Breaking News Archives
- each day's breaking news from December 1, 2003
(check here for breaking news you might have missed and breaking news that
didn't ever hit the "front page")
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►February 17, 2004 - The
mystery of Munchausen's - Controversy rages over Munchausen's Syndrome by
proxy after court cases in the UK questioned its existence. Is it a real
condition or have mums been falsely accused? - today tonight - "A group of
Aussie mothers stand accused of one of the most horrendous crimes a parent could
commit: deliberately making their own child sick...It's called Munchausen's
Syndrome by proxy, a disorder where parents harm their children to attract
attention to themselves...Mothers alleged to have Munchausen's have been caught
on film in the act of child abuse, making the syndrome a feared and despised
illness...But the question remains whether Munchausen's by proxy really leads to
child abuse. Is it simply an invention of the medical world?..If so, Australian
families may have been torn apart because mothers were wrongly accused."
►February 17, 2004 - Hygiene
hypothesis questioned - Previous exposure to influenza A virus increases
predisposition to asthma - The Scientist
►February 18, 2004 - New
BSE form identified - Evidence of disease in 'healthy' cows points to the
discovery of a novel prion strain - The Scientist
►
January
2004 - THE
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF AIDS - The Central Villain Is Not A Virus. It Is
Poverty. And The Critical Cure Is Not Medicine. It is Justice. (free for a time)
- by Brian K Murphy -
www.redflagsdaily.com - "This warning is at the heart of the issue.
Root-Bernstein noted that 'AIDS may continue to plague modern society, just as
other preventable infections...plagued our forebears, because of the
closemindedness of the very physicians whose job it is to diagnose, treat and
prevent these diseases. A century ago, they let patients die by denying that
germs had anything to do with diseases. Today they may be letting them die by
insisting that the germ is everything.'"
►February 18, 2004 - Facing
the evidence: antidepressant treatment in children and adolescents - journal
article (CMAJ) - "It is clear that our efforts to establish a scientific basisfor the treatment of childhood depression are severely compromisedby both unpublished research and the uncritical acceptance of
published data. It is disturbing to note that there has beenno
formal response to this crisis from opinion leaders in child
psychiatry, many of whom were investigators in both publishedand
unpublished trials."
►February 17, 2004 - The
link between funding and the disclosure of clinical trial results -
www.vidyya.com - "There have been several
conflicting reports in the medical literature about whether industry funding
influences research findings and conclusions...In this week's issue of CMAJ,
Bhandari and colleagues reveal the results of a study of 332 randomized trials
published between January 1999 and June 2001 that show that industry-funded
trials were more likely to be associated with statistically significant
pro-industry findings. They state this conclusion is not limited to trials of
medical treatments -- it applies to trials of new surgical interventions as
well."
►February 17, 2004 - Lead
linked to schizophrenia - Study hints that prenatal
toxins can trigger psychiatric disease. - journal article (Nature)
►February 17, 2004 - A
Critical Piece of the CF Puzzle - Newsday - "More than 50 years after cystic
fibrosis was first identified as a disease, Harvard scientists have found a key
puzzle piece - an imbalance of fatty acids - that may lead someday to a novel
treatment for the lethal disease...Dr. Steven Freedman, an associate professor
of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, discovered cystic fibrosis patients
have much higher levels of arachidonic acid and depletions of docosahexaenoic
acid. AA and DHA at normal levels keep cell membranes healthy. The study
appeared recently in the New England Journal of Medicine."
►February 17, 2004 - Low
Antibody Levels Tied to Virus in Elderly - Reuters Heath via Yahoo! - "Frail
elderly individuals with low antibody levels to respiratory syncytial virus
(RSV) are at heightened risk for severe RSV disease, new research suggests. An
RSV vaccine might therefore benefit the elderly population."
