My Primary Care Provider is a Science-Denying Mask Freak – So I Fired Them

HOUSTON, 23 Jan 2023 – This morning I walked out of a doctor's appointment. Why? Because they insisted I put on a useless blue surgical face mask. The cheap kind that we've all seen (and probably worn) a million times by now.

A year or two ago, I probably would have complied while grumbling under my breath. But three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, and after it's been shown repeatedly that those popular blue masks are not effective against the virus, I questioned their request for me to don one of them. 

There was only one other patient in the IORA Primary Care waiting room when I entered. I immediately noticed that he wore a mask, but it was lowered beneath his chin. He might has well have not had it on at all. He was sitting right in front of the masked receptionist, who told me to put on a mask. Why didn't she tell him to pull his mask up to cover his mouth and nose?

This hit me the wrong way. "If I do," I said, "can I wear it below my chin like that guy is?" She immediately told him to pull his mask up, which he did. I was now in a room with two people wearing loosely fitting, ineffective masks. I protested.

"The masks are ineffective," I said. "Even the CDC has said as much."

"It's just our policy," the masked receptionist at IORA Primary Care said, "and we follow CDC guidelines." They might think so, but they seem to be ignoring the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which has stated that "The surgical mask is a bad fit for risk reduction." The CDC itself has said that a blue surgical mask "Does NOT provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles and is not considered respiratory protection," and "Leakage occurs around the edge of the mask when user inhales." In other words, useless – perhaps even dangerous.

Then something very telling happened. The man who had his mask below his chin when I entered piped up and said his wife died of COVID.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said, "but was she wearing a mask?" Mr. Below-The-Chin said his wife must have caught COVID when "it slipped down one day." 

"How do you know that's when she caught it?" I asked.

"It had to be!" he exclaimed. Of course, there's no way to know for certain when or where she became infected.

Remember that this guy was, moments earlier, was wearing a mask below his chin. Not wishing to argue with a man who recently lost his wife, I didn't point out his idiotic contradiction. I can only attribute his belief that his wife caught COVID because her ineffective cheap mask slipped below her nose momentarily to an utter lack of critical thinking. I know that's harsh, but this guy swallowed the mask propaganda with big cup of ignorance. 

The clinic's health care "coach" entered the room. She was masked, of course, and told me to mask up. I replied that I could no longer trust a doctor who is a science denier and tells me the cheap masks they were wearing – and wanted me to wear – are required even though shown to be useless, and while other doctors and medical facilities in Houston no longer require them.

It was clear by now that I was talking to people who were brainwashed or ignorant. More likely, they were following orders from people who are brainwashed, ignorant, or think they have to virtue signal to their staff and clientele. I'm now searching for another primary care provider.

Video: The scientific case against face masks

Some of you may think it odd that I, who refused to wear a mask, called those who do "science deniers." Many called those of us who said masks are ineffective "science deniers." The irony: We were right and the mask pushers were wrong.

Face masks are no longer required at any of the other doctors' offices I visit. That includes my cardiologist, my dermatologist, my skin surgeon and others. I recently had a four-night stay in a major hospital here in Houston (I'm okay now), and while all of the staff wore masks there was no requirement to wear one to enter the building. I didn't wear one for my entire stay, and none of the paramedics who transported me to the hospital wore masks in the ambulance or in the emergency room wore masks. Most of the other patients I saw did not wear masks.

How not to wear a face mask

I should point out that all of the hospital staff were wearing those cheap blue masks that nearly everybody was wearing at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have to wonder if nurses and doctors are really unaware of the fact that those masks are nothing more than face adornments, as they are ineffective against COVID-19. That's especially true for the COVID variants.

By now, many of us realize that those ubiquitous blue face masks are pretty much useless for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told us that way back in early February 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. 

Here's an excerpt from an email Fauci wrote back then, nearly three years ago:

"The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keep out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you." - Source: Newsweek

A lot of us knew this early on in the pandemic, back in early 2020. "A cloth mask or face covering does very little to prevent the emission or inhalation of small particles," according to an article written by experts published on April 1, 2020 by the University of Minnesota.

Not long after that, on June 11, 2020, an article by Denis G. Rancourt, PhD noted this:

"The present paper about masks illustrates the degree to which governments, the mainstream media, and institutional propagandists can decide to operate in a science vacuum, or select only incomplete science that serves their interests. Such recklessness is also certainly the case with the current global lockdown of over 1 billion people, an unprecedented experiment in medical and political history."

Rancourt's article went on to say:

"In light of the medical research, therefore, it is difficult to understand why public-health authorities are not consistently adamant about this established scientific result, since the distributed psychological, economic, and environmental harm from a broad recommendation to wear masks is significant, not to mention the unknown potential harm from concentration and distribution of pathogens on and from used masks. In this case, public authorities would be turning the precautionary principle on its head."

Some of you will consider the authors quoted above to be "science deniers" or even "conspiracy theorists," or "right wing nuts." If you do, you should know that you are actually the science deniers, and you bought into the propaganda that promoted useless masks, economy-killing lockdowns, spikes in suicides worldwide, and psychological trauma that will stay with people for the next 70 years. 

But the (discredited) U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has essentially admitted that cloth masks are ineffective...after promoting them even while knowing they were useless. (See graphic to the left.)

Some will say this post is just the ranting of a right-wing conspiracy nut. Well, okay, but "nuts" have been vindicated. The following excerpt is from the New York Times on February 21, 2023:

"But when it comes to the population-level benefits of masking, the verdict is in: Mask mandates were a bust. Those skeptics who were furiously mocked as cranks and occasionally censored as “misinformers” for opposing mandates were right. The mainstream experts and pundits who supported mandates were wrong....And the people who had the courage to say as much deserved to be listened to, not treated with contempt. They may not ever get the apology they deserve, but vindication ought to be enough." [Emphasis added]

My now-former primary care provider, IORA Primary Care, still insists on face masks that have been shown by experts – including their holy CDC – to be ineffective even as nearly every other medical facility and doctor's office in Houston doesn't. If they insist I wear a mask while another guy sits right in front of them with his mask below his chin, then to heck with them. If IORA is putting virtue signalling and political propaganda ahead of actual science, I can no longer trust them....and they owe everyone apology.

