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Michael Palmer's
vaccine thriller, "Fatal", now available in paperback at
Amazon and
Barnes and Noble.
Coroner links veteran's death to the Gulf war - The Independent, UK - "The
widow of a Gulf war veteran claimed a landmark victory last night after a
coroner decided that his military service in the conflict had contributed to his
death."
Patients: Oklahomans
used as human 'guinea pigs' - www.kfor.com
- "A
cancer research project may have used Oklahomans as human guinea pigs...In late
1996 a Tulsa doctor concocted a vaccine designed to fight deadly skin cancer.
Sources close to the doctor say he believed in his research. He tested it on
about 100 people, mostly Oklahomans, some of whom now believe that research
nearly killed them."
Barbara Loe Fisher
note: "Unfortunately,
the common myth that vaccines are harmless, that doctors are infallible and that
medical researchers are seldom unethical contributed to the blind trust that
caused this tragedy. The "sacred cow" status of vaccines must be replaced with a
more realistic understanding that every experimental or licensed vaccine, like
every experimental or licensed drug, can carry significant risks for
individuals. The right to informed consent to taking a risk with a medical
intervention, such as vaccination, should be considered a human right because
each human being has the moral right to voluntarily choose what they are willing
to die for." - From the NVIC
newsletter.
Vaccines:
What's Best for Baby? - Babies Today - "There are a projected 200
vaccines waiting to come on the medical market in the next decade, and many of
them will be for infants and children. Until full and definitive scientific
analysis of the risks and benefits of vaccines are made top priority by the FDA,
the NVIC and other groups skeptical of vaccinations will most assuredly continue
to make their voices heard."
Beware the new flu strain
- Daily News Transcript - "Even
though a different strain of the flu has been detected than what the current
vaccine protects against, a state public health official said last week the
public will still be protected...'There might be some reduced protection but
that doesn't mean there's no protection,' said Dr. Susan Lett, medical director
of the Department of Public Health immunization program."
Flu bug bites hard - New strain also highly contagious, resistant to flu
shot - The Jackson Sun News
Acambis gets booster shot from smallpox - Reuters - "Vaccine
maker Acambis swung to a third-quarter profit after it sold smallpox jabs to the
United States, and it says its pipeline of experimental drugs is progressing
well."
Screening: Ups and Downs of Newborn Test - The New York Times - "The
expanded medical screening of newborns put into effect by about half the states
is catching an increasing number of genetic disorders and making it easier to
prevent their most severe consequences, according to a study published in The
Journal of the American Medical Association...But the downside of the expanded
screening is the increased stress to parents caused by the many false positive
results that the procedure generates, the study found."
U.N.: No end in sight for AIDS epidemic - The
AIDS epidemic shows no signs of abating, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and
political action to fight the virus is failing, according to a report released
Tuesday. CNN
U.N.: AIDS deaths, infections at new highs -
Deaths and new cases of HIV/AIDS reached new highs in 2003 and are set to rise
further as the epidemic keeps a stranglehold on sub-Saharan Africa and advances
across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Reuters via CNN
China's pet dogs spur rabies surge - Rabies cases have leapt nearly 63
percent in China in the first nine months of the year as the people's mad affair
with pet dogs deepened, the China Daily reports. - Reuters via CNN
New
wave of young diabetics - The West Australian - "WA
children as young as 12 are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, putting them
at risk of kidney, eye and heart problems in their 20s...Diabetes Australia says
the disease - once referred to as mature age onset diabetes - is hitting more
teenagers, even children, and is fuelled by higher rates of obesity and
inactivity."
Drug
Makers Move Closer to Big Victory - The New York Times - "As Congress edged
closer to passing a Medicare drug benefit that prohibits the government from
using its buying clout to win discounts, one thing was clear: the drug industry
appeared on the cusp of an enormous victory, gained in part by millions in
political donations and an expensive lobbying campaign."
Fasting fakir
flummoxes physicians - Doctors and experts are baffled by an Indian hermit
who claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for several decades - but is
still in perfect health. - BBC - "Followers of Indian holy men and ascetics have
often ascribed extraordinary powers to them, but such powers are seldom subject
to scientific inspection."
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.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"