The numbers seem to vary, but Texas has had over 1K flu deaths this season. I do internal affairs investigations in county jails and many times the jails are on quarantine, or close to it, due to how widespread the flu is. Those areas are breading grounds for the flu and I am lucky I have not caught it yet with how often I am in facilities.

Actually worse Normin. Sorry you and others are exposed to jail pops. Texas has some of the worst flu in the US.

....from Dept. Health yesterday...
There have been 2,300 flu deaths in Texas this season, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, and that number is expected to climb.

While the 2017-2018 flu season is nearly half over, it doesn't show much sign of slowing down, and officials continue to encourage people to get a flu shot. The flu season typically runs from October to May.

The flu death count doesn’t include many January deaths because it takes several weeks for the state to receive that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DSHS uses the information from death certificates provided by the CDC to determine flu deaths.

“We’ll get another batch back sometime this week so that number will go up and it will go up fairly drastically because it will have another couple of weeks of data in it,” said Lara Anton, a DSHS spokeswoman.


.....

Great time for everyone to be an introvert...

Holy hell ... 2,300+!

I thought the ~115 deaths we’ve had in WA here was high.

A 7 year old boy died from the flu two days ago in my county.

http://www.wdbj7.com/content/n...hroat-471634574.html

I took the flu shot, wife is always telling me to stay out of public places.

When I go to doctors however, the staff are the ones whooping and hacking..grrrr

It's widespread in NC too. I wouldn't go to an emergency room unless it was a life or death emergency. I'm afraid to even go to the doctor's office for routine visits just because of the number of people in there sick.

suffering through it now. Day 6

All 5 in our household has had or still has strep and or the flu. I havent worked at all this week, taking care of kids.

Our 2a school has had 30-50 kids home sick this week.

More doctors coming out against the flu vaccinations.


Special Alert: The Alarming Reason Some People Die From the Flu

February 01, 2018 •

Story at-a-glance

While influenza can indeed be deadly in rare cases, these deaths are typically the result of secondary infections, not the flu virus itself
Research has highlighted the link between influenza and severe sepsis (blood poisoning). Symptoms of sepsis can mimic the flu, and are often overlooked. Without prompt treatment, the condition can be deadly
Use of intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine has been shown to reduce sepsis mortality nearly fivefold, from 40 to 8.5 percent
Optimizing your vitamin D level is far more potent a preventive strategy than getting a seasonal flu vaccine. People with significant vitamin D levels may reduce their risk of respiratory infections such as influenza by 50 percent
People with higher vitamin D levels may also benefit from additional vitamin D, reducing their risk of flu by 10 percent, which equals the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine, including this year’s vaccine

By Dr. Mercola

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2017-2018 flu season appears particularly virulent. Influenza activity increased significantly in December, with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating, and in a December 27 notice, the agency noted that “In the past, A(H3N2) virus-predominant influenza seasons have been associated with more hospitalizations and deaths in persons aged 65 years and older and young children …”1

While influenza can indeed be deadly in rare cases, what most health experts fail to tell you is that these deaths are typically the result of secondary infections, not the flu virus itself. Importantly, research has highlighted the link between influenza and severe sepsis — a progressive disease process initiated by an aggressive, dysfunctional immune response to an infection in the bloodstream (which is why it's sometimes referred to as blood poisoning).

Symptoms of sepsis are often overlooked, even by health professionals, and without prompt treatment, the condition can be deadly. Unfortunately, conventional treatments often fail, and most hospitals have yet to embrace the use of intravenous (IV) vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine,2 which has been shown to reduce sepsis mortality from 40 to a mere 8.5 percent.3,4

How Influenza May Cause Lethal Sepsis

According to researchers, “Severe sepsis is traditionally associated with bacterial diseases … However, viruses are becoming a growing cause of severe sepsis worldwide.” As noted in the video above, some sepsis symptoms also resemble influenza, which can lead to tragedy. The video offers guidelines on how to tell the difference between the two.