Related:

• The scientific case against face masks - Jan 13, 2023 - UnHerd 
• The "Conspiracy Theorists" Were Right - Feb 28, 2023 - Mark Dice on YouTube
• CDC no longer recommends universal masking in health facilities - Sep 26, 2022 - The Hill
• Fauci Said Masks 'Not Really Effective in Keeping Out Virus,' Email Reveals - Jun 2, 2021 - Newsweek
• Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data - Lisa M Brosseau, ScD, and Margaret Sietsema, PhD  Apr 1, 2020 - University of Minnesota
• Widely Used Surgical Masks Are Putting Health Care Workers at Serious Risk - April 28, 2020 - Scientific American 
• The surgical mask is a bad fit for risk reduction - May 17, 2016 - Canadian Medical Association Journal
• Masks Don’t Work: A Review of Science Relevant to COVID-19 Social Policy - Jun 11, 2020 - River Cities' Reader
• Blue surgical face masks are only 10% effective in preventing COVID infection, new study finds - Aug 21, 2021 - Daily Mail UK
• Cloth Masks Are Useless Against COVID-19 - Jan 12, 2022 - Infection Control Today
• Masks Still Don’t Work: More than two years on, the best scientific evidence says that masks don’t stop Covid—and public health officials continue to ignore it. - Aug 8, 2022 - City Journal

COVID-19, Murder Hornets, Riots, Now This. EEE!

Just when you thought the COVID-19 Pandemic was ebbing, that murder hornets were an over-hyped threat, and the rioting and looting might be calming down, we get this bad news: "A Deadly Mosquito-Borne Illness Is Brewing in the Northeast." 

The Bad News: The eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus is deadly. I mean, really really really deadly. It makes the Chinese novel coronavirus look like a common cold. This excerpt from a June 10 article in One Zero sums it up (emphasis added):

There is no vaccine or known treatment for the virus, and while transmission is rare, the infection is around 400 times deadlier than the flu. Those who contract EEE will die approximately 40% of the time; those who survive often suffer neurological impairment for years to come.

CDC Lets Feverish Ebola Nurse Board Commercial Flight From Cleveland to Dallas

Ebola Nurse and Victim:
Amber Vinson

October 16, 2014 - Nurse Amber Vinson, 29, the second nurse to contract Ebola in Dallas, TX was told by a federal health staffer that it was okay to board a commercial in Cleveland on October 13. Vinson told the staffer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that she was running a fever of 99.5 Fahrenheit.  The CDC staffer considered that to be non-threatening.

According to WSBTV Atlanta, CDC spokesman David Daigle said that Vinson spoke with a CDC official responsible for monitoring her health before she boarded the flight Monday. In other words, the CDC person that Vinson spoke to knew that she was one of the people who had cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who died of Ebola eight days ago at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.  

Reuters reports that "a federal source" said that Vinson "was not told not to fly" because her slight fever was below 100.4F, the CDC's temperature threshold that would indicated infectious Ebola. But CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. John LaPook reports that Vinson called the CDC several times before boarding the plane concerned about her fever. "Nurse Vinson,  did in fact call the CDC several times before taking that flight and said she has a temperature, a fever of 99.5, and the person at the CDC looked at a chart and because her temperature wasn’t 100.4 or higher she didn’t officially fall into the category of high risk," said Dr. LaPook on the CBS Evening News.

How could the CDC not consider Vinson to be high risk, knowing that she'd had close contact with a man who just days ago died of Ebola -- and one of her own co-workers had also contracted the virus? It makes us wonder just how incompetent the CDC actually is. The CDC is now trying to contact all of the passengers who flew with Vinson on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 from Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth on Monday evening.

Fine, but why did the CDC let Vinson travel out of Dallas in the first place? Should she, and her coworkers at the Dallas hospital, have been told to not travel and been monitored during the 21-day Ebola incubation period just in case they did become infected? Which, of course, at least two did. Nina Pham, another nurse at the Dallas hospital, is currently being treated for Ebola after helping care for Duncan.

"While in Ohio," reports CBS, "Vinson visited relatives, who are employees at Kent State University.  The university is now asking Vinson’s three relatives stay off campus and self-monitor per CDC protocol for the next 21 days out of an 'abundance of caution'."

If the CDC had followed it's own  protocol, they would not now be frantically hunting down the potentially hundreds of people (the 132 on Flight 1143 plus those in airport terminals, etc.) who came in contact with Vinson  while she had a "slight fever." The CDC official displayed anything but an abundance of caution. For that matter, Nurse Vinson acted recklessly as a healthcare professional who should have acted more responsibly.

Click to enlarge

About that fever: It's a symptom of infection. The CDC official should have told Vinson to report to the nearest suitable hospital for isolation and observation. The media, in their usual, sloppy way, are reporting that Vinson boarded Frontier flight 1143 "before she became symptomatic" even as they note her fever. But fever is a symptom, so she was already symptomatic on Monday when she boarded the plane in Ohio.

NBC News reports that the CDC staffer who spoke with Vinson "looked on the agency's website for guidance," according to a spokesperson. "The category for 'uncertain risk' had guidance saying that a person could fly commercially if they did not meet the threshold of a temperature of 100.4." The spokesperson also told NBC that, "These two nurses who are infected as well as the others who cared for Duncan but were wearing protective gear — a lot of them are falling into the category of 'uncertain risk'", the spokesperson said. "She represents uncharted water for us ... She did not fall into a clear category." 

Say what? "Uncertain risk?" Not a "clear category?" A nurse, who just days ago was caring for a man dying of Ebola, projectile vomiting and highly contagious says she has a fever, but THAT'S not a "clear category?" "Medical records provided to The Associated Press by Duncan's family show Vinson inserted catheters, drew blood, and dealt with Duncan's body fluids before he died last week," says WLTX Atlanta. "It's not clear how she contracted the virus."

