December 13, 2003*
Vaccination News
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Vaccine-related
December 2003 - Allergic Disease at the Age of 7 Years After Pertussis Vaccination in Infancy - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine) - "Allergic diseases were evaluated in 667 children, who were randomized to 1 of 4 vaccine groups...The cumulative incidence of allergic diseases was 34.9%, and was similar in the 4 groups...Conclusion: Pertussis vaccination in infancy with any of these vaccines was not associated with allergic manifestations at the age of 7 years, apart from a higher prevalence of positive skin prick test results after an experimental 2-component vaccine, which is no longer in use. "
Comment: Although this study purports to vindicate the vaccines in question, it does nothing of the sort. First, all groups were vaccinated, and all groups had around a 35% incidence of allergies. What can be concluded is that there is an equally high amount of allergy among children given these vaccines. What cannot legitimately be said is that the vaccines do not cause allergy because we know absolutely nothing as a result of this study of the incidence of allergy in never vaccinated children. For more on the problem of poorly designed research, go to Out of Control: Childhood vaccinations and the risk of asthma.
December 12, 2003 - Vaccine protects troops - by Dr. William Winkenwerderis, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs - USA Today via Yahoo! - "Scientific knowledge behind the anthrax vaccine is impressive. In March 2002, a comprehensive study by the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites) concluded that the anthrax vaccine is safe and effective. The Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) approved the vaccine as effective against all forms of the disease. The Department of Defense (news - web sites) has safely administered several million vaccine doses to more than 980,000 servicemembers."
Comment: And now for at least part of the other side of the story (repeat from December 12, 2003):
Non-vaccine from a non-VA - The Journal Online - "On Nov. 26, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.H.) introduced a Sense of the Senate resolution asking the Pentagon to reconsider its mandatory anthrax vaccine. This welcome move is long overdue. Senate Resolution 278 restates some acknowledged problems: (including that) a startling 84 percent of personnel who had anthrax vaccine shots from 1998 to 2000 had side effects or reactions, of which 24 percent were `systemic'"
Comment: According to Senator Bingaman's resolution, 24% were systemic. That's 24% of 84%, or approximately 20% of those receiving the vaccine!
Comment: To learn more about the early history of this issue, go to http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/anthrax.htm.
December 13, 2003 - TV drama on MMR 'could cost lives' - The Telegraph, UK - "A spokesman added that to ensure viewers were properly informed, a statement before the opening scene would make clear that the film was a dramatised account of a mother's perceptions of what happened to her child and the work of Dr Wakefield and his colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital in the late 1990s."
December 8, 2003 - CDC to Monitor Kids Flu Complications - AP via Yahoo! - "The nation's health agency plans to closely watch flu complications among children, who have swamped hospitals in some states and surprised doctors with the severity of their illnesses...A new concern is the rise of a common drug-resistant staph infection that is complicating efforts to treat children with the flu, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) said Monday."
December 12, 2003 - Children Hit Hard By Flu - CBS/AP via CBS News - "Fueling all the concern is the sobering fact that at least 23 children have died so far this flu season..Some of the people who track infectious diseases call the number alarming, but to date there has been little information available about the deaths that would either allay or confirm fears...But CBS News Correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin reports that more than half of the children who died had an underlying illness such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes, but no information is being made public about whether or not the children were vaccinated."
Comment: Children with diseases like asthma and diabetes are more vulnerable to the potential ravages of the flu. Chronic disease among children is significantly on the rise, which means more and more children are potentially at serious risk from the flu. Why are more and more children suffering from chronic disease? For more on this, go to Scandals: Prescription For Disaster - Is Vaccine Policy A "House of Cards"? and Scandals: Look Who's Paying.
December 12, 2003 - Frist Says Flu Vaccine Shortage Points Up Need To Improve Supply - www.chattanoogan.com - "'There are a number of varying factors related to the shortage – too few vaccine manufacturers in large part due to costly and unnecessary lawsuits coupled with uncertain market conditions; lack of a coordinated strategy to safeguard against a flu pandemic; reliance on older technologies that slow vaccine production; public complacency about the importance of immunizations; and the caginess of the flu virus itself.'"
December 13, 2003 - Bush blamed for flu vaccine shortage - The Washington Times - "'It's frustrating to hear a Bush health adviser make excuses for drug companies by giving inflated numbers on how much stockholders might lose on vaccine production,' Mr. Edwards said. I wish we could think more about solutions and worry less about profits.'... One Republican source said it was 'incredibly ironic' that Mr. Edwards would complain about vaccine manufacturers....'There would be more companies available to manufacture vaccines if people like John Edwards and his trial lawyer friends weren't putting them out of business with frivolous lawsuits,' the source said."
