Tag Archives: health

Fukushima

Japan Modern Day Atlantis round 7 & What Economic Recovery? People fleeing Nuclear disaster in Japan destroying the local economy and local governments

The Japanese National Police Agency have released the latest numbers regarding people leaving the disaster hit areas of Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures.

At this point more than 150,000 people have left the Tohoku region (where the affected prefectures are).  Just a few weeks ago, in January, is was reported that 31,381 people left Fukushima Prefecture alone.  But now, February 11, that number has jumped to 53,000!

Local officials are now saying if people keep leaving at that rate the local economy will be destroyed, along with tax revenues.

Earlier in the week, the Japanese national government reported that reconstruction efforts are not taking place because contractors can not find enough workers who are willing to work in the nuclear disaster area.  This too will destroy the local economies.

And it’s not just people fleeing the Tohoku Region, back in October, 2011, the Japanese Foreign Ministry reported that a record 1.1 million people left the entire country of Japan, just seven months after the March 11 disasters!

At this point the Japanese National Police say 15,787 people have been confirmed dead, and 3,302 are still missing, from the March 11, 2011 disasters.

JAPAN MODERN DAY ATLANTIS ROUND 6: NE HONSHU TO BE HIT BY ANOTHER MAGNITUDE 8+ QUAKE

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

75% reduction in Alzheimer’s, thank Vitamin A

“This is a particularly exciting and rewarding study because of the new science we have discovered and the potential promise of a therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. Our next objective is to ascertain if it acts similarly in humans.”–Gary Landreth, Case Western Reserve University

Research into a cancer drug called Bexarotene is showing promise as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.   Bexarotene is a retinoid, a chemical related to vitamin A.

Researchers used the retinoid on lab mice with laboratory induced Alzheimer’s.  Alzheimer’s is believed to be caused by plaque build up on the brain.  Amazingly when the mice were given Bexarotene, there was an immediate clearing of plaque that lasted for three days.  The result was up to a 75% reduction in plaque.

They hope to test the drug on humans soon.

Influenza

China says Influenza B still preventable with flu shots

The UN’s World Health Organization recently said China was being hit with influenza B.  On February 8, officials with the Chinese National Influenza Center said their research shows the current flu B is still preventable with flu shots.

Officials said that the current B strain has not mutated to a drug resistant form. They also said that the number of cases in China are at “acceptable” levels.

Influenza B affects humans and seals, and is not in the same family as influenza A (which includes swine flu).

International, U.S.

2009 Greek study says new strain of H3N2 is drug resistant! U.S. CDC says anti-flu drugs no longer work!

The European Union’s Eurosurveillance published a report in 2009, about Greece’s efforts to combat flu viruses: “Greece is a known crossroads among three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa) through which resistant strains can spread.”

From 2004 to 2008, Greek researchers looked at how the various viruses reacted to available anti-viral drugs.  Anti-viral drugs work mainly by attacking protein cells.  In flu viruses the specific proteins are called “M2”.  However, they are only effective in the early stages of infection.

For those of us who don’t like reliance on petroleum products, some anti-virals (like the now ineffective adamantanes) are based on petroleum hydrocarbons.

The Greek study concluded that current flu viruses have become resistant to most anti-viral drugs, precisely because the drugs were being used so much: “Resistance to M2 inhibitors first appeared following extensive drug use in Asia and the U.S. after the SARS epidemic in 2004. The worldwide spread of these resistant strains occurred through replacement of sensitive with resistant viruses, probably because of other selective advantages of the resistant strains connected to other genes than M2.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs the Greek study up. After studying the 2009 flu epidemic in the U.S. the CDC concluded that the viruses are now drug resistant!

 

Influenza

WHO says H3N2 will dominate this year’s flu season, Romania & Sweden at Epidemic levels!

On February 3, 2012, the UN’s World Health Organization said the new strain of H3N2 will dominate the 2011/2012 flu season.  This came after 1.74 million Japanese were infected in January.

The WHO said notable increases in flu cases are expected in North America, Europe and northern China.

The dominant flu is H3N2 (a type of influenza A, aka swine flu).  But Mexico is still being hit by H1N1 (also a type of swine flu), and China is dealing with influenza B (a type of virus that infects humans and seals).