The Director of the CDC, Dr. Tom Frieden, said that Vinson should not have gotten on Flight 1143. CNN reports that he said, "The CDC guidance in this setting outlines the need for what is called controlled movement. That can include a charter plane, a car, but it does not include public transport," and, "We will from this moment forward ensure that no other individual who is being monitored for exposure undergoes travel in any way other than controlled movement."

A suggestion for Dr. Frieden: From this moment forward, please ensure that your staff -- and every damned hospital in America -- understands those guidelines. Frieden on Wednesday said because she had been exposed to the virus and had a low fever, she shouldn’t have boarded the flight. "So by both of those criteria, she should not have been on that plane," he said. True, but by other criteria all CDC staffers should have known this before Amber Vinson was given permission to get on that plane.  

CDC news conference, October 12, 2014

But here's the real kicker: Frieden himself is somewhat guilty of incompetence. On Sunday, the day before feverish Amber Vinson got CDC permission to fly on a commercial flight, Frieden said that the CDC "is deeply concerned" to learn that "a breach in protocol" at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas resulted in nurse Nina Pham becoming sick with Ebola. Frieden referred to "a breach in protocol," but it seems there were multiple breaches at Presbyterian.

"At some point, there was a breach in protocol," Dr. Frieden said at an Atlanta press conference on Monday. "And that breach in protocol resulted in [Nina Pham's] infection." Yes, Dr. Frieden, and your breaches have resulted in another infected nurse from that hospital getting on a plane with 132 passengers. "It is possible that other individuals were exposed," Frieden said. That was Monday. Amber Vinson flew on Monday evening. (Watch the full Oct. 12 Frieden CDC press conference.)

Knowing that the Dallas hospital violated protocol, why did Frieden not make certain that all CDC staff were up to speed on that protocol? Why did CDC not immediately track down and isolate all 50 people who known to have had contact with Duncan from the time of his first ER visit and while he was symptomatic. "There were seven other patients in the ER at Presbyterian Hospital when Duncan was first examined that are now under observation," reports Examiner.com. "Normal hygiene and good fortune may have prevented any of these people from contracting Ebola."

Amber Vinson was flown from Dallas to Atlanta on Wednesday evening for treatment at Emory University Hospital. Pray for Vinson that the staff at Emory is more competent than the fools at Texas Health Presbyterian in Dallas, which should probably be renamed "Texas Breaches of Protocol." While we're at it, let's rename the CDC the "Competence Deficiency Center."

Also See:

• How Many Duncan Caregivers Are at Risk? 'Breach of Protocol' Bloomberg
• How Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan's organs slowly failed and he begged to be put in a diaper as he lay dying Daily Mail UK
• 'Who is unprotected clipboard dude?': Man without hazmat suit transfers Dallas Ebola patient onto CDC plane (VIDEO) NY Daily News 
• 4th Ebola patient being treated at Emory University Hospital WSBTV
• Dr. Gil Mobley On Why The CDC Is 'Lying' About Ebola Fox News/YouTube 

Second Ebola Case In Dallas: Nurse Who Wore Full Protective Gear

October 12, 2014 - Another case of Ebola in the US: The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that an unidentified nurse who helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian national who died of Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas last Wednesday, has tested positive for the virus in a preliminary test in Austin, which will be double-checked by the Centers for Disease Control.

UPDATE, October 16, 2014: CDC official told feverish Ebola nurse Amber Vinson that she could take a commercial flight from Cleveland to Dallas...so she did.

A report by The Verge says that a hospital official said the nurse was "following full CDC precautions," including a mask, gloves, gown, and face shield while caring for Duncan when he arrived at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's emergency room on September 28th. At a press conference in Atlanta this morning, CDC director Tom Frieden said that "clearly, there was a breach in protocol," adding that the agency will "undertake a thorough investigation to understand how this may have happened." 

"The newly diagnosed patient was one of the nurses involved in his treatment," reports ArsTechnica. "According to the BBC, the nurse wore standard protective gear during the treatment: gown, gloves, respiratory mask, and face shield. Nevertheless, the individual began experiencing a low-grade fever, and checked into the same hospital where he or she works; the patient has been kept in isolation since. Authorities are currently preventing anyone from entering the individual's apartment pending a decontamination."

“We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility.”

A news release this morning from the Texas Department of State Health Services states the following:

A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the Ebola patient hospitalized there has tested positive for Ebola in a preliminary test at the state public health laboratory in Austin. Confirmatory testing will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The health care worker reported a low grade fever Friday night and was isolated and referred for testing. The preliminary ​test result was received late Saturday.

"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."

Health officials have interviewed the patient and are identifying any contacts or potential exposures. People who had contact with the health care worker after symptoms emerged will be monitored based on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus.

"Federal and state health officials have been tracking 48 people identified as having close or possible contact with Mr. Duncan," adds WSJ. "The number included at least seven health-care workers who had close contact with him. It wasn’t immediately clear if the ill health-care worker was one of those seven."

#Dallas Mayor says hazmat team deployed to apartment complex of Ebola patient. Team decontaminating patient's car at hospital.
— CKNW (@CKNW) October 12, 2014

Also See:
Ebola: Health care worker tests positive at Texas hospital BBC News
U.S. lacks a single standard for Ebola response USA Today
Ebola screening starts at New York's JFK airport  Reuters
Congressmen Call For Enhanced Ebola Screening At Texas Airports CBS-DFW
Majority of Americans Want Flights Banned From Ebola Countries: Survey NBC News
Ebola virus is 'mutating rapidly', experts warn Daily Mail UK
Exposing the five myths about Ebola Gulf News

FIRST IMPORTED U.S. EBOLA CASE CONFIRMED

September 30, 2014 - The worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history has officially killed more than 3,000 people in several African nations since it erupted six months ago in Guinea. Today it was confirmed that a patient with Ebola is being treated in isolation at a Dallas, Texas hospital.  The adult male entered the U.S. from Liberia 10 days ago, then checked into a hospital on Sept. 26. In a frightening turn of events, the man was sent home and not admitted until Sept. 28.  In addition, reports CBS Dallas, "the EMS crew and ambulance that was used to transport a patient now confirmed to have the Ebola virus in Dallas has been isolated."