December 12, 2003 - Read This Before You Get A Flu Shot Or Take Another Pill: By Mary Starrett - www.newswithviews.com - "A senior executive with pharma-giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the U.K. said that fewer than half the patients prescribed some of the most expensive drugs actually got any benefit from them...Whoa."
December 13, 2003 - With Flu Shots Dwindling, Nasal Spray Vaccine Surges (requires subscription or registration) - The New York Times - "So Mr. Feinberg, a 49-year-old lawyer, dropped into a pharmacy here, sat in a chair and tilted his head back as a pharmacist squirted a liquid vaccine called FluMist into each of his nostrils. He paid $70, before a $25 rebate, several times what he would have paid for a flu shot. But he said it was worth it... 'The time I would have lost from work," he said, "I didn't mind paying at all.'"
December 13, 2003 - Noting High-Risk Flu Groups and a Few Tips on Coping (requires subscription or registration) - The New York Times - "Because it is impossible to predict which strain of influenza will strike in any given season, this year's vaccine was designed for strains other than Fujian A, the dominant strain this year. But health officials say it appears to be close enough to provide some protection. The vaccine takes two weeks to become effective."
December 10, 2003 - Health departments set priorities for flu shots - The Seattle Times - "State and King County health officials are recommending that physicians give top priority for the increasingly scarce flu vaccine to children and adults at high risk for complications..."It seems prudent to prioritize the doses we do have. ... It appears our supplies are dwindling," state Health Officer Maxine Hayes said yesterday."
December 10, 2003 - Maine's supply of flu vaccine holding up, health officials say - AP via Portland Press Herald
December 10, 2003 - State recommends providers reserve flu vaccine for high risk patients - Continued high demand leads to recommended prioritization - Washington State Department of Health
December 10, 2003 - Short supply has officials seeking additional vaccines - Flu Shots - The Miami Herald
December 11, 2003 - Flu vaccine shortage is a painful U.S. problem - Drug industry can't meet needs - Detroit Free Press
December 12, 2003 - Early, Severe Flu Season Drives New Urgency for Prevention and Treatment - Vaccine, Antivirals Play Crucial Role - PRNewswire
December 9, 2003 - U.S. Officials Scramble to Meet Flu Shot Shortage - HealthDay via Yahoo!
December 10, 2003 - Chiron in Talks to Raise Flu Vaccine Supply Levels - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 9, 2003 - Flu Shot Shortage Could Help FluMist - AP via Yahoo! - "Shortages of flu shots could boost disappointing sales of the needle-free vaccine FluMist this winter, but analysts say the drug's long term outlook is dogged by a high price and limits on who can use it."
December 11, 2003 - Nigerian immunisation drive misses epicentre of polio outbreak - AFP via Yahoo!
December 9, 2003 - Afghanistan Launches 3-Day Polio Immunization Campaign - VOA News via www.afghanistan.org
December 12, 2003 - Cash injection - Bill Gates is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to immunise the world's poor children. - Seattle Post-Intelligencer via The Age
December 11, 2003 - Better Awareness of Meningitis Vaccine Urged - Reuters Health via Yahoo! - "Parents should be better educated about the potentially fatal disease meningococcal meningitis, and the vaccine that helps prevent it, according to experts...They say that although the risk of contracting the disease is low--and the odds of dying even lower--parents should at least be aware they have the option of vaccinating their children against it."
December 10, 2003 - Complex regional pain syndrome after hepatitis B vaccine - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
Autism-related
November 29, 2003 - ADHD's Brain Trail: Cerebral clues emerge for attention disorder - Science News
December 10, 2003 - Autistic, yet energetic, 7-year-old boy in need of adoptive home - Children Who Wait - The Daily Ardmoreite
December 10, 2003 - Gateway for expression - Disabled artists find outlet for their talent at Brookline arts program - Boston Herald via www.townonline.com
December 11, 2003 - Innovative treatment for autism proposed in Clayton - Sun Times
December 9, 2003 - As FDA, Advisory Panel Discuss Whether to Tell Women About Mercury Contamination, New FDA Tests Show Higher Than Expected Mercury in Tuna - www.ewg.org - "Mercury is toxic to the developing brain and nervous system, and it can have permanent effects on intelligence, speech and motor development of children after they are born."