Canada is seeing a steady increase in H3N2 cases.  The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control is reporting increases in H3N2 cases in Bulgaria, Iceland, Italy and Spain.  Romania and Sweden are now at epidemic levels.

 

International, U.S.

Canadian study says Flu shots not effective against new version of H3N2

On January 27, 2012, it was reported that a Canadian study concluded that  outbreaks of H3N2, from 2009 to 2011, could not have been prevented with flu shots!

It also showed that young adults were the best able to fight off H3N2, children and older people are at the most risk.  Also, despite health officials claiming flu shots protect against several types of influenza, the Canadian researchers reported that flu shots do not protect against H3N2/H1N1 related flu viruses!

This new version of H3N2 is a descendant of a long forgotten flu virus:  “Recent analysis has shown that swH3N2 viruses and zoonotic transmissions to humans, including A(H3N2)v, are descendants from a common human influenza virus ancestor, the A/Wuhan/359/1995(H3N2)-like virus [7]. Influenza A/Wuhan/359/1995 has not circulated in humans nor been a component of the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) since 1998 [this is why flu shots are not effective against H3N2!], when it was replaced by influenza A/Sydney/5/1997(H3N2) [8-10].”

The report was published, on January 24, 2012, in the European Union’s Eurosurveillance online publication concerning infectious diseases.

The following are from the report’s conclusion: “…our results suggest broad susceptibility to swine-origin H3N2 infection in young children, consistent with early epidemiologic features of A(H3N2)v in the U.S.”

“The H3N2 subtype of swine-origin influenza may show a different age-related pattern of risk in the human population compared to the H1N1 subtype…”

“We observed little TIV-induced improvement in cross-reactive antibodies…” Meaning flu shots don’t work.

“Additional studies should explore age-related and vaccine-induced effects…” Meaning this virus is so new that they don’t know how to fight it!

International, U.S.

H3N2 hits Epidemic levels in France, too late for Flu shots to be effective!

France is now the second European country to sound a warning about the latest version of H3N2 swine flu!  Unlike Norway, France says the number of infections in their country are nearing epidemic levels!

Cases are escalating in the French areas of Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.  Health care providers are seeing an average of 148 cases per 100,000 people.  Officially, epidemic levels would be 168 per 100,000 people.

On February 8, Norwegian health officials warned of a potential outbreak in their country.  At the end of January, Japan officially reported 1.74 million people infected with H3N2!

Norwegian health officials are urging people to get flu shots, but back in France health officials say it’s too late!  It takes 15 days for a flu shot to be of benefit, but it’s obvious that Europe is indeed getting whacked by H3N2 right now.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Corporate Incompetence: EU calls for saftey checks on Super Jumbo A380 airliner, cracks appearing in wing brackets

The European Aviation Safety Agency is concerned about the strength of wing brackets in the superjumbo A380 airliner.  This after routine inspections revealed that after numerous landings cracks have appeared in some of the 4,000 brackets used on the giant wings.

Safety checks have been ordered for the 68 superjumbos in use out of Europe.  Airbus officials say there is nothing to worry about, but those are famous last words if you know the history of passenger airliners.

The A380 (A for Airbus) can hold 500 to 600 people.

Fukushima

What Global Warming? Mother Earth to the Rescue? Record snowfall in Japan will help clear radiation contamination. Don’t eat the yellow snow!

Despite claims of overall global warming, Europe and Japan are still getting hit with record low temps.  In Japan record snowfall could actually help fight the radiation contamination from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster reactors.

The heavy snow would help sweep the air of radiation, and sweep the surfaces of buildings, plants, cars and the ground of “external” radiation.  But this in turn would make the snow radioactive, so a new twist on the joke about not eating yellow snow!

Another problem is that any snowmelt getting into the ground will be absorbed by plants, making them “internally” contaminated.  It would be a good idea for Japanese to test the snow for contamination.

 

International, U.S.

Europe to be hit with new version of H3N2, Norway sees steady increase in cases

Norway’s Public Health Institute is warning of a possible H3N2 outbreak, after seeing an increase in cases since December 2011.

On the other side of the world, Japan is already dealing with at least 1.74 million cases!

H3N2 is an older type of “Swine Flu”, not to be confused with H1N1 swine flu (as the main stream media usually does).  However, in December 2011, U.S. health researchers warned of a possible outbreak of a new mutation of H3N2.

Back in Norway, public health officials are urging Europeans to get flu shots.