The Race To A H1N1 Vaccine

(CBS)  Deep inside the command center at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, nearly 100 staffers are working around the clock to track and understand this mysterious virus, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.

"Is the CDC ready for a pandemic?" LaPook asked.

"We've been preparing three to four years," said Toby Crafton, the command center's operations manager. "We're as ready as we can be."

One of the most vexing questions: Why does the virus seem to be more deadly in some than others?

"That is the critical question," said Dr. Richard Besser, the acting head of the CDC. "We want to understand why are we seeing a different picture in Mexico than we're seeing in the United States."

The CDC is hoping analysis of tissue samples from flu victims in Mexico will provide some insight.

As the threat level rises, a key question at this 24-7 operations center: Should efforts go forward to produce a vaccine?

"It's big decision," Besser said. "Do we ramp up production for this new infection? Is it something we'll expect to see in our communities next year?"

Work on a vaccine is progressing at these highly secured labs.

"The vaccine companies want something that will grow quickly so their production can go along pretty fast," said Michael Shaw, the head of the CDC Virology Lab.

Within a week, the CDC hopes to send samples of the new virus to manufacturers so they can begin developing a vaccine. But there's no green light yet for actual vaccine production.

"We anticipate that when we decide to manufacture a vaccine, we will have a large quantity of vaccine by the fall," Besser said.

Officials say making a new vaccine for the virus will not interfere with developing the vaccine this fall for the ordinary flu, which kills 36,000 people a year.

One thing the CDC has learned in the past week: the virus we've been calling "swine flu" has never been found in pigs.

Shaw says, "We're realizing it's not really accurate. It's a human flu. What more can we say?"

Like all flu viruses, this one has the ability to change, which is why the CDC is working so hard to unlock its secrets.

[jen10715]

ImmuneRegen?s H1N1 studies furthered by renowned scientist

Ted Ross, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh?s Center for Vaccine Research, will explore the use of ImmuneRegen?s lead influenza therapeutic product, Viprovex®, as an adjuvant to novel influenza vaccines. In studies of influenza-infected animals performed at other research facilities, ImmuneRegen?s Viprovex has consistently demonstrated efficacy in reducing symptoms related to seasonal (e.g. H1N1 and H3N2) influenza and highly-pathogenic (e.g. H5N1) influenza strains. The current pandemic ?Swine Flu? (H1N1) has many attributes of typical seasonal influenza strains.

Click below to read full press release:
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=MW&Date=20090514&ID=9902980&Symbol=IRBS

http://www.CadenceforCancer.org

[lloydbest1]

"If you go to "http://www.lanl.gov/news/images/avianflu.shtml" you can view three successive pictures of the Los Alamos supercomputer Pinks simulations of the spread of an airborne avian virus over 130 days, introduced by only 10 infected persons in LA, without prophylactic social distancing. These pictures represent the optimum outcome if we use travel restrictions, anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu, and limited social distancing after the detection of infection. The second picture (90 days) shows the best we can hope for."
Posted by searingtruth at 12:41 AM : May 1, 2009

If only it were that easy. I checked the website and CDC's website (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/) as well as that of Health and Human Services and the thing that struck me is these social distancing measures, while better than nothing, will not stop the out break.
Here's why:
1. The Mexican government, for reasons of its own, was very slow getting off the mark as regards to acknowledging the epidemic. By the time their equivalent of our HHS took action the disease had been festering for nearly a month. Plenty of time to jump borders.
2. the prodrome, that period of time between infection and onset of symptoms, varies with this thing but experts say 3 to 4 days. That means you are running around spreading the wealth for half a week before you even notice things ain't quite right.
3. This one's really scary. The CDC believes the overwhelming majority of people infected with H1N1 (Swine Flu) either show no symptoms whatever or get nothing more than a case of sniffles or a sore throat which goes away in a day or two. The big take away here is - the asymptomatic carriers are just as contagious as those on their deathbeds. Isolating these people is a logistic nightmare and that's assuming we could somehow spot them. And if they infect someone who is suseptible the consequences can be just as dire.

I'm not minimizing the importance of prudent social action but that alone isn't going to do much at this stage of the game. One thing that will help is covering one's mouth when coughing. The CDC recommends using the inside of your elbow (not the hand) or a hat. Speaking of hands...Wash 'em! Frequently. Use soap - you don't need special antibacterial goo. Eat healthily, get moderate exercise, avoid stress as much as possible and drink lots of water. Avoid air pollution (yeah, that's tough to do in some places). I think the reasons so many died in Mexico City is as much a function of the cr@ppy air as the nasty virus.
....If you get sick anyway, see a doctor; (s)he might be able to give you an antiviral, then hit the sheets and stay there.

