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DENVER HEALTH investigating for any connection between the two DIA baggage handlers found to have H1N1 Flu Virus at DIA. The process includes evaluating the physical environment.

Interviewing co-workers and others in the immediate area and developing hypotheses on the possible source of the illness and if there is any possibility for future spread.

Colorado, 6 Confirmed Cases H1N1 Flu Virus and More Cases Of The H1N1 Virus

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a third new case on Monday, which would bring Colorado’s total to seven, but the state Department of Public Health and Environment says that person is being retested.

U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection, May 05, 2009

States # Of Laboratory Confirmed
Alabama 4
Arizona 17
California 49
Colorado 6
Connecticut 2
Delaware 20
Florida 5
Georgia 1
Idaho 1
Illinois 82
Indiana 3
Iowa 1
Kansas 2
Kentucky* 1
Louisiana 7
Maine 1
Maryland 4
Massachusetts 6
Michigan 2
Minnesota 1
Missouri 1
Nebraska 1
Nevada 1
New Hampshire 1
New Jersey 6
New Mexico 1
New York 90
North Carolina 1
Ohio 3
Oregon 15
Pennsylvania 1
Rhode Island 1
South Carolina 16
Tennessee 2
Texas 41, Death =1
Utah 1
Virginia 3
Wisconsin 3
TOTAL (38) 403 cases 1 death

For more information on the H1N1 Virus, Swine Flu, click here

A woman from Arapahoe County and a man who handles baggage at DIA are Colorado’s first confirmed H1N1 Swine flu cases. For more information, click here!

Denver, Colorado Swine Flu News

Swamping Denver Clinics Over Swine Flu Fears. Doctors say the patients who fear they have swine flu, but have little or no symptoms, they are swamping them with phone calls and dropping into urgent care clinics for flu tests. How to really know if you have Swine Flu symptoms? For more information, click here!

USA Swine Flu News

USA Swine Flu Total Tops 100. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the number of swine flu cases in the United States has topped 100, with confirmed infections in 11 states.

World Swine Flu News

World Takes Drastic Steps To Contain Swine Flu. From Egypt’s order that all 300,000 pigs in the country be slaughtered to travel bans and putting the kibosh on kissing, the world is taking drastic and some say debatable measures to combat swine flu.

Questions about H1N1 Swine Flu? click here!

Flu and the Immune System

Influenza (”flu”) strikes every year and afflicts millions. Under normal circumstances, flu is not considered a general public health risk. Of course, any disease must be taken seriously for two reasons.

First of all, any disease, including flu, can become dangerous through complications.

But, let’s also understand the far more important issue with regard to flu (and not just avian flu or swine flu)…but disease in general. Every flu is a problem primarily because our immune system gets compromised through life’s stresses. Put bluntly, flu is “caught” by people because their immune system is not functioning well.

Immune system dysfunction and weakening occurs from constant stress, constant threat of danger, constant deprivation of nutritional needs, and constant exposure to vicissitudes of life. Flu …even deadlier strains such as avian flu or swine flu, can be the result.

Specifically, flu impacts us due to an under active immune system. This is true of many diseases such as cancer, Hepatitis B and C, TB, strep, shingles as well as flu.

Other disease conditions are the result of an over active immune system.

What makes this an issue of late is the fact that only recently has science begun to understand the immune system, its complications, its sheer power to fend off disease conditions and its power to aid in the healing process.

Avian Flu and Pandemics of the Past

To understand the avian flu threat, we need to understand flu pandemics of the past. Flu epidemics have been explosive and unusually deadly. In past centuries, flu probably spread so fast due to humans and animals living in close proximity.

As you probably know, avian flu is a complex disease mutated from flu that kills birds. But, avian flu has mutated successfully to strike human life. Close proximity of animal and human life allows for such mutations to develop and spread.

Flu can spread like wildfire, for example swine flu. The pandemic avian flu of 1580 began in Asia, spreading over all continents in less than a year. The flu engulfed all of Europe in less than six months.

That’s the problem with flu breakouts. Flu pandemics hit like the proverbial flash flood. A highly contagious flu virus can hit populations that have little or no specific antibody immunities to the disease, infect a quarter of the population, outstrip societal response capability, disrupting societal health and economy.

The fear today is the swine flu can strike suddenly and will spread globally in a matter of mere months.

There were three flu pandemics of the 20th century. They are well documented as to origin, spread, and impact. Those flu pandemics occurred in 1918-19, 1957-58, and 1968-69.

