It is a swine

The swine influenza virus isolated from patients in the United States was found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses – North American Mexican influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe. Rather difficult to assume that this occured other than in a laboratory somewhere!

However, as the virus has not yet been isolated in animals to date and also for historical naming reasons, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) suggests it be called "North-American influenza".On April 30, 2009 the World Health Organization began referring to the outbreak as "Influenza A (H1N1)" instead of "swine flu" (Copyright. Wikipedia)

A virus contains two proteins: H - Hemagglutinin and N - Neuraminidase. Both proteins must find receptors on human cells to utilize them to replicate.

So how does one disable say neuraminidase? Easy take a drug such as Tamiflu. One small problem is that your Government need to have first bought it, have it in stock before its date expires, prescribe it to you, and get it to you – all within 48 hours of your going down with flu.

Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu an Algerian that emigrated to Israel in 1974 seems comfortable and grandmotherly, not the type you usually associate with the frontline of research into a potential pandemic. On the other hand, however, Dr. Mumcuoglu is clearly a very determined woman who has turned a lifetime of research into the health benefits of elderberry, an old folk remedy for influenza, into a clinically proven treatment for regular flu. Now, new in-vitro tests have proved that her remedy, the elderberry-based Sambucol, also appears to be effective against avian flu.Last week, Retroscreen Virology, a leading British medical research institute associated to Queen Mary College, University of London, announced that Sambucol was at least 99% effective against the avian flu virus, H5N1, and in cell cultures significantly neutralized the infectivity of the virus.
So how is elderberry effective against A – H1N1? Answer: It disables the protein neuraminidase. Sambucal is a trade name taken from the Latin root name for elderberry.

I have no connection with the manufacturers but thought that you might like to know and perhaps look them up on the Internet and do your own research and decide whether purchase is a good bet or not. But do remember that drugs expire. Now there is a thought - when did your Government buy its stock of Tamiflu?

Just think would they purchase more if the last purchase went unused!

Lucinda Ball

05/01/2009