[mrs_entity]

SINNERS REPENT AND SAVE YOURSELVES THROUGH PRAYER!

[I_am_me1953]

Geeze the fear mongering is running rampant. This is NOT the first episode of a swine flu outbreak, only the most recent.

If you do nothing else, do yourself a favor before you get "The Vaccine"; go to youtube and ciew the video by Ron Paul on swine flu. Open your ears and eyes.

Not getting the vaccine here, wasn't going to get the vaccine to begin with. It is more of the govt. trying to convince you they know what is best for you, and all the little sheep will drink the kool aide.

[searingtruth]

I must rest now fellow citizens. Goodnight, and keep you and your loved ones well.
ST


"As the water breached to fill our lungs the voice of the yeomen still rang piercing and hollow upon our ears.
'There is nothing to fear. All is well.'"
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[greta_olson]

DO NOT PANIC...read information about Hog Cholera in the 1930's and also what happen when swine fever was a pandemic in the early 1960's.


If this virus begins in pigs then why aren't infected pigs being slaughtered??? Sounds like a government exercise in contaimination like the movie OUTBREAK starring Dustin Hoffman.

One cause for alarm however is that products like TAMIFLU only treats the symptoms and never kills the virus. Thus people infected with the virus become carriers while displaying no symptoms after TAMIFLU treatments. Just like HIV POSITIVE patients

Happy B-day to the ILL UMUNATI ???

[searingtruth]

"Posted by searingtruth at 12:41 AM : May 1, 2009

You might as well just lay down and die right now. Your life sounds like it ended a long time ago."
snarkysnark


Fellow citizen snarkysnark, your anger is misdirected.
ST


"Most saw the world as a conflicted group of disparate entities, instead of the fragile web we were.
Thus our demise."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[searingtruth]

Too little, too late.

Prophylactic social distancing is our only hope.

And we only have a week or two to implement it.

After that, nothing will save us.

Please, I beg you, call your Governors as soon as possible and demand prophylactic social distancing immediately.

For this pandemic is progressing just as I predicted.
ST


"Fellow citizens,

Even before the first unfortunate death occurred in this pandemic, I felt it was critical that as many as possible call their Governors and demand the immediate imposition of social distancing, which means the temporary closing of all our borders, schools, non-essential businesses and public transportation, and a request that as many as possible stay in their homes. While this is indeed an extreme response, I believe the following information will convince you to agree, and call your Governors and demand that the spread of this virus be minimized.

So first of all, let's look at why I believe this virus, which while called the swine flu is actually a combination of swine, avian, and human influenza, is likely to spread to unacceptable levels without prophylactic (this means before infection is detected) social distancing.

If you go to "http://www.lanl.gov/news/images/avianflu.shtml" you can view three successive pictures of the Los Alamos supercomputer Pinks simulations of the spread of an airborne avian virus over 130 days, introduced by only 10 infected persons in LA, without prophylactic social distancing. These pictures represent the optimum outcome if we use travel restrictions, anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu, and limited social distancing after the detection of infection. The second picture (90 days) shows the best we can hope for.

The link at the bottom has a Quicktime video link to what we can expect with no action at all. If you can't view Quicktime then you can view the same video at "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htnh7pBBtrM"

For an explanation of the death pattern of this virus, you can read the article at "http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011701113.html" for the University of Wisconsin's Spanish Flu study.

This article explains what can best be characterized as "Immune System Shock" where mature immune systems attack our bodies as much or more than the virus, and why young and old immune systems, because of their inefficient response, attack with less efficiency.

Fellow citizens, I don't want to panic anyone, I simply want you to know the truth we face, in hopes you'll contact your Governors so later panic will not be necessary.

My greatest hope is that you, and all those you love, never suffer, and never die such a horrific and needless death."
SearingTruth, April 22, 2009

A Future of the Brave

[stn_sage]

From reports that I've read and seen, this virus MUTATES!

That means it's changing over time! IF it's changing over time---it's EXTREMELY likely that any vaccine made would have little or no effect---as it's outmoded and ineffective by the time it goes to the recipient!

SO---why waste the time, money, and energy---of making up millions of "BAD" doses of vaccine for this variant of flu? Besides, the sheer point of making money off it, that is?!