UPDATE: Baxter International asked by WHO to create vaccine for strain in Mexico City… read the info here… Baxter International Created Avian-Swine Strain, WHO asks Baxter to Make Flu Vaccine?
Here is a series of articles showing what happened at Baxter International Inc. in Austria. Then WHO getting involved and a very provocative question. Finally, what Obama’s understanding is of such events and last an interesting look at who might benefit from an outbreak…
Baxter Sent Bird Flu Virus to European Labs by Error (Update2)
By Michelle Fay Cortez and Jason Gale – Bloomberg.com
Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) — Baxter International Inc. in Austria unintentionally contaminated samples with the bird flu virus that were used in laboratories in three neighboring countries, raising concern about the potential spread of the deadly disease.The contamination was discovered when ferrets at a laboratory in the Czech Republic died after being inoculated with vaccine made from the samples early this month. The material came from Deerfield, Illinois-based Baxter, which reported the incident to the Austrian Ministry of Health, Sigrid Rosenberger, a ministry spokeswoman, said today in a telephone interview.
“This was infected with a bird flu virus,” Rosenberger said. “There were some people from the company who handled it.”
Baxter Sent Bird Flu Virus to European Labs by Error (Update2) – Bloomberg.com.
Officials investigate how bird flu viruses were sent to unsuspecting labs
Written by: Medical Reporter, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Feb. 25, 2009
Officials are trying to get to the bottom of how vaccine manufacturer Baxter International Inc. made “experimental virus material” based on a human flu strain but contaminated with the H5N1 avian flu virus and then distributed it to an Austrian company.
That company, Avir Green Hills Biotechnology, then disseminated the supposed H3N2 virus product to subcontractors in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany. Authorities in the four European countries are looking into the incident, and their efforts are being closely watched by the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Control.
Officials investigate how bird flu viruses were sent to unsuspecting labs – Infection – C-Health.
WHO acknowledges the Severity of the “ERROR”…
WHO mulls stricter transport of bio products – FT.com
By Andrew Jack
March 16 2009Public health officials are studying the need for tighter controls on the transport of biological products after Baxter, the US pharmaceutical company, inadvertently supplied samples of the H5N1 bird flu virus to a series of European laboratories.
Their scrutiny follows an incident that recently came to light when samples of H5N1 from Baxter’s Austrian labs contaminated batches of the less harmful H3N2 seasonal flu virus that it was supplying under a commercial contract to a customer, Avir Greenhills Biotechnology.A combination of H3N2, which is highly transmissable between humans, and H5N1, which has killed hundreds of millions of chickens and other animals in recent years, could potentially lead to a mutated virus that forms the basis of a new human pandemic threatening millions of lives, according to scientists.
“The material was handled appropriately in all steps of the process in the right conditions,” said Chris Bona, a Baxter spokesman. “The experimental material was produced exclusively for laboratory testing, was not used for product production and was not for use in humans.”
It somehow mixed with H3N2 before distribution last December to Avir, and the more potent virus was detected by a subcontractor in the Czech republic last month after it rapidly killed ferrets exposed to the viruses. Avir had also sent samples to Slovenia and Germany.
Mr Bona stressed that Baxter had since taken “corrective preventative actions” and its procedures had been approved by the Austrian authorities.
FT.com / Companies / Pharmaceuticals – WHO mulls stricter transport of bio products.
HERE IS THE BIG QUESTION…
Vaccines as Biological Weapons? by Mike Adams the Health Ranger
But there’s a bigger question in all this:
How could this company have accidentally mixed LIVE avian flu viruses (both H5N1 and H3N2, the human form) in this vaccine material?
Was the viral contamination intentional?The shocking answer is that this couldn’t have been an accident. Why? Because Baxter International adheres to something called BSL3 (Biosafety Level 3) – a set of laboratory safety protocols that prevent the cross-contamination of materials.
As explained on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level#Biosafety_level_3):
“Laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic and potentially lethal agents, and are supervised by competent scientists who are experienced in working with these agents. This is considered a neutral or warm zone. All procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials are conducted within biological safety cabinets or other physical containment devices, or by personnel wearing appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. The laboratory has special engineering and design features.”
You say… “No, we would not have a situation where deadly strains of viruses are created by DESIGN in our own Government Labs” …
Really? Read the next excerpt from 2004…
Killer flu recreated in the lab – BBC NEWS Thursday, 7 October, 2004
Influenza virus type A (Some experts believe a flu pandemic is overdue)Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions.
A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice.
Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic.
The research is published in the journal Nature.
The work of the US team, lead by Dr Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, was carried out under the tightest security.
BBC NEWS | Health | Killer flu recreated in the lab.
