US and Mexico Against the Human Flu

By Dulce Gamiño, Alejandra Olalde and Milburga Rodríguez
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

During the last month, both countries faced an epidemic caused by a bud of H1N1 virus, commonly named Human Flu. On the nighttime news of April 23, Dr. José Ángel Córdova, the Mexican Secretary of Health announced to the nation the presence of the virus and the actions that would be taken in order to avoid its transmission. They included the suspension of academic activities from preschool to university level and also of cultural and other ambiances where conglomerations could take place.

From that moment on, the Mexican government asked for the people’s support in order to avoid the spread of the virus. The use of a facemask was suggested when people gathered with more than five individuals in an enclosed area. Later on, stores, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, shopping malls, and companies were given a recommendation to shut down until the crisis had passed. In some states there was an explicit prohibition of any commercial activity. The only exception was made for stores that sold basic need products such as supermarkets and banks.

This event has caused a dramatic descent of the Mexican economic activity; there has been a reduction of the Gross Internal Product (GIP) of 5.2% in 2009. This crisis stole the Mexican people’s attention and deviated it from other concerns such as the world economic crisis and government’s decisions such as the legalization of drug possession and the migration issues with the United States.

Top 5 pandemics- AH1N1 Flu

By Milburga Rodríguez Rivera
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

The most recent pandemics is the H1N1 Flu virus that has caused approximately 45 deaths of infected Mexicans. Regardless of this information, the real number remains unknown. “Most of the flu cases in Mexico do not belong to the AH1N1 variety. According to press reports, most Mexican cases of swine flu are only “suspicious” but have not been proved with a laboratory analysis”

The virus is believed to come from pigs, therefore it is called swine flu but “the H1N1 virus has mutated in several other variations that gather the Spanish flu, swine flu and bird flu” stated Fernando Velázquez in Red Voltaire.

This article mentions other publications in different magazines, one of them is Science, where scientists from the Molecular Pathology Department of the Pathology Institute of the U.S. Military state that they have “examined and obtained the complete genome from the Spanish flu virus. Among these scientists were Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Ann. H. Reid, Raina M. Lourens, Ruixue Wang, Guozhong Jin and Thomas G. Fanning.”

All of this has generated an atmosphere of speculation and uncertainty regarding the real origin of the virus and its use as a biological weapon. This theory still abounds and it is sustained by the belief that the virus was spread by pharmaceutical empires looking for profit along with the geopolitical interests that emerged from the crisis and rupture of the preceding neoliberal order.

Top 5 pandemics- Nipah Flu

By Milburga Rodríguez Rivera
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

Farmers from the Malay region of Ampag were affected by a strange type of cold that was the Nipah flu virus, a microorganism originated in fruit-eating bats that was transmitted to pigs in the regional farms.

The microorganism spread across Malaysia killing almost 50% of the infected patients and arising fear among the population to such an extent that they either slaughtered their pigs or sold them to other farms at ridiculous prices.

Nipah has appeared in the region on five different times killing about 80 people each time, it gives no warning and there still is no vaccine available.

The virus has appeared in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and some other Pacific Islands among other countries. “From January 4th to February 5th of 2004, the WHO has been notified that there are 42 cases and 14 deaths that can be traced back to Nipah virus and other related viruses. The infections have been produced in the provinces of Manikganji (7 cases, four deaths), and Rajbari (35 cases, 10 deaths). There is ongoing research in 45 other cases.”

Top 5 pandemics- E. Coli 0157:H7 bacteria

By Milburga Rodríguez Rivera
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

In November 1996 Scotland suffered an outbreak from a bacteria named Escherichia Coli 0157 that originated from meat products and contaminated steaks in a butcher’s shop in Wishaw Lanarkshire. The bacteria reproduced in such quantity that it became one of the most relevant epidemics in history with 256 infected and 16 dead.

The bacteria was first detected in the United States in 1982 where 47 people where infected from eating contaminated hamburgers.

The 0157:h7 is a rare variety of E.Coli that produces great amount of toxins that cause important damages on the intestinal mucus, diarrhea, vomiting and in the worst cases it produces Uremic Hemolytic Syndrome (UHS) which is the main cause of renal damage on children in the United States.

There are 10 to 20 thousand cases estimated to take place in the U.S. The bacteria has affected other countries such as Spain, Italy, Denmark, Germany and Japan where the latest outbreak was in Sakai, near Osaka and 6,309 cases of infected students and 92 school workers.

The transmission vehicles have changed and become numerous, therefore this bacteria still has the capacity to affect humans.

Top 5 pandemics - Legionella bacteria

By Milburga Rodríguez Rivera
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

The name derives from the first outbreak in the 1976 Latin American Convention held in Philadelphia. During the outbreak they believed that the virus was transmitted through the air conditioning systems, resulting in 34 deaths (18.7% of the total of 182 cases). New information has concluded that the virus was transmitted through the water supply of the hotel that hosted the convention.

Legionella is a pulmonary infection caused by the bacteria Legionella pneumophilla, an aquatic organism found mostly on water and that has also been found on soil.

Transmission may occur in hospitals, hotels, spas and other places that use contaminated water. Ingesting or aspiring a few drops that contain the bacteria is enough to acquire the disease, which produces diarrhea, vomit, fever, difficulty to breathe, headaches, and ultimately death. The disease can be treated and cured if the appropriate treatment is administered on time.

There’s not an accurate estimate of the number of people who have died because of the bacteria, since the identification and treatment varies in each country. In Europe there are 4,546 possible cases of death caused by this disease.

The different types of Legionella are still affecting people around the world and in spite of the sanitary measures, new cases demonstrate that it has not been eradicated.

Top 5 Twentieth Century Pandemics

By Milburga Rodríguez Rivera
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

Wars have been the longtime threat of mankind but now they have given their place to another enemy: viruses. These microscopic organisms are attacking humans in a silent but efficient way. In the following posts I will mention the some of the most relevant, along with some that have emerged from mutations and therefore increased the risk for a modern pandemics.

Bird Flu

The outbreak began in Spain in 1918, therefore it is also called the “Spanish Flu”, and it has been the greatest pandemics in history. It left behind a total of 50 to 100 million dead in 18 months and then it simply disappeared, leaving no trace.

Dr. Edwin Jordan, editor of the Journal of Infectious Disease of the U.S. has concluded that the virus originated in the United States and it spread over Europe when American troops were sent to the continent. Other theories pointing to either France or Asia are less conclusive.

Later on, the virus suffered a mutation (H5N1) that can only be transmitted from birds to humans. Human to human transmission is impossible, “Indonesia became by 2008 the first nation with more than 100 deaths accountable to this disease, the mutation has become endemic and is contained within the Malay islands…” Indonesia turned into the hub for this epidemic, but if this virus undergoes further mutations, the world will be exposed to a fast and lethal spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed certain countries to become a strategic boundary so that the flu remains contained. These countries are: the U.S., Belgium, France and Brazil and they work on research in order to find and prove a vaccine that may protect humans from this possible pandemics. Specifically in Brazil, the only South-American country to receive this variation of the virus, they are about to test a possible vaccine to protect the country from the disease.

Welcome

The health emergency originated by the swine flu, or AH1N1 flu virus is an event that has changed our everyday life in Mexico and around the world. People are feeling the symptoms of a collective crisis, the economic system went on a coma and our government protected us with a forced “lock in” that was highly controversial.
International attitude towards Mexican citizens is hostile, tourism –one of our main income sources- has declined to an unprecedented level and there is still no explanation or accurate prognosis.
There have been different versions to this matter; therefore, in this blog we will post interesting information regarding official and unofficial points of view. As college students we understand the importance of knowing the other story and we want to share the pieces that we find along the way with others like us, our neighbors because the things that make us different are not that many.
This blog is for you, who want to understand another perspective, told by someone that you can relate to and also share your own. WELCOME, (no face mask needed).