WHO to decide whether worst over in H1N1 pandemic
A woman receives a H1N1 influenza vaccine shot from a medical staff at a hospital in Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok January 25, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Sukree Sukplang
GENEVA |
GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization will convene its emergency committee later this month to examine whether the H1N1 flu pandemic has peaked, its top influenza expert said on Thursday.
"What we are hoping for is that the worst is behind us," Keiji Fukuda told a news conference.
Fukuda said the committee, which makes recommendations on the state of a pandemic to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, would decide whether the H1N1 pandemic declared in June had entered a post-peak or transition phase.
Designating a transition phase in this way -- indicating that the pandemic is continuing but the overall trend is back toward seasonal patterns of influenza -- would help national health authorities look to the future, he said.
Even if the WHO decided the pandemic had peaked, the virus remained active, causing disease and death, and could continue to flare up in some regions, as it had done recently in West Africa, Fukuda said
"The ending of a pandemic cannot be construed an abrupt on-or-off situation," he said.
Laboratory-confirmed deaths total more than 15,000, but the real toll is likely to be much higher, although that will not be established for a year or two, he said.
The WHO has not yet set a firm date for the emergency committee meeting, but it would probably be in the last week of February, Fukuda said.
Another group of influenza experts will meet next week to make recommendations on the composition of the flu vaccine for the next northern hemisphere influenza season, he said.
The recommendations will be published on February 18.
Fukuda noted that H1N1 remained the most dominant influenza virus, so it was possible that it would be included in the next seasonal jab.
(Additional reporting by Kate Kelland in London)
(Reporting by Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Stephanie Nebehay)
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I have recently been diagnosed with small cell Lung Cancer, have had Morgellons 4 1/2 years.
I had a son Joshua who died Feb.17, 2006 from a Glioblastoma Brain Cancer and he was also a victim of Morgellons Syndrome. My son’s suffering from the two horrors was beyond anything any human or creature should suffer.
Back then most of the doctors called Morgellons DOP, so the suffering was even more profound for my child to be told he was crazy rather then very ill.
I don’t think anyone could ever understand the suffering he went through, now I walk the path of Cancer/Morgellons but my doctors so far have put a diagnosis of Morgellons rather then crazy to ease a bit of my pain.
They seem to believe me but yet I think I may have a post traumatic stress disorder from the treatment I received from my doctors 4 years ago and I don’t feel at ease discussing Morgellons with them.
My hair just fell out from Chemotherapy. 2 days ago, all at once, with it came the millions of red, blue, black and clear-white fibers and springtail’s, spiders, ants, dog scabies, human or dog lice we, with Morgellons, have come to know.
I know losing hair for a woman or man is very tough during chemotherapy and radiation which I start on
June 30th along with more chemotherapy, but to have the bugs and fibers coming out of your scalp is a torture beyond words.
My beautiful child lived this torture, he did not deserve this pain, there are many children out there with this un-known horror, trying to come to grasp with the disease, parents that don’t understand and doctors who still carry the stigma of (It’s all in your head) and dump drugs in their poor broken bodies.
I have no doubt that Autism, All of the Hyper-Active Disorders and yes now Cancer has something to do with Morgellons, as I’m sure you folks at CDC have by now heard many people with Morgellons are being diagnosed with cancer.
Many of us have Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain disorder from Neuropathy, MS, and many disorders where we were told by you from CDC through Mr. Dan Rutz were conditions that would not kill us, so maybe you felt no rush to get answers for us.
WE are dying now, please help us I beg you. I have lost so many friends from Morgellons Syndrome, I’ve lost my son, a young man who could have giving so very much love and kindness to mankind is gone.
I beg you, help us, please tell us what was found in your study, you promised answers for us, now I feel you have really let us down.
It was not just a way to keep us quiet for a while was it?
Please don’t let us down.
Thank you for providing this e-mail address for us, please let us know what you have found.
Sincerely, Sheila Sue Laws, Gaithersburg, MD
Sue Laws passed on shortly after this letter . So many of us are dying now.
Please someone help us , Fiber Disease turns Cancerous,
Please , Please HELP US.
Jennifer Miracle
firstfruits11@yahoo.com
See a Doctor if you suspect you may have H1N1 Symptoms. These include fever, cough, headaches, chills, body aches, a sore throat and fatigue.
Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported with this virus. It is important to remember that other conditions can cause these same symptoms.
To determine for sure if you have swine flu versus another strain of flu or other condition, you will need to go to your doctor for a lab test.
It is important to remember that flu is not a rare illness. http://N1H1Symptons.Com
According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control, show that 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from a case of the flu each year.
Jerri !
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