November 2, 2003

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Mercury under fire: Vaccine preservative concerns experts (requires free registration) - The Frederick News-Post - "A growing number of parents and health professionals are blaming a mercury compound found in vaccines for an explosion in neurological disorders in the United States...Parents who want to inoculate their young ones from scourges like whooping cough or tetanus may be unwittingly exposing their children to the dangerous chemical, some believe.

Focus: The truth about MMR - So is the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella safe? Yes, says the Government, now backed by one of the scientists who first raised fears. No, say campaigners who link MMR with autism. Meanwhile, parents are more bewildered than ever. Paul Vallely evaluates the claims on both sides - and reveals the new evidence that is yet to come to court - The Independent, UK

Row over new 'link' between MMR jab and autism - The Guardian, UK - "The row over the MMR vaccination deepened yesterday when the doctor at the centre of the controversy published fresh evidence of a possible link between the immunisation and autism...Dr Andrew Wakefield released the paper earlier than planned following a dispute with Dr Simon Murch, a co-author of the original research that triggered a nationwide scare about the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in 1998."

Aids expert predicts long wait for a vaccine - The first trials of Aids vaccines in Switzerland got underway at Lausanne University Hospital during the summer.- NZZ Online

FDR's paralysis not from polio, new theory says - Autoimmune illness possible cause - Newsday via The Houston Chronicle - "They base their case on several pieces of evidence. Roosevelt lost the ability to move his legs in the summer of 1921 during a polio epidemic. But he was 39, and most polio victims of that decade were infants and young children. Also, the way the weakness flowed upward -- from his feet to his face, with paralysis on both sides of his body -- more closely resembles Guillain-Barre than polio. Finally, his illness was accompanied by fever at the onset of his paralysis, and in poliomyelitis fever generally arrives days beforehand...Goldman also cited the duration of the progression of the paralysis, the numbness, extreme prolonged pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and the fact that the weakness in his arms and face disappeared, while his legs remained paralyzed. These are all arguments for Guillain-Barre syndrome, he said."

New tests find West Nile in blood supply - USA Today

Ash to champion the cause of polio-affected kids - The Times of India

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