(Title amended to broaden topic)


Hat tip to ur1 at GLP

Pneumonic plague, United States Patent 7572449, anything to do with the Ukraine?


Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 14:23

Whether this has anything to do with whats going on in the Ukraine I am not sure but in August there was a patent filed for antibodies against Yersinia Pestis otherwise known as the pneumonic plague.



It was filed by Hill, James (Salisbury, GB) ,Williamson, Ethel Diane (Salisbury, GB) and Titball, Richard William (Salisbury, GE) and the assignee was The Secretary of State for Defense in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GB).

A interesting part of the patent is this part:



What is more interesting is why was this patent filed in August this year. Maybe its just coincidence but we felt like putting out there so people can decide for themselves.

http://fto.co.za/news/pneumonic-plague- ... 15816.html

Biological Hazard - North-America - USA

EDIS Number: BH-20091205-24063-USA
Date / time: 05/12/2009 06:47:21 [UTC]
Event: Biological Hazard
Area: North-America
Country: USA
State/County: State of California
City: Hart Flat
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:

Plague is alive and well in Kern County, where, in fact, it is endemic, according to Director of Public Health Matt Constantine. That fact was brought home this week when a domesticated cat from Hart Flat tested positive for Y. pestis, the bacteria that causes plague. "Over all, we're concerned about the transmission of plague from a cat in this case to a human," said Constantine. Right now, however, there is no evidence of human infection, said Constantine. The cat belonged to a Hart Flat family. It apparently started showing signs of not being well and was taken to a veterinarian. The vet, in turn, contacted the Kern County Department of Public Health, which requested the state test the animal for plague. The test result was positive. Cats are believed to be the domestic species most susceptible to plague. It is not uncommon to find infected animals in elevations of 2,500 feet or higher, said Constantine. Anyone who fears they are being exposed to plague is urged to contact their health care provider.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RsoeEdis ... t_read.php

Archive Number 20100704.2222
Published Date 04-JUL-2010
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Plague - Syria: military, susp. RFI

PLAGUE - SYRIA: MILITARY, SUSPECTED, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sat 2 Jul 2010
Source: JSS News [machine trans., edited]
<http://jssnews.com/2010/07/02/une-epidemie-de-peste-dans-larmee-syrienne/>


According to the Syrian opposition in exile, the Syrian president, who
is visiting Latin America, has ordered the shutdown of all Syrian
military exercises due to a plague that currently affects a large
number of military, especially conscripts doing their training.
Drinking water and food in the bases and the current heat wave are the
cause of the epidemic.

Touched by a terrible drought, this epidemic (which reminds us of the
Middle Ages) could cause extensive damage to elements of the Syrian
army in the coming weeks. Military sources have completely rejected
the possibility of outside intervention that could be causing the
epidemic.

Syria is currently facing the worst drought in 40 years. Hundreds of
thousands of people are experiencing food shortages; peasants have
been decimated, and many people are fleeing the country. Already,
nearly 60 000 small livestock owners have lost all their animals, and
50 000 others have lost 50-60 percent of their cattle.

If the early symptoms of plague have occurred in the military (the
Syrian army has 215 000 men, plus 300 000 reservists), it is probable
that the soldiers will spread the disease, especially with the
approach of Ramadan [11 Aug-9 Sep 2010] when a great number of
soldiers return to their villages.

The last plague epidemic in Europe was in 1910.

[Byline: Ftouh Souhail]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[Plague is a bacterial infection of humans and other animals, caused
by the Gram-negative bacillus _Yersinia pestis_. Three major plague
pandemics have been recorded in human history: the 1st in the 6th
century; the 2nd in the 14th century, which killed up to 1/3rd of the
European population; and the 3rd at the end of the 19th century
followed the spread of infection from China. Sporadic cases and
limited outbreaks of plague continue occur currently in various
countries throughout the world. However, during the winter of 1910 to
1911, an explosive epidemic of primary pneumonic plague raged in
Manchuria and northern China and killed more than 50 000 people
[Levison ME. Lessons learned from history on mode of transmission for
control of pneumonic plague. Curr Infect Dis Reports. 2000; 2 (4):
269-271].

In the United States, the last urban plague epidemic occurred in Los
Angeles in 1924-25. Since then, human plague in the United States has
occurred as mostly scattered cases in rural areas (an average of 10 to
15 persons each year); more than 90 percent of human plague occurs in
the Southwest, especially New Mexico, Arizona, California, and
Colorado. Plague bacillus has also been listed among possible
bioterrorism agents.

Wild rodents in certain areas around the world are infected with the
plague bacillus. The organism is transmitted among these animals by
the bite of infected fleas. Plague may spill over from wild rodents
into the peridomestic rodent populations and their fleas, which bring
plague into human contact. The usual mode of transmission for bubonic
plague is the bite of an infected rat flea. Direct contacts with
tissue or bodily fluids of an infected animal or inhaling infectious
airborne droplets of respiratory secretions are other modes of
transmission.

Outbreaks of plague are most likely to occur when rats live closely
with humans, usually in poverty-stricken areas with poor sanitation,
and when humans share habitat with wild rodents infected with plague
bacteria.

Plague occurs mainly in 3 clinical forms: Bubonic plague, with
enlarged, tender lymph nodes (buboes), fever, chills and prostration;
septicemic plague, with fever, chills, prostration, shock and bleeding
into skin and other organs; and pneumonic plague, with fever, chills,
cough, and difficulty breathing. Septicemic plague may occur with or
without bubonic plague. Pneumonic plague may either be due to a
secondary spread through the bloodstream of advanced bubonic plague
(secondary pneumonic plague), or due to inhalation of aerosolized
infectious droplets (primary pneumonic plague). Pharyngeal plague and
plague meningitis are less common forms. Rapid diagnosis and treatment
is essential to reduce complications and fatality.