►February 17, 2004 - Health
Highlights - Bird Flu Hits Pets in Japan - New Strain of Mad Cow Found in
Italy - Breast Cancer Linked to Antibiotic Use - Anger, Nicotine Addiction May
Go Hand in Hand - Concern Grows Over Lead in Computer Monitors - Gene Therapy
Could Produce Super Athletes - ScoutNews, LLC via
www.hon.ch
►February 16, 2004 - Looking
to the East for health - Scripps Howard News Service via
www.polkonline.com - "Chu, a specialist
in rehabilitative medicine, knows Western science has not measured chi, a
Chinese concept that translates roughly as "energy," or even demonstrated that
it exists. Still, he is so certain of the health benefits from practicing tai
chi that he gives virtually free weekly classes in his Roseville, Calif.
office."
►February 17, 2004 - Food-borne
pathogen traced to lettuce - Infectious Diseases Society of American via
www.eurekalert.org - "For the first
time, scientists have identified fresh produce as the source of an outbreak of
human Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections, according to an article published
in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available
online. The outbreak was identified in Finland and traced epidemiologically to
farms producing lettuce...Y. pseudotuberculosis, first identified in 1883,
causes infections characterized by fever and abdominal pain that are often
confused with acute appendicitis. The microbe is well known in veterinary
medicine as the cause of illnesses in hares, deer, and sheep, among other
animals. Y. pseudotuberculosis infections in humans are relatively rare, and
while foodborne transmission has long been suspected, attempts to trace the
pathogen to a concrete source of contamination in the past have been
unsuccessful."
►February 18, 2004 - Backing
for health chief - The Standard, China - "Secretary for Health, Welfare and
Food Yeoh Eng-kiong was not trying to downplay the significance of Sars when he
told a press conference last March that there was no outbreak of the disease in
the community, it was claimed yesterday...Nor was he trying to placate members
of the public, according to Deputy Director of Health Leung Pak-yin."
►February 17, 2004 - CDC
granted $250 million appropriation to improve aging labs - AP via
Ledger-Enquirer - "The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention has been granted $250 million from Congress
to improve its aging buildings and labs, it was announced Tuesday...'We are
extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish thus far at CDC, but ...
our work is not done,' said Phil Jacobs, co-chairman of the Friends of the CDC
and president of Georgia operations for BellSouth. 'We will not rest until we
see the full $1.4 billion program completely funded.'"
►February 23, 2004 - Cuddle
with Care - Forget about bird flu or SARS -- you're much more likely to get
sick from a pet - TIME Magazine
►February 16, 2004 - For
the Love of a Child - www.the-signal.com
- "Emily Iland said her son was not diagnosed with any condition until the age
of 13. She said they both cried every day for years because no one knew
how to help him."
►February 16, 2004 - How
did we get so cynical? - Cynicism seems to have become the defining attitude
of our time. This week the BBC News Online Magazine is asking where it comes
from, who's damaged by it, and what next for a cynical society? First though -
what made us into the cynical people we have become? - BBC
►February 17, 2004 -
HIV Growth Rates Surge in Russia, Ukraine - HIV Growth Rates in Estonia,
Russia and Ukraine Are Among World's Highest, U.N. Declares - AP via ABC News
►February 17, 2004 -
Aspirin May Lower Risk of Hodgkin's - Regular Use of Aspirin May Lower Risk
of Hodgkin's Disease, Scientists Say - AP via ABC News
►February 15, 2004 -
Children left to die in agony - Over 200,000 children around the world die
from cancer each year without ever receiving basic medical care or relief for
their pain, a report says. - BBC Health News
►February 16, 2004 - 'Dr
R2D2 will see you now...' - A patient lies in a hospital bed, waiting to
hear if her operation has been a success. - BBC
►February 14, 2004 -
When coping means cutting - Sam Hunt, from Birmingham, is 17. When she was
severely bullied at school, she regularly cut herself with a knife - and took
repeated overdoses. Doctors say the number of people coming to A&E units with
self-harm injuries is on the rise. Sam now talks to other young people about
self-harm and how to cope with it. She wrote her disturbing story for BBC News
Online and explained how she broke the self-harm habit. - BBC
►February 16, 2004 -
Free fruit and veg for toddlers - Parents of toddlers are to be able to get
free fruit and vegetables, the government has announced. - BBC
►February 18, 2004 -
Latching On to a Horror - Scientists fear a pandemic if the deadly avian flu
virus, which hooks into victims' cells, mutates and spreads between humans.