Comment: What, no mention of vaccines? The idea that injecting an adult-sized mega-dose into the tiny bodies of infants via vaccines could in any way be benign simply doesn't pass the "straight-face test". But, you say, it's a different form of mercury (ethylmercury in thimerosal vs. methylmercury in tuna)? Well, then thoroughly study the differences and prove they don't have the same effect, rather than avoid studying it, and insist the lack of evidence means thimerosal is safe.
Comment: P.S. Don't let the vaccine or thimerosal manufacturers (past or present) have any influence, financial or otherwise, over the design or conduct of such studies.
"Vaccine-preventable" disease-related
December 10, 2003 - Listen, all you germ factories: Sneeze politely - Portland Press Herald - "It's been a long time since information this useful came out of Maine's state government. This morning's news report, therefore, would not be complete without attributing these two simple pieces of advice to no one less than Gov. John Baldacci."
December 11, 2003 - Hospital sees flu surge in pregnant women - Flu cases among young pregnant women surged at a large public hospital, calling attention to yet another group at serious risk of the flu. - AP via CNN
December 12, 2003 - Flu fear: Virus spread across state, nation - Boston Herald
December 11, 2003 - As flu season hits and fear levels mount, expert says SARS will not return - Canadian Press via www.canada.com
December 9, 2003 - Flu Season Hits Western United States Hard - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 8, 2003 - Flu Easily Caught, Easily Prevented - Reuters via Yahoo! - "Want to avoid the flu? Go wash your hands right now."
December 8, 2003 - Doctors Battling Kids Flu Complications - AP via Yahoo!
December 7, 2003 - Treatments for Flu Are Few and Far-Between - AP via Yahoo!
December 9, 2003 - Flu, and fear, run rampant - USA Today
December 11, 2003 - Three cases of whooping cough identified - Public health officials monitoring - Danvers Herald via www.townonline.com
December 8, 2003 - Oxygen Treatment May Not Help with Whooping Cough - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 10, 2003 - FDA, Mexico Dispute Hepatitis Outbreak - AP via Las Vegas Sun
December 11, 2003 - New hepatitis cases linked to Louisville-based Chi-Chi's - (registration or subscription required) - www.whas11.com
December 9, 2003 - FDA: U.S. Hepatitis Outbreak Linked to Mexican Onions - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 12, 2003 - No meningitis found at NSU - Students exposed last weekend to disease given clean bill of health - American News via www.aberdeennews.com
Other diseases/conditions (some already in the vaccine pipeline)
December 11, 2003 - Antivirals used by HIV-infected persons reduce ability to infect partners - UC NewsWire
December 10, 2003 - Judge Rules For HIV Patient In Transplant - AP via Yahoo!
December 7, 2003 - US Sees Quick Response to Africas AIDS War - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 12, 2003 - Residency ruling set to split family - The New Zealand Herald - "A fit American builder is being ejected from New Zealand because he may one day be a burden on the health system...The immigration decision over Glenn Cliver, who has hepatitis C, is forcing his New Zealand wife, Jan, to choose between her husband and her granddaughter...About 25,000 New Zealanders have hepatitis C, which can cause fatal liver disease."
December 10, 2003 - New Weapon To Combat Resistant Bacteria - Swedish Research Council via www.eurekalert.org
December 10, 2003 - Classifying Asthma - Disagreement Among Specialists - journal article (American College of Chest Physicians)
December 10, 2003 - Oral prednisolone in the acute management of children age 6 to 35 months with viral respiratory infection-induced lower airway disease: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 10, 2003 - Corticosteroids for bronchiolitis - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 10, 2003 - Corticosteroids for first-time young wheezers: Current status of the controversy - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 8, 2003 - Specialty medical societies offer evidence-based conclusions on inhaled steroid treatment for asthma - ACCP, AAAAI, and ACAAI conclude benefits of ICS treatment outweigh risks - American College of Chest Physicians via www.eurekalert.org
December 10, 2003 - Acute respiratory disease with special reference to pathogenesis, classification, and diagnosis - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 9, 2003 - High Level Of Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria That Cause Food Poisoning - BioMedCentral via ScienceDaily
December 9, 2003 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in children: epidemiology, presentation and management - journal article (Paediatric Respiratory Reviews)
December 8, 2003 - High Prevalence of Antibodies to Bartonella henselae among Italian Children without Evidence of Cat Scratch Disease - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases)
December 6, 2003 - Doctor, Patient Need to Manage Diabetes Together - HealthDay via Yahoo!
