Tuxtrip

With all the hype about Bird Flu in the media just now, I though I would share this information sent to me via the AVN in Australia. I don't think that any of the UK papers will be printing anything like this. The headlines of 'Bird Flu will hit Britain AND kill 50,000' are far more sensational!!

VACCINE MAY BE LINKED TO BIRD FLU CASES

The weak strain of avian influenza recently detected at more than a dozen farms in Ibaraki Prefecture may have been brought about by artificial contamination, including by the use of vaccines, a farm ministry panel said on Friday.

The use of vaccines to prevent bird flu is currently banned by law, and the
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said it would probe the matter
further.

According to panel head Hiroshi Kida, a professor at Hokkaido University, the
genetic makeup of the virus found at the Ibaraki farms was strikingly similar to
that of a bird flu virus found in Guatemala and Mexico, too far for a migrating
bird to carry into Japan. It is also different from other Central American
strains of the virus previously found in other parts of Asia.

This led the panel to suspect that a vaccine developed using the Central
American virus was brought into Japan and used on some birds, infecting the
animals around them, he said.

The ministry has a stock of vaccines to be used in the event of a massive bird
flu outbreak, but has banned its general use because vaccinated birds will
develop the antibody and be indistinguishable from animals that have really come down with the disease.

The Japan Times: Sept. 3, 2005

Some 60 people died in the last few years, out of the millions and
millions of people in Asia ( Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand,
Cambodia).

"Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their droppings, is considered the main route of human infection.
Exposure risk is considered highest during slaughter, defeathering, butchering,
and preparation of poultry for cooking. There is no evidence that properly
cooked poultry or poultry products can be a source of infection."

And some notes from the editor.........

1- I would really like to hear more information on the ineffectiveness and risks
of flu vaccines - why are we only getting on side of the story?

2- Are you aware that the US vaccine manufacturers only agreed to produce the vaccine when they were indemnified against litigation? How safe can these shots be if that is the way the manufacturers feel?

3- Tony Abbott said on the radio that he didn't know if the vaccine would be
given to children and that they were leaving that up to CSL - the vaccine
manufacturer. Since when do we allow profit-making corporations to dictate
public health policy?

There is a lot of scare-mongering going on with this so-called pandemic and the vaccine manufactureres must be delighted. As would their shareholders.
There is no doubt that this flu virus, like any other nasty virus, poses a danger for certain people, most particularly those who are elderly, very young or in poor health. I know many people who religiously have a flu 'shot' every year ('just in case') - and every year, within days of their 'shot' they come down with the flu! Each year the strain of flu virus changes so the vaccine manufacturers duly change their 'cocktail' and keep on promoting it as 'lifesaving'.

It just seems that every time a 'new and improved miracle vaccine' becomes available, their is a life-threatening outbreak of the disease that it is meant to prevent. We only have to look at the MMR and Chicken Pox scenarios. The vaccine industry is one of the most profitable and powerful industries in the world. It dictates to Governments and it brings about changes in the law. Profit and Power are two words that should not be associated with an industry that has so much influence in the health and wellbeing of millions of people.

Stay healthy and keep fit - it will be your very best defence against any disease or virus that comes your way. And, perhaps for a while, stay away from the poultry!!

Bella Donna

I thought about forwarding the one that Sheri sent to the list about the Avian Flu being politically timed, but thought it was far too controversial.

Sue