The latest Rapid responses to Hear the Silence - by Fitzpatrick (BMJ)

December 15, 2003 - Parents show increased concern about vaccine safety - Center for the Advancement of Health via www.eurekalert.org - "Four out of five doctors surveyed in 2000 reported at least one instance of parents refusing to have a child vaccinated during the previous year, according to a new study...More than two-thirds of those doctors said parents showed more concern regarding vaccine safety than parents did in the past."

December 14, 2003 - Guardsman given discharge, jail for refusing anthrax shots (requires subscription) - The Columbus Dispatch via www.milvacs.org (includes commentary) - "The first Army Ohio National Guard member charged for refusing to take the anthrax vaccine was sentenced yesterday to 40 days in jail and a bad conduct discharge...Spc. Kurt Hickman, 20, had worried about health risks of the vaccine, but Military Judge Col. Emmett Moran said at the end of the court-martial at Beightler Armory that putting on the guard uniform can be a health risk. Disobeying a lawful order also endangers others, Moran said."

December 14, 2003 - Channel defends MMR jab drama - The Guardian, UK

December 14, 2003 - Pneumonia Shot Urged For Elderly - The New York Post - "'Since the pneumonia vaccine offers protection against one of the most serious complications of the flu, New Yorkers over age 65 and those with chronic medical conditions should also ask their doctor about getting a pneumonia vaccination,' Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said in a statement."

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

December 10, 2003 - Last minute scramble for flu vaccinations - Our Opinion: Full-Scale Inoculation Would Reduce Disease's Toll - The Miami Herald - "The sudden rush to get flu vaccinations is testing the nation's public-health system and raising questions, including what is needed to get more Americans to take responsibility for getting vaccinated. Indications of a more-severe flu season have sent many more people than usual in search of vaccinations. That, in turn, is causing a vaccine shortage."

December 15, 2003 - Scientists agonized over less-than-ideal flu vaccine - AP via The Wichita Eagle - "Late last winter, a committee of vaccine experts designing this season's flu shot considered their choices. They had two, and both seemed bad...Should they stick with last year's formula, even though a new strain of the bug was ominously building strength? Or should they try to make a new vaccine and risk complications or delays that could result in a shortage or maybe even no vaccine at all?..In the end, the committee voted 17-1 to bring back last year's version, even though they feared they were telling millions of Americans to roll up their sleeves for shots that might not work very well."

December 13, 2003 - US 'wants British flu vaccine' - US health officials are considering buying thousands of doses of flu vaccine from Britain because it is running short of supplies. - BBC

December 13, 2003 - Flu Outbreak Strains Demand for Test Kits - AP via Yahoo! - "Manufacturers of tests used to determine if a patient has the flu say the current outbreak has strained their ability to meet demand from hospitals, medical laboratories and doctors' offices."

November 28, 2003 - Global Progress Toward Certifying Polio Eradication and Laboratory Containment of Wild Polioviruses --- August 2002--August 2003 - CDC

Comment:  For another perspective on the what is happening with polio, go to Scandals: What Do We Really Know About Polio and the Polio Vaccine?

December 8, 2003 - CDC director: 'Doing everything we can' to distribute flu vaccine - A severe and early flu season is prompting many Americans to rush to get flu vaccines. Health officials said the illness is particularly lethal this year, especially in Colorado, where eight children with the disease have died. - CNN

December 8, 2003 - Bioject Announces National Institutes of Health Begins Human Ebola Vaccine Trial Utilizing Biojector(R) 2000 - PRNewswire-FirstCall via Yahoo!

December 9, 2003 - Early Success for SARS Vaccine (requires subscription) - ScienceNow

December 8, 2003 - Ebola Vaccine Shows Promise in Mice - Reuters Health

December 9, 2003 - Gateses give $27 million for West Nile vaccine effort - Seattle Times - "An effort to stop the spread of Japanese encephalitis, a deadly Asian cousin of West Nile virus, has received a $27 million boost from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation."

