On April 25th, 2018, I sent the following to Mark Verbin, DVM: Most of these whales are gravely ill and once they get entangled they are like dead leaves caught in a sewer grate. And I hate to say it, there were about 100 whales that died [based on research by Dr. Hamilton]. We are only hearing about the ones that washed ashore. Their population is about 350 (at best). I alerted the NOAA April 2017 about Wolbachia most likely being the root cause of North Atlantic right whale mortality. They (and others) have completely ignored me. Note: Any baleen whales will be susceptible and I understand they often suffer abrasions around their mouths (which could be the source of entry for Wolbachia). Secondary predation and co-ingestion are other portals of entry. Wolbachia is a reproductive parasite. It can live outside of a cell for (at least) 1 week with no decrease in viability. It can also be grown in human lung cells at 37 degrees C (normal body temp). These whales have a body temperature very close to ours. Also, N.A. right whales are highly promiscuous. And, whales have also suffered West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus. Zika has over 97 nodal support within that phylogenetic clade. I highly suspect Zika is the phage that is enabling Wolbachia to infect vertebrates (including humans) but other viruses could too. I wrote to the pathologist, Dr. Daoust, who led the necropsies in Canada. His response (also used twice in their official report): An infectious cause "cannot be ruled out, but is unlikely". On June 8th, 2018, Dr. Verbin responded to my message: "I'm a DVM. I'm going to look into this. Happy World Oceans Day." I haven't heard from him since but I hope he will get back to me (I'll let you all know asap). On a Related Note My new Facebook friend, Ione Murphy, shared a post to The HighWire with Del Bigtree's timeline: https://www.facebook.com/HighWireTalk/?hc_ref=ARTIPKjVfDvbu9CAN36bYmdzcagZtMBKPeWPzE2CbWyqfhgLRbJxeasxrQU6MGOBwlM She wrote: "Del please consider doing a segment on your show about the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes all over the world, and it's connection to cancer. Thanks to you and all your crew for all that you do!" And she provided him with this link: https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1608170439308462&id=100003465656476&set=a.525781217547395.1073741827.100003465656476&source=48&ref=m_notif¬if_t=feed_comment_reply BTW, if you aren't into reading, Derrick Jensen — one of 50 visionaries that are changing the world — asked me to be a guest on his show. I'm delighted that it has 539 downloads (to date): http://resistanceradioprn.podbean.com/e/resistance-radio-guest-rose-webster-122417 And, I thought I'd give Twitter another go. I tried it years ago but gave up on it. Now, the longer 280-character tweets seem to work for me. Follow me: https://twitter.com/GetMyGist?lang=en Finally, Dr. Carla A. Sousa — who has a PhD in medical parasitology — wants my research (for free) and ALL without providing proper attribution. Dr. Carla A. Sousa even thinks highly enough of my work, apparently, for me to have editorial control over it. Yet, somehow, in her mind, HER team of researchers deserve to put their name on my work and collect the research grant or funding dollars for it. Yeah, LOL, you can't make this stuff up. The above video shows the email exchanges I had with Alanny Ferreira Moutinho, a research fellow at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, after I show the brief response I received from PHO (Public Health Ontario). FYI, If there are no whale calves next year, I fear that it may be too late for them. And you might want to sign my petition devoted to saving humans from these infections: https://www.change.org/p/oncologists-and-pathologists-acute-inflammatory-response-gbs-uveal-melanoma-or-lymphoma-r-o-rickettsiales-wolbachia Take good care, Rose Latest paper (with citations): http://www.infobarrel.com/Dr_Francis_M_Jiggins_You_Asked_How_Does_Wolbachia_Do_What_It_Does Authors note: I cannot use italics or hyperlink on petition updates. Ergo, links are not hidden and I used CAPS for emphasis. How your signature helps: each time a supporter signs our petition, an email is automatically sent directly to those being petitioned (governments, companies and individuals). When hundreds or even thousands of emails arrive in their inboxes, our message is impossible to ignore.