UPDATES:

• CDC Lets Feverish Ebola Nurse Board Commercial Flight From Cleveland to Dallas 
• Second Ebola Case In Dallas: Nurse Who Wore Full Protective Gear

From Fox News (emphasis added):

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Tuesday that a patient being treated at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for Ebola, the first case diagnosed in the United States.

The patient left Liberia on September 19 and arrived in the United States on September 20, CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. It’s the first patient to be diagnosed with this particular strain of Ebola outside of Africa.

“[The patient] had no symptoms when departing Liberia or entering this country. But four or five days later on the 24th of September, he began to develop symptoms,” said Frieden.

Ebola virus

The patient, visiting family in Texas, initially sought care on September 26, but was sent home and was not admitted until two days later. He was placed in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, where he remains critically ill, according to Frieden.

“The next steps are basically threefold,” said Frieden.  “First, to care for the patient … to provide the most effective care possible as safely as possible to keep to an absolute minimum the likelihood or possibility that anyone would become affected, and second, to maximize the chances that the patient might recover,” said Frieden.

Frieden said the CDC and Texas health officials were working to identify and monitor anyone who may have come in contact with the patient.

“It's only someone who's sick with Ebola who can spread the disease,” said Frieden. “ Once those contacts are all identified, they're all monitored for 21 days after exposure to see if they develop a fever.”

2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa Distribution Map
Source: Centers for Disease Control

Ebola FAQs: Early this evening, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's parent company tweeted that they had posted a "Frequently Asked Questions about Ebola Virus" page on their website.

"The current Ebola epidemic is the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak of the disease in the history of the virus," write Kaisa Stucke and Bill O'Grady in a must-read article.

"More cases have been diagnosed and more people have died than in all the prior outbreaks combined....The countries that are most affected by the virus are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but Nigeria and Senegal have also experienced cases. Liberia has been the hardest hit, with more than half the fatalities occurring in this country."

Excerpts from Fox News:

• [Dr.] Frieden added that while it is possible that someone who had contact with the patient could develop Ebola in the coming weeks, he has no doubt the infection will be contained. At this point, he said, there is zero risk of transmission to anyone on the flight with the patient because he was not showing any symptoms at the time of travel.

• Dr. Edward Goodman, epidemiologist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas said the hospital has had a plan in place for some time now in the event that a traveler brought Ebola to the United States, noting that the team had a crisis preparedness meeting a week before the patient arrived at their facility.

• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas officials said in a statement Monday that an unnamed patient was being tested for Ebola and had been placed in "strict isolation" due to the patient's symptoms and recent travel history, and that the facility was taking measures to keep its doctors, staff and patients safe....

• People boarding planes in the outbreak zone are checked for fever, but symptoms can begin up to 21 days after exposure. Ebola isn't contagious until symptoms begin, and it takes close contact with bodily fluids to spread.

As the Ebola outbreak grew more rapidly than expected last summer, U.S. health officials began preparing "for the possibility that an individual traveler could unknowingly arrive with the infection. Health authorities have advised hospitals on how to prevent the virus from spreading within their facilities," reports ABC7 Chicago. "People boarding planes in the outbreak zone are checked for fever, but that does not guarantee that an infected person won't get through. Ebola is not contagious until symptoms begin, and it takes close contact with bodily fluids to spread."

The Centers for Disease Control calls this the "first imported case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States." CDC notes that over the past 10 years "the United States had 5 imported cases of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) diseases similar to Ebola (1 Marburg, 4 Lassa). None resulted in any transmission in the United States."

Also See:

• Traveler from Liberia is first Ebola patient diagnosed in U.S. WHBL
• As Ebola confirmed in US, CDC vows: 'We're stopping it in its tracks' Washington Post
• Investigating Ebola: How contact tracing will work in Texas WaPo
• Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease) Centers for Disease Control
• What You Need to Know about Ebola Disease Exposure Texas Health Resources
• Origins, Current Outbreak, Comparable Epidemics, And Ramifications ValueWalk
• Ebola gene study traces origin of current outbreak Medical News Today
• CDC: Ebola cases in West Africa could exceed 550,000 by January MNT

Ticks Pose Health Threat To Pets And Humans

April 22, 2014 - You can't spell "ticks" without "ick." Disgusting critters, ticks not only suck blood from your dog (and you, given the chance), they also spread dangerous diseases to both animals and humans, including Lyme disease. With warmer weather spreading across the nation, tick season is coming into full season. Removing ticks from your pet can be difficult, but Jennifer Kvamme, DVM has some helpful tips.

Identify ticks at tickinfo.com

"It’s no fun having to remove ticks from your dog during the spring and summer months," writes Dr. Kvamme at Philly.com. "Not only are these blood-suckers nasty to look at, all filled up with your pet’s hard won blood as they are, they are also notoriously difficult to dislodge, making it so you have to get up close and personal in order to assure success. Because left too long or not removed entirely, these buggers can cause some serious diseases. So, what can you do to keep your dog tick-free this season?" Dr. Kvamme looks at spot-on treatments, oral medications, shampoos, tick dips and tick collars. Read the full article at Philly.com.

Cats Too: Ticks love your feline friends, as well. Ticks can jump from one animal to another. As noted by The Humane Society, "Don't limit tick checks to your canine family members. Dogs can't directly transmit tick-borne illnesses to people, but ticks can move from host to host. A tick may enter your home on your dog's back and move on to another pet or human, or a tick could hitch a ride on you and then move on to one of your pets. A good tick prevention strategy includes checking all family members for these parasites, especially after outdoor activities in wooded, leafy, or grassy areas."

