►January 6, 2004 - Vaccine ' could beat meningitis' - Scientists believe they may have found a way to protect people against every strain of meningitis. - BBC

►January 6, 2004 - Scientists: Meningitis Vaccine Breakthrough - The Scotsman, UK

►January 6, 2004 - Acambis expands portfolio beyond smallpox - Business Weekly - "Cambridge based Acambis continues to build a global vaccines powerhouse around the world-class science that won it two contracts to supply the US government with smallpox vaccines."

►January 6, 2004 - Some await anthrax shot antidote - The Daily News - "James Muhammad says that those who check his record will see he was a good Marine. An honor graduate from several military courses, he also received at least one meritorious promotion. In only two years and 11 months, he was promoted to sergeant on Nov. 1, 2002 - a rapid rise through the chain of command...Muhammad refused to take the vaccine. Less than six months later, on April 9, 2003, he was sentenced to 60 days in the brig, demoted to the rank of private and received a bad conduct discharge. He was jailed, strip-searched and housed with violent criminals."

►January 6, 2004 - Meningitis experts pin hopes on new vaccine - Plans for immunisation of children against B strain - Belfast Telegraph - "Meningitis experts in Northern Ireland said today they were "crossing their fingers" that a new vaccine would be the breakthrough needed to protect against the most dangerous form of the illness...The Meningitis Research Foundation was commenting on latest research carried out by scientists at the University of Surrey which could allow doctors to immunise children against meningitis B for the first time."

►January 6, 2004 - Flu shot suspect in death - The Calgary Sun - "The grieving family of a 22-month-old Calgary girl who died mysteriously are wondering if the tot suffered a fatal reaction to a flu vaccination."

►January 2004 - Two in county may have received bad flu vaccine - The Daily Courier via www.communitypapers.com

►January 4, 2004 - HIV Vaccine Tested for Japanese Patients - Daily Yomiuri via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 4, 2004 - India Administers Vaccine to Millions of Children to Stem Polio - Agence France Presse via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 4, 2004 - Indian Scientists Develop Experimental Malaria Vaccine - Xinhua News Agency via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 4, 2004 - Nasal Flu Vaccine Gets Shot in the Arm - New York Newsday via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 4, 2004 - Taking up Arms Against the Flu - Boston Globe via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 3, 2004 - Liver Group Recommends Vaccinations for Travelers - Vancouver Sun via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 5, 2004 - Engel Calls For Hearing On Flu Vaccine Shortage - www.house.gov/engel/welcome.htm

►January 6, 2004 - Flu Vaccine 2004-2005 Strain Selection Slated For Feb. 18-19 Committee Discussion - www.fdaadvisorycommittee.com

►January 6, 2004 - Richard Harkness: As Prescribed - Reduction of thimerosal has made vaccines safer - Contra Costa Times - "The reduced-thimerosal single-dose injections make it possible for children (and pregnant women and other adults) to stay under the EPA safe limit for mercury when they get their flu shots...Children weighing 24 pounds or more getting reduced-thimerosal Fluzone and those weighing 48 pounds or more getting reduced-thimerosal Fluvirin would be below the EPA limit."

Comment:  Good overview by a pharmacist.

►January 6, 2004 - Trials End Parents' Hopes for Autism Drug (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "For several years, an experimental drug, secretin, has offered an unlikely ray of hope for some desperate parents of children with autism...Discovered accidentally by the mother of an autistic boy and licensed to a small biotechnology company led by the father of two autistic girls, secretin has advanced through clinical trials even as study after study showed it had little or no effect...Now, the largest and most definitive clinical trial of secretin has been completed, and it, too, showed that the drug was no better than a placebo in improving the social interaction of young children with autism."

►January 5, 2004 - Study reveals teachers' attitudes about having chronically ill children in the classroom - JAMA via www.eurekalert.org - "Teachers have an overall positive attitude about having children with chronic illnesses in their classrooms, according to an article in the January issue of The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals."

