UNDIAGNOSED RESPIRATORY DISEASE, FATAL - BRAZIL: SAO PAULO
On 2 Apr 2008, the Secretariat for Health Surveillance (SVS)/Ministry
of Health (MS), through the Center for Epidemiological Surveillance
(CVE)/Coordination Control of Diseases of Sao Paulo, was notified of
the occurrence of cases of respiratory disease in the municipality of
Santos, state of Sao Paulo. Epidemiological surveillance is being
carried out jointly by city, state, and federal health authorities.
The 4 cases initially reported belonged to the same family, with
signs and symptoms of low fever, coryza, throat pain, cough, earache
(3 cases), and otorrhea with purulent exudate from the ears (2
cases); 2 cases had severe clinical evolution and died for reasons
that are being investigated.
Dengue virus and hantaviruses were excluded in all 4 cases and
seasonal influenza and avian influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial
virus, adenovirus, and parainfluenza virus excluded in samples
processed from 3 cases. In 2 cases secretion from the nasopharynx
showed suggestive electron microscopy images of a picornavirus,
agents, which are normally associated with the common cold. Analyses
for other viral agents using the techniques of molecular biology and
virus isolation are being carried out at the Institute Adolfo Lutz.
Besides the family cases, a symptomatic case with an epidemiological
connection to the family was found, who recovered with negative
immunofluorescence tests for respiratory viruses.
A municipal surveillance team is carrying out an active search for
new cases among household and close contacts, as well as a
retrospective review of hospitalizations and deaths from atypical
pneumonia of acute evolution.
The guidelines for precautionary measures directed against contact,
droplets, and aerosols, washing hands, and organizing the flow of
care for possible cases, were strengthened.
The system of municipal surveillance is on alert for the
identification of new cases through the monitoring of contacts
already identified.
[It may be just a coincidence, but the presence of otitis and
intra-family transmission recalls infection with _Mycoplasma_ or
_Moraxella_. - Mod.LJS
The etiology of this illness in which it appears that 2 of 4 members
of the family died is not clear. As suggested above, _Mycoplasma
pneumoniae_ can be associated with ear disease, generally bullous
myringitis, which does not usually cause a purulent otorrhea.
Fatalities from mycoplasmosis can occur but 2 in one family seems
extraordinary. As well, _Moraxella catarrhalis_ can cause otitis media
and pneumonia, but not usually in the same patient and again,
fatalities in otherwise well individuals are uncommon.
It would be of interest to know more about the epidemiology including
the ages of those afflicted, pets at home, travel, visitors from
elsewhere, and the living conditions.
Sources:
-A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
-Ministry of Health, Secretariat for Health Surveillance [in
Portuguese, trans. & summ. Mod.JW,edited]
http://portal.saude.gov.br/portal/arquivos/pdf/nota_doenca_respiratoria0904.pdf
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Mystery Respiratory Disease Kills two
The HPV Vaccine: Harming Women GLobally
Reports of adverse reactions to the new HPV vaccine are escalating. One particularly heart-wrenching example is the story of an active 12-year-old little girl named Brittany who recently lost all feeling in her leg and collapsed two weeks after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. Although she once had dreams of earning an athletic scholarship, she now struggles to hobble around each day with the aid of braces and a walker, First Coast News reports. According to the article, she has been diagnosed with Acute Demyelinating Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a condition characterized by inflammation of the brain and associated with the vaccination ((http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/loca...) .
Like many other parents, this girl's mother had no idea that this kind of reaction to the vaccine was possible and never would've allowed her daughter to receive it had she been made aware of this. To add insult to injury, people who are injured by the vaccine cannot even sue Merck, the maker of the Gardasil vaccine, because the vaccine is part of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund. Unfortunately, the only recourse for those injured by this vaccine is to file a claim with the government. Translation: compensation of the victims becomes the responsibility of taxpayers.
