News from Aotearoa/New Zealand and the Pacific Islands

This doesn't qualify as news, so I hope no one minds, but it is specific to Pacific Islands.

Does anyone remember the Hong Kong flu from the late '60's? Lots of people all around the world got sick with it. Many died.

I was living in the Marshall Islands in the late '60's. In '68, basically 75% of the Atoll got very sick, myself included. It was pretty bad. Some Marshallese died.

To cut to the chase, it turns out that in '68, the US may have experimented with an aerosoled germ agent on the Marshall Islands. Don't know if it's true, but I've seen a couple sources recently that referenced the experiment/test. I cannot help but wonder if what I was sick with was not the Hong Kong flu.

Nothing to do with ME/CFS, but the kid in me 50 years later kinda likes the cool factor - even though it was most likely just the Hong Kong flu that had me puking and wishing I were dead for close to a week, and not an "I Spy" subplot.

 

Wiki gives this regarding Project SHAD

With boat crews in sealed quarters, an airplane sprayed the path with the select agents F. tularensis and Coxiella burnetti (the cause of Q fever). Four years later, in 1968, a similar US test was conducted near Eniwetok, another Pacific atoll, using Staphylococcal enterotoxin B, a cause of debilitating illness. The tests were part of Project SHAD: Shipboard Hazards and Defenses.

EDIT the F stands for Franciscella. The bacterium is the cause of tularemia, an often fatal condition if untreated.

 

Eniwetok is a Marshall Island! It's like living in a Tom Clancy novel, in a silly and not-so-much kind of way.lol

The US did a lot of Biowarfare research through the '50's and '60's. Ironically, supposedly Nixon put a stop to it around 1970 - but I don't think anyone really believes it's stopped. It's just not officially sanctioned I suppose.

 

@dave30th, another notch on the "LP is backed by published research" belt. Predictably that was the aim, for the circular reasoning to build upon itself.

 

Totally not a cult, though.

 

Or maybe they just felt "a fresh and new way" sounded more convincing than "pseudo-scientific"?

 

I am not on FB. Thanks to whoever for making it possible for me to see these anyway, without having to have a FB identity.

 

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

 

I have a well-meaning friend who was helped by The Switch. Like great for her but I’m left thinking, “Honey, your dr might have called it CFS but really all that means is you have no idea because now you think you know what ME/CFS is and that it’s easily cured.” But of course I won’t say that.... or at least not that bluntly.

 

I find the argument "my illness is different from their illness" quite effective, backed up by this study where only 1/3 of doctor-diagnosed CFS/ME patients met ICC criteria (which I do), meaning 2/3 did not. Mind you I've never had to argue directly with another ME patient, only with well-meaning friends and family citing testimonials and hearsay.

https://www.dovepress.com/epidemiol...memyalgic-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CLEP

 

Thanks @Ravn that confirms a suspicion of mine. My GP diagnosed me by what he ruled out (though he has actively encouraged me to consult with Dr Vallings) so it would come as no surprise many are misdiagnosed. I basically just confirmed the diagnosis through research and digging and comparing notes with others with long-term ME. And I still hold out the possibility we might be wrong but that suspicion is fading. What criteria does solvecfs use for their self test?
I believe The Switch claims about 80% success rate with CFS. It sounds like you’re saying 66% of patients diagnose with CFS wouldn’t meet the criteria for ME/CFS. Then let’s consider that PwME might be deterred by attending a seminar due to anticipated PEM. Add on those who would be suspect of another promise of a cure which presumes stress/emotional/psychological problems are sustaining the condition. I could be convinced that the math might add up to only about 20% or less of people presenting to the program as CFS sufferers actually having ME.

 

Yes the info is not perfect at all. But the good thing is that we have a fieldworker for this area. I am really happy about that. And that was not always the case.

 

These people seem to be cropping up all the time no matter how hard you try to do something about it. It really disturbs me. Why won't they just go away...sigh

 

When is the second round coming up? I can't remember. I am referring to the round after the first submission.

 

Really good posters! Thanks.

 

There was at one time in Oregon USA a brain bank that would accept donations from anybody. But you have to arrange for your own funeral expenses and transport. This is at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland Oregon, US

 

As far as I know only one DHB in Auckland had been able to use those guidelines. Apparently there is money involved for the various DHB's to adapt them at this point. And not all DHB's have been able to pay what is necessary

 

Yes apparently we were only able to get space in The Star in Dunedin. But there was a good article in there written by Prof. Warren Tate.

 

Oh how disappointing that you can no longer see the article written by Prof Warren Tate. It was very good.

 

If you remind me, maybe I can find a way. But all I seem to have is a link to the article originally published by the Star. But remind me and I will try to find out from Heather at MEISS. Sorry but I need reminders!