Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - November 10-16, 2003

Note 1: If for any reason you end up in the "frames" version of the website, here's how to create a unique "url".  In Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape 7, in order to bookmark, forward or copy the direct link, right click on the link you are interested in and click on "open in new window".  The page will now open with the correct url.  (If someone knows how to do this in other editions of Netscape, please email me at sandym@touchngo.com and I will publish those directions as well.)

Note 2:  A sentence or two from each article will be included right after the link in quotes in many cases.

Note 3:  A short bio of Sandy Mintz is included in the Scandals column titled: The Homeland Security Act - The Aftermath.

Note 4:  My comments are in red.

Note 5:  INCLUSION OF AN ARTICLE BELOW DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN I HAVE READ ALL OR PART OF THAT ARTICLE.

Note 6:  Articles, for the most part, are no longer copied and pasted, but instead are linked to directly. 

Previous newsletters

Picks of the week

Smallpox/smallpox vaccine

Studies describe heart disease following smallpox vaccination - American Heart Association via www.eurekalert.org - "Heart-related complications can occur after the smallpox vaccine, but symptoms are usually mild, according to three studies presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2003...Public health officials expected some adverse reactions associated with the smallpox program, but didn't anticipate heart complications, he said...'The smallpox vaccine appears to be associated with myocarditis and pericarditis, but so far disease has been mild in civilians who received the vaccine,' Schieber said." - Has the disease really been mild, or have possible serious cases merely been summarily dismissed as being related to the vaccine?  And should it have been a surprise? (For more on this, go to: Scandals: Whose job is it, anyway?)

Frontlines | Smallpox Vaccination Plan Is 'Kaput'--Or Is It? - The Scientist

Immune memory from smallpox vaccination lasts more 50 years, according to Emory research - www.eurekalert.org

Frist bills/Eli Lilly et al protection/VICP  -  for more, click here

Other Bioterror-related

Autism

Autism Summit Conference - NIH - conference alert - "A national conference focusing on the Federal government's role in biomedical autism research, early screening and diagnosis, and improving access to autism services will be held November 19-20, 2003, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The summit will provide a public forum to disseminate, evaluate, and integrate the latest science-based autism information among Federal, academic, and community participants."

How doctors turned Julie into a twitching, bloated wreck - Telegraph, UK - "Julie Eldred used to have a good job, a long-term boyfriend and her own home. That was 17 years ago. Since then she has been reduced to a twitching, bloated, semi-catatonic wreck by prescription drugs, which numerous experts now say she should never have been given...What Julie, now 43, actually has is Asperger's syndrome, a relatively mild form of autism that in her case was so slight that she was able to live the first 26 years of her life with few problems."

A Chance at Independence - D.C.'s Developmentally Disabled Could Be Eligible for More Services - The Washington Post - "Eight-year-old Deion Hawkins can fasten a button, but he needs help with a zipper. He is proficient with the computer, but he cannot ride a bicycle. He knows how to warm food in the microwave, but not how to tie his shoes. He can vacuum the floor, but he can't bathe himself...Michelle A. Hawkins worries what will happen when her son, found to have autism at age 3, grows up and leaves the District's public school system, where he receives one-on-one classroom instruction. 'I intend for my son to be independent and as close to normal as possible,' she said. 'I believe he can achieve that, but he must have support.'"

Educating Hunter, a Child of Autism - The New York Times - "What can Hunter become? It would be so much easier for Hunter's parents, Cynde Greene and Peter Fellman, if the answer were a little clearer. Hunter's older brother, Nigel, a junior at Medfield High, has become a member of the honor society and plays three sports, but Hunter, their 13-year-old eighth grader, has autism, which is a wild card."

The child within autism - The cause remains unknown, but with more cases diagnosed, parents can only cope - The Star-Telegram - "St. Patrick's Cathedral was particularly quite and solemn just after the consecration at a recent Sunday morning Mass when Scott Gammage became aware that his 11-year-old son, Nicolas, was growing restless...'I decided it was time to go, and we were slipping out the back when Nicolas suddenly turned around, waved real big and shouted, very clearly, "Bye, God! See you tomorrow!"'"

Use of complimentary and alternative treatments for children with autistic spectrum disorders is increasing. - journal article

Autism/mercury

Autism in a Needle?  The toxic tale of vaccinations and mercury poisoning - In These Times - NOW ONLINE!

An assessment of the impact of thimerosal on childhood neurodevelopment disorders.  - journal article by the Geiers via MoMA (Mom's On A Mission For Autism)

Vaccine Safety: New Study Adds to Growing Evidence Supporting Vaccine Safety - Four Recent Studies Show No Link Between Vaccines Preservative and Autism - www.healthnewsdigest.com - To read Safe Minds' responses to some of the studies and issues raised, click here.

Autism/MMR

MMR Research Doctor Gives Talk In Home City - The Bath Chronicle - "The Government and the World Health Organisation have rubbished his claims but Dr Wakefield is continuing to garner support from around the world for his research...Working on behalf of the charity, Visceral, in Fountain Buildings, he has pledged to continue his work until he uncovers the truth."

Environment Plays Role in Bowel Problems - Reuters Health - "Changing environmental factors seem to play a role in the development of two serious bowel problems--ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, new research suggests."