As noted by ProMED moderator JW, plague has occurred in this region
historically
(<http://entomology.montana.edu/historybug/napoleon/plague_syria.htm>).
However, the news release above fails to detail microbiologic
confirmation, clinical manifestations and epidemiology of this current
outbreak among the Syrian military. Curiously, the news release above
says that drinking water, food, and a heat wave are causes of the
epidemic, but if this outbreak were plague due to _Y. pestis_, these
would be unlikely "causes," unless in some way they increased contact
between humans, infected rodents and rat fleas.

Pictures related to plague can be found at
<http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/phil/html/plague/2045.html>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Syria can be seen at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?name=Syria,%20Syria&g=163843&v=35,38,6>
- Mod.ML]

Something was bothering me about this report, even as I was posting it, (in the early hours of the morning) which is why I highlighted "suspected". Re-reading it, first of all the report describes "a plague", not "the plague". It also says food and water are the cause. Plague is spread through the bites of fleas carried by rats, or in some cases by contact with body fluids of those infected, not by food and water. They do not describe any of the symptoms nor state if there is any laboratory testing done.

Also, seeing that this is posted by the "Syrian opposition in exile", and refers to the president canceling military exercises, it may have more of a political motivation than medical. I'll post more if I can find it.

Edited to add: I went to the original article, which is in French, and they are definitely referring to Y. pestis, since they call the epidemic they are talking about "la peste".

Thanks, Ruts.

Hmmm could this be disinfo to keep Syria out of the Israel/Iran conflict?

What a convenient excuse for them, huh?

PLAGUE, PNEUMONIC - MADAGASCAR ANTSIRANANA) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
*********************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>

Date: Sun 20 Feb 2011
Source: La Tribune online, Diego Suarez, Madagascar
[In French, trans. JW, edited]
<http://latribune.cyber-diego.com/actualites/299-epidemie-de-peste-dans-le-nord-de-madagascar.html>


An epidemic of pneumonic plague has been raging for weeks in the
northern region of Madagascar, mainly around Ambilobe. There are
already 16 deaths attributed to this epidemic.

This statement of the "Chancellery detached from France" in Diego
Suarez is based on information from the referring doctor's office,
Dr. Anant Govinjee:
"An epidemic of pneumonic plague occurred in the region between Diana
and Ambilobe Ambanja, specifically east of Beramanja (65 km). The
first suspected case appeared 27 Jan 2011, followed by a first death
on 29 Jan 2011. The death toll stands at 16.

A team of the Ministry of Health of Diego Suarez and a team from the
Pasteur Institute are on site. Preventive measures have been taken and
mass chemoprophylaxis is being carried out.

**********************************************************

from the 21st, same link:

excerpt:
The initial cases appeared in a remote village located 45 km [28 mi]
from Ambilobe (administrative region of Sava [Antsiranana province],
in the north of Madagascar). Other suspected cases have been reported
in other villages closer to Ambilobe. On Fri 11 Feb 2011, bubonic
plague suspected cases have been reported in Ambaja, another city
located in the south of villages where the 1st cases were reported.

Madagascar is an endemic region for plague but cases are generally
located in the Central Highlands. The current outbreak is occurring
in a region were plague is not endemic. It is not clear for now if
the index cases was a patient who came from an endemic area
incubating the disease or in its earlier stages and developed
pneumonic symptoms on arrival.

This is bubonic plague, but I like to keep track.... This is from ProMed Mail: http://www.promedmail.org

ate: Sun 8 May 2011
Source: NY Daily News [edited]
<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/05/08/2011-05-08_man_in_new_mexico_diagnosed_with_bubonic_plague_first_case_of_black_death_in_201.html>


A 58 year old man in New Mexico was recently treated for bubonic
plague, the 1st case of the disease to surface in 2011.

Health officials in Santa Fe said the unidentified man spent a week
in the hospital after suffering high fever, intense pain in his
stomach and groin, and swollen lymph nodes. He was treated and
released, but officials would not say when. The results of blood tests
released Thu 5 May 2011, confirmed the man had bubonic plague,
officials said.

Doctors said the man was most likely bitten by a flea carrying the
plague bacteria, the most common method of transmission to humans.

con.

Members of the fire department in Waterbury, CT, were scrubbed down, then tested for bubonic plague after investigating an abandoned house that was flea-infested. The testing was precautionary but it makes me go hmmmm..... Here's another interesting point of view on the Black Death of the 1300's (which may not have been plague, it states... could it have been H1N1?) The description of just how many died and the conditions at the time are fascinating and very frightening. Some of us spent a good amount of time contemplating just such conditions at the height of bird flu scare.

Black Death study lets rats off the hook

Plague of 1348-49 spread so fast in London the carriers had to be humans not black rats, says archaeologist.


..... the plague spread too fast for the traditional explanation of transmission by rats and fleas. It has to be person to person – there just isn't time for the rats to be spreading it."

......While some suggest that half the city's population of 60,000 died, he (the author) believes it could have been as high as two-thirds.

The article describes the manner of burial of many of the victims, children carried in their parents' arms to the churchyard where they are thrown into mass graves, multiple bodies in caskets (more than was usual for the times), people writing out their wills as they began to feel the symptoms of the disease.

Article found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/au ... s-off-hook