:49:45 +0000 http://www.avianfluadvice.info/latest-news/h2n1-super-flu-plague-in-ukraine-spark-concern-conspiracy-theories-about-origins/ http://www.avianfluadvice.info/latest-news/h2n1-super-flu-plague-in-ukraine-spark-concern-conspiracy-theories-about-origins/ November 6, 2009

In a briefing today, the CDC reported that there are 38 million doses of the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine available to order – more than 11 million more than last Friday. There is twice as much H1N1 vaccine available today as there was two weeks ago. If all goes well, there should be at least 8 million additional doses available next week.

The H1N1 flu is still widespread in 48 states, with levels of illness higher than normal for this time of year. There have been 129 cumulative laboratory-confirmed pediatric deaths related to the 2009 H1N1 flu since April. This is up from 114 pediatric deaths reported at this time last week. Two-thirds of the children who died had underlying conditions.

States and localities continue to work to get the H1N1 vaccine to the at-risk groups who need it most, including pregnant women, caregivers of children younger than six months of age, people six months to 24 years of age, person sons age 25 through 64 years old who have underlying health conditions, and health care workers.

Throughout Asia the virus has been responsible for the deaths of millions of poultry and to date more than a hundred humans have died from being in direct contact with infected birds. The virus is known to be able to spread from poultry to wild migratory birds such as swans, geese and ducks, most of which tend to visit Britain's shores during some time of the season between Spring and Autumn.

The UK is a favourite haunt for many migratory birds, which makes these islands particularly vulnerable to this kind of biological threat. But the real worry is whether the H5N1 virus could mutate to humans. And if this happens, the world could face a cataclysmic nightmare.

A short time ago Professor Neil Ferguson said, "What can we do if it hits our shores? We couldn't stop it. There would be a constant number of new cases and we would be overwhelmed very rapidly."

Scientists predict that should the virus mutate to humans, and is transmitted from person to person, there could be as many as 320,000 deaths in the UK. However, health experts say that a human transferable form of the H5N1 virus could kill between 100,000 and 150,000 people in the UK within just 2 months. And if left uncontrolled, could wipe out half the world's population.

Is the country panicking? The government hopes not because there's barely enough vaccine available to treat 20% of the population. What's even more worrying is the 'Tamiflu' vaccine that has been stockpiled in preparation, has yet to be proven to be effective against any form of bird flu.

In 1918-1919 a flu pandemic, commonly known as Spanish Flu, was responsible for the deaths of up to 50 million people worldwide. It was at first thought to be some kind of unknown respiratory disease, which caused the victim to drown in their own fluid and blood, but has since been recognised as an avian influenza infection known as H1N1. Does the H5N1 strain pose a serious threat? Yes it does, because it has been recognised as a particularly aggressive strain of the virus with the capability to easily mutate from bird to mammal. Should be worried? Yes we should. Despite what the politicians tell us, the H5N1 avian flu virus is a deadly killer, which can very easily mutate to other species and spread uncontrollably throughout the UK.

There is no cure for avian flu, and there would be no possibility of a cure for at least 4 months and maybe longer. It would only then be made available to a select few. Are you prepared?

It's very important that every family in the UK is at least aware of the possible dangers from an H5N1 infection and takes steps to prepare for the worst possible case scenario. Complacency is already evident among government officials, who are not only telling the nation there's no need to panic, reminiscent of the mad cow disease era, but insisting that the 'Fife swan' is an isolated incident.

The only advice is to learn more about this very real threat to the future of humanity, and find out how to protect yourself and your family. And most importantly how to survive should the worst happen.

Should the H5N1 virus spread throughout the UK, and somehow does mutate to a human to human transferable strain, and with no vaccine available for at least 4 months, what are you going to do?

Author: Viv Williams is the author of Bird Flu Survival Guide. An in-depth look at the unseen menace from the biological threat of H5N1.
Contact: Viv Williams, Gold Channel. viv@goldchannel.co.uk
Website: http://www.birdflusurvivalguide.co.uk

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

What is currently referred to in the media as the "swine flu" is a respiratory disease with symptoms similar to that of the familiar seasonal flu. While originally thought to originate with pigs, it has not been isolated in swine.[1] The official name for the "swine flu" we face is A(H1N1).[2] As of June 16, 2009, this flu outbreak is classified as a global pandemic.[3] The term "pandemic" is not bound to a certain number of cases, but defined by human-to-human transmission in three different countries in two different WHO regions.

In the event that this flu virus becomes a pandemic, everyday life may be disrupted because many people in many places might become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts can range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery. The following steps will help you prepare for the worst case scenario.

Steps

1. Know what the signs of swine flu are in people. The symptoms look a lot like an ordinary flu and include fever (greater than 100°F or 37.8°C), cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. It is reported that diarrhea and vomiting can also be included with the symptoms of illness. There's no way to tell if you have the swine flu unless a respiratory specimen is taken within the first 4-5 days and sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or equivalent).
2. Make sure you are in good health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Consider taking a Vitamin C supplement. The healthier you are, the better your immune system will be at defending your body against a virus.
3. Practice good hygiene. If you sneeze, keep a disposable tissue in front of your mouth, after sneezing or blowing your nose throw the tissue away. Wash your hands often, especially if after blowing your nose/sneezing and before you eat. Use a disinfectant when possible or just use soap and water.
4. Don't share utensils or drinks. In cafeteria settings, it's not uncommon for people to casually share utensils or take a sip from someone else's drink. This should be completely avoided if there is any risk of a flu pandemic.
5. Wear a facemask or respirator as instructed by authorities. If used correctly, facemasks and respirators may help prevent some exposure to flu viruses. However, facemasks should be used along with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand washing.[4]