December 9, 2003 - Vaccine likely effective against flu variant - Salt Lake Tribune

December 9, 2003 - Vaccine Protects Mice from Deadly Ebola Virus - The Scotsman

December 9, 2003 - WHO: Flu Vaccine Shortage Only in U.S. - AP via ABC News

December 6, 2003 - Flu Shot Shortage Looms Amid Early Outbreak - Two vaccine makers say they're out as demand rises - HealthDay via http://drkoop.com 

December 14, 2003 - Scientists agonized over flu vaccine - AP via Mercury News via www.bayarea.com - "Late last winter, a committee of vaccine experts designing this season's flu shot considered their choices. They had two, and both seemed bad...Should they stick with last year's formula, even though a new strain of the bug was ominously building strength? Or should they try to make a new vaccine and risk complications or delays that could result in a shortage or maybe even no vaccine at all?"

December 5, 2003 - Two Flu Shot Makers Run Out of Vaccine - http://apnews.myway.com (It is via myway, it looks like, but since I can't be sure, I'm just giving the link, since it looks like the link includes it being AP)

December 12, 2003 - HHS Purchases 250,000 Doses Of Flu Vaccine - US Department of Health and Human Services via www.intelihealth.com - "The 250,000 doses of flu vaccine were purchased from drug manufacturer Aventis Pasteur. HHS is continuing to explore other options for possibly purchasing additional supplies."

December 11, 2003 - Georgia Running Low On Flu Shot Supply - AP via www.intelihealth.com

December 10, 2003 - Flu Vaccine’s Strength Worries Experts - AP via www.intelihealth.com

December 9, 2003 - WHO: Flu Vaccine Shortage Only In U.S. - AP via www.intelihealth.com

December 8, 2003 - Singapore Faces Flu Vaccine Shortage - AP via www.intelihealth.com

December 8, 2003 - U.S. Flu Shot Makers Run Out Of Vaccine - AP via www.intelihealth.com
 

December 8, 2003 - Injections Said to Hamper Bioterror Fight - AP via ABC News - "Coming up with medicines that can be given in a nasal spray or by slapping on a patch rather than injections would be a big help in developing and stockpiling vaccines against major bioterrorism threats, an official involved in the government's Project Bioshield said Sunday...Trying to prepare and administer injections to the entire populations of even just major urban areas would be unwieldy and impractical, Dr. Philip K. Russell said in a talk wrapping up a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Philadelphia."

December 14, 2003 - Scientists agonized over flu vaccine - AP via Mercury News via www.bayarea.com - "Late last winter, a committee of vaccine experts designing this season's flu shot considered their choices. They had two, and both seemed bad...Should they stick with last year's formula, even though a new strain of the bug was ominously building strength? Or should they try to make a new vaccine and risk complications or delays that could result in a shortage or maybe even no vaccine at all?"

December 6, 2003 - Worried parents snatch up flu vaccine - The Boston Globe
 

December 5, 2003 - CDC Assessing Influenza Vaccine Now In Supply Pipeline - High risk individuals and health care workers should be immunized - CDC
 

December 6, 2003 - Concerns Raised Over Supply of Flu Shots - In Year of Brisk Demand, Vaccine Makers Have Shipped Entire Inventories - Washington Post

December 2003 - Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Children Recently Diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder - journal article (Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics) - "The authors' review of 284 charts of children seen at the Regional Autism Center of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, found that more than 30% of children were using some CAM, and that 9% were using potentially harmful CAM. Having an additional diagnosis was protective against CAM use and being Latino was associated with CAM use. Having seen a prior provider regarding the child's health condition was predictive of potentially harmful CAM use."

