Clinical Manifestations Associated with Bartonella Henselae Infection in a Tropical Region

October 27, 2020

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33021197/

Clinical Manifestations Associated with Bartonella henselae Infection in a Tropical Region

Sze Yen Tay 1, Kevin Freeman 1, Robert Baird 1
Affiliations expand

Abstract

Bartonella henselae is a zoonotic Gram-negative Bacillus associated with self-limited regional lymphadenopathy. In recent decades, an expanding spectrum of clinical manifestations has been described, in part, due to improved diagnostics. However, updated epidemiological data are sparse. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features of 31 patients with B. henselae infection older than 15 years from 2005 to 2019, in the tropical Top End of Australia. Our annual disease incidence of 1.3 cases per 100,000 population is lower than that in the national database surveillances in the United States, but the hospitalization incidence of 0.9 per 100,000 population in our region is higher than those reported in the literature, with an average length of stay of 9 days. Patients were more commonly male, aboriginal, and aged less than 14 years (median age: 7 years), living in a rural setting with presentation during our monsoon season.

The disease spectrum included:

  • lymph node disease (74%)
  • organ peliosis
  • endocarditis
  • cutaneous lesions
  • parapharyngeal abscess
  • parotitis
  • neurologic and ocular syndromes

Lymph node disease was far commoner in children than the more serious systemic B. henselae infections associated with adults (P = 0.074).

Although no deaths were reported, significant morbidities were observed. Two endocarditis cases presented with glomerulonephritis, and hematological and neurological features mimicking vasculitis, and consequently received immunosuppressants. One case was only diagnosed after representation with serial embolic strokes.

Given the heterogeneity of disease manifestations with nonspecific symptoms and significant consequences, a timely and accurate diagnosis is needed to avoid unnecessary treatments or interventions.

___________________

**Comment**

Please note the endocarditis, which we are told is “rare” with Lyme disease. Bartonella can also bethe causative agent, which many doctors are also not looking for or educated on.

Bartonella mimicking vasculitis has also been seen:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/03/case-of-cerebral-vasculitis-due-to-neurobartonellosis/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/01/05/bartonella-endocarditis-masquerading-as-systemic-vasculitis-with-rapidly-progressive-glomerulonephritis/

The HPV vaccine has also caused vasculitis:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/02/16/gardasil-vasculitis-msids/

Category:

Bartonella, research

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ICAN’s Legal Efforts Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines

I preface the following information with an important topic that many are unaware of: manufacturers often use other vaccines as “placebos” in vaccine trials.  This happened recently according to NVIC when a Brazilian physician died in the COVID-19 vaccine trial:  https://thevaccinereaction.org/2020/10/brazilian-doctor-dies-participating-in-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-clinical-trial/

While many were quick to point out that according to unnamed sources, he died of COVID-19, the following was discovered:

It has since been reported that the man did receive the meningococcal vaccine used as a placebo in the trial instead of the experimental coronavirus vaccine, although no official confirmation has been released by AstraZeneca, which has cited privacy concerns for not making more information available to the public.1

Hopefully it is quite clear that using another vaccine as a placebo muddies the waters when determining vaccine safety.

The following details how ICAN is trying to change this important issue by demanding the FDA mandate that all clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines use a placebo control, not another vaccine.

https://www.icandecide.org

The generals will tell you that wars are often won long before the battle actually begins or any shot is fired through planning, preparation, and foresight. ICAN’s tireless work over the last three years with regard to all vaccines has had a significant impact on the ongoing clinical trials and potential approval process for COVID-19 vaccines. This update provides a bit of that history and describes some of ICAN’s legal efforts with regard to a COVID-19 vaccine.

Companies assure their products are safe because they do not want to be sued for damages or get fined by regulators. When it comes to vaccines, however, neither of these checks exist. Unlike other consumer products, the companies earning billions of dollars from vaccines cannot be sued for harms caused by their vaccines; and the federal department responsible for assuring vaccine safety — the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — does not fulfill this duty because it would conflict with its duty to promote vaccines and defend against any claim that a vaccine causes harm in vaccine court.  