December 13, 2003 - Study of Women With Breast Cancer Finds Half Didn't Get All Suggested Chemotherapy (requires subscription or registration) - The New York Times
December 13, 2003 - Why I Chose Not To Have Radiation Treatment For Breast Cancer - by RFD Columnist, Marilyn Holasek Lloyd - www.redflagsdaily.com
Big pharma, research conduct, conflict of interest, ethics, FDA, oversight, approval process, warnings
December 15, 2003 - Integrity in Scientific Research - The Scientist
Mandatory vaccines, parental/health rights, legal,
December 8, 2003 - Child health costs for behavioral disorders similar to those for physical illnesses - Among behavioral disorders, anxiety and depression cost more - Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia via www.eurekalert.org
November 13, 2003 - Over 500 Parents Say Schools Coerced Them to Administer Psychiatric Drugs to Children - Press Release - Citizens Commission on Human Rights of St. Louis, Inc.
December 12, 2003 - In the rush to protect children, 'experts' use junk science to accuse innocent parents - Evidence is growing of disturbing flaws in the way allegations of child abuse are made and then pursued. James Le Fanu and David Derbyshire investigate - The Telegraph, UK – "First there was Sally Clark, then Trupti Patel, and now Angela Cannings…Three women wrongly accused of serial infanticide - one of the most horrendous crimes imaginable…Each prosecution relied on evidence from Sir Roy Meadow, Britain's leading cot-death expert who decided that, on the balance of probability, these mothers had murdered their children…Yet, according to a growing body of concerned lawyers, doctors and parents, these are not isolated cases but symptomatic of a legal and medical system so determined to protect children that it fails to protect the innocent."
Amendment and New Complaint / Sashi Gore, MD - To Florida Medical Examiners Commission on Nov. 2, 2003 by Alan Yurko (via email) - Free Yurko website
Transplant-Organ Service Verifies Yurko Claim About Florida Medical Examiner's Error - Free Yurko website
Comment: For more on the question of possible false imprisonment due to shaken baby syndrome, and Alan Yurko's case specifically, go to the Online SBS Conference at www.redflagsdaily.com.
November 10, 2003 - Children's Day. There is no task more important: Protecting the rights of children - Amnesty International
Miscellaneous
December 10, 2003 - Human milk is a source of lactic acid bacteria for the infant gut - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 9, 2003 - Senate Passes Anti-Obesity Bill - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 10, 2003 - Scientists to probe milk's genes to understand its health benefits - UC Davis News & Information
December 12, 2003 - Complementary Medicine Out of the Closet - Healthology Press via www.abcnews.go.com
December 11, 2003 - Law aimed at protecting U.S. food supply takes effect - Some exporters fear delays - AP via MSNBC
December 11, 2003 - 6 firms honored for technology developments - The San Diego Union-Tribune
December 11, 2003 - 7 area firms named `technology pioneers' - World Economic Forum Lauds The Most Innovative Companies - The Mercury News via www.bayarea.com
December 10, 2003 - Bioarchitect - Tissue engineer's micro-merger of sciences could change the face of medicine - The San Diego Union-Tribune
December 10, 2003 - Effects of iron therapy on infant blood lead levels - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 10, 2003 - Good bacteria in human milk - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 9, 2003 - Bar codes matching drug to patient nears - AP via CNN Health
December 10, 2003 - The legacy of fetal PCB exposure - The editors' perspectives section (op-ed) - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics)
December 8, 2003 - Fear of New Things May Shorten Life: Study - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 9, 2003 - Earlier Treatment for Infant Eye Disease - Ivanhoe
December 9, 2003 - Effect of Orange and Apple Juices on Iron Absorption in Children - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)
December 8, 2003 - Prospective comparative study of the safety and effectiveness of ginger for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy - journal article (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology)
December 7, 2003 - Kids Who Watch More TV Eat Fewer Vegetables-Study - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 7, 2003 - Early Exercise Wards Off Osteoporosis, Study Finds - Reuters via Yahoo!
Redflagsdaily.com - www.redflagsweekly.com
Breaking News Archives - from December 1, 2003 (check here for breaking news you might have missed and breaking news that didn't ever hit the "front page")
More News - all the news most recently posted on this website
All the News - a running tab of everything posted on this website since October 29, 2003
Top Stories Archives - daily breaking and other important news stories
Daily News Archives - all the news posted on this website each day (from April 2001)
*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.
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DISCLAIMER: All information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in consultation with your health care provider.