U.S. Navy Intercepts Arms Shipment From Iran

The U.S. Navy has intercepted an arms shipment from Iran, believed to be for Hamas.

The search turned up ammunition that included artillery shells. But one official said that since Hamas is not known to use artillery, officials are now uncertain who the intended recipient was. They're asking Egypt to do another search when the ship arrives in port.

Al-Qaeda Experiments with Weapons of Mass Destruction Goes Badly, Kills Operatives

UPDATE: In the post I put up yesterday Plague Killing off Al-Qaeda Terrorists it appears that as I suspected it may have been a botched case of Al-Qaeda experimenting with unconventional weapons.

Though unconfirmed reports are now coming in stating that it is not plague, it only states that it was either biological or chemical in nature, but intelligence sources are unsure of the exact nature of the agent.

We will update this story further as information becomes available.

Teenager In China Fourth Case of Bird Flu This Month

A 16-year-old boy in Hunan province is the fourth confirmed case of H5N1 (Avian Flu) to be confirmed in China since the beginning of 2009. Two of the cases were fatal.

A flu expert at China's National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shu Yuelong, said new infections were likely because the H5N1 virus is more active in lower temperatures, and he stated that "With the Lunar New Year approaching, the volume of trade of live poultry is growing, and the risk of the emergence and spread of an epidemic is increasing."

While the disease remains hard for humans to catch — with most cases linked to contact with infected birds — scientists have warned that if outbreaks among poultry are not controlled, the virus may mutate into a form more easily passed between people.

Human-to-human transmission of bird flu has happened about a dozen times in the past, in countries including China, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Turkey. In nearly every case, transmission has occurred among blood relatives who have been in close contact, and the virus has not spread into the wider community.

Of the 34 cases confirmed to date in China, 22 have been fatal.

Plague Killing Off al-Qaeda Terrorists

Plague: Courtesy CDC

40 Al-Qaeda terrorists die in a training camp in Algeria after being infected with plague, also known as the "black death."

The deaths were discovered when security forces found a body beside a road in North Africa.

Plague kills about 50% of infected patients in 4-7 days without treatment, though experts are saying that most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

al-Qaeda operatives fear the plague has been passed to other terror cells — or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. one security source cited stated "It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda."

The al-Qaeda epidemic began in the cave hideouts of AQLIM in Tizi Ouzou province, 150km east of the capital Algiers. The group known as AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb), the largest and most powerful al-Qaeda group outside the Middle East, were forced to turn their camp into a mass grave and fled to Bejaia and Jijel provinces.

A source said: “The emirs (leaders) fear surviving terrorists will surrender to escape a horrible death.”

There are three types of plague: The most common one starts with huge swollen and painful lymph nodes,(AKA “Bubos”) usually in the leg or groin, from a flea bite. Mortality is low if you get diagnosed and treated.

The second type is pneumonic, usually caught from another person who has developed pneumonia as a complication of the plague. This is quickly fatal if not treated.

The third type is “septicemic”, which is usually fatal. This means the lymph node doesn’t slow the plague, and it spread throughout your body, causing “Disseminated intra vascular coagulation” (toxins cause blood to clot, using up all the clotting factor), and as a result you bleed all over: this bruising is one reason it is called the “black” plague.

Dangerous Infections On The Rise In U.S. Children

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA infection are on the rise in the United States among children. MRSA previously had been a major concern only in hospitals, attacking patients who are already weakened by disease.

However it seems recent outbreaks in the community in otherwise healthy children have raised new concerns. Children with head and neck infections, such as those involving the ear, nose, throat or sinuses are also raising concerns.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 94,000 Americans get serious, invasive MRSA infections each year and 19,000 die.