In short, there is nobody guarding the henhouse. It is in this vacuum that ICAN began its work in 2017. The logical place to begin was reviewing the clinical trials relied upon by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to license childhood vaccines. After conducting this review, ICAN sent a legal demand to HHS — the parent department of FDA — on October 12, 2017 asking it to “[p]lease explain how HHS justifies licensing any pediatric vaccine without first conducting a long-term clinical trial in which the rate of adverse reactions is compared between the subject group and a control group receiving an inert placebo?”

HHS responded on January 18, 2018, in a letter reviewed and approved by the FDA, claiming that “[c]ontrary to statements made on page two of your letter, many pediatric vaccines have been investigated in clinical trials that included a placebo.” HHS’s response also claimed that safety in these trials was reviewed for a significant duration, without specifying any duration. HHS and the FDA were about to have egg on their face.

ICAN responded on December 31, 2018 with a detailed chart containing every pediatric vaccine, citing to FDA documents, which indisputably proves that it was categorically false for HHS and the FDA to claim that “many pediatric vaccines have been investigated in clinical trials that included a placebo.” The reality is that none – save one – of the pediatric vaccines was licensed based on a placebo controlled clinical trial! ICAN’s response also pointed out the short safety review periods in these trials. ICAN even graciously provided HHS and the FDA an additional opportunity to provide proof that these clinical trials did include a placebo control. No proof has ever been provided.

This exchange between ICAN and HHS also covered a wide range of vaccine safety topics beyond the clinical trials used to justify licensure of pediatric vaccines. HHS could not, for any of these topics, provide proof or assurance that vaccines are safe or that they have been properly safety tested. 

To assure that every single scientist within the CDC, FDA, and NIH who has any involvement with vaccines knows about the information in these letters, ICAN sent every single one of those scientists their own package containing a copy of ICAN’s letter exchange with HHS. 

ICAN has also continued to relentlessly pursue the FDA about the inadequacy of the clinical trials it relied upon to license the pediatric vaccines currently injected into millions of children. For example, in a prior update, we explained our efforts concerning the only two Hepatitis B vaccines given to babies in America on their first day of life, including the petition we filed with the FDA demanding it withdraw the licenses for these vaccines until it conducts long-term placebo control trials of these products to assure their safety. ICAN also sued the FDA numerous times to force it to release clinical trial reports for other vaccines, including, for example, the chicken pox vaccine, which we explained in another recent legal update. 

The FDA is acutely aware that ICAN will not hesitate to sue if its reasonable demands regarding vaccine safety are ignored. In that regard, when the Phase III trial for AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine was underway in England using another vaccine (Menveo) as a control (instead of a placebo), we filed a forceful petition demanding that the FDA mandate that all clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines use a placebo control as well as track safety long-term in a properly sized trial. 

Nine days after ICAN filed its petition, on June 30, 2020, the FDA changed course and issued emergency guidance to industry that all COVID-19 clinical trials must use a placebo control. 

ICAN, however, was not done fighting to assure that these clinical trials are properly conducted. On July 17, 2020, ICAN sued the FDA in federal court demanding the entire clinical trial report for Menveo, just in case the agency was considering permitting this vaccine as a control in the AstraZeneca trial to be conducted in the United States. On July 20, 2020, ICAN also filed a forceful amended petition with the FDA thanking it for requiring a placebo control group but demanding, among other things, that it also require that these clinical trials track all adverse events during the entire duration of the trial – not just for a limited time period. 

Not long thereafter, in mid-September, in a highly unusual move, the full clinical trial protocols for the COVID-19 vaccines for which ICAN filed its petitions were released to the public. See copies for each of the manufacturer’s vaccines: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. Those protocols revealed that some of ICAN’s demands regarding the duration for tracking vaccine safety had been met. 

Not fully satisfied, ICAN filed superseding petitions for the four COVID-19 vaccines currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in the United States on October 16, 2020. A link to each petition is available here: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. Therein, ICAN repeats the vaccine safety demands that have still not been fulfilled. If these additional demands are not met, ICAN has reserved the right to take the FDA to court to enforce these demands.