Also See:

• How to Properly Remove Ticks: Common Myths and Foolproof Methods VetStreet
• Ticks that carry Lyme disease infecting more dogs, report says Today.com
• Preventing Ticks On Your Pets CDC, and Tick-Borne Diseases Of The U.S. CDC
• Man finds dog covered with 100 ticks after Easter walk through underbrush The Republic
• Scientists discover unnamed disease carried by deer ticks Republican Herald
• Beware of Wood Ticks Valley Journal
• Basic Tick Identification TickInfo.com
• How Ticks Spread Lyme Bay Area Lyme
• Lyme Disease In Pets PetMD

The Deadly Ignorance of Hepatitis

August 3, 2013 - The World Hepatitis Alliance is calling for "urgent attention" to help fight viral hepatitis worldwide, which it says kills as many as does HIV/AIDS. Despite this alarming claim, "the great majority of countries have no programmes in place to tackle it." Tragically, ignorance of hepatitis greatly contributes to the number of deaths caused by the disease itself.

More people, both the public and the healthcare community, need to become aware of hepititis. According to Hepatitis Foundation International, "An estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis; most do not know they are infected. Most do not know HOW they were infected. About 80,000 new infections occur each year."

Video from World Heptatitis Alliance

Ignorance Kills: Far too many policymakers, health workers and members of the public are ignorant of hepatitis, how to prevent its spread, and how to treat it.

"Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "An estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis; most do not know they are infected." NewsMedical reports that "The Global Burden of Disease study released last year in the Lancet shows that viral hepatitis was responsible for almost 1.45 million deaths in 2010, the same as HIV/AIDS and significantly more than TB or Malaria. Despite this enormous annual death toll, leaders in global health consistently leave it off their agendas." It is astounding that such a serious disease remains so ignored. 

The World Hepatitits Alliance has some easy ways for you to get involved and help raise awareness. WHA points out these alarming facts:

• Viral hepatitis was responsible for almost 1.45 million deaths in 2010, the same as HIV/AIDS and significantly more than TB or Malaria
• 500 million people are living with chronic viral hepatitis. Hepatitis B and C are ‘silent’ viruses, because people may experience no symptoms
• If left untreated, hepatitis B or C can lead to advanced liver scarring, liver cancer or liver failure

Being infected with certain types of the hepatitis virus can cause hepatitis and increase the risk of liver cancer. (Source: National Cancer Institute)

Hepatitis is most commonly caused by the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation (swelling) of the liver. Damage to the liver from hepatitis that lasts a long time can increase the risk of liver cancer.

There are six types of the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV) are the three most common types. These three viruses cause similar symptoms, but the ways they spread and affect the liver are different. The Hepatitis A vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine prevent infection with hepatitis A and hepatitis B. There is no vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis C. If a person has had one type of hepatitis in the past, it is still possible to get the other types. Read more about the six types of hepatitis...

Also See:
Global policy report on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis World Hepatitis Alliance
World Hepatitis Alliance calls for urgent action to address viral hepatitis News-Medical.net
Hepatitis C on the rise among [baby] boomers ... Sun-Sentinel
Early detection and treatment key to fighting hepatitis... The National UAE
Stigma And Ignorance Hinder The Fight Against Hepatitis MedicalTV.eu
Hepatitis C: Why Baby Boomers Should Get Tested (pdf) CDC.gov

Terrorists Suspected of Spreading Anthrax in Bangladesh

Authorities in Bangladesh and neighboring India (map) fear that anthrax is being deliberately spread in Bangladesh. It is widespread and spreading fast. Very fast. "The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed on Thursday [Sept. 9, 2010] that 447 people in eight districts had been infected with anthrax in the last three weeks. IEDCR virologist A.S.M. Alamgir said treatment facilities had been made available in all affected areas and claimed more than half the infected people had already been cured." More at The Hindu... As of Sept. 10, the total has risen to 479 people who are know to be infected. The outbreak began on August 18 in the Sirajganj district of central Bangladesh (map) contracted anthrax by consuming beef from infected cattle. Blitz Magazine (online) reports that "Eight districts have confirmed human and cattle anthrax infections and meat consumption ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid. Health officials in Bangladesh have described the Anthrax outbreak as biggest in country's history. The disease was first detected last month in northwestern Sirajganj district, where 38 villagers reportedly became infected after consuming beef from sickened cows, the news agency reported. It then spread to neighboring districts... But Is This Terrorism? Blitz: "Counter-terrorism experts fear that, Anthrax germs might have been intentionally put on animals in certain areas in Bangladesh by one or few of the separatist and militancy groups to create a massive headache for the current government in Bangladesh. It is also suspected that the spread of Anthrax might have connection with trial of war criminals in the country, which has already put Islamist group like Jamaat-E-Islami into visible offensives from the government. A number of top ranking Jamaat leaders are already behind the bar and books of spiritual guide of this Islamist group, Moulana Abul Ala Moududi have already been banned in Bangladesh." This is not the first time that Bangladesh has had an outbreak of anthrax. In April, 2010 there was a small group of 11 people who became infected. The suspected cause in that case was a diseased cow. According to The Daily Star (Dhaka, Bangladesh), "All the patients were attacked with the disease at Gala village in Ghatail upazila. Villagers said, Sujat Ali slaughtered one his sick cows and processed the meat with the help of his family members and several neighbours on April 6 last and distributed the meat among his relatives and others." The huge scale of the current outbreak, with nearly 500 people infected, is suspicious and provides reason to suspect terrorism. Then again, it may simply be that a number of infected cows were slaughtered and sold as meat. BioPrepWatch.com reports that the cause "was traced to anthrax-affected cows that were sold for meat to nearby villagers. All of the reported infections so far have been cutaneous [on the skin] and no deaths have been reported." A big part of the problem is the "jurisdictional mess" and "inspector shortage" in Bangladesh. In another article, The Daily Star reported that "the government directed livestock department officials to remain on highest alert to prevent spread of anthrax," but it's not working as it should becasue "the efforts seem to be dogged down by a lack of proper coordination among different relevant agencies, and an acute shortage of veterinary inspectors." RELATED: Bangladesh anthrax spreads, public panics Dawn.com Anthrax free meat sale strengthened in Magura‎ The Daily Star The History of Bio-Terrorism: Anthrax (video) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention START Social History of Anthrax www.start.umd.edu/start/research Anthrax infections in Bangladesh top 479 BioPrepWatch.com

