Some U.S. health officials are beginning to question why the U.S. strain of West Nile virus is deadlier to humans and birds than anywhere else on the planet with the exception of Israel.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />This is by far the worst human toll anywhere in the world at any time since the virus' discovery in Uganda in 1937.<br /> <br />U.S. health officials believe the West Nile virus has mutated into an illness far deadlier to human beings in the United States but they don't know why.<br /> <br />Interestingly, the U.S. strain appears almost identical to only one other strain in the world the one found in Israel. <br />.<br />.<br />.<br />In most parts of the world where it has surfaced, the virus typically causes illness akin to the flu, bringing fever, headache, muscle aches and fatigue unpleasant, but rarely fatal. The virus has not even proven fatal to all birds in other parts of the world. But the U.S. strain appears nearly 100 percent fatal to birds. They usually die within five days.<br /> <br />Once again, this has caused some health officials and scientists, as well as intelligence sources, to wonder if West Nile Virus is not a weaponized virus one perhaps deliberately engineered and delivered to the two biggest targets of Islamic terrorism.<br /> <br />Israel was the first place in the world where West Nile virus was associated with killing birds. Until that outbreak in 1997, the virus was known to sicken birds, but not fatally. <br />.<br />.<br />.<br />While it is well-known that WNV is of Middle East origin, what is less well-known is the New Yorker report dating back to 2000 in which Saddam Hussein was quoted by a defector referring to "his final weapon, developed in laboratories outside Iraq ... free of U.N. inspection, the laboratories will develop strain SV 141 of the West Nile virus." There is also a report that the Centers for Disease Control actually sent WNV samples to Iraq in 1985.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />--------<br />You can read the whole story here:<br /><br /> http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38623
That was one of the straws too many for me to bear any longer- got out of the biz. Note- the practices of the biz did improve somewhat, but it was illegal for employees of medical establishments to know who was infected with HIV, and even many times hepatitis. Used to be considered good medicine to provide an isolation area to prevent cross contamination. Techniques improved but it would have been reasonable medicine to use normal isolation prtotcol for anyone with a contageous bloodborne pathogen. It was morally wrong for politics to have overridden medicine inside the clinics and hospitals. Innocent caregivers were injured and died as a result, particularly early on. CDC lost much of its clout because the politicians were catering to the few very loud mouthed whiners. It had been our intent to provide EVERYONE the best quality personalized care possible regardless. That became much more difficult when the politics of the day got involved. Hopefully CDC can get past this somehow, this time.