December 14, 2003 - Mercury Pollution - The Issue: Report targets Indiana for high number of "hot spots." Our View: Given the number of nearby power plants, this information should concern Tri-Staters. - www.courierpress.com

December 12, 2003 - Tests could leave some children behind - www.pittsburghlive.com - "But Education Secretary Rod Paige recently said officials will revise the regulations to allow no more than 1 percent of a school's students to use alternate special education tests, instead of the PSSA tests. Pennsylvania education officials say they have been allowing the most severely disabled children to take alternate PSSA tests for some years...But the question is whether that 1 percent figure under the new federal No Child Left Behind law is adequate."

Comment:  Giving the skyrocket rates of disability, it certainly would, sadly, seem as if 1% would be inadequate.

December 12, 2003 - Meeting Shows Power Politics In Children's Health -  http://nebraska.statepaper.com – “Is there a hotter topic right now than flu shots? Maybe child protective services in Nebraska. Or how to get a handle on government spending, especially for health care and education…A Thursday night meeting in Omaha combined all three with a look at whether mercury in childhood vaccines is causing the skyrocketing rates of autism and other learning disabilities, and what's being done about it.”

December 15, 2003 - West Virginia to launch nation's first registry to track autism - www.dailypress.com

December 9, 2003 - Drug-Resistant Bug Complicates Flu - Bad Staph, Vaccine Shortage Add to Flu Worries - WebMD with AOL Health

November 25, 2003 - Evaluating plague and smallpox as historical selective pressures for the CCR5-{Delta}32 HIV-resistance allele - journal article (PNAS Online)

December 11, 2003 - Flu Outbreak Now Widespread in 24 States - http://apnews.myway.com

December 12, 2003 - Tuberculosis' self-defense - Genes identified that may help Mycobacterium tuberculosis resist host immune system - The Scientist

December 11, 2003 - Influenza Update - News Conference Transcript - CDC

December 14, 2003 - Flu Virus From Bird Infects Boy in Asia - Experts Worried About Global Pandemic - Washington Post - "While the start of this year's flu season has been especially wretched, flu experts say it is not the killer pandemic they have been worrying about for years. They are more anxious about a little-noticed case that emerged last week in Hong Kong, where a 5-year-old boy was infected with a bird flu virus, because that is the sort of event that could spark a long-feared global health emergency."

December 14, 2003 - Scientists predicting worldwide flu plague - It's certain to come, and to be a deadly, drawn-out disaster - AP and files from Staff Reporter Charlie Anderson - "Think the flu warnings are gloomy now? You haven't heard anything yet...Consider this instead. It's only a matter of time until there's a worldwide outbreak of a strain so severe that in the industrialized nations alone, it will kill a half-million people, flood more than two million hospital beds -- and all in a sudden, unexpected crisis that no flu shot will prevent."

December 13, 2003 - The health consequences of the first Gulf war - The lessons are general (and for many patients) rather than specific to that war  - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Gulf war illness—better, worse, or just the same? A cohort study - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Incidence of cancer among UK Gulf war veterans: cohort study - journal article (BMJ)

December 4, 2003 - Influenza A/H3N2 epidemic continues in northern hemisphere - WHO

December 13, 2003 - HIV-1 seroprevalence rates in women and relinquishment of infants to the state in St Petersburg, Russia, 2002 (requires registration) - www.cardiosource.com - "In women who were HIV-1 positive, 26% (30 of 114) of those without prenatal care and 4% (13 of 371) of those with prenatal care relinquished their infants to the custody of the state, compared with 1% (354 of 37 621) of HIV-1-negative women (p<0·0001)."

December 13, 2003 - Africa isn't dying of Aids - The headline figures are horrible: almost 30 million Africans have HIV/Aids.  But, says Rian Malan, the figures are computer-generated estimates and they appear grotesquely exaggerated when set against population statisics. - The Spectator, UK

December 3, 2003 - Gregory Bryant-Bruce, who made news in custody fight as baby, dies - www.tennessean.com - "Bryant-Bruce and the child's father, Gregory Bryant-Bruce Sr., lost custody in December 1993 after doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center said that bleeding around the baby's eyes was evidence that he had been shaken or dropped repeatedly...Doctors there determined his complications were from the disorder...The Bryant-Bruces filed a lawsuit against Vanderbilt, seeking $75 million. The couple said Vanderbilt doctors misdiagnosed their son's internal bleeding as child abuse and that DHS used the diagnosis to keep the child away from them for almost 18 months, despite medical proof that the bleeding was from the rare disorder...A settlement was reached."

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.

December 6, 2003 - Subduing SARS - www.abc.net.au

December 6, 2003 - Threat Of Killer SARS Remains Warns Minister - BruneiDirect.com

December 5, 2003 - SARS vaccines speed towards clinic  - Researchers urge caution to avoid jabs pitfall. - Nature

December 10, 2003 - Ebola outbreak in Congo grows to 47 cases - CIDRAP News

December 9, 2003 - Ebola virus-like particles prevent lethal Ebola virus infection - U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases via www.eurekalert.org

December 11, 2003 - Drug shows promise for Ebola virus treatment in primates - U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases via www.eurekalert.org

December 11, 2003 - Drug treatment for Ebola shows promise - NewScientist.com

December 15, 2003 - 'Hospital superbug' MRSA spreads to animals - The Guardian, UK - "The hospital superbug MRSA has been found in pets for the first time in Britain, prompting fears that animals could infect their owners...The discovery that the deadly bacteria have crossed the species barrier will make it harder to limit their spread and could make the common antibiotics used to treat infections far less effective...MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), which kills 5,000 patients a year, is carried harmlessly by one in three people. But it can prove fatal in the elderly, those recovering from surgery and those who have a weakened immune system. Newborn babies are also susceptible."

December 9, 2003 - High Level Of Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria That Cause Food Poisoning - BioMed Central via ScienceDaily - "More than 40% of bacteria found in chicken on sale in Switzerland is resistant to at least one antibiotic, says research published this week in BMC Public Health. The findings could have implications for treating food poisoning."

December 9, 2003 - History of frog deformities suggests emerging disease - University of Wisconsin-Madison via www.eurekalert.org  

December 10, 2003 - New weapon to combat resistant bacteria - Swedish Research Council via www.eurekalert.org - "The problem of hospital infection, severe disease caused by antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus bacteria, entails major costs and great suffering. Group A streptococcus bacteria, also called meat-eating killer bacteria, are another growing problem. A team of Lund scientists has now developed a substance called Cystapep, which seems to work on bacteria that nothing else seems to be able to knock out...If Cystapep delivers what it promises, this is nothing short of sensational. Sweden is in a better position than other countries when it comes to antibiotic resistance, but in other parts of the world dangerous strains of bacteria have developed resistance to most of the antibiotics doctors have in their arsenal, and the problem is growing worse every year in Sweden as well."

December 13, 2003 - Experts predict big rise in dengue fever in South East Asia - journal article (BMJ)

December 11, 2003 - Infectious Behavior in a Parasitoid (requires subscription) - Science

December 13, 2003 - New plan launched to tackle Britain's high rate of hospital infection - journal article (BMJ) (You had already done this with the other BMJ ones)

December 13, 2003 - Seven international companies join global fund -  journal article (BMJ)

December 11, 2003 - Use of antivirals by HIV-infected persons reduced their ability to infect partners - University of California - San Francisco via www.eurekalert.org

December 13, 2003 - Delayed prescriptions - Can reduce antibiotic use in acute respiratory infections - journal article (BMJ)

December 3, 2003 - Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the Republic of the Congo - Update 4 - Disease Outbreak Reported - WHO

November 2003 - Genomics Research and Malaria Control: Great Expectations - journal article (PLos Biology)

December 5, 2003 - World Health Organization fighting ebola - UPI via The Washington Times

December 11, 2003 - “Survival Sex” And Substance Abuse May Hinder HIV Prevention Efforts - Infectious Diseases Society of America via www.intelihealth.com

November 2003 - Beyond the Fire-Hazard Mentality of Medicine: The Ecology of Infectious Diseases - journal article (PLoS Biology) - "All too often when faced with these emerging and re-emerging diseases, says hantavirus researcher Terry Yates (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States), ‘society has adopted a fire-hazard mentality. We have an outbreak and we go in and put out the fire without ever asking why there was a fire in the first place’."

December 9, 2003 - Gates Gives 27 Million Dollar Grant For Encephalitis - AP via www.intelihealth.com

December 6, 2003 - Infectious diseases expert convicted over missing plague bacteria - journal article (BMJ)

December 4, 2003 - Cholera in Mali - update - Disease Outbreak Reported - WHO

December 12, 2003 - Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the Republic of the Congo - update 5 - Disease Outbreak Reported -
- WHO

December 12, 2003 - SARS coronavirus part bird - part mammal: study - University of Toronto via www.eurekalert.org  

December 14, 2003 - No SARS case in Chinese mainland - Xinhuanet

December 15, 2003 - Promising results for Ebola drug - A treatment for the terrifying Ebola virus boosted survival rates in animal tests, scientists report. - BBC

December 7, 2003 - Botched testing led to SARS false alarm in suburban Vancouver - CP via www.canada.com

December 15, 2003 - How to Prevent Another Outbreak - Severe acute respiratory syndrome affected 8,098 people in 2003; 774 died - Newsweek via MSNBC - "At this time of the year, the animal markets in southern China’s Guangdong province are usually crowded with civets, raccoon dogs, snakes and even kittens, destined for local restaurants. Entrees in this part of the world are traditionally kept alive until moments before they land on the dinner table...The practice would be nothing more than a cultural curiosity if it weren’t so bad for the world’s health: animals and humans living in such close quarters tend to pass around viruses until, once in a while, one turns into an epidemic."
 

December 5, 2003 - AIDS Research: Earmark Draws Criticism, Creates Confusion (requires registration) - Science

December 6, 2003 - Schistosomiasis initiative extended to five more countries - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Huge numbers must change lifestyle to prevent epidemic of diabetes - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Bill Gates boosts fight against virus that threatens three billion - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - New plan launched to tackle Britain's high rate of hospital infection - journal article (BMJ)

December 15, 2003 - Drugs industry is accused of putting wealth before health - The Telegraph, UK

December 9, 2003 - Healthwise Handbook ─ New 16th Edition Includes Bioterror Response Information - Business Wire

December 12, 2003 - Bioterror Preparedness Still Lacking, Health Group Concludes - Washington Post

December 11, 2003 - Microbiology: Chemical Warfare and Mycobacterial Defense (requires subscription) - Science

December 11, 2003 - Report says states unready for bioterror - UPI via The Washington Times

December 11, 2003 - Report: States only moderately prepared to handle bioterror - AP via USA Today

December 11, 2003 - Study Finds Federal Bioterrorism Funds Have Yielded Only Modest Improvements in States (PDF) - Trust for America’s Health

December 22/29, 2003 - Obesity: Not just a phase kids outgrow - Addressing weight issues with children and adolescents requires a multifaceted approach from physicians that often involves the entire family. - www.ama-assn.org

December 15, 2003 - Health Canada to review use of psychiatric drugs on kids - CBC News - "Health Canada is reviewing whether a class of drugs - known as SSRIs - is safe for the treatment of depression in children and adolescents. The review is looking at data on many of the top-selling psychiatric drugs, including Paxil, Prozac and Celexa. None of the drugs is licensed for use in children, but doctors often do still prescribe them."

December 4, 2003 - European CDC closer to reality - Ministers agree that the EU should have a common public health body - The Scientist

December 13, 2003 - HRT no longer first choice for preventing osteoporosis - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Lancet calls for tobacco to be made illegal - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Adolescents are building up health problems for the future - journal article (BMJ)

December 13, 2003 - Patients often choose simpler treatments over latest technology, survey finds - journal article (BMJ)

*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.