(requires registration) - The Los Angeles Times
►February 18, 2004 -
Flu Vaccine to Change Next Year (requires registration or subscription) -
The New York Times - "Next season's vaccines for the United States are expected
to include the Fujian strain that has caused most of this season's flu cases
here and in Europe. The Fujian strain will replace the strain known as
A/Moscow...Next season's vaccine will also substitute the B/Shanghai strain for
the B/Hong Kong strain. The new vaccine will still include the A/New Caledonia
strain."
►February 17, 2004 -
DoD reports complications in smallpox shot program - Center for Infectious
Disease Research & Policy ►February 17, 2004 -
Chickenpox Vaccine Less Effective After First Year - Reuters Health via
Yahoo! - "The effectiveness of the vaccine against chickenpox, or varicella,
decreases significantly after the first year, new research indicates. Moreover,
the vaccine is less effective in the first year in children younger than 15
months old than in older children. However, cases of breakthrough infection are
usually mild."
►February 17, 2004 -
AAEP 2003:
Comparative Efficacy of Vaccines -
www.thehorse.com - "Very little scientific research has been
done in the way of comparing the effectiveness of equine vaccines. However,
several researchers have been hard at work over the past few years trying to
determine if any particular U.S.-registered equine vaccines had advantages over
others. It turns out that the serologic responses to--and protection given
by--these vaccines varies significantly."
►February 16, 2004 -
Parents must get more information to counter immunization fears - press
release - Health Behavior News Service via Center for the Advancement of Health
- "Parents’ concerns about side effects and dangers of immunizations must be
countered by clear communication about the true risks and benefits, said a
scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...'Parents of one
child opting out of immunization may be a rational decision on one level, but if
many opt out, risks grow both for their unvaccinated children and also for those
who have been immunized,' said CDC scientist Deborah Gust, Ph.D. Much of the
value of immunization comes from vaccinating large numbers of people so a
disease won’t spread even if a population is exposed to it."
►February 17, 2004 -
HealthPartners Issues Health Tips for International Travel - Tips Include
How to Avoid the Most Common Travel Illness - press release - Tips Include How
to Avoid the Most Common Travel Illness via PRNewswire via Yahoo!
►February 17, 2004 -
Breast-Feeding At Work - ADHS Promotes And Practices Policy - Arizona
Capitol Times - "As
a site supervisor and nutritionist with the Maricopa County Department of Public
Health, Ms. Ogden is determined to erase the stigma associated with
breast-feeding in the workplace. She’s not alone...The Arizona Department of
Health Services has initiated a breast-feeding program to address issues and
increase the practice though education, awareness and policy change. The program
promotes breast-feeding as the superior method of feeding infants and young
children in order to build their immunity to disease and help form strong,
straight teeth."
Comment: Kudos the Ms.
Ogden and the Arizona Department of Health!
►February 18, 2004 -
Big rise in
whooping cough cases - Six times the number of cases of whooping cough have
been reported in the Auckland region in January compared to the same time last
year. - www.stuff.co.nz
►February 17, 2004 - WHO
optimistic on flu - Avian bug not 'major concern' for humans - AFP via
International Herald Tribune
►February 17, 2004 -
UN: Eradication of Bird Flu Virus May Be Impossible - Reuters - "The
United Nations food agency's director of animal health said Tuesday it may be
impossible to eradicate the spiraling bird flu virus that has ravaged the Asian
poultry sector and killed 20 people...Samuel Jutzi, director of the U.N. Food
and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) animal health department, said some 80
million birds had been culled or died from the disease and that experts were
still not sure of the source of the epidemic."