Milwaukee Lines up for Government Flu Shots

With the shortage of H1N1 "swine" flu vaccine, Milwaukee residents risked pneumonia standing in the cold rain waiting for their dose.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that "As the Milwaukee Health Department gears up for its first public swine flu clinic Friday, the beginning of what is expected to be the largest mass vaccination in decades, city officials and metro area health departments say they are facing a shortage of the vaccine."

Welcome, as the man's sign says, to government health care. People waiting in cold rain to get a shot that might protect them against a flu bug, all the while risking pneumonia from the weather. People panicking because (gasp!) one thousand people have died nationwide from H1N1 flu. Keep in mind that that's only 20 per state averaged, and that in a normal year some 30,000 people die of a variety of flu strains. To panic over 1,000 deaths so far is absurd, and the picture of government health care in action - long lines, a shortage of vaccination, confusion and inconvenience - is just plain frightening.

Swine Flu H1N1 and Fascist Martial Law

Here we go. Watch these two shocking videos, and remember: Just because you might be paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you. Conservative Hats & Shirts Leave a Comment - Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Visit us on Twitter!

Is Swine Flu Vaccination Safe? (Don't Panic)

Even as the Obama Administration tries to stoke the overblown Swine Flu "crisis," the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells Americans to calm down. Concerned groups, such as the National Vaccine Information Center, warn about the dangers of the swine flu vaccine (videos above and below).

The White House released an idiotic report "from a group of presidential advisers that included a scenario in which as much as half the population could catch the H1N1 virus, and death possibilities ranged from 30,000 to 90,000," according to an August 27 article in the Washington Post. What the White House DOESN'T tell you is that influenza typically kills around 35,000people every year. Another thing that the White House is not saying is that the real experts, the ones at the CDC, are downplaying Obama's attempts to instill panic, as the Washington Post notes: "We don't think that's the most likely scenario," CDC flu specialist Anne Schuchat said of the presidential advisers' high-end tally. What is likely: A busy flu season that starts earlier than usual, Schuchat told the Associated Press. The video below warns people against taking the government-supplied H1N1/Swine Flu vaccination. WATCH IT. Also see Swine Flu Vaccine Should Not Be Given to Children in Schools (CBS News). RELATED: The Fake Crises of Global Warming and Swine Flu Swine Flu? How About These Killers... No Panic in Rogers Park, Just Stupidity H1N1 Swine Flu Facts (at http://www.nvic.org/) Cool Hats & Shirts for Cool Conservatives Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

The Fake Crises of Global Warming and Swine Flu

By now, you've probably had a good chuckle over the hysteria about the predicted swine flu "pandemic." Hands gripping both sides of their heads, mouths open wide in a scream of alarm, health officials an government spokespersons worldwide warned that we're all gonna die. The Great Swine Flu Scare of 2009 had its opening night, so to speak, and it failed at the box office. No pandemic, no sign of one. Remember the avian flu ("bird" flu) scare that started several years ago? That one didn't fly either. Then there's the "crisis" of Global Warming. The difference between global warming and the current swine flu: The swine flu, although not the pandemic it was advertised as, actually existed and not merely theoretical. Global warming, on the other hand, is still theoretical. The theory behind it is flawed and growing more discredited every day. An editorial in Investors Business Daily (IBD), on May 26, skewers the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, which is yet another attempt by alarmists to scare us into compliance and further their agendas of gaining increased power and bigger budgets to control. Here's an excerpt from IBD (emphasis added): The public is told that climate change legislation is urgently needed to save the planet. But the evidence that the global warming scare is all about power and politics, not the environment, keeps piling up. The Waxman-Markey climate change bill that would establish a regime to limit carbon dioxide emissions through a cap-and-trade system was passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week. IBD goes on to ask this: If global warming were a grave threat, wouldn't getting a CO2 emissions restriction law passed and signed take precedence over lawmakers' objections on behalf of their constituents? The fact that.... so many Democrats would rather have no bill than to let it become law without input from the Agriculture Committee exposes the global warming scare: It's not about the environment — it's about power and politics. Truth can be so inconvenient when trying to get power, but politics can often obscure the truth. Hundreds of millions of people have had the wool pulled over their eyes regarding global warming, but the wool shows signs of fraying. If you're looking for scientific discussion about this, with real scientists who dispute the Al Gore-style propaganda, there are two essential global warming videos that must be seen. Global warming theory has become so discredited that many who claimed it was real have actually stopped using the term. Now, they call it "climate change," a safe generic term that allows them wiggle room in the face of reality. That reality is this: The world has not warmed over the past ten years as predicted. By my recollection, Al Gore predicted a few years ago that Miami would be under water by 2011, and that doesn't seem imminent. Now, many of the same scientists who pushed the global "warming" nonsense are actually saying that we're undergoing global "cooling." In fact, there are now 32000 scientists who do not agree with the global warming “consensus," and that number keeps growing. Along with Weather Channel founder John Coleman, over 30,000 scientists are trying to sue Al Gore for fraud. It's all a tacit admission by the "global warming" crowd that it's nothing more than fraud, a hoax perpetrated for political purposes. It's simple, really. Convince enough people that there is a crisis (any crisis), and they're more willing to let the government take more money to "solve" the crisis, and to impose more government rules and control over just about anything to "save" us. RELATED: Waxman-Markey Bill Is Most Anti-Consumer Legislation Ever ... DailyTech - Temperature Monitors Report Widescale Global Cooling The Global Warming Myth? - ABC News Power Line - Dispelling the Global Warming Myth Video: The Great Global Warming Swindle Video: CBC - Global Warming Doomsday Called Off Video: Glenn Beck Interviews John Coleman, Founder of Weather Channel Video: Glenn Beck on Global Warming Bullies Video: See Al Gore's Hypocrisy! Related items from Chicago News Bench: Hypocritical Energy Efficiency Workshop... Environmental McCarthyism NASA: Global Warming is "Natural" Methane Madness and the Idiocy of Experts A Few Experts Comment on Inconvenient Truth The Earth Is Flat Leave a Comment... CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Kilmer to Reopen Wednesday, May 6

