December  1, 2003                

Injection of common sense is needed over winter immunisations - The Scotsman - "I AM sad to say that the government is getting into a real mess over its winter immunisation programme...You may know that there is a campaign to immunise vulnerable folk against the pneumococcus bacterium, a nasty organism that can cause pneumonia, leading to serious illness or even death. This move is heartily supported by doctors but the mechanics of immunising large numbers of people can be daunting and time consuming."

Death shows vaccine studies needed - letter - Chicago Sun-Times

GPs under pressure after vaccine shortages - The Scotsman - "A vaccine to prevent potentially fatal infections has had to be imported from Germany because there are insufficient stocks to meet a nationwide immunisation programme...The Scottish Executive has had to look abroad for the pneumococcal vaccine because health boards did not anticipate demand for the jab - despite a publicity campaign offering it free to the over-65s."

Comment: For another perspective on use of the pneumococcal vaccine in those over 65, go to Scandals: Something Rotten In The State Of Research - The Twisted Tale Of Pneumonia Vaccine For Adults.
 

Measles outbreaks spur caution as a forgotten foe returns - Physicians and public health officials are concerned that populations with low vaccination rates could let the disease take root here again. - www.ama-assn.org - "...measles is so contagious that experts believe only vaccination rates near 100% would entirely eliminate the disease from U.S. shores."

Comment:  And yet, even a 100% vaccination rate does not always do the trick... see Measles Outbreak among Vaccinated High School Students -- Illinois - "Editorial Note: This outbreak demonstrates that transmission of measles can occur within a school population with a documented immunization level of 100%."

Mass vaccination of adults against hepatitis B 'inappropriate' - The Times of Oman - "The NIH executive director said it was unusual for those infected later in adult life to become chronic carriers of the virus. The argument, therefore, forms the basis of having a mass immunisation programme for infants to protect them from this deadly disease."

Comment:  But very few infants run any risk of contracting Hepatitis B.  And those that do, whose mothers are Hepatitis B positive, can be screened for it.  For more on this go to Scandals: For No Good Reason: The Utterly Misguided Universal Infant Hepatitis B Vaccination Policy.

For more on the incidence of Hepatitis B and actual risk of contracting it or becoming chronically infected, see Scandals: The CDC and “The New Math”, where 1 + 1  does not equal 2.

Microbiologist aims to find vaccine for bacteria - AP via www.accessnorthga.com - "Aided by a $1.7 million grant, a Medical College of Georgia microbiologist is working on a way to eliminate a common pest that sickens people an estimated 2.4 million times a year...The bacteria known as Campylobacter is the most common cause of gastroenteritis and can cause severe diarrhea, cramping and fever lasting for days. It can be especially dangerous in the elderly and young children, and an estimated 124 people die from the bacteria each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Country not Prepared for the Flu - Ivanhoe - "Researchers from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital say two different outbreaks of bird flu were transmitted to humans this year and caused fatal infections. They say these bird-to-human transmissions may suggest certain flu viruses are evolving quickly enough to pose a serious threat the humans. These types of virus transmissions were unheard of before 1997...Although researchers have recently developed new, quicker ways to make vaccines, they say the time it takes to test and approve the new vaccines would still take a good amount of time."

Big Shot - Why you should get your flu vaccination. - MSN - "Have you gotten your flu shot this year? If you haven't, your excuse is most likely feeble."
 

Ferrets Face SARS as Canada Fast-Tracks Vaccines - Reuters UK - "Canadian researchers are immunizing ferrets with three different test vaccines in a fast-tracked effort to find a way to ward off the deadly SARS virus, researchers told a symposium on Monday...'''This is not a long, slow, methodical work-it-out type (of) vaccine,' Finlay told the symposium of researchers from Canada, the United States and overseas at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg."
 

Comment:  In The Scientist's November 17, 2003 editorial "Vaccination Undermined", people who are concerned about the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations were maligned in the following way: "The antivaccine lobby strikes me as ignorant. A simple Web search turns up numerous sites that are virulently antivaccination.¹ Often these sites have a veneer of scientific respectability, but a more than cursory glance reveals otherwise. They are run by health nuts, conspiracy theorists, or misguided physicians who indulge in the logical fallacy of coincidental correlation."