The flu pandemic of 1918-19 killed upwards of 40 million people. No doubt, society did not have the tools nor understanding to stop the plague. However, if ever there was an argument for immune debilitation, it’s war weariness.

Almost every author who writes about this flu pandemic notes the fact the world was at war. But, that was not a mere footnote. It was a major contributor to society’s incapacity to restrain, much less stop the flu plague.

War brings unique circumstances, to say the least. War brings a strain to everything including the immune capacity of the survivors. If flu occurs in compromised immune systems, war guarantees the stress and deprivation which is often the prelude to plague:

” soldiers live in horrid conditions and return to a disrupted life but the effect on their immune system follows them into peace time …and plague,

” loss of loved ones brings its stresses to the emotions which impacts the immune system,

” constant anxiety for soldiers and loved ones even though they return safely, brings its emotional traumas and immune system depletion,

” loss of hygienic conditions weakens resistance and breeds viral and bacterial conditions,

” depression economy brings poverty and its consequences to human quality of life,

” uncertainty of safe living conditions (bombing, terrorism, battle, mob actions)
during war takes its own toll on the body

” disrupted economies, making recovery long, difficult and uncertain,

” work hours longer and work conditions harsher, pay less,

” crime, destruction, barbarism frightening or actual,

” whole economies perish, trade and commerce uncertain,

” political uncertainties,

” peace often brings more severe dislocation and hardship (this was especially the case after World War I),

” all populations suffer nutritional deprivation, with few exceptions

When flu strikes after such conditions, scientists often misjudge the fact that the victims, deemed “healthy”, really were compromised terribly throughout the war and peace time consequences.

The generation, which was victimized by the “Spanish flu” of 1918-1919, was in the age range of 15 - 35 … the very age which includes:

” soldiers,

” single parents,

” factory workers,

” teens called upon to assume unusual responsibilities on the home front

” workers in their prime, needed on all fronts…

” medical and other service personnel exposed to a constant need for their services,

Their “after the war” physical let down is almost reminiscent of what happens to people after particularly long periods of stress… They fall prey to flu, colds, and infection.

Why the flu?

To answer that question, consider the physical impact upon athletes from their workouts.

It is now known that after a heavy workout, whatever other benefits accrue to the body, there is one clear draw back. The oxidized radicals thus formed take the body several days to get over… leaving the body open to radical damage and some internal harm. (See my article: “Antioxidants, Free Radicals, and Sports Nutrition”

New research suggests glyconutritional supplementation taken before, during, and especially after workouts helps the body get over the radical burden in a matter of hours, not days.

Now, if recent research shows that athletic stress takes days to get over, often leaving damage to organs and tissues in its wake (especially if it is a habitual practice), why are we surprised at the massive flu fall out following the First World War - a war which was worldwide in its scope, as was the flu pandemic which followed it?

Perhaps, before we consider avian flu in the second article, we should realize there is strong scientific testimony that recognizes glyconutrition is a way to prepare and deal with the onset of deadly flu…and potentially other pandemic possibilities.

Read the following testimony before Congress when doing further research on flu, avian or otherwise.

“In instances of unusual, epidemic, or virulent infectious agent exposure, glyconutrient supplementation has been found effective for enhancing general immune functions and defense. When supplied at higher levels than available in nature, sugars needed for cellular synthesis can take innate defense systems to a much higher level that are effective against infectious agents.”

Dr. H. Reginald McDaniel, “Comprehensive Medical Care for Bioterrorism Exposure”
Congressional Hearing, November 14, 2001
(emphasis ours)

Best Regards To Your Health and Happiness!
“TheEdge”

The high fears of swine flu, (pig flu) is a high danger within the USA transmission from human to human. The global health community has been in a state of alarm due to recent outbreaks of the avian influenza disease in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia.

The disease has infected humans, prompting many to believe that a global pandemic will soon occur.

In the past decades, avian influenza has affected only birds and in some cases, pigs. Avian influenza does not normally affect humans but the first human case of avian influenza has been recently documented. Diseases previously known to only affect animals have crossed over to humans – avian influenza being one of these diseases. As a consequence, this crossing over has started many of the health pandemics that the world has suffered from for centuries.

Avian flu virus:constantly mutating

Avian influenza typically affects birds, specifically migratory birds, ducks and chickens. Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease that is similar to human flu. Several subtypes of Type A flu viruses cause avian influenza. Avian influenza differs from human flu in terms of the proteins that reside on the surface areas of the avian influenza virus subtypes.

