November  7, 2003                   

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Vaccines and Mystery Illness Investigations - UPI Series - "UPI has been investigating whether vaccines given to children could be linked to autism or other health problems, and whether the anthrax and smallpox vaccines have caused illnesses among U.S. troops. Related stories include the treatment of U.S. soldiers who were injured in Iraq."

Unsafe injections common around world - NewScientist - "Forty per cent of all the health injections given globally in 2000 were performed with reused needles, according to a World Health Organization study. In some countries, three out of four injections were unsafe...The researchers say that reusing needles contributes to the spread of numerous blood borne infections, including hepatitis B and C, HIV, malaria, septicaemia and viral haemorrhagic fevers." -  How could this be allowed to happen?  For one perspective on this question, go to: Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last."

Medics' fears over Third World jabs - The Scotsman - Note that nowhere in the Scotsman article are vaccinations as a source of contamination mentioned.

Jabs in developing world 'unsafe' - Many injections given in the developing world are unsafe, a British Medical Journal study finds. - BBC

Dirty needles major cause for spread of diseases in SEA - www.channelnewsasia.com - "The WHO has identified the seven countries which are at the bottom rung of safe needle practices as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal, and North Korea...A study showed that 75 percent of the injections in these countries had re-used needles from previous injections and had not been adequately sterilised...This is compared to 30 percent in other Asian and West Pacific nations, 17 and 19 percent in the two African regions, and 11 percent in Eastern Europe...Countries in the Middle East also scored a high rate of 70 percent, while Latin America was not considered due to lack of data."

Virulent strain of flu kills five children - Times Online - "John Watson, a respiratory expert at the HPA, said: “Laboratory testing so far this year shows that the main strain circulating is a flu A (H3N2) Fujian-like strain...'This is slightly different to the A (H3N2) Panama-like virus, which has been circulating in the UK in recent years...The flu vaccine contains the Panama-like virus and is considered to offer some protection against the Fujian-like strain and good protection against other strains that may also circulate.'”

No Major Worries for Flu Vaccine, Despite Scant Data - ePediatric News (requires registration)  - Doesn't "scant data" almost guarantee "no major worries", whether or not there might actually BE reason to worry?

FluMist(TM) Recognized By Popular Science As 'Best Of What's New' For 2003 - Life Science News - For another perspective on the new FluMist™ vaccine, go to Risks of FluMist Vaccine - An Investigation By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, a featured article at the Online Vaccines Conference at Redflagsdaily.com

Flu Vaccine Finally Recommended - ePediatric News (requires registration)

Demystifying FluMist Vaccine - ePediatric News (requires registration)

No Truth to Rumor About Contaminated Lot of Flu Vaccine - ePediatric News (requires registration)
 

Students crowd for flu shots - Four cases ID'd this week; flu shots still available - The Daily Camera

Health officials concerned about measles outbreak - Independent Record - "Federal health officials are worried about a measles outbreak spreading to the United States, especially to places like Montana that have a lower vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella."

Pertussis Booster in Teens May Prevent Over 68,000 Cases - ePediatric News (requires registration)

AP Newsbreak: Fourteen Iowans get rabies shots - AP via www.waterloocourier.com

SARS Vaccine Not Expected for Several Years, Experts Say - Any winter outbreak to be met with current "control measures" - WHO via www.iwar.org.uk

W. Nile vaccine tested - Human trials being done in Kansas with 60 volunteers - Rocky Mountain News - For analysis of the various factors that might be responsible for West Nile Virus, go to Nicholas Regush's Second Opinion column: Virus or Environment?  Commentator Questions Blame Placed on West Nile Virus

Understanding Vaccine Safety - Immunization Remains Our Best Defense Against Deadly Disease - http://pediatrics.about.com

Grown-Ups Need Their Shots, Too - Wall Street Journal (payment required)

New Guidelines on Vaccine Cold Storage - ePediatric News (requires registration)

Waiting for Wyeth - Motley Fool - "But yesterday, the drug maker announced a "temporary delay" in Prevnar shipments as it works to make some changes to its quality-control processes...In Wyeth's press release on the matter, the company sought to comfort investors with assurances that this will not result in a shortage, and that this development does not imply any questions about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine...However, the delay does make one wonder: Why is this upgrade happening now instead of prior to the manufacturing ramp-up months ago?"

ACIP's Approach to Prevnar Shortage Criticized - ePediatric News (requires registration)

Therapeutic vaccines against infectious diseases - BioMedNet (requires registration)

Vaccinations for the Pediatric Traveler  - journal article

New Immunization Policy Recommendations Issued - ePediatric News (requires registration)

CDC To Grade States' Bioterror Plans - AP via www.intelihealth.com

Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act: FDA Meeting Information Correction - Federal Register

Response to Lamivudine Treatment in Children with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection - journal article

Autism Update and Order - September 24, 2003 -  - www.uscfc.uscourts.gov (pdf) - "This update describes a number of recent developments in the Autism Omnibus proceeding that have occurred since June 27, 2003."

Docket of Omnibus Autism Proceeding (last update 10/17/03) - United States Court of Federal Claims

Why is big Pharma getting out of antibacterial drug discovery? - BioMedNet (requires registration)

Review: Microorganisms as triggers of autoimmunity: making the barren field fertile? - Nature 

Hepatitis outbreak in Beaver County reaches 130 - One may need liver transplant; 2 or 3 others in intensive care  - Post-Gazette

Lawsuits begin to roll in following hepatitis A outbreak - AP via www.philly.com

Report Flu-Associated Encephalopathy in Children to CDC - ePediatric News (requires registration)

CANADA: HIV, Hepatitis Testing Could Take Months - Canada Press via www.aegis.com

FrontPage: Jailed for HIV/AIDS - www.monitor.co.zm

Diphtheria exposed during comeback - Whole genome sequence identifies novel therapeutic targets and medical intervention routes - The Scientist

Yearly Outbreaks of West Nile Virus Appear Likely - ePediatric News (requires registration)

Three Additional Human Deaths from West Nile Virus Reported - Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Azithromycin Can Clear Pertussis Pathogen Quickly - ePediatric News (requires registration)

Antibiotic-Resistant S. pneumoniae Peaks at 0-2 Years - ePediatric News (requires registration)

Brevard parents urged to protect kids from (viral) meningitis - Sun-Sentinel.com
 

Human rabies cases soar in southern China - Canada Press via www.canada.com

Bioethicist Joins the FDA to Help Oversee Pediatric Clinical Trials - ePediatric News (requires registration)

NJ blood bank shipping plasma to Scotland amid mad cow worries - AP via Newsday
 

500 000 Children Face New Type of Malnutrition - Zimbabwe Independent via www.allafrica.com

Cannabis study shows small MS benefit - Nature

Imaging on the Brain - BioMedNet (requires registration)

Mammograms Done At Clinic Could Be Flawed - The New York Times - "Thousands of women who had their most recent breast X-rays at a Manhattan mammography clinic have been urged by state health officials to immediately have new mammograms after a review of some of the clinic's work found what the officials called a high risk that signs of cancer might have been missed."

Schafer Autism Report - November 7, 2003

Redflagsdaily.com - www.redflagsweekly.com