Sepsis, without doubt, requires immediate medical attention, whereas most people will successfully recover from the flu with a few days to a week of bedrest and fluids. Just how influenza can lead to sepsis is a somewhat complex affair, described as follows:5

“Regardless of the etiologic agent, the inflammatory response is highly interconnected with infection. In the initial response to an infection, severe sepsis is characterized by a pro-inflammatory state, while a progression to an anti-inflammatory state develops and favors secondary infections …

In the predominant pro-inflammatory state, Th1 cells activated by microorganisms increase transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interferon-γ (INF-γ), and interleukin-2 (IL-2).

[C]ytokines … released from endothelial cells and subsequently from macrophages can induce lymphocyte activation and infiltration at the sites of infection and will exert direct antiviral effects. Subsequently, with the shift toward an anti-inflammatory state, activated Th2 cells secrete interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10).

In certain situations, T cells can become anergic, failing to proliferate and produce cytokines. Type I IFN has a potent anti-influenza virus activity; it induces transcription of several interferon stimulated genes, which in turn restrict viral replication. However, influenza virus developed several mechanisms to evade IFN response …

Viral infections such as the influenza virus can also trigger deregulation of the innate immune system with excessive cytokines release and potential harmful consequences. An abnormal immune response to influenza can lead to endothelial damage … deregulation of coagulation, and the consequent alteration of microvascular permeability, tissue edema, and shock.”

Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis

Common signs and symptoms of sepsis to watch out for include:6

A high fever
Inability to keep fluids down
Rapid heartbeat; rapid, shallow breathing and/or shortness of breath
Lethargy and/or confusion
Slurred speech, often resembling intoxication

Should a few or all of these be present, seek immediate medical attention to rule out sepsis. Also inform the medical staff that you suspect sepsis, as time is of the essence when it comes to treatment. As noted in the featured video, hydration is of utmost importance, as much of the damage caused by sepsis begins with fluid loss.
Preventive Strategies That Can Reduce Your Chances of Influenza, Sepsis and Other Secondary Infections

Your immune system is your first-line defense against all types of infections, be they bacterial or viral, so the most effective way to avoid coming down with the flu is to bolster your immune function. While conventional health authorities claim getting an annual flu shot is the best way to ward off influenza, the medical literature actually suggests vitamin D optimization may be a far more effective strategy, and the evidence for this goes back at least a decade.

Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be a causative factor in influenza. His hypothesis7 was initially published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006.8 It was subsequently followed up with another study published in the Virology Journal in 2008.9

The following year, a large, nationally representative study10 confirmed that people with the lowest vitamin D levels indeed reported having significantly more colds or cases of the flu.

Since then, a number of studies have come to similar conclusions. Most recently, a scientific review11,12 published last year concluded that vitamin D supplementation boosts immunity and cuts rates of cold and flu. In all, 25 randomized controlled trials were included in the review, involving nearly 11,000 individuals from more than a dozen countries. People with significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 ng/mL), taking a vitamin D supplement reduced their risk of respiratory infections such as influenza by 50 percent.

People with higher vitamin D levels also benefited, although not as greatly. Overall, they reduced their risk by about 10 percent, which the researchers stated was about equal to the effect of flu vaccines. Coincidentally, 10 percent is the effectiveness rate of this year’s flu vaccine.13 The take-home message here is that vitamin D supplementation far exceeds the flu vaccine in terms of effectiveness, and the more deficient you are, the greater its protective effects.

Aside from vitamin D, loading up on vitamins B1 and C may go a long way toward keeping you healthy through the flu season and beyond. Influenza has also been successfully treated with high-dose vitamin C.14 Taking zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold or flu can also be helpful.

Zinc boosts immune function and plays a vital role in activating your body’s T cells (white blood cells tasked with destroying infected cells). If you fall victim to frequent bacterial infections or colds, your body might be trying to tell you it needs more zinc.

