November  3, 2003                   

U.S. Congressman Sends Strong Letter to CDC Director About Autism-Mercury Study (.pdf file)

Mercury-laced vaccines a threat, child group says - The Washington Times - NOTICE: Political Action Alert! WRITE THE WASHINGTON TIMES WITH YOUR STORIES! @ letters@washingtontimes.com

CDC Scandal Emerges—Study Attempts Cover Up of Autism-Mercury Link—Congressman Dave Weldon, M.D., Asks CDC for Investigation - Moms on a Mission for Autism Press Release

E-News: Andrew Wakefield - Man of Courage - NVIC - BL Fisher Note: "It takes a man of great courage and integrity to stand up against overwhelming pressure from his scientific colleagues and refuse to say what is false when he knows what is true. Andrew Wakefield will not sell his soul to be protected from those government and drug company officials and doctors subservient to both government and industry who have tried to destroy him and prevent him from proving a scientific hypothesis."

MMR Doctor Hits Back - The Bath Chronicle - "The Bath doctor added that he was saddened by the way politics seemed to be getting in the way of scientific research into the matter."

New study disputes vaccine, autism link - Critics say mercury in shots led to nervous-system problems - AP via CNN - "Government researchers say they found little evidence of a link between vaccinations and developmental problems in a study of more than 140,000 U.S. children...The report didn't satisfy vaccine critics, who claimed the study's initial results showed a stronger connection but were watered down. They also noted that the study's lead author now works for a vaccine maker...But Dr. Mark Geier, a geneticist who has worked as a consultant on parents' lawsuits against vaccine makers, said the researchers' own earlier analysis of the study results found strong links between vaccines and such problems -- and that the published results attempt to conceal those findings. He claimed the final analysis "is intentional fraud." " NOTE the different title given this story by Newsday: Study Clears Vaccines Containing Mercury - AP via Newsday.

Doctor backs measles jab - The New Zealand Herald

Reid makes MMR plea to parents - The Scotsman

Vaccine scare could spark measles epidemic in Britain - Daily Times, Pakistan

Study Eyes Kids Problems, Mercury Link - Government Study Finds Little Evidence Linking Children's Problems to Mercury in Vaccines - ABC News

Study Clears Vaccines Containing Mercury - AP via Newsday - "Government researchers say they found little evidence of a link between vaccinations and developmental problems in a study of more than 140,000 U.S. children...The report didn't satisfy vaccine critics, who claimed the study's initial results showed a stronger connection but were watered down. They also noted that the study's lead author now works for a vaccine maker."

Study Finds No Link Between Vaccines, Autism - Reuters via Yahoo!

Vaccine scare could spark measles epidemic in Britain - Daily Times, Pakistan

Part 2: Autism and Informed Inoculation - Detroit Now News - "The mercury we're talking about inside this vial is so highly toxic we were warned not to even open it to show you the beige powder called Thimerosal. It's half mercury by weight. It has been added to vaccines as a preservative so they can be made in non-sterile environments since the early 30's. But as health officials have recommended more and more inoculations for children, it was discovered just a few years ago that the cumulative effect of all those shots resulted in children getting up to more than 100 times the amount of mercury the EPA considers safe."

Vaccination and autoimmune disease: what is the evidence? - journal article - The Lancet (requires registration for abstract and fee for article) - "As many as one in 20 people in Europe and North America have some form of autoimmune disease."

RFD Columnist, Dr. Meryl Nass, Says Smallpox Vaccine Safety Reports Issued By The U.S. Department Of Defense Are Misleading.  Here Is A Report Presented By The Alliance For Human Research Protection - AHRP via www.redflagsdaily.com

Decrease in Hospital Admissions for Febrile Seizures and Reports of Hypotonic-Hyporesponsive Episodes Presenting to Hospital Emergency Departments Since Switching to Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in Canada: A Report From IMPACT - journal article - Pediatrics

Whooping cough not shot down, but vaccinations up - Los Angeles Times via www.knoxnews.com - "Conclusions. The risks of febrile seizures and HHEs after pertussis-containing vaccine declined significantly with the introduction of acellular pertussis vaccine in Canada. Active surveillance systems are important for detecting trends in uncommon adverse events after routine immunizations.^"

Flu shot gave you the flu? It's a myth - Too many people avoid the vaccine, experts say. And that little needle is a small price to pay for avoiding serious illness. - The Los Angeles Times

"Shot" By Friendy Fire! - www.tomflocco.com

Product Approval Information - Aventis Pasteur - FDA - For Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed, Adult Use

Human HIV vaccine trial begins - AP via CNN

Benin Continues Anti-Polio Campaign As Nigeria Stumbles - African Church Information Service via http://allAfrica.com

Drug companies' state lobby pays off - www.thejournalnews.com - "Pharmaceutical companies poured millions of dollars into lobbying and campaign contributions this year in a behind-the-scenes effort to stop the state from restricting what drugs would be covered by Medicaid."

Government Launches Nationwide Anti-Polio Drive - UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via http://allafrica.com

Egypt's fight against polio gets a big boost - www.iol.co.za

My Turn: Reaching the ‘Point of No Return’ in Public - When ‘J’ has a fit, spectators assume poor parenting is to blame. They never suspect that he’s autistic - Newsweek via MSNBC

Scientist says influenza bigger risk than SARS - The Daily Yomiuri online

Newborn Screening Cost-Effective in Detecting Rare but Treatable Genetic Disease - www.docguide.com

Preventing prion disease progression - Depletion of neuronal prion proteins after scrapie prion infection prevents disease development - The Scientist

Pyruvate kinase and malaria - Hemolytic anemia protects against malaria - The Scientist

Prescription For Trouble: Approved medicine is being used for the wrong purpose - Detroit Free Press - "A six-month investigation by the Free Press Washington bureau has found that thousands of patients are harmed each year as doctors prescribe drugs in ways the FDA never certified as safe and effective...The practice, known as off-label prescribing, is driven by aggressive drug-company marketing, questionable research and a sometimes cavalier approach by doctors. The FDA has done little to discourage the practice and is considering whether to allow drug companies greater leeway in promoting unapproved treatments."

More Data Sought on Drug-Gene Interaction - AP via Monterey Herald.com

Redflagsdaily.com - www.redflagsweekly.com

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