It is known that there are 16 different HA (hemagglutinin) subtypes and nine NA (neuraminidase) subtypes of the avian influenza virus. These subtypes can combine with each other, producing different subtypes of the disease. Because of these constant combinations of subtypes, producing vaccines becomes even more difficult. One can never know what subtype will emerge next, let alone what its impact will be.

In addition, viruses are known to be constantly mutating. Viruses are constantly “changing their spots.” Thus, scientists have to also evolve the medicines and vaccines that are being produced in order to keep up with the viruses’ constant mutating.

H5N1: deadly avian flue subtype

So far, only a few subtypes of the avian influenza virus have managed to cross over from the bird species to human species. These subtypes are H9N2, H7N7, H7N3 and H5N1. Of these subtypes, H5N1 has created the biggest alarm within the international health community. Among the subtypes that have been reported to affect humans, the H5N1 subtype appears to be the worst. The H5N1 subtype has caused more than 50 deaths to date.

Bird flu symptoms in humans are dependent on the subtype that caused the infection. Some of the bird flu symptoms in humans are typical flu like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. Bird flu symptoms in humans also include eye infections, pneumonia, and severe respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory distress and other life-threatening complications.

Avian flu: human to human transmission may be possible.

The avian influenza virus and its subtypes have the tendency to easily mutate. This may be one reason that the avian flu has managed to cross over from birds to human beings. This mutation may also be the reason that human to human transmission of the disease is a distinct possibility.

The World Health Organization has said that there are three ways for the virus to cross over and become a “human flu”, which means that the disease will not only be contracted from birds but also from humans. Humans may contract the virus and mutation occurs while the virus is within the body. The bird flu virus may also combine with ordinary human flu, thereby assimilating the characteristics of the disease, including its ability to infect humans.

Mutation through combination with human flu can occur in the body of humans who contract the disease while being sick with human influenza or by being in contact (consumption, for example) with pigs, which serve as carrier of both kinds of flu.

While fears about swine flu (pig flu), and bird flu pandemic have grown recently overseas, an increasing number of people right here at home are falling ill with this spring seasonal flu bug.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu incidence has been on the rise since late December, spreading from the Southwest corner of the U.S. and making its way eastward.

Seasonal flu affects up to 40 million Americans every year. Influenza and its complications are responsible for an average of 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually in the U.S.

“Many Americans see flu as a nuisance rather than a serious health threat,” said Donald Perlman, M.D., who specializes in treating respiratory illnesses at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey. “While concern about the avian flu is understandable, the health risks associated with seasonal flu are much higher for the average American than the bird flu threat.”

Despite the upswing in flu incidence, there are two fewer treatment options this season. The CDC has recommended against the use of amantadine and rimantadine for the prevention and treatment of influenza for the remainder of the 2005-2009 flu season due to increasing resistance levels. Instead, CDC recommends that oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) be prescribed if an antiviral medication is needed.

Dr. Perlman, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), emphasizes that flu is a preventable disease, and offers advice and simple measures everyone can take to help control its spread:

Prevention:

• Get Vaccinated: Vaccine is the first line of defense. Visit www.cdc.gov for vaccine locations in your area.

• Wash Hands Frequently: Germs are often spread when a person touches something contaminated followed by the eyes, nose or mouth. Wash hands often for 20 seconds with warm, soapy water.

• Practice Respiratory Etiquette: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, to reduce the chances of spreading the virus to others.

• Monitor Flu Outbreaks in Your Area: Stay informed of when the flu hits your city by logging on to www.flustar.com, which provides updates on flu outbreaks on a regional and nationwide basis.

If You Get Sick:

• Know the Difference Between Cold and Flu: Many people are confused by cold and flu symptoms. Above are some tips to help you tell the difference.

• See Your Doctor at First Signs of Flu: Early diagnosis and treatment can help lessen the time you are sick, so see your doctor at the first sign of flu symptoms. He or she may prescribe an antiviral medication such as Tamiflu, which can reduce the duration and severity of flu symptoms if taken within 48 hours of symptom onset. Antiviral medications can also be used to help prevent the spread of flu within a household or workplace if taken within two days of exposure to the influenza virus.

• Stay Home: Be considerate of others. If possible, stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick.

As the threat of swine flu (pig flu) and bird flu grows overseas, seasonal flu, which affects 40 million Americans each year, packs a punch in the U.S.