Be Aware of This Life-Saving IV Protocol

If you or a loved one succumbs to sepsis, whether caused by influenza or some other infection, please remember that a protocol of IV vitamin C with hydrocortisone and thiamine (vitamin B1) can be lifesaving.15 So, urge your doctor to use it. Chances are, they might not even be aware of it.

This sepsis treatment protocol was developed Dr. Paul Marik, a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in East Virginia, and clinical use has proven it to be remarkably effective for the treatment of sepsis, reducing mortality nearly fivefold.

Marik’s retrospective before-after clinical study16,17 showed that giving patients IV vitamin C with hydrocortisone and vitamin B1 for two days reduced mortality from 40 percent to 8.5 percent. Of the 50 patients treated, only four died, and all of them died from their underlying disease, not sepsis. Importantly, the treatment has no side effects and is inexpensive, readily available and simple to administer, so you really have nothing to lose by trying it.

The only contraindication is if you are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient (a genetic disorder).18 G6PD is an enzyme your red blood cells need to maintain membrane integrity.

High-dose IV vitamin C is a strong pro-oxidant, and giving a pro-oxidant to a G6PD-deficient individual can cause their red blood cells to rupture, which could have disastrous consequences. Fortunately, G6PC deficiency is relatively uncommon, and can be tested for. People of Mediterranean and African decent are at greater risk of being G6PC deficient. Worldwide, G6PD deficiency is thought to affect 400 million individuals, and in the U.S., an estimated 1 in 10 African-American males have it.19

This Year’s Flu Vaccine Is a Poor Match to Circulating Strains

Sadly, flu deaths are inevitably used to incite fear, and the recommended remedy is annual flu vaccination. As recently reported by lohud.com, an affiliate of the USA Today Network:20

“Doctors urged New Yorkers to get flu shots as pediatric deaths surfaced recently while a potentially record influenza season approached its peak cycle. The public-health warning comes after authorities in New York and Connecticut reported their first flu-related deaths took the lives of two children …

‘Influenza is a significant threat to public health, and we are strongly encouraging anyone who has not already gotten the flu vaccine to get one immediately,’ said Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.”

Considering the many studies showing flu vaccines have a dismal success rate even when well-matched to circulating viral strains, the fact that vaccination continues to be touted as your first-line of defense against influenza suggests this annual campaign is more about generating conformity for profit, opposed to actually improving and protecting public health.

In January 2015, U.S. government officials admitted that, in most years, flu shots are — at best — 50 to 60 percent effective at preventing lab confirmed type A or B influenza requiring medical care.21 At the end of that same year, a CDC analysis22 revealed that, between 2005 and 2015, the influenza vaccine was actually less than 50 percent effective more than half of the time.

As mentioned, the 2017/2018 flu vaccine has an effectiveness rating of just 10 percent, due to it being poorly matched, yet the call for flu vaccination remains, while strategies that are 10 times more effective, such as vitamin D3 supplementation, are completely ignored! Many also gloss over the fact that flu deaths also occur in those who have been vaccinated. Such was the case with this 8-year-old boy in Arkansas, featured in this CNN report.
This video may not be available in all countries.

Flu Vaccine Likely Raises Your Risk of Illness

The fact that flu vaccines offer negligible protection against the flu is bad enough, but evidence suggests the vaccine may even make you more susceptible to the disease. For example, Canadian researchers found that annual flu vaccination appears to increase your risk of pandemic illness, and cause more serious bouts of illness.

Data collected from Canada and Hong Kong during 2009-2010 showed that people who received the seasonal flu vaccine in 2008 had twice the risk of getting the H1N1 “swine flu,” compared to those who had not received a flu shot.23

A well-publicized ferret study24 confirmed these results. Research25 published in 2011 also warned the seasonal flu vaccine appears to weaken children's immune systems and increases their chances of getting sick from influenza viruses not included in the vaccine. Some health experts claim flu vaccination will help you develop resistance against strains that are not included in the vaccine, but research has actually shown the complete opposite to be true.