What does Obama know about such things?…
Talking Public Health With Obama – huffingtonpost.com
Jeremy Manier Posted December 19, 2008
I interviewed Obama in October 2005 about the threat of pandemic flu and the broader problem of public health preparedness. I had written for years about various strains of avian flu, and Obama was more knowledgeable on this subject than any elected official I’d met, with a good sense of how to put that knowledge into practice.
He touched on threats ranging from pandemic flu to terrorist attacks and a massive earthquake – “The Big One” – hitting California. Aptly for someone who talks about reducing partisan rancor, the two politicians Obama singled out for praise were both Republicans.
Obama showed an appreciation of how public health problems tie the world together, through economic fallout and the international spread of infections.
Fears of pandemic flu have eased in the last couple of years, but the threat is real – estimates are that an outbreak could kill more than 60 million people worldwide. So it’s a bonus that the next president already has educated himself on ways of keeping such a disaster from ever happening.
Q: How serious do you think the threat is?
A: I think it’s very serious. I think I would distinguish between the particular threat of the H5N1 [avian flu strain], and the threat of pandemic generally. I think that there are reasonably high probabilities of this particular avian flu mutating, and the potential results would be so catastrophic that we have to do everything we can to prepare for it now. The probabilities of some sort of pandemic striking in the next decade are extraordinarily high. And we have to prepare for those circumstances, so that if we make an investment now in creating the infrastructure for vaccine production, strengthening the distribution system and the relationship between federal, state and local governments, those investments won’t be wasted even if we’re lucky and this particular strain of avian flu doesn’t mutate, because we’ll then be in a position to deal with whatever pandemic comes down the road.
Q: What are the best things we can do to prepare, both as a country and individually? Is there anything individuals can do?
A: Well, I mean I’m sure that an Internet market in Tamiflu has erupted over the last month, although I would caution people against trying to purchase Tamiflu over the Internet. You have to assume there’s going to be a lot of counterfeit drugs sweeping through the market as people try to make a quick buck.
But frankly this is one of those areas where government has to carry the load. We have to purchase large stockpiles of Tamiflu. Because we did not get on this quickly enough we’re at the back of the line compared to France, Germany, Japan and other countries. Right now we have a million doses, we’ll probably have 2 million fairly soon, but we need 80, to 90 or 100 million. And then the government’s got to set up an infrastructure to produce vaccine.
Q: The president mentioned the idea of regional quarantines last week. The sense I get is that that’s not a realistic thing once it’s slipped through Southeast Asia.
A: No. I mean, you might be able to slow it.
So, you hate to be Chicken Little on this thing – no pun intended. But this is actually one of those situations where getting people a little scared, and certainly getting our government a little scared is probably a useful thing. And as I said, whatever investments we make are not going to be wasted, because the likelihood of pandemic is so high, even if it isn’t this particular pandemic.
Jeremy Manier: Talking Public Health With Obama
Oh, by the way…
CDC Readies Vaccine in Case of Swine Flu Pandemic – TIME
In preparation for such a scenario, the CDC has created a seed stock of a vaccine against the swine flu, which could be pushed into production should the number of cases jump significantly. The CDC did not specify what the threshold for vaccine production would be.
CDC Readies Vaccine in Case of Swine Flu Pandemic – TIME
And Check out Alex Jones Coverage on the current events at InfoWars.com. Here is a recent article touching on this…
Swine Flu Is Deadly Mix Of Never-Before-Seen Viruses
Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com April 25, 2009Clues that the virus may be a synthetic creation are already manifesting.
According to reports, the virus is a “never-before-seen form of the flu that combines pig, bird and human viruses” which consists of an intercontinental mix of viruses from North America, Europe and Asia.
“CDC officials detected a virus with a unique combination of gene segments that have not been seen in people or pigs before,” according to an Associated Press report.
“This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratory is something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified,” said Dr. John Carlo, Dallas Co. Medical Director.
The WHO insists that the outbreak has “pandemic potential” and has been stockpiling supplies of Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, a pill that can both treat flu and prevent infection, according to officials.
As we previously highlighted, those that have a stake in the Tamiflu vaccine include top globalists and Bilderberg members like George Shultz, Lodewijk J.R. de Vink and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Indeed, Rumsfeld himself played a key role in hyping an outbreak of swine flu back in the 1976 when he urged the entire country to get vaccinated. Many batches of the vaccine were contaminated, resulting in hundreds of sick people and 52 fatalities.
It is unclear as to why, if the virus is a brand new strain, that public health officials are so confident programs of mass vaccination, which are already being prepared, would necessarily be effective.
read the article here…Swine Flu Is Deadly Mix Of Never-Before-Seen Viruses
UPDATE: Baxter International asked by WHO to create vaccine for strain in Mexico City… read the info here… Baxter International Created Avian-Swine Strain, WHO asks Baxter to Make Flu Vaccine?
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Alex Jones – Google News
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