While the FDA may claim that adverse reactions to this vaccine are rare, a review of the U.S.'s Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) data shows that thousands and thousands of adverse reactions have been reported in the United States alone ((http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfi...) . Girls from other countries have been injured by this vaccine, as well. Hundreds of Australian girls have experienced side effects like paralysis, dizzy spells and seizures, but Australia's Department of Health and Ageing won't release any of the details ((http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22...) . According to LifeSiteNews, The European Medicines Agency reports that there were two more women who died not long after they received the vaccine, one in Austria and one in Germany ((http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/ja...) . The Financial Times reports that there have been eleven deaths and a wide array of other adverse reactions, including Bells Palsy, Guillan-Barre syndrome, seizures, blood clotting, heart problems, and even miscarriages and fetal abnormalities amongst pregnant women who received the vaccine ((http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/728046c4-e15b...) .
The HPV Vaccine: Herd Immunity or Human Sacrifice?
WSJ.com - Food Shortages
I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.
No, this is not a drill.
You've seen the TV footage of food riots in parts of the developing world. Yes, they're a long way away from the U.S. But most foodstuffs operate in a global market. When the cost of wheat soars in Asia, it will do the same here.
Reality: Food prices are already rising here much faster than the returns you are likely to get from keeping your money in a bank or money-market fund. And there are very good reasons to believe prices on the shelves are about to start rising a lot faster.
"Load up the pantry," says Manu Daftary, one of Wall Street's top investors and the manager of the Quaker Strategic Growth mutual fund. "I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They think it isn't going to happen here. But I don't know how the food companies can absorb higher costs." (Full disclosure: I am an investor in Quaker Strategic)
Stocking up on food may not replace your long-term investments, but it may make a sensible home for some of your shorter-term cash. Do the math. If you keep your standby cash in a money-market fund you'll be lucky to get a 2.5% interest rate. Even the best one-year certificate of deposit you can find is only going to pay you about 4.1%, according to Bankrate.com. And those yields are before tax.
Meanwhile the most recent government data shows food inflation for the average American household is now running at 4.5% a year.
And some prices are rising even more quickly. The latest data show cereal prices rising by more than 8% a year. Both flour and rice are up more than 13%. Milk, cheese, bananas and even peanut butter: They're all up by more than 10%. Eggs have rocketed up 30% in a year. Ground beef prices are up 4.8% and chicken by 5.4%.
These are trends that have been in place for some time.
And if you are hoping they will pass, here's the bad news: They may actually accelerate.
The reason? The prices of many underlying raw materials have risen much more quickly still. Wheat prices, for example, have roughly tripled in the past three years.
Sooner or later, the food companies are going to have to pass those costs on. Kraft saw its raw material costs soar by about $1.25 billion last year, squeezing profit margins. The company recently warned that higher prices are here to stay. Last month the chief executive of General Mills, Kendall Powell, made a similar point.
The main reason for rising prices, of course, is the surge in demand from China and India. Hundreds of millions of people are joining the middle class each year, and that means they want to eat more and better food.
A secondary reason has been the growing demand for ethanol as a fuel additive. That's soaking up some of the corn supply.
You can't easily stock up on perishables like eggs or milk. But other products will keep. Among them: Dried pasta, rice, cereals, and cans of everything from tuna fish to fruit and vegetables. The kicker: You should also save money by buying them in bulk.
If this seems a stretch, ponder this: The emerging bull market in agricultural products is following in the footsteps of oil. A few years ago, many Americans hoped $2 gas was a temporary spike. Now it's the rosy memory of a bygone age.