1. Know what to expect.
   • A vaccine for pandemic flu may not be available for 4-6 months after a pandemic starts, and even then, it may only be available in limited amounts.
   • People will have little or no immunity to pandemic flu since it is a new virus to humans. With seasonal flu, people have some immunity built up from previous exposure to the viruses.
   • Symptoms of pandemic flu may be more severe than seasonal flu. More people are likely to die from pandemic flu than from seasonal flu.
   • If you got a swine flu vaccine in the '70s, don't expect it to protect you from this new strain.[5]
2. Stock up. Store nonperishable foods, bottled water, over-the-counter drugs, health supplies and other necessities. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends having a 2-week supply. (These supplies can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages.) Have basic, over-the-counter health supplies such as a thermometer, facemasks, tissues, soap, hand sanitizers, medicine to relieve fever, and cold medicine.
3. Plan ahead. Plan for what you will do in the following cases:
   • Schools dismissed: Consider childcare needs. Plan home learning activities and exercises. Have materials, such as books on hand. Also plan recreational activities that your children can do at home.
     • As for students, take valuable items from lockers, such as iPods and textbooks- if school is closed, you wouldn't want such items left behind.
   • You or family member becomes sick and requires care: Make plans for how to care for people with special needs in case the services they rely on are not available. Plan to stay home for at least 10 days when you are sick with pandemic flu. Staying home will keep you from infecting others. Make sure others in your household also stay home when they are sick. During a severe pandemic, stay home if someone in your household is sick with pandemic flu.
   • Transportation networks disrupted. Think about how you can rely less on public transportation during a pandemic. For example, store food and other essential supplies to reduce shopping trips. Prepare backup plans for taking care of loved ones who are far away. Consider other ways to get to work, or if you can, work at home.
4. Talk to your employer. Ask your employer about how business will continue during a pandemic. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services offers a Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist; or you can Develop a Risk Management Plan that accounts for the possibility of a flu pandemic. Find out if you can work from home, or if your employer will consider virtualizing the workforce. Plan for the possible reduction or loss of income if you are unable to work or your place of employment is closed. Check with your employer or union about leave policies.
5. Use Technology. Reduce exposure by using virtual workforce technologies. Use email, web conferencing and pixetell enhanced documents to maintain effective business interactions without shaking so many hands.
6. Stay updated. Identify sources you can count on for reliable information. If a pandemic occurs, having accurate and reliable information will be critical.
   • Reliable, accurate, and timely information is available at PandemicFlu.gov and World Health Organization swine flu page
   • Telephone sources include the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hotline at: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). This line is available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY: 1-888-232-6348. If you do not live in the U.S., check if there is an equivalent hotline in your area.
   • Look for information on your local and state government Web sites. Review your state's planning efforts and those of your local public health and emergency preparedness officials.
   • Listen to local and national radio, watch news reports on television, and read your newspaper and other sources of printed and Web-based information.

1. In most cases flu patients should stay home. Do not go to the hospital or doctor, or else you might spread the virus to other patients.
   • On the other hand do seek emergency care as quickly as possible if the infected person is:[5]
     • Exceptionally ill with flu-like symptoms
     • Chronically ill
     • Immune-suppressed
     • Elderly
     • A very young child, under age 2
2. Call your doctor first, explain that you think you might have the swine flu, and follow any instructions. Read the US CDC guidelines on care.
3. Get plenty of rest, and wait it out, the flu should pass in about 10 days.
4. Be aware of life-threatening complications which might develop. If you get any of these you should get emergency medical care.

• Emergency warning signs in adults are:[5]
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
  • Sudden dizziness
  • Confusion
  • Severe or persistent vomiting
  Emergency warning signs in children are:[5]
  • Fast breathing or trouble breathing
  • Bluish skin color
  • Not drinking enough fluids
  • Not waking up or interacting
  • Being very irritable
  • Fever with a rash

Video

Tips

• Avoid traveling to an affected area. People who have recently visited Mexico, California or Texas and are experiencing influenza-like symptoms, or have been in contact with sick persons from these areas, should contact their health care provider. Be sure to specify that you recently traveled.
• Note that swine flu is transmitted from person-to-person, not from food.
• Don't confuse swine flu with avian (bird) flu. Unlike avian flu, swine flu has proven to be highly contagious between humans.[5]

Warnings

• Don't panic. While it is prudent to be prepared, there is no need to overreact. For most people, basic precautions are all that is needed.
• The Centers for Disease Control estimates that, on average, over 36,000 Americans die each year from flu related causes. Keep in mind that so far the swine flu pales in comparison to the regular flu.

Related wikiHows

• How to Avoid the Avian Flu (or Any Flu)
• How to Avoid Getting the Flu in Winter
• How to Cope with a Stomach Flu
• How to Survive a Bird Flu Pandemic
• How to Help Out During a Flu Pandemic
• How to Fight Off a Cold or Flu
• How to Prevent a Cold or the Flu

Sources and Citations

• USA Center for Disease Control: Swine Flu and You
• http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ - Official U.S. Government Web site managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, content in the public domain.

1. ↑ http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6280110/WHOs-call-new-strain-of-H1N1-Mexican-flu
2. ↑ http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=10286383
3. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_pandemic#Phases
4. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/masks.htm
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 http://blogs.discovery.com/news_animal/2009/04/health-experts-answer-swine-flu-questions.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prevent and Prepare for H1N1 (Swine Flu). All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.