ICAN’s legal team, headed by Aaron Siri, in addition to the above, has also taken various other steps with regard to COVID-19 vaccines. For example, the legal team filed a formal demand for the removal of the head of the purported “independent” board overseeing the clinical trials of the leading COVID-19 vaccines because of his incestuous conflicts with pharmaceutical companies. 

ICAN has also served dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests on the CDC, FDA, and NIH seeking information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, including, for example, requests that resulted in obtaining documents which substantiated that officials within NIH stand to earn millions of dollars from the sales of a COVID-19 vaccine. As another example, ICAN has also received over 1,000 pages of emails sent by Dr. Fauci and is in the process of obtaining thousands more. ICAN has also released a “Should I Receive a COVID-19 Vaccine?” flyer and has added a “Report a COVID-19 Vaccine Injury” link to its website and is launching a broad public campaign around this issue.

There are numerous other legal and non-legal efforts ICAN is engaged in with regard to COVID-19 vaccines that are not yet ready to be discussed here but will be featured in future updates. 

Just as the pharmaceutical companies will never rest when it comes to promoting and selling their vaccine products, we will never rest in exposing the truth regarding these products or in demanding full transparency and full informed consent for any and all vaccines. 

If you would like to provide the FDA a comment in support or against any of the petitions we have filed with the FDA regarding COVID-19 vaccines, you can do so here: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson
Stand for vaccine truth and help us keep winning with your tax-deductible gift of $20, $30, $50, or $100 or more today!

For more:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/05/covid-19-vaccine-explained/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/24/new-court-created-for-covid-vaccine-injuries/  Excerpt:

  • Not only will pharmaceutical companies developing and marketing COVID-19 vaccines be shielded from what should be their liability in the civil court system, but federal compensation will likely be difficult to obtain, as it is in the existing vaccine court created under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986

  • The establishment of a preemptive COVID vaccine court could be a sign that the government foresees many lawsuits related to this fast-tracked vaccine in the near future

  • The expansion of a federal vaccine court to include makers of experimental COVID-19 vaccines allows the irresponsible sale and marketing of vaccines that have been poorly tested and formulated because the manufacturers have no liability and “nothing to lose”

Category:

vaccines, Viruses

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COVID is Not Very Deadly & Has COVID Killed Off the Flu?

https://sebastianrushworth.com/2020/10/24/how-deadly-is-covid-19/

By Sebastian Rushworth, M.D.

How deadly is covid-19?

Health and medical information grounded in science
covid a deadly pandemic?

September 2020 was the least deadly month in Swedish history, in terms of number of deaths per 100,000 population. Ever. And I don’t mean the least deadly September, I mean the least deadly month. Ever. To me, this is pretty clear evidence of two things. First, that covid is not a very deadly disease. And second, that Sweden has herd immunity.

When I posted this information on my twitter feed, the response from proponents of further lockdown was that the reason September was such an un-deadly month, was because everyone has already died earlier in the pandemic. To me, that seems like a pretty self-defeating argument. Why?

Because 6,000 people have died of covid in Sweden, a country with a population of 10,000,000 people. 6,000 people is 0.06% of the population. If it is enough for that tiny a fraction of a population to die of a pandemic for the pandemic to peter out so completely that a country can have its least deadly month ever, then the pandemic was never that deadly to begin with. (See link for article)

_______________________

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8875201/Has-Covid-killed-flu.

Has Covid killed off the flu? Experts pose the intriguing question as influenza cases nosedive by 98% across the globe

  • Many feared ‘twin-demic’ of flu, which kills thousands, and Covid-19 this winter 
  • Thirty million people – 20 per cent more than normal – now eligible for the flu jab
  • ‘Surveillance’ data collected by WHO shows how flu cases plummeted globally

By JO MACFARLANE FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

PUBLISHED:

It was feared by many to be the perfect winter storm, a nightmare situation that would push our health service over the edge: the ‘twin-demic’ of flu, which kills about 10,000 Britons every year, and a second deadly wave of Covid-19.

Such was the concern that the Government rolled out the biggest flu vaccination programme in British history.

Thirty million people – 20 per cent more than normal, and now including all over-50s – are eligible for this year’s jab.

Take up of the vaccine is already the highest it has ever been in the over-65s and young children, according to the latest reports.