Kilmer Elementary was shut down on April 29 when a female student there was suspected of having swine flu (influenza strain A9-H1N1). Kilmer is a Chicago government-run school in Rogers Park's 40th Ward, just south of W. Pratt on N. Greenview. Sullivan High School, another government school, is next door to Kilmer but remained open during the Great Rogers Park Flu Panic of 2009. Lake Shore School, a privately run facility half a block from Kilmer, also remained open. (Also see the video about swine flu, below the related items.) RELATED: Chicago school set to reopen after swine flu case - KWQC 6 - May 5, 2009 - Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond says Kilmer Elementary School on the city's North Side will reopen on Wednesday... Schools closed for swine flu set to re-open - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune - May 5, 2009 - Classes will resume at Kilmer Elementary School, 6700 N. Greenview Ave., after officials shut the school down last Wednesday... CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Hamthrax, Aporkalypse, Snoutbreak, Porkinson's and Hamdemic

Gallows humor, or hamless (I mean, harmless) fun? TinaTonic posted her "fave new terms" for swine flu: hamthrax, aporkalypse, snoutbreak, porkinson's and hamdemic. Tina also noted that Twitter is "a FUNNY PLACE," and admitted that she got the list from fellow tweeter alisonwaring. You can see the thousands of swine flu postings ("tweets") at the "#swineflu" group on Twitter. Some are hysterically funny, some are bad attempts at being funny, and some are serious tweets with news updates. You don't have to be a member to view it. Just click here. CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Swine Flu? How About These Killers...

Suppose that 1,000 people die of "swine flu" in the United States. Panic time? Nah. It's just par for the course, you see. At the end of April 30, only one swine flu-related death has been reported in the U.S. Death is all around us, always waiting, and there are many ways to die. Swine flu is just one little second-string player on a very large team of expert killers. From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), here is a list of "Leading Causes of Death" (for the U.S.). Notice how many died of influenza/pneumonia. Number of deaths for leading causes of death (in U.S.): Heart disease: 652,091 Cancer: 559,312 Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 143,579 Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 130,933 Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,809 Diabetes: 75,119 Alzheimer's disease: 71,599 Influenza/Pneumonia: 63,001 Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 43,901 Septicemia: 34,136 Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2005, Table C More data: Deaths, percent of total deaths, and death rates for the 15 leading causes of death: United States and each State Deaths: Leading Causes for 2004 CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

