Arctic explorer describes bout with 1918 flu in memoir
The evidence is in: expert says Mexican flu could have laboratory origin

News analysis

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, Thursday, May 14, 2001--As health officials worldwide scramble to stem a flu pandemic, the public may be puzzled as to what all the fuss is about. Flu is generally an illness which, for most, is not more serious than the common cold. But there is good reason for concern, if the past is any judge of what the future could be like.

Because the strain of flu currently spreading around the world is said to be a descendant of the Spanish flu, deaths among those contracting the illness could be far in excess of those produced by other strains of the virus. The Spanish flu, also named the 1918 flu, was known for the high proportion of deaths attributed to those infected by it. It had a mortality rate of 2.5 percent or more, far greater than that of ordinary human flu.

Can the "Mexican flu" be traced to the Centers for Disease Control?

By Peter Duveen

PETER'S NEW YORK, Saturday, May 2, 2009--The strain of flu that allegedly began circulating in Mexico in March and April and that has appeared in other countries since, including the United States, may have emerged from research at the U.S Centers for Disease Control. This flu has been mistakenly referred to as "swine flu." While its composition contains elements of "swine flu," it has not been shown to infect swine. This article will refer to the new strain of flu as the "Mexican flu," after the country whose capital, Mexico City, has been virtually shut down as a result of its presence there.

McClatchy Newspapers tells us the following about it:

"Q. What makes this swine flu (sic) virus special?

"A: It's a novel combination of bird, pig and human viral genes never before found in the U.S. or elsewhere, so people have no immunity to it. It's a descendant of the H1N1 virus that killed tens of millions of people worldwide in the pandemic of 1918-1919, mixed in with recent strains of swine and bird flu viruses."