There’s just one curious problem: flu, it seems, has all but vanished.

(See link for article)

_____________________

For more on the flu vaccine:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/14/numerous-studies-shows-flu-vaccine-puts-you-at-higher-risk-for-covid-and-other-respiratory-viruses/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/03/23/flu-vaccine-increases-coronavirus-infection-risk-36/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/23/south-koreans-medical-association-urges-government-to-suspend-flu-shot-program-after-25-people-die/

For more on COVID testing:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/09/foi-asking-uk-officials-for-proof-of-isolation-of-sars-cov-2-virus-they-cant-give-it/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/09/30/coronavirus-cases-plummet-when-pcr-tests-are-adjusted/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/08/14/tests-for-sars-cov-2-in-south-korea-cant-distinguish-virus-from-viral-fragments/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/01/us-scientist-manufactured-pandemic-testing-people-for-any-strain-of-coronavirus-not-specifically-covid-19/

Category:

Testing, vaccines, Viruses

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Illness-Related Fatigue: More Than Just Feeling Tired

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/illness-related-fatigue-more-than-just-feeling-tired-

Illness-related fatigue: More than just feeling tired


Contributor
woman who is feeling fatigue

A common refrain during the COVID-19 pandemic is, “I’m so tired.” After months of adjusted living and anxiety, people are understandably weary. Parents who haven’t had a break from their kids are worn out. Those trying to juggle working from home with homeschooling are stretched thin. Between concerns about health, finances, and isolation, everyone is feeling some level of additional stress during this unusual time, and that’s tiring. We all could use a good, long nap — or better yet, a vacation.

But while a break would be nice, most people — except those who are actually sick with COVID-19 or other illnesses — are able to push through their fatigue, precisely because they aren’t sick. “Tired” is a nebulous word that covers a broad spectrum of levels of fatigue. A crucial distinction, however, is between regular fatigue and illness-related fatigue.

Regular fatigue

Everyday fatigue that is not illness-related starts with a baseline of health. You may feel sleepy, you may in fact be sleep-deprived, or your body and mind may be worn out from long hours, exertion, or unrelenting stress — but you don’t feel sick. Your muscles and joints don’t ache like when you have the flu. You are capable of getting out of bed and powering through the day, even if you don’t want to. A cup of coffee or a nap might perk you up.

This type of fatigue is usually related to external factors: lack of sleep, stress, an extra-hard workout. But internally, your body is working well: your glands and organs are operating properly; infection is not depleting your body of energy; your nervous system may be overtaxed, but it’s not frayed from actual impairment.

Illness-related fatigue

When I was acutely ill with persistent Lyme, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis (all tick-borne illnesses), as well as chronic Epstein-Barr virus, a good night’s sleep did nothing. Naps were staples of my day that helped me survive but didn’t improve my energy. Drinking a cup of coffee was akin to treating an ear infection with candy. No matter how much I rested, my exhaustion persisted.

I felt like I had the flu, except it lasted for years. My whole body ached. I suffered migraine headaches. I had hallucinogenic nightmares. Exercise was out of the question; at times, I was literally too tired to walk up a flight of stairs or sit at the dinner table. I couldn’t concentrate, unable to read or watch TV. Sometimes I was too tired to talk.

There was no pushing through this level of fatigue, because it was caused by internal factors: illnesses that were ravaging my body. Only when they were adequately treated did I start to get my energy back.

For me, the root causes were bacterial infections (Lyme, ehrlichiosis), a parasite (babesiosis), and a virus (Epstein-Barr). Profound fatigue may also result from a host of other diseases and conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.

Is it everyday fatigue or illness-related fatigue?

When determining whether your tiredness is everyday fatigue or illness-related, consider the following questions:

  • Do you feel worn out, or do you feel sick?
  • Have you experienced this before, or does it feel more extreme or unrelenting?
  • When you lessen the load of external factors (work, stress, long days) does the fatigue improve, or does it persist?
  • Do you feel refreshed after a good night’s sleep or a nap?
  • Can you go about your day, or is it impossible to get out of bed?
  • Has the fatigue persisted longer than you would expect?
  • Are you experiencing other symptoms that might point to illness?