►February 17, 2004 -
Pay more attention to food allergies, local expert urges - Kalamazoo Gazette
via www.mlive.com - "Dr. James
Breneman, a retired Galesburg allergist and an internationally recognized
authority on food allergies, is one of a number of physicians who think food
allergies are more common and less easy to define than most doctors think."
►February 17, 2004 -
Canadian says vaccine-autism study is overblown - U.S. research linking
preservative to brain disorders called wild over-extrapolation (requires
registration) - The Medical Posting
Comment: Dr. Ward, the McGill researcher cited in
this study, is known to have admitted to significant conflicts of interest (see
disclosure list).
►February 17, 2004 -
Baby's autopsy by Shashi Gore settled nothing - column - Orlando Sentinel -
"A grueling rite of passage for any new parent is when your baby is lying on the
table at the pediatrician's office and the nurse walks in with four small
syringes. It's vaccination time...One after another the nurse plunges the
needles into the baby's thigh. And you pick up the screaming child and wonder if
she'll ever trust you again...What could be worse than that?...How about if
those vaccines attacked your baby's immune system and nervous system, perhaps
even killing her? And what if the damage so closely mimicked the damage caused
by abuse that you were suspected of shaking your baby to death?"
►February 17, 2004 -
American Youth More Physically Active, Survey Shows - The VERB Campaign Is
Motivating Youth to Get Active - press release - Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention via PRNewswire via Yahoo!
Breaking News Archives
- each day's breaking news from December 1, 2003
(check here for breaking news you might have missed and breaking news that
didn't ever hit the "front page")
More News -
all the news most recently
posted on this website
All the News - a running tab of
everything posted on this website since October 29, 2003
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
Sandy's Scandals Column
Past and current Scandals
- columns by Sandy Gottstein (aka Mintz)*
* ►March 20, 2010
- Taking
the Final Step: Implementation of a Mandatory Flu Shot Program Within a
Healthcare System - Fifth Decennial International Conference
on Healthcare-Associated Infections (abstract) - "Exemption from
vaccination was allowed for egg allergy, history of either
Guillian-Barré or a post-flu shot anaphylaxis. A formal
exemption process began as a written appeal to an internal review board
which determined exemption. For the non-exempt, the choice to not be
vaccinated resulted in termination. Rehire is conditional, based on the
intent to comply with influenza vaccination in the future. ...Over
99.99% of approximately 3800 employees received a seasonal flu shot. No
serious side effects occurred among those receiving vaccine. Of those
employees who applied for exemption but were denied, 4 chose to
terminate employement; however, one of these, a physician, chose
retirement rather than immunization. Consequences for unvaccinated,
non-employees were not explored this initial year."
* ►March 19, 2010
- Autism,
Vaccines, Thimerosal: Further Study Needed - Age of Autism -
"No study has looked at the possible effect of the synergistic toxicity
of aluminum and thimerosal, which are never supposed to be used in
combination (according to the Manufacturer Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
for thimerosal ) and are indeed combined in many shots (according to
the Vaccine Excipient Summary from the
CDC). And no controlled study, not one, exists on the effect of
low dose ethyl mercury toxicity in humans (a statement made by study
author Anders Hviid himself below on p.1765)."
* ►March 18, 2010
- FDA
to Ease Way for Multidrug Regimens (MRK,AZN) - SmarTrend News Watch
via COMTEX via Trading Markets - "At least two pharmaceutical consortia
are poised to take advantage of the forthcoming policy: a group of 10
drug companies and several nonprofit organizations convened by the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop medicines to fight
tuberculosis; and pharmaceutical giants Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK |
Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN |
Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), which are jointly testing two
anticancer agents."
