*H1N1 Is Upon Us*
Few people have made the connection that the Flu virus that is circulating right now is the same Basic Flu that circulated during the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic... "H1N1".
Let's be realistic and say the words no one "really" wants to say...
"The First Pandemic Wave Of H1N1 Is Upon Us"
This page will be updated as Time Permits, because according to our CDC and WHO Friends and Members, The H1N1 Situation is going to get steadily worse folks.
...And I apologize in advance, but most of our Time/Effort is spent gathering Intel and News for the Rubicon's Members in the Restricted Areas (The Rubicon Area's Alert News is Updated almost daily with News and Intel on many world topics)... But we'll try to keep this page updated as often as possible.
Below is a running sample of news items that sound as if they were written in 1918... but they weren't written in 1918, they were written in the last few days, weeks and months:
(Updated: 24 October 2009): (Note: As predicted 23 October 2009, below) President Obama has signed a proclamation declaring the H1N1 influenza a National Emergency.
(Updated: 23 October 2009): CNN: The number of swine flu cases has doubled in just one week, with hospitals reporting record numbers of patients being treated in the pandemic (Note: Expect a statement from US officials very soon about the H1N1 crises).
Swine flu cases up to 53,000 in one week - Cases of swine flu have almost doubled in a week amid fears that hospitals may soon struggle to cope. Frustration looms as H1N1 vaccines run out. The H1N1 flu shots are here, but only those who are considered high risk can get the limited supply so far.
(Updated: 22 October 2009): H1N1 sends mostly under-25s to hospital: CDC: Half of those hospitalized with the new H1N1 virus are under 25, and nearly a quarter of deaths are among that group, a clear illustration that the pandemic is affecting the young disproportionately, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.
H1N1 Running Rampant Amid Shortage of Vaccine: As of last week, there were more than 5,000 cases of flu reported, compared to 7 cases in October of last year. More than 800 people have died from H1N1, including 86 children, according to the latest reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alarmed by the spread of the H1N1 flu, hospitals throughout California and neighboring states restricted visitors this week, barring children and capping the number of visitors per patient.
Mexico: H1N1 has taken the lives of 271 persons and infected 45,809 confirmed cases, according to the latest report on the epidemic in Mexico.
BEIJING, (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland reported 2,092 confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 influenza in the 48 hours ending at 3 p.m. Wednesday, bringing the total number of the disease's victims to more than 31,000 on the mainland, the Ministry of Health for China said Wednesday.
(Updated: 21 October 2009): (Spain): 40% of population will contract H1N1 in "week zero": Even though the number of persons infected with H1N1 continues to grow, doctors estimate that the peak in the number of cases will be in what they call "week zero," in mid-December. (Note: A few weeks after "Week Zero" may be the start of the Second Wave of H1N1, made worse by Holiday Shopping.. See our Prediction about "Week Zero First Wave Peak" on 16 July 2009, further Below)
(Updated: 11 October 2009): H1N1 is Ramping Up even more... one report is saying that ONE QUARTER of the People sick enough to be hospitalized with swine flu last spring wound up needing intensive care, and almost 7 percent of them died.. this is from the current First Wave Strain of H1N1, and it's only gotten worse since last Spring... and the Second Wave hasn't even begun yet.
In some US Cities, H1N1 has been The Top cause of death over the last few months. Conservative estimates are saying that almost 2000 people have died from H1N1 in the last 45 days, and again, that's Numbers, not counting "probable deaths" or "People that died due to a secondary infection after being weakened by H1N1".
(Updated: 22 August 2009): UK prepares mass graves for swine flu victims: London is to set up mass graves for the victims of the swine flu pandemic after a 59-page official report predicted that Britain will be witnessing the pandemic disease in fall. Britain's Department of Health has warned the UK officials and policy-makers to announce a state of emergency in the country.
(Updated: 26 July 2009) City plans to use catacombs for swine flu victims: A city council said Saturday it was considering using underground burial chambers, currently a tourist attraction, to store the corpses of swine flu victims if the pandemic worsens. Exeter City Council said the empty 19th-century catacombs could become an emergency mortuary.
Mexico: A second wave of H1N1: The Mexican ministry of health has confirmed a second wave of H1N1, causing ten deaths in just four days and obliging local authorities to impose new sanitary measures. Despite the suffocatingly hot temperatures everywhere in the country, the new outbreak of the virus has infected 632 persons.
(Updated: 16 July 2009): Spike in British swine flu deaths as race for vaccines begins: Britain announced a spike in deaths related to swine flu on Thursday, but as health experts began grappling with worst-case scenarios, difficult questions over the availability of vaccines emerged. France and Portugal announced major orders for vaccines against the A(H1N1) virus, soon after Latin American countries expressed concern that their poorer region could miss out, despite being worst-hit by the pandemic. The Fight for swine flu vaccine could get ugly.
LONDON – An ugly scramble is brewing over the swine flu vaccine — and when it becomes available, Britain, the United States and other nations could find that the contracts they signed with pharmaceutical companies are easily broken. Experts warn that during a global epidemic, which the world is in now, governments may be under tremendous pressure to protect their own citizens first before allowing companies to ship doses of vaccine out of the country.
"The number of confirmed swine flu cases in England jumped by nearly 20% in a single day".
And:
"More than 1 million people in the United States are believed to have been infected with H1N1 swine flu, U.S. health officials said on Friday, and infections continue to rise. That represents the largest number of cases to be reported in a one-week span since the beginning of the outbreak in April".
And:
"TORONTO - The official mantra about swine flu - "it is overwhelmingly mild" - might seem incongruous if we knew the number of children, teens and young adults in ICU beds right now alive only because a breathing machine has taken over for their ravaged lungs. The heavy reliance on the word "mild" could be creating a false impression of what is actually going on and what the world may face in coming months, some experts worry".
(Updated: 06 July 2009): (Note: As We Reported 2 Weeks Ago On Our Restricted-Side News And Alerts Page) "Public kept in dark as institute compiles thesis on mutated virus: A prefectural research institute withheld from the public for two weeks its discovery of a mutated swine flu virus, but it swiftly submitted a thesis on the finding to a U.S. medical journal" (See "17 June 2009" on the Rubicon's News and Alerts Page).
Our friends with the WHO and CDC say they think they have found the Sub-Strain that will be the Second Wave, in Brazil and China... and it's starting to spread.
And then this:
"The much anticipated Vaccine that was to be released soon has been delayed for an unknown reason. Now a vaccine for swine flu may not be available until next winter, while authorities fear more deaths from the virus".
It's already starting to impact the World's economy in a measurable way:
"The new H1N1 flu strain might reduce second-quarter GDP by as much as 2.2 percent in Mexico if disruptions to businesses, including those in the restaurant, hotel and transportation industries, persist in the Mexico City region".
And here at home:
"NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - The H1N1 influenza virus cost Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) $250 million in revenue, and the world's largest airline has cut capacity during the second quarter in response to the reduced demand, its chief executive said at the company's annual shareholders meeting on Monday".
It's getting worse:
"CHICAGO (Reuters): H1N1 flu not going away: U.S. health agency".
Chain Grocery stores, Already struggling with a mounting food shortage World-Wide, are now starting to feel the impact trying to keep staples on the shelves as employees and truckers become sick...
...and it's starting to kill our best and brightest (The people that go to work and keep the country running):
"The highest rates of illness due to A(H1N1) flu are in people under the age of 25. The median age of people who have been hospitalized in the United States after being infected with the virus is 19, and the median age of those who have died is 37".