The bottom line

No one knows your body better than you do. You know what feels normal, and you know what you feel like when you’re sick. If you are not responding to regular fatigue remedies, your fatigue has persisted over time, you have other symptoms, or you just don’t feel right, it’s probably time to call your doctor.

____________________

**Comment**

I had a Lyme/MSIDS patient state, “I could fall asleep standing up.”  Yep, that about describes it.

The author doesn’t mention it, but a large part of the problem is the unrelenting insomnia.  You would do anything to sleep at night.  But you can’t.

The great news is that appropriate tick-borne disease treatment fixes this or improves it greatly. There are also medications both natural and pharmaceutical that can help.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/04/lyme-disease-is-associated-with-various-sleep-disorders/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/23/sleep-sweet-sleep/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/07/to-sleep-perchance-to-dream/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/02/cant-sleep-18-plants-herbs-can-help/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/18/ldn/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/16/ldn-cbd/?

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/14/melatonin-benefits-uses/

Category:

Lyme, Sleep, Supplements, Treatment

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Study Shows D, Magnesium, and B12 Reduces Clinical Deterioration in Older COVID-19 Patients

October 26, 2020

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900720303002

Cohort study to evaluate effect of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in combination on severe outcome progression in older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19)

 

Highlights

  • Use of a combination of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 (DMB) in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was studied.
  • Fewer patients ≥50 y of age with COVID-19 on DMB suffered clinical deterioration.
  • Further studies are warranted to ascertain the full benefit of DMB in patients with COVID-19.

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine clinical outcomes of older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) who received a combination of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 (DMB) compared with those who did not. We hypothesized that fewer patients administered this combination would require oxygen therapy, intensive care support, or a combination of both than those who did not.

Methods

This was a cohort observational study of all consecutive hospitalized patients ≥50 y of age with COVID-19 in a tertiary academic hospital. Before April 6, 2020, no patients received the (DMB) combination. After this date, patients were administered 1000 IU/d oral vitamin D3, 150 mg/d oral magnesium, and 500 mcg/d oral vitamin B12 upon admission if they did not require oxygen therapy. Primary outcome was deterioration leading to any form of oxygen therapy, intensive care support, or both.

Results

Between January 15 and April 15, 2020, we identified 43 consecutive patients ≥50 y of age with COVID-19. Seventeen patients received DMB before onset of primary outcome and 26 patients did not. Baseline demographic characteristics between the two groups were significantly different by age. In univariate analysis, age and hypertension had a significant influence on outcome. After adjusting for age or hypertension separately in a multivariate analysis, the intervention group retained protective significance. Fewer treated patients than controls required initiation of oxygen therapy during hospitalization (17.6 vs 61.5%, P = 0.006). DMB exposure was associated with odds ratios of 0.13 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03–0.59) and 0.20 (95% CI, 0.04–0.93) for oxygen therapy, intensive care support, or both on univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively.

Conclusions

A vitamin D / magnesium / vitamin B12 combination in older COVID-19 patients was associated with a significant reduction in the proportion of patients with clinical deterioration requiring oxygen support, intensive care support, or both. This study supports further larger randomized controlled trials to ascertain the full benefit of this combination in ameliorating the severity of COVID-19.

__________________

**Comment**

Once again we see there are numerous things that can be used successfully against COVID-19, but don’t expect to hear about this in main stream media.  They are all about pushing products that our public ‘authorities’ have financial interests in.  One is a dangerous, experimental vaccine:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/08/29/every-breath-you-take-every-move-you-make-the-who-is-watching-you-the-media-is-bought-out-by-gates/

We’ve been warned about this vaccine:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/20/experts-issue-serious-warnings-about-a-covid-vaccine/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/05/covid-19-vaccine-explained/

And another is the expensive anti-viral Remdesivir which has recently been given EUA status despite lack of results:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/26/remdesivir-gets-fda-approval-but-who-says-drug-ineffective-for-covid/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/02/remdesivir-for-covid-19-not-backed-by-results/

For more successful COVID-19 treatments that doctors have been using successfully:

 

 

Category:

research, Supplements, Treatment, Viruses

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