The good news is that it's easier to store Cap'n Crunch or cans of Starkist in your home than it is to store lots of gasoline. Safer, too. R.O.I. - WSJ.com
Fox video exposing U.S.A. food shortages and rationing from wholesalers like costco and sam's club. "please see the store manager for limitations based on your previous purchases"
Please see my previous post on why we have food shortages:
http://st0ckman.blogspot.com/2008/04/youtube-why-we-have-food-shortages.html
NYSE Pre Market Trading Arca Morning Update
NYSE Arca Morning Update for Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 :
Stocks trading on NYSE Arca at a price more than 15% away from the previous trade day's consolidated close price. (As of 08:30:00 ET)
Stock | Tuesday's Close | Current Price | Pct Chng | Current NYSE Arca Vol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SIRT | $12.23 | $22.23 | 82% | 194,601 |
ANAD | $8.31 | $10.29 | 24% | 15,500 |
ABK | $6.00 | $4.85 | ( 19%) | 201,985 |
WVCM | $11.90 | $9.95 | ( 16%) | 1,146 |
CYMI | $24.37 | $28.35 | 16% | 7,020 |
10 Most Active stocks on NYSE Arca as of 08:30:00 ET
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NYSE Arca Morning Update
Pre Market Gap Trading Indications
Gapping up in reaction to strong earnings/guidance: ANAD +22.4%, CYMI +16.0%, LVLT +14.8%, MOLX +12.9%, CERN +12.6% (also upgraded to Buy at Jefferies), VMW +12.4%, SWKS +9.6%, BRCM +8.3%, PFCB +8.1%, TER +7.9%, CEC +7.2%, ACH +6.5%, RJF +6.3%, EMC +6.0%, SGP +5.6%, IVGN +5.4%, PPDI +5.2%, ILMN +4.2%, MCO +4.1%, SIMG +3.9%, FCX +3.7%, YUM +2.4%, NUVA +2.1%, CHRW +1.9%, SIAL +1.8%, BIIB +1.7%, ERIC +1.4%...
M&A news: REST +172.7% (MDT signs agreement to acquire Restore Medical for $1.60 per share in cash), SIRT +81.5% (GSK to acquire SIRT for $22.50 a share)...
Select Chinese names trading higher following strength in overseas trading (Shanghai Composite rose 4%): HNP +9.6%, CAF +5.9%, PTR +5.1%, LFC +4.0%, SNP +3.9%...
Other news: LJPC +14.4% (announces 'positive' 12-month interim antibody data and provides update for ongoing Riquent Phase 3 'ASPEN' Lupus Trial), FRPT +4.7% (DoD awards FRPT a $12.6 mln contract), LOGI +4.4% (still checking), RMBS +3.5% (announces IBM to license multi-protocol SerDes, signs memorandum of understanding with Spansion), EP +3.2% (Cramer makes positive comments on MadMoney), ITRI +2.6% (Cramer makes positive comments on MadMoney), AZN +2.3% (still checking), NBR +1.8% (Cramer makes positive comments on MadMoney)...
Analyst upgrades: EW +6.1% (upgraded to Hold at Citigroup), GRNB +3.9% (upgraded to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus), SI +2.4% (added to Europe 1 List at Merrill), MHS +2.0% (upgraded to Outperform at Oppenheimer), KR +1.8% (upgraded to Buy at Merrill), GIGM +1.7% (initiated with a Buy at Brean Murray), IRBT +1.1% (initiated with Buy at Kaufman), COH +1.0% (upgraded to Buy at Citigroup).
Gapping up:
REST +172.7%, SIRT +81.3%, ANAD +21.2%, CYMI +18.8%, VMW +14.6%, MOLX +12.9%, FRPT +10.2%, SWKS +9.6%, CEC +8.8%, CERN +8.3%, BRCM +7.6%, ACH +6.9%, RJF +6.3%, EMC +6.0%, IVGN +5.4%, PPDI +5.2%, PTR +5.1%, TUP +4.6%, RMBS +4.4%, ILMN +4.2%, LFC +4.0%, ITRI +2.8%, SGP +2.1%, NUVA +2.1%, EP +2.0%, CHRW +1.9%, NBR +1.8%, SIAL +1.8%...
Gapping down:
TSFG -16.3%, INFN -12.7%, CREE -11.8%, RCRC -9.8%, ABK -8.8%, ODFL -7.6%, XL -5.9%, RBS -5.7%, RGR -3.4%, NSC -3.3%, AMP -2.6%, VOCS -2.5%, DB -2.5%, EW -1.4%, HBC -1.4%, UBS -1.1%.
Pre-Market Trading Most Active Stocks - NASDAQ Premarket
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Pre-Market Most Active Stocks - NASDAQ Premarket