When blood samples from healthy, unvaccinated children and children who had received an annual flu shot were compared, the former unvaccinated group had naturally built up more antibodies across a wider variety of influenza strains compared to the latter vaccinated group.26 Flu vaccines are also associated with debilitating and potentially lifelong side effects such as Guillain–Barré syndrome and chronic shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).

But what about the claim that you might contract influenza from your flu shot? There are many anecdotal reports of people developing the worst bout of influenza they’ve ever had, following a routine flu vaccination, and indeed, a Chinese study27 published in 2012 appears to support such claims, finding that children had a 4.4 higher chance of contracting a viral upper respiratory infection following seasonal flu vaccine administration.

It’s also worth noting that double-blind, placebo controlled trials for vaccines are not done. Instead, all a vaccine trial needs to demonstrate in order for the vaccine to be licensed is an antibody response.28

Researchers have also highlighted the influence of bias in studies looking at influenza vaccine effectiveness. As noted in one 2010 study,29 ”Forgoing vaccination predicted death in those who had received vaccinations in the previous five years, but it predicted survival in patients who had never before received a vaccination. We conclude that bias is inherent in studies of influenza vaccination and death among elderly patients.”
Beware: Tamiflu Can Trigger Psychosis

Should you or your child come down with the flu and your doctor or pediatrician recommends Tamiflu,30 you should know this antiviral drug has been shown to shorten the duration of flu symptoms by less than 17 hours.31,32 It also does not reduce viral transmission and does not lower your risk of complications from the flu, such as pneumonia.33,34 Scientist have also warned that the risks far outweigh the benefits.35

These risks include convulsions, brain infections, psychosis and other neuropsychiatric problems. Tamiflu made recent headlines after a 6-year-old girl started hallucinating and attempted to jump out a second story window.36 “I don’t think the 16 hours of symptom relief from the flu is worth the possible side effects that we went through,” the girl’s father told ABC7 News.37

Indeed, a number of studies have observed that Tamiflu may cause psychiatric symptoms. Research38 published in 2015 reported the case of a 22-year-old man who “complained of mood swings, suicidal feelings, auditory hallucinations, memory deterioration and insomnia” after taking the drug. Other studies39 have found more than half of all children taking Tamiflu suffer side effects from the drug.40
Dangerous Lies Told by the CDC

Prior to the global H1N1 scare, the U.S. government stockpiled $1.5 billion of this basically useless antiviral — money that could have been spent in far better ways than merely enriching Roche’s company pockets. As noted in an article about Tamiflu by The Atlantic, “The only people helped by the proven-to-be-ineffective drug are its manufacturers.”41

A 2013 Forbes article42 also spelled out a number of flaws in the science behind Tamiflu, and how benefits were overstated. Despite all of this overwhelming evidence, the CDC to this day continues to recommend both flu vaccines and antiviral drugs like Tamiflu.43 They even continue to claim antiviral drugs “may prevent serious flu complications” — though the evidence clearly shows Tamiflu does no such thing.

The take-home message here is to do your homework, and not blindly follow public health recommendations. Also avoid falling prey to unreasonable fears. All deaths are tragic, but people die from influenza with and without flu vaccines. People also die without certain drugs, and from drugs.

Remember, optimizing your vitamin D to a level of 60 to 80 ng/mL may be one of the most effective flu prevention strategies out there. Also familiarize yourself with the signs and symptoms of sepsis, and urge your doctor to administer Marik’s IV vitamin C protocol should you or a loved one be diagnosed with sepsis. It just might save your life.

See link for doctor videos:

https://articles.mercola.com/s...278&et_rid=201690948

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfXVce34A78

This is the most important procedure I have seen in a long time that may effective your life or a loved one. You have to realize that not all hospitals are up to speed on the latest protocol such as a stroke being one of them and now we have sepsis. Sepsis kills 1000 people a day in the US alone.

Dr. Marik has learned about this procedure which is low cost and not patentable by the drug companies.

