The figures were released by the Iraqi health ministry as it detailed steps being taken to control the spread of the virus, which last week claimed its first fatality in the southern holy city of Najaf. A 21-year-old Iraqi woman, who had visited the city’s Shiite shrines, later died of swine flu.

The health ministry has also confirmed that 23 Iraqis and six other foreigners have been diagnosed with the virus. Their nationalities were not disclosed.

All the U.S. troops had either been treated or were undergoing treatment, said Dr. Amer al-Khuzai, the deputy health minister. There have been no fatalities among American forces, he said.

The U.S. military did not immediately confirm the figures released by the Iraqis. But earlier this week, it said 51 soldiers had been diagnosed, while another 71 suspected cases were in isolation.

“We think they have this many cases because they come through different countries to come here. They come from the United States. They come from Europe,” al-Khuzai said.

He said the U.S. military has been giving the ministry weekly updates about the number of swine flu cases diagnosed on American bases in Iraq.

Col. Michael D. Eisenhauer, chief of clinical operations in Iraq, told The Associated Press in an e-mail earlier this week that the U.S. military had been completely open with the Iraqis on the cases of diagnosed Americans.

The cases in American troops have been diagnosed over the last three months since the military actively began screening for the virus, he said. “There has not been a sudden outbreak,” Eisenhauer added.

Swine flu cases have been diagnosed at six U.S. bases in Iraq, the military said. In May, 18 soldiers on their way to Iraq were diagnosed in Kuwait with the virus. Troops are now screened for the virus before they leave the United States and again when the arrive in Iraq.

Cases among Iraqis have been diagnosed in Baghdad and elsewhere.

Ten were caught at Baghdad’s International Airport, where health officials screen arriving passengers, said Dr. Sabah Karkukly, who oversees the ministry’s swine flu program.

The figures raise concern about Iraq’s ability to control the virus’ spread among millions of Shiites who visit the revered shrines in Najaf and another holy Shiite city, Karbala.

Two cases of swine flu were diagnosed in Najaf, while three others were diagnosed in Karbala, said al-Khuzai, the deputy health minister. He cautioned Iraqis to take extra steps to protect themselves, such as avoiding crowded places where the virus can easily be transmitted.

Iraq’s Cabinet on Wednesday banned trips to Saudia Arabia’s holy city of Mecca during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins later this month.

Iraq also joined other Arab health ministers in banning children, the elderly and the chronically ill from the annual hajj pilgrimage in late November.

The World Health Organization, as of July 31, had tallied more than 162,000 swine flu cases worldwide. It counted at least 1,154 deaths, with more than 1,000 reported in the Americas, according to its Web site.

Iraq’s Cabinet also approved the purchase of $100 million worth of the anti-viral medicine Tamiflu, which is enough for a quarter of Iraq’s population, Karkukly said.

But there may yet be something that can be done to reduce hospitalizations and deaths associated with the virus, commonly known as swine flu, public health authorities say.

Most of the serious consequences linked to the virus are the result of pneumonia, and an underused vaccine called Pneumovax can prevent, or at least limit, such complications in many patients. The vaccine, made by Merck & Co., stimulates the body’s ability to neutralize the bacteria responsible for many cases of pneumonia, and it has the potential to prevent an estimated one-third of pneumonia deaths linked to swine flu.

“We would certainly like to see the vaccine used more extensively,” said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the preventive medicine department at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Schaffner was a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee on vaccines that in early June strongly affirmed current recommendations for who should receive the vaccine.

The normal target population for the pneumonia vaccine is a microcosm of those groups most likely to die or suffer serious complications from flu, so most experts say that eligible people should receive Pneumovax independent of its ability to affect the current pandemic.

But those recommendations have apparently slipped by largely unnoticed, Schaffner said.

U.S. sales of Pneumovax have not increased since June, according to John D. Grabenstein, senior director of Adult Vaccine Medical Affairs for Merck Vaccines and Infectious Diseases. Sales in Europe have risen, however, in response to similar recommendations by health authorities there.

“Unfortunately, I think too much emphasis has been placed on inappropriate administration of [the antiviral drug] Tamiflu, which has its own side effects and, aside from that, may create resistance,” said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. “Most of my pulmonary patients are already getting [Pneumovax], but I am broadening my recommendation to other patients, since it is such a relatively harmless thing to do.”

Further, the vaccine provides protection against pneumonia for up to 10 years, meaning one vaccination provides at least some safeguard not just this year but for future flu seasons as well.

Some physicians are more skeptical about the pneumococcal vaccine’s potential to limit flu deaths. Continue

“Any vaccination you get, there are side effects,” Witkamp said. “But the benefits of getting the vaccination definitely outweigh them. There are people dying from the swine flu.

“Some of my friends call us guinea pigs, but they are not fully informed. The vaccination that they will be studying will be the same that anyone can get at the health department [when it is approved].”

Witkamp and her girls, Baylee, 3, and Emmie, 5, are among thousands of people rolling up their sleeves for science as drug companies, doctors and government officials work to get a safe and effective swine flu vaccine on the market by October.

In June, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic of H1N1, or the swine flu, which has killed more than 300 and sickened more than 43,000 in the U.S. In Texas, 5,373 cases have been reported, with 357 confirmed in Dallas County and 210 in Tarrant County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Officials expect to see those numbers rise when school starts, which is why large-scale clinical trials are being conducted worldwide.