No Panic in Rogers Park, Just Stupidity

Is there panic in Rogers Park, Chicago? That's where the first known case of the virus in Illinois caused Kilmer Elementary to be closed yesterday morning (April 29). The short answer: Not really. The longer answer: Yes, but only among a handful of people, and their panic is being fueled by sensationalizing blog posts and small cadre of serial blog commenters. I've been holding back on any real commentary about the "swine flu" in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago until all of the facts have been settled. As of 5:00 p.m. today (April 30), there are just over 40 "probable" cases of swine flu in Illinois. A total of eight Chicago-area schools are now closed in response to known or suspected swine flu cases (source: ABC7 Chicago). There is still only one known case in Rogers Park as far as I can tell from scanning news reports. One single case. Let me correct that. A single known case of one of many strains of influenza. 36,000 Americans die every year of various strains of influenza. Even as the sick Kilmer student was hospitalized yesterday (and we wish her well), there is an unknown number of people in Rogers Park who have some strain of flu or, for that matter, another communicable disease. HIV, for example, or tuberculosis. Of the 60,000 people who are tightly packed into that 2-square mile neighborhood, a single case of influenza should be no cause for panic. I visited Rogers Park on the evening of April 29, the day Kilmer was closed. I walked around and spoke with people at random on the streets. The foot traffic seemed to be normal, with plenty of people walking around. I lived a block and a half north of Kilmer Elementary for 10 years, until last October. I know the neighborhood and its traffic patterns, its feel and its general attitude. By 6:00 p.m., everyone in the neighborhood was aware of the Kilmer flu case. Nobody, not a single person that I spoke with, could be described as being in a state of panic. I saw one girl, perhaps 14 years old, walking with two friends about two blocks from Kilmer, at Pratt and Glenwood. She wore a green surgical mask. Her friends did not, and I saw nobody else wearing a mask or, for that matter, gloves. As I walked around Kilmer Elementary just past 6:00 p.m., a lonley Channel 7 news crew was packing up their gear. The big press conference was that morning at 7:00, when media and media whores gathered to sensationalize and capitalize on the solitary flu case. The crew that I saw had returned to to a live standup report outside of the school. Fear and sensationalism gets viewers, and Channel 7 is in the business of getting viewers. Lake Shore Schools (preschool and grade school) sits at the corner of Glenwood and Pratt, have a block from Kilmer. I spoke with someone at LSS as the staff was leaving. She showed no signs of panic, and said they're keeping an eye on the situation but had no immediate plans to close. LSS is a private school. They have signs on all of their doors that say, "All adults and children must wash their hands" as they enter the school. (Click to enlarge it.) So is one of the local bloggers, Craig Gernhardt, who has been breathlessly posting update after breathless update about the Kilmer case. Since the morning of April 29, he has posting 24 "updates" on the situation (when I looked at 5:50 p.m., April 30). That averages one update every 85 minutes; more often, really, since update #24 came well before 5:50 p.m. today. To be fair, much of what he's written has been tongue-in-cheek. For example, "Furthermore, [49th Ward Alderman] Joe Moore is leading the charge to create an ordinance banned [sic] swine flu in Chicago. After going though [sic] a few committee hearings, the swine flu ban is expected to reach a full city council vote in November." Y'okay, ha ha. Gernhardt cornered Ald. Moore on video on the 29th. Kilmer Elementary is just south of Moore's 49th Ward border, but there he was, jumping in front of every TV camera in the neighborhood, whoring for exposure. and asks him a very good question: "Why are you concerned about this when you've had a couple murders in the past six months in your ward? Shouldn't murders be as much of an issue as swine flu in the 40th Ward?" One of those murders was right outside of Moore's own ward service office at Jarvis and Greenview. Moore's answer: "Clearly this is a public health issue and it's important to get the information out." Moore is well known as a hypocrite to residents of his ward. He seems to be saying that a rash of murders, not to mention the endemic narcotics street trade in the 49th Ward, are not public health concerns. Although he rushed out to get on camera at Kilmer, Moore never rushes out to the scene of a murder. He never stands vigil on any corners known to be hot spots of gang activity or drug sales. Judging from his actions, Joe Moore is indeed more interested a single case of influenza than in the greater, longer-term effects of crack sales, murder, prostitution, robbery, sex offenses, kidnapping, and... the list is endless. If only the victims of those crimes were suffering from a bout of influenza. Perhaps then Mr. Moore would show some public sympathy for them. Maybe, but only if he could be guaranteed that television crews would be there. Moore and the Chicago City Council happily allow unregulated, uninspected vendors to sell their unrefrigerated food from filthy plywood carts on the streets of Rogers Park. But a case of flu in a neighboring ward? Now that's a public health issue. There is now at least one more suspected case of swine flu in Rogers Park. Loyola University's campus in Rogers Park is just a few blocks from Kilmer Elementary. After Moore was done whoring his media time, "officials at Loyola University Chicago announced later in the day that one Loyola student, a 20-year-old male who lived on campus, had probably contracted swine flu." (Source) It is "suspected," not yet confirmed. Only the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta can officially declare it to be a particular strain of influenza, and testing can take from 24 to 72 hours. Mayor Daley is another hypocrite in the whole swine flu hype, too. Vice President Joe Biden was criticized by Daley for a comment he made on NBC News' Today show on April 30. "I would tell members of my family, and I have, 'I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now,''' Biden said (source). Now, far be for me to agree with Joe Biden, but that comment seems like good advice. Yet Mayor Daley, the man who is ordering entire schools shut down because of individual cases of influenza, criticized Biden for saying that. Daley's response was self-contradictory. "We all have to get to work. I mean, we’d be staying out of our cars. We’d be staying out of subways, out of elevators – how about elevators? No, no, no. You have to remember – we have to … use some common sense." (source). Uh, yes, and Biden's advice was good common sense. If you don't have to be in a closed, confined space, don't be. We all have to get to work, Daley tells us. That's easy for him to say - the anti-gun mayor has armed security people to chauffeur him anywhere he wants to go. Daley doesn't need to worry about catching anything on a bus or subway. But what if you get sick? Or what if you're afraid that many others around you might be ill - and contagious? It makes sense, under such circumstances, to take a car instead of public transit if you can, or take the steps up a flight or two instead of an elevator. Daley has no problem, apparently, with you or your child catching the flu on a CTA train or bus, or in an elevator. Just don't catch it in a public school. Meanwhile, everyone who has come in contact with the Loyola student or the 12-year old at Kilmer are free to ride in crowded elevators, subway cars, or stroll through crowded shopping malls. Should they be stopped? No, and in that regard Daley is right and it exposes the lie that all the hype about this version of swine flu really is. This all reminds of me a quote by local boy Rahm Emanuel, a good friend of Joe Biden. Emanuel said, "It's important not to let a crisis go to waste." (Source) That applies to any crisis, I suppose, whether it's real, manufactured, or greatly exaggerated. The weird thing is that nobody seems to taking any great advantage of the "crisis" of pending pandemic swine flu except for some of the pharmaceutical companies, and they've essentially been given marching orders by government. So, if this "crisis" really is a crisis, it seems that the politicians are letting it go to waste. Why not just declare martial law now and order us all to wear masks under threat of summary execution? Why no drastic measures for what they keep saying is a drastic situation? It makes no sense. If the government is so concerned with this health care "crisis," and if it's really about to become a pandemic, as the World Health Organization (WHO) is now warning, why are people not being quarantined? I am not advocating quarantining, but if the government truly believes this to be such a threat, then why are they not using that option? Why are people like Mayor Daley not praising Joe Biden for his comment, and even urging citizens to avoid unnecessary trips on public transportation? The short answer: It's all B.S. It's not really the big deal they say it is. It's just another wave of flu, but it's a great opportunity for camera face time and, by God, it sure sells a lot of newspapers. Oh, and Big Pharma is loving this, too. As I walked around Rogers Park, I spotted two youngster sitting on some steps behind Kilmer Elementary. Two boys, about 14 or 15 years old, chatting after dinner. I asked them if they knew about the school being closed. They did. I asked if they were scared by all the talk of the swine flu. "I'm not scared," one said with smile, "maybe a little bit worried, but I wash my hands." "Are you washing your hands more now than before this swine flu?" I asked him. "No," he said, "I always wash my hands. That's just good hygiene. People should wash their hands." His friend was nodding as he said this. Perhaps Joe Biden should have just suggested hand washing. RELATED: State labs: US swine flu cases likely higher Cases of swine flu suspected in Rogers Park and at Loyola More than 40 probable swine flu cases reported in Illinois More schools close, swine flu cases pass 100 Transportation agencies voice frustration over Biden's remarks Ben Goldacre: Swine flu and hype – a media illness Comment is ... Egyptian farmers forced to kill swine herds CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter