Reported: 162 new suspected cases in Iraq

If true, an important development. . .


New bird flu cases in Kurdish Iraq

Al-Sulaimaniya, Iraq/Cairo (dpa) - A fresh bird flu scare has erupted in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq with reports of 162 suspected cases almost two weeks after a 15-year-old girl died of the deadly strain.

In the Thursday issue of pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, the head of the pre-emption committee in the Kurdistan Province Najm Eddin Mohammed announced that 162 people have been admitted to the diagnosis center on suspicion of contracting the virus.

Mohammed told al-Hayat that the virus has proliferated throughout Rania, a region southwest of al-Sulaymania on the border with Turkey, and described the influx as a "crisis."

http://tinyurl.com/ae7ua

Thanks for giving everyone the heads up! I've been
looking for a tipping point. If GOD can't help us,
then buy more N-95 Masks, while you still can!

I loaded up on extra today. Plus a portable generator, to keep the
homebrew cold.

"The area comprises some 50 villages, home to 400,000 people".

Edited by Rick

Nope! its cover-up and deny!

Meewee

I think we're finally seeing the tip of the iceberg we've known to be lurking in those cold, dark waters.

Heads up, all eyes on deck.

The incubation period will allow it time to sneak its way around the world before we know that it's even mutated.  The incubation period will create simultaneous outbreaks  from all around the world at the same time - in my opinion.   We will never see it coming when it goes h2h.  We won't know until the hospitals are suddenly being overrun.  It's hard to tell if we should use this latest explosion as our final warning that the incubation period may be underway.  Guessing when it is incubating is the only early warning that we will get.    

While I agree, a cover-up, or at least a supression of information is going on, the reasoning behind it may not be nefarious (doesn't mean it isn't, either).

Let's say there is evidence (not proof) that limited H2H is going on. To date, it has been self-limiting. Stopping, for whatever reason, after the 2nd or 3rd transfer.  If you are in charge of raising the red flag, do you do it now? 

Bear in mind that the ramifications of such an announcement could make tracking and treating the disease more difficult.  Borders could close. There would be runs on supplies. Indeed, in the affected areas, civil disruptions could occur, making it impossible to send medical teams in.  And of course, you don't have `positive' proof it is occuring, as the evidence is circumstantial.

While I want transparency, and as much information as possible, there are other considerations.

Even if WHO wanted to release this information, foreign governments may well have warned that they will not cooperate (think: China) if they do. Entire economies, even political systems, hang in the balance.  They may feel that every day they can delay this announcement gives government officials one more day to prepare (or loot the treasury, make escape plans, etc.)

While I try not to entertain every conspiracy theory that comes along (I'm selective! ), I do accept, that when dealing with goverment agencies, that the following advice is probably valid.

"Never believe any rumor until it has been officially denied."

I'm sure there is much heated debate in the back rooms of the UN and WHO regarding how and when to release information. Right now, I suspect they are stuck between Iraq and a hard place.

What concers me is that how they could possibly quarenteen these areas effictively. The whole region exsist on smuggling and the black market, weponds, the flow of goods, insurgents, etc. The know all the routes and have bribed all the right people.

Quarenteen in these regions are useless. At least they are trying however the human factor, not birds is what will keep spreading the desiease.

The WHO is really pathetic at containing outbreaks.  While they have been sitting around in Turkey for the last week, they assumed that the virus completely stopped spreading.  The WHO is really inept at times.  They never seem to  make any attempts to get out in front of it.  They should have already prepared the neighboring countries ahead of time so they would be expecting it, which would allow them to surround it much faster when it starts. They should have supplied Tamiflu to all hospitals throughout  the region so they could try to immediately contain the outbreak when it starts.   Instead, they waited for 162 people to possibly get infected before they even got on a plane.  None of the hospitals seem to have ANY Tamiflu available.  The hospitals are not prepared at all for this.  How do they expect to contan  it if they sit around and wait for the outbreaks to happen frrst?   Iraq should have already been prepared for this.  It would be too late to contain an outbreak of this size if were to go h2h.  It would have way to big of a head start on us.   Not knowing if the number of suspected cases in Iraq  is continuing to increase is taking away any advanced warning that we may get.   Again, the WHO arrives on the scene and all updates stop. 

Edited by Albert

I dont think the who have any intention of containing the outbreak - lets face the facts h5n1 is now well engrained in the bird population and in the next 3 months it will be throughout europe. Containment proberbly was never a real option. monitoring for h2h is all that we can do whilst limiting contact through culling

 

Remember also that northern Iraq is a very rough terrain and that it is hard to access due to security and the war.

If wild birds now have it in Hong Kong then there is no stopping it. Culling poultry is done to keep the virus as far away from humans as possible to prevent the virus from mutating to H2H.

 

The WHO in Turkey is now totally surrounded by the virus in that region. Think about that for a minute. What does that tell ya about the World Helpless Organization?

They are chasing thier tails. But the time they hit Van Turkey to investigate those outbreaks the virus had already spread 600-900 miles west to Istanbul and the capitol.

Can we vote to get better people in the WHO? Where's Al Sharpton when you need him.