In Fort Worth, Benchmark Research is conducting clinical trials for several drug companies, testing to see patients’ reactions to the experimental vaccine and whether it produces an immune response to the H1N1 virus. Benchmark, which is paying patients $200 to $600, depending on the study and its protocol, will begin administering injections next week.

“What we are doing is private and independent,” said Dr. William Seger, Benchmark’s principal investigator, who also has a private medical practice next door. “These are private companies that are developing the flu vaccine, and they need to prove to the FDA that they are acceptable. They may be the one to help bring us a vaccine that is first to the market. We are going to need them all to produce the gazillion H1N1s that we are going to need worldwide.”

Although studies are being conducted on all ages, Seger especially needs patients 6 months to 17 years old, the population that is most likely to come into contact with H1N1.

H1N1 Swine Flu:
According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/) the Avian flu (H5N1) has a 63% mortality rate. Unfortunately, the Swine flu, while causing death at a much lower rate than the Avian flu, appears to also result in death via a similar mechanism. The common cause of death with these strains is organ failure, especially as seen in the lungs with the development of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is caused by an excess immune-generated inflammatory response that leads to apoptosis (cell death) and subsequently to organ failure. The Company’s approach will mimic how the human body uses endocannabinoids (cannabinoids that occur naturally in the body) to regulate immune activity and cell survival, by regulating inflammatory biochemistry. Excessive inflammatory responses are associated with numerous disease states including autoimmune diseases, neurological imbalances, and cardiovascular disease. Phytocannabinoids provide a natural means to supplement illness-specific endocannabinoid deficiencies.

Cannabis Science H1N1 Swine Flu Formulation:
We now know that the endocannabinoid system plays a critical role in maintaining human health. The human body produces Endocannabinoids on demand when they are needed. They help restore homeostasis (biochemical balance). The Cannabis plant produces Phytocannabinoids. When the human body has endocannabinoid deficiencies, it cannot effectively restore the healthy biochemical state needed to counter a particular illness. Phytocannabinoids from the Cannabis plant can replace the deficient endocannabinoid activity in the human body to restore a health-promoting level of cannabinoid activity. Cannabis Science will test its cannabis extract lozenge with FDA guidance and oversight to determine if it will reduce ARDS-associated deaths from both the Avian and Swine influenza infections.

Dr. Robert Melamede, Ph.D., Cannabis Science, Inc., President and CEO, believes there is enormous potential value for cannabinoids to naturally reduce excessive inflammatory immune responses, and the Cannabis Science lozenge formulation could reduce the mortality rate and allow infected individuals to develop a strong natural immunity upon recovery. Dr. Melamede is the former Chairman (ret) of the Biology Department at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs).

Dr. Melamede added, “Again, we recommend, based on sound scientific principles, that medical marijuana users should switch to edibles if they come down with an influenza infection. We believe that the irritation associated with the pulmonary route, when a person has an influenza infection, may lead to unnecessary deaths. In contrast, oral administration may prevent many deaths. We hope that due to the magnitude of this pandemic threat, that the FDA will fast track our proposal.”

FDA’s three rapid special drug release programs:
Fast Track, Accelerated Approval and Priority Review are approaches that are intended to make therapeutically important drugs available at an earlier time. They do not compromise the standards for the safety and effectiveness of the drugs that become available through this process. These revitalized FDA drug review approaches have yielded tangible results in bringing safe and effective drugs to patients with serious diseases more quickly. For example, since 1996, 68 drugs for cancer therapies have received priority review and approval. The FDA reviewed Gleevec, a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia, in four months. Shortened review times have also brought promising treatments to patients with HIV/AIDS more quickly. Kaletra for the treatment of HIV/AIDS was reviewed and approved in 3.5 months. Pegasys, a combination product for the treatment of Hepatitis C, was approved for marketing in 4 months.

Fast Track, Accelerated Approval, and Priority Review have evolved over time. The FDA has been vigilant in assuring that reducing the time necessary for drug development has not compromised the safety and effectiveness of drugs for patients with serious diseases. The median time required to review a priority review drug was reduced from 13.9 months to 6.7 months.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.
Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as “anticipate,” “seek,” intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

Matthew McIntosh died July 5 in a hospital in Cincinnati after collapsing in a barn in Dearborn County in southeastern Indiana, The Indianapolis Star reported Saturday.

McIntosh’s death was unusual because he was healthy with no underlying illness, health officials said. Most of the 211 people believed to have died from infection with the H1N1 virus in the United States have suffered from conditions that made them vulnerable.

O’Dell Owens, the coroner in Hamilton County, Ohio, said an autopsy showed McIntosh had no other adverse health conditions. Owens said McIntosh’s sister, who became ill about the same time and is in intensive care, tested negative for H1N1, but McIntosh tested positive.

The man, from south London, had serious underlying health problems and was in Lewisham Hospital. Tests undertaken after his death showed he had the flu.

He is the fourth person with swine flu to die in the UK. Dr Simon Tanner, from NHS London, said London has seen a “spike” in flu cases in the past week.

London is the second-worst affected area, with more than 1,900 cases.