For a considerably more fair-minded assessment of the "anti-vaccine" movement, go to BMJ's "Anti-vaccinationists past and present": "These comparisons emphasise that, regardless of how the medical establishment feels about anti-vaccinationists, it is important to understand that they have deeply held beliefs, often of a spiritual or philosophical nature,¹¹ and these beliefs have remained remarkably constant over the better part of two centuries. The movement encompasses a wide range of individuals, from a few who express conspiracy theories, to educated, well informed consumers of health care, who often have a complex rationale for their beliefs, related to a "mixture of world views held about the environment, healing, holism . . . and a critical reading of the scientific and alternative literature."¹² "

EPA urged against delay on mercury - Portland Press Herald - "Maine politicians and environmental officials are urging the Environmental Protection Agency not to extend a compliance deadline for cutting mercury emissions from power plants."

The Autism Calendar - December 2003 - Schafer Autism report

Autism therapies - The Plain Dealer

Advocates fear cuts to disabled in Schwarzenegger proposal - The Napa Valley Register

Watch the Salsa - A batch of bad scallions at a Chi-Chi's restaurant puts the focus on hepatitis A - Time Online Edition

Protecting Yourself From the Flu - WLNS Newscenter 6

The Wrong Drug, The Wrong Dose - Time.com -  "We learn from our mistakes only if we admit we're making them. And it appears that the medical community is increasingly stepping forward to do just that, according to U.S. Pharmacopeia's fourth annual report of hospital medication errors."

Diseases of the Mind - Bacteria, viruses and parasites may cause mental illnesses like depression and perhaps even autism and anorexia - MSNBC

Epidemic is attacking the roots of society - The International Herald Tribune - "For all the scientific advances in dealing with AIDS, however, scientists in the laboratory that first discovered the virus say only one new thing has been learned in 20 years...'The only important thing we have learned about AIDS since our lab discovered the virus in 1983 is humility, said Jean-Louis Virelizier, head of the viral immunology laboratory at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. 'We now know that knowing the virus is not enough to fight it.'"

Comment:  Perhaps the reason that so little is known, after all these years, is that HIV has nothing to do with "AIDS".  For more on this go to the Rethinking Aid$ website.

Rush to get Aids drugs out - Pretoria News via www.iol.co.za
 

S.C. patients living, not dying, with AIDS - Early diagnosis, better drugs improve outlook as local clinic marks 10th year - www.thestate.com

Attacking AIDS and its ally, hunger - International Herald Tribune

For more on the role malnutrition and other factors may play in AIDS, see AIDS in Africa is Caused by Starvation and Medications; An AIDS Skeptic in South Africa Feeds Simmering Doubts; and Malnutrition: the engine behind viral change

For a lucky few, free drugs offer hope against Aids in Africa - Guardian, UK

Rotary clubs will work to fight AIDS - Treatments common in West unavailable in other countries - Ventura County Star

WHO unveils plan to put 3 million on AIDS treatment by 2005 -  The Washington Post via Bolder Daily Camera

Scientists obtain first detailed images of West Nile virus - AP via The Hindustan Times

Scientists hope to eliminate oyster-borne illness - www.redandblack.com
 

Biotech Industry Banks on Medicare Law for Help on Drug Bills - The New York Times
 

Internet site covers disciplinary data from 49 states - Actions from more medical boards have been added to a consumer database tracking physician discipline. - www.ama-assn.org

Ethics committees help with tough choices - A group process can resolve disputes and ease family members' anxiety over refusing or withdrawing care. - www.ama-assn.org

Pfizer funding of training project raises questions - Pfizer says funding of health-care managers' training will benefit system - Prague Business Journal - "The project, which is unique in the world according to Pfizer's country manager Richard Paulson, has been praised for getting to grips with the problems of the Czech health-care sector but also has raised questions over what the drug company will get in return."
 

Diet implicated in irritable bowel syndrome - Studies suggest fructose or fat may be the culprits in the gastrointestinal illness, yet physicians say dietary modifications alone are rarely sufficient to eliminate symptoms. - www.ama-assn.org

When babies get the blues - USA Today

MRI shows back trouble may begin before puberty - www.eurekalert.org

Group Launches Study To Prevent Strokes – AP via www.intelihealth.com   

Redflagsdaily.com - www.redflagsweekly.com

*Note:  Starting December 10, 2003 news will be posted in the "daily news" pages based on when it was posted on this website, not by publication date.