If you or a loved one succumbs to sepsis, whether caused by influenza or some other infection, please remember that a protocol of IV vitamin C with hydrocortisone and thiamine (vitamin B1) can be lifesaving.15 So, urge your doctor to use it. Chances are, they might not even be aware of it.

This sepsis treatment protocol was developed Dr. Paul Marik, a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in East Virginia, and clinical use has proven it to be remarkably effective for the treatment of sepsis, reducing mortality nearly fivefold.

Marik’s retrospective before-after clinical study16,17 showed that giving patients IV vitamin C with hydrocortisone and vitamin B1 for two days reduced mortality from 40 percent to 8.5 percent. Of the 50 patients treated, only four died, and all of them died from their underlying disease, not sepsis.

Importantly, the treatment has no side effects and is inexpensive, readily available and simple to administer, so you really have nothing to lose by trying it.

^ great to see

Dr. Marik is a scientist and has another interview which is interesting.

So it looks like the flu can lead to sepsis which results in death in most cases. I hope his findings get a wide spread message out to other health care doctors and hospitals. He calls his concoction "Vitamin C Miracle Juice".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFsT5itk7A

That might be a bunch of baloney, but I just went downstairs and took a healthy dose of thiamine, zinc, and vitamins C and D, just in case

Frankly, the article does not read well, which leads me to doubt the claims. Which could just be the fault of a poor writer and worse editor.

10 times 10% is 100%, as in perfect score, for instance. Among other head scratchers.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
That might be a bunch of baloney, but I just went downstairs and took a healthy dose of thiamine, zinc, and vitamins C and D, just in case

You did the right thing to stay healthy and fight the flu before you get it.

I would also try to find a bottle of Sambucol and carry it with you.

I got a sore throat several days ago and Sambucol knocked it out. I also took an extra vitamin D3. At my age, I have to worry about getting pneumonia.

Watch the video since this Doctor is a scientists and they tested his findings in the lab. You have to use the whole concoction and not the individual components.

I'm just going to say that whole article is BS. Trust me, if anyone says they have an anything "miracle juice", they are full of shit. There is no miracle cure for the flu, or any other illness for that matter. The closest thing to a miracle cure science has currently is antibiotics for susceptible bacteria - and those bacteria are figuring out how to fight them now. There is no miracle for influenza - vaccination helps for the strains the vaccine targets, but the virus changes too frequently for science/industry to easily target for destruction (unlike small pox and polio which we've nearly eradicated).

I missed a couple of days work last week, or maybe it was the week or two before. Here I am again laying in bed feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck, with a cough and runny, stuffy nose. I’m headed to the kitchen to load up on vitamin C and multi vitamins.

We don't get the flu shot. We've both had that hacking, sneezing, congested crap.

We have 17 patients on ICU. 8 have the flu. It's bad here in eastern NC. Hospital is restricting the number and age of visitors. If you didn't get a flu shot, get one now. It can't hurt. And WASH YOUR HANDS!

quote:

Originally posted by 41:
Dr. Marik is a scientist and has another interview which is interesting.

So it looks like the flu can lead to sepsis which results in death in most cases. I hope his findings get a wide spread message out to other health care doctors and hospitals. He calls his concoction "Vitamin C Miracle Juice".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFsT5itk7A

Just saying sometimes the simplest answers are right in front of us. For those that don't know Norfolk Sentara Hospital is a local hospital here that is also right next to EVMS so many times they get to try and come out with leading edge stuff. God Bless

https://pilotonline.com/news/l...5c-142731604196.html


http://www.evms.edu/about_evms...issue_9_4/sepsis.php

^^^^^^^
Thanks VAVAGUY Good stuff!

quote:

Originally posted by 41:
^^^^^^^
Thanks VAVAGUY Good stuff!

What is even better is that protocol he created can not be patented by any drug company. Here is another example of unconventional treatment for brain injury using high dosage of fish oil. God Bless

https://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19...-injuries/index.html