NEW BIRD FLU STRAIN KILLS 3 IN CHINA
photo: bbc
A new avian flu strain, previously unknown, has been detected in three Chinese, two of which have died and the third one is in critical condition.
The first two victims fell ill in February and have since died. They were 27 and 87 years old.
The third person, a woman, is 35 years old.
So far, there is no evidence of person to person infection, but the source of the virus remains unknown.
Two of the people infected are from the Shanghai area, while the third is from Chuzhou province.
All three manifested their illness with severe coughing, and pneumonia.
The new strain has been labeled H7N9, and it is a virus that was not thought to have been transmitted to humans before, signaling a possible break in the zoonotic barrier.
The team studying the strain is testing its virality, i.e. its human to human transmission ability.
Most avian flu viruses are not able to infect humans.
Source: BBC 3.31.13
SEA LIONS DIE-OFF ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST A MYSTERY : SEA LION PUPS TURNING UP DEAD OR STARVING BY THE HUNDREDS.
Something is killing sea lions again. But this time it's not all the sea lions, just the pups.
In the past there have been die-offs due to poisonous algal blooms that release a potent toxin into the water which damages the sea lion's nervous system.
But this time, the adults seem to be fine, whereas the newborns are either dead or emaciated. And no one knows why. They are also dying in such large numbers that NOOA has declared 2012 a year of 'unusual mortality'.
The death toll is so high that scientists think that as many as 45% of the pups have died this year. Sea lion pups are weaned in the month of April customarily.
The pups are also nearly emaciated weighing in at about 17 kilos, which is almost half of the 27 kilos they usually weigh in at by this time of the year.
The pups are also swimming long distances to get to the mainland and that makes the situation much worse, due to the fact that they come in with less body fat and dehydrated.
The numbers so far are staggering. Since the beginning of the year, almost 1,000 pups had to be rescued. Most of them off the waters of Los Angeles county all the way to Ventura county.
One of the things that scientists are looking at is the supply of anchovies and sardines, which has plummeted this year. If the supply of this vital link of the food chain plummets, the mothers are not able to fatten themselves up sufficiently to provide milk for their pups.
Another important food for the sea lions are squids.
So far the scientists have not found any chemical or toxin that could have contaminated the sea lion population.
Things could get much worse in April when the actual weaning begins.
Souce: IndipendentUK 3.30.13
INVESTOR FLIGHT FROM EUROPE FEARS AFTER CYPRUS BANKING DEBACLE
Just when the dust seemed to settle in Cyprus and everyone was tending to their respective wounds, a warning has been issued by Brussels on the unintended consequence of Cyprus' austerity and banking measures.
The banking regulations and levies have sparked terror in the European continent. People, already worried about the declining fortunes of the countries in the Euro Zone, fear both similar levies on their bank accounts and the possibility, quite real, that the Euro will plummet both because of the Cyprus debt, but also because of the foreseeable recessions and depressions of some of the countries in that union that have high debt loads.
The flight of capital is nothing new. Many of the Euro countries adhered to the unified currency as a way, among other things, to stop some of the citizens from seeking to invest in a stronger currency.
The solution reached by the Cypriot government, that is to tax wealthier account holders up to 40% of their money, is scary enough to send most people abroad with their hard earned money. The destruction of trust that the measures have wrought are unforgivable to some in the financial sector.
To make matters worse, the Euro group president, Jeroen Dijsselbloem asserted that the measures adopted in Cyprus should or could be applied to the entire Euro zone in the future.
There seems to be a disconnect between the banking powers ruling the Euro currency and the population. Is it really coming to pass that governments in trouble will resolve part of their banking problems by taking what is most definitely not theirs?
Even as the European Parliament is trying to enact regulations that would curb the bank's irresponsible behavior there are, in some of the planning, concessions to future levies for the wealthiest investors.
Under the current Euro policy, private creditors do not have to cover banking imbalances until 2008. But in Germany some of the Bundesbank board members would like to see these measures anticipated, as soon as 2015.
source: Spiegelonline 3.30.13
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)