President Obama declares H1N1 swine flu a national emergency

Obama
President Barack Obama walks down the stairs of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency. The White House on Saturday said Obama signed a proclamation that would allow medical officials to bypass certain federal requirements. Officials described the move as similar to a declaration ahead of a hurricane making landfall.

Source: AP


* Disaster proclamation intended as proactive measure

* CDC said swine flu widespread in 46 of 50 states (Adds details on new antiviral drug)

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said on Saturday.

The declaration will make it easier for U.S. medical facilities to handle a surge in flu patients by allowing the waiver of some requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs as needed, the White House said in a statement.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that swine flu has become widespread in 46 of the 50 U.S. states, a level comparable to the peak of ordinary flu seasons but far earlier and with more waves of infection expected.

Obama signed the statement on Friday night.

The White House statement said the declaration was intended to prepare the country in case of “a rapid increase in illness that may overburden health care resources.” It was similar to disaster declarations issued before hurricanes hit coastal areas.

Read morePresident Obama declares H1N1 swine flu a national emergency

Canada ignores Oxford University’s warning about Tamiflu

Swine flu: TV presenter’s daughter ‘almost died’ after taking Tamiflu (Guardian):
GMTV star Andrew Castle confronts health secretary, Andy Burnham, over policy of giving drug to children
Castle said his older daughter, Georgina, had a “respiratory collapse” and “suffered very heavily” after being “just handed” the drug without a proper diagnosis.
The presenter said: “I can tell you that my child – who was not diagnosed at all – she had asthma, she took Tamiflu and almost died.”

– Oxford University researchers said children should not be given Tamiflu or Relenza to combat swine flu:
Children under the age of 12 should not be given Tamiflu or Relenza, the two antiviral drugs that form the cornerstone of the government’s fight against swine flu, because their side-effects outweigh any benefits,

Study: Tamiflu causes sickness and nightmares in children (Times)

Bird Flu Medicine Toxic for Teens (Korea Times)

Tamiflu drug made with cocktail of chemical ingredients, linked with bizarre behavior (Natural News)

What’s Missing From Every Media Story about H1N1 Influenza (Natural News)

Tamiflu has just one anti-viral incredient in it and that is Star Anise. A herb that is mainly used by TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Yet TCM would never just prescribe just one herb to do the job. TCM looks at the entire bodily condition and strengthens the entire body with several herbs and acupuncture or even Qi Gong exercises.

TCM had a cure rate for diseases in general of over 95% (before China was invaded with MSG, junk food and GMOs).

Western medicine can just dream of that. Western medicine has a very high ‘supress the symptoms rate’, which usually aggravates the health condition in the long run (as intended), but then thats it.

Big Pharma and western medicine just ‘borrow’ ancient knowledge, patent it and sell it to you as ‘the cure’ and calls herbal medicine ineffective and unscientific.

Duh!


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Study raises questions about effectiveness of Tamiflu for young children, but public health agency stands by broad use of treatment

Toronto — Canadian health authorities will not change their practice of prescribing the anti-viral drug Tamiflu to treat cases of pandemic H1N1 flu in children, despite a new study that raises questions about the drug’s effectiveness.

Researchers at the University of Oxford cautioned about the broad use of anti-viral drugs to treat children 12 years of age and younger suffering from seasonal flu. They found anti-viral drugs have little or no effect on asthma flare-ups, ear infections or bacterial infections in children. Tamiflu was also linked to increased vomiting.

The authors questioned whether children would face the same risks when being treated with anti-virals for the pandemic H1N1 flu virus.

But the Public Health Agency of Canada assured parents Monday that Tamiflu has a strong safety profile, and has recommended doctors prescribe it for infection prevention and to treat cases of H1N1 in infants under one year.

“We know that Tamiflu thus far is effective in treating the vast majority of people who have H1N1, making their symptoms less severe and the illness lasting fewer days,” the agency said in an e-mail. “We now have some evidence that there seems to be less risk in using Tamiflu in young children.”

The pandemic virus has shown resistance to Tamiflu, one of two anti-virals that can keep it in check if taken within days of the first symptoms. However, there have been people who have fallen ill despite taking the drug.

Read moreCanada ignores Oxford University’s warning about Tamiflu