►January 2, 2004 - Brain Scans Reveal Physiology of ADHD - journal article (Psychiatric News)

►January 6, 2004 - Schafer Autism Report

►January 6, 2004 - New Insight Into How Anthrax Bacteria Can Evade A Host's Immune Response - University of California, San Diego via www.newswise.com

►January 2, 2004 - Flu Deaths Hit Epidemic Level in U.S. - Reuters via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 6, 2004 - No flu worries in Pell City schools - Daily Home

►January 5, 2004 - Leprosy exists in Canada but doctors often fail to spot it, study warns - Canadian Press

►January 5, 2004 - Priorities for Research Into Mad Cow - AP via www.kentucky.com

►January 6, 2004 - Don't Have A Cow - Los Angeles Times via The Tampa Tribune - "The `mad cow'' disease diagnosed in a U.S. cow has set off a new round of predictable but groundless panic...Foreign governments promptly banned imports of U.S. beef. Investors dumped the stocks of beef-related companies. And, of course, what health scare would be complete without hyperventilating calls for even more government oversight of an already highly regulated industry?...There's no question that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE - commonly called mad cow disease - is a neurological disease in cattle. But the notion that people can contract a human form of mad cow by eating beef from infected cattle is more bun than burger."

►January 6, 2004 - Japanese scientist says seals have virus, warns of SARS-like outbreak - Health Canada via www.canada.com

►January 6, 2004 - New SARS Case Confirmed - WHO Finding in China Raises Fears of Another Outbreak - Washington Post

►January 2004 - Epidemiology of human parvovirus B19 in children with sickle cell disease - journal article (Blood)

►January 2004 - Health Status and Health Services Utilization Among US Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, and Other Asian/Pacific Islander Children - journal article (Pediatrics)

►January 3, 2004 - Virus halts decline of diabetes - Infection with a virus may prevent the development of one form of diabetes in mice - raising hopes of treatments for humans. - BBC
 

►1992 - Fundus Hermorrhages in Infancy - Things retinal hemorrhages in infancy may indicate

►2002 - Retinal Hemorrhages: Evidence of Abuse or Abuse of Evidence? (pdf) - Letter to the Editor - journal article (The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology) via www.debbiewadle.org

Comment:  This is an excellent letter.

►December 22, 2003 - SIDS - serotonin insufficiency during sleep? (requires registration) - BioMedNet - "Kinney has found that the number of serotonin receptors is lower than normal in the brains of SIDS victims, leading her to conclude that the development of an abnormal serotonergic system may put an infant at increased risk of developing the disorder...The findings led George Richerson of Yale University to ask, 'Does SIDS really stand for Serotonin Insufficiency During Sleep?'"

►January 6, 2004 - W.H.O. Urges China to Use Caution While Killing Civet Cats (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "The World Health Organization urged caution on Monday as provincial leaders in southern China rushed to kill thousands of civet cats as a preventive measure against SARS. Organization officials warned that such a large-scale slaughter, if done improperly, could pose serious hazards, including the possibility of more infections."

►January 4, 2004 - Colorado State Funded for Bioterrorism Data - Boston Globe via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►January 6, 2004 - Healthbeat: Family of 10 diseases mystifies - AP via The Charleston Gazette

►December 30, 2003 - Could injecting disinfectant treat bacterial infection? (requires registration) - BioMedNet - "A common antimicrobial agent used in toothpaste, skin creams, and mouthwash could be injected into the body to treat bacterial infection, says a microbiologist...What's more, there is no evidence that microbes can evolve resistance to this chemical, says Avadhesha Surolia, professor of biophysics at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore."

►January 2004 - Immunity to Fungal Infections - journal article (Nature Reviews Immunology) via Nature - "The topic of immunity to fungal infections is of interest to a wide range of disciplines, from microbiology to immunology. It is of particular interest in terms of therapy of HIV-infected individuals, and patients with cancer or individuals who have received transplants. Understanding the nature and function of the immune response to fungi is an exciting challenge that might set the stage for new approaches to the treatment of fungal diseases, from immunotherapy to vaccines."

►January 6, 2004 - Judge Says Maker of OxyContin Misled Officials to Win Patents (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly profitable painkiller OxyContin, deliberately misled federal officials to win patents protecting its drug, a federal judge ruled yesterday. The ruling helps clear the way for a cheaper generic version and could lead to more lawsuits."

►January 5, 2004 - Discovery Laboratories to Present at the 22nd Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference - Primezone via http://money.iwon.com

*Note:  Starting December 10, 2003 news will be posted in the "daily news" pages based on when it was posted on this website, not by publication date.