Experts clash over danger of vaccine - Cape Times via www.iol.co.za - "Confused? If not, you probably haven't been paying attention to the debate on the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine...But then came the most dramatic development. There was now proof of the danger from the MMR, said Wakefield - and it had not been made public."

Autism and vaccines

M.I.N.D. Institute Vaccine-Autism RFP - U.C. Davis, M.I.N.D. Institute - "This award supports studies that examine potential relationships between vaccines and vaccine products and the etiology of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and address the core issue of whether childhood vaccinations may cause autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders...The M.I.N.D. Institute Research Program is avidly investigating potential links between vaccines and autism."

AIDS/HIV/AIDS vaccine

Experimental AIDS Vaccine Didn't Stop HIV - AP via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - "An experimental AIDS vaccine tested in Thailand on some 2,500 drug users failed to protect them from becoming infected with HIV, the vaccine's developer said Wednesday...The poor results were widely expected since VaxGen Inc. had said earlier that its vaccine did not work in a larger North American study."- But what if HIV has nothing to do with AIDS, as many believe?

Rural HIV-AIDS Discrimination Examined - AP via The Herald-Sun

VaxGen AIDS vaccine trials fail - The World Today via www.abc.net.au

Elements Of Green Tea Prevent HIV From Binding To Human T Cells - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Alzheimer's disease/vaccine

New Vaccine Tested in Animals May Hold Hope For Alzheimer's Patients - Scientists find that eating less can diminish symptoms - www.eurekalert.org

Copper May Guard Against Alzheimer's - Element appears to block buildup of harmful brain proteins, new studies show - HealthDay via www.healthcentral.com

Anthrax/anthrax vaccine/Gulf War Syndrome

Mystery Illness Causing Major U.S. Casualties in Iraq - The overwhelming majority of soldiers sent home for recovery from the current Persian Gulf War were not injured in combat but probably by a doctor’s needle. Were some “shot to death” by vaccinations?- www.americanfreepress.net

Direct Order - "Direct Order tells the story of members of the military who were ordered against their will to receive the controversial anthrax vaccine. Years later, after all the disturbing facts about the vaccine have surfaced, the US military still intends to vaccinate all our troops." - documentary narrated by Michael Douglas 

Autoimmunity/autoimmune disease

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."

Cancer/cancer vaccines

Epstein-Barr virus contributes to Burkitt's lymphoma - Finding points way to targeted treatment with fewer side effects - www.eurekalert.org - "There are two ways to prevent tumor viruses from doing damage, according to Bill Sugden, PhD, professor of oncology at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. One is to develop a vaccine that triggers immune responses that neutralize the virus; the other is to cripple viral gene products that maintain cells as tumors."

Waiting for a cure - Toronto Sun - "In the cancer research community, scientists often say that cancer has been cured countless times. The trouble is that the patients are mice, not humans and as close as we may be to a cure for cancer it has not yet happened in animals of the two-legged kind. This is not meant to rain on the parade of the McGill University scientists who, this past week, have actually reversed breast cancer in lab mice."

Breast cancer vaccine 'breakthrough' - Telegraph, UK - "A vaccine designed to fight the deadliest form of breast cancer has been tested successfully in the United States, in a breakthrough that offers hope to thousands of victims."

Chickenpox/chickenpox vaccine

Diphtheria/diphtheria vaccine

Flu/flu vaccine

Children and elderly at risk as killer flu strain reaches Britain - The Independent, UK - "A potentially deadly strain of the flu virus has entered Britain and may lead to a serious outbreak this winter, experts warned yesterday...'It is especially important for children over six months of age, who fall into the at-risk groups, to be vaccinated,' Dr Watson said." 

Comment: Why are they recommending the vaccine when there is apparently so much uncertainty concerning it's utility against this flu virus?

Some S. Florida pediatricians stop flu vaccinations despite CDC's advice - www.sun-sentinel.com - "Exactly opposite of a national trend, some pediatricians in South Florida have stopped giving flu shots to children, partly because they say insurers don't pay enough."

Fluzone® Package Insert-  2003-2004 Formula (pdf) - www.vaccineshoppe.com

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

Calgary hospitals hit by potent flu strain - Health officials say several factors could combine to make this one of the worst Canadian flu seasons in recent memory

Low take-up threatens winter flu jabs push - This Is Bournemouth

Pensioner's fears as winter vaccine supplies run out - The Scotsman

With Flu Season Coming, Don't Forget...Exercise? - American Physiological Society via www.intelihealth.com

Flu, infant virus arrive early - Timing of outbreaks doesn't necessarily mean cases will be more severe. - Akron Beacon Journal - "'I guess this is just showing us: don't get complacent,' said Akron Health Department epidemiologist Dr. Margeurite Erme, who tracks influenza's annual encroachment into Summit Country. 'We can't say, "Oh, it always comes in January or February, so we can wait to get vaccinated."'...Everyone -- except people allergic to eggs, in which the vaccine is grown -- is encouraged to get a flu shot, Payton said, but it's especially beneficial for those over 65 and those with chronic health conditions."

Researchers creating easy test for the flu - The Durango Herald

Get that flu shot, and you may save yourself a heart attack - Houston Chronicle - "Influenza is thought to trigger heart attacks and strokes by destabilizing fatty deposits clinging to artery walls. Inflammation caused by the flu can help blood clots form around the fatty deposits, or the infection can cause one of the deposits to break apart, ultimately blocking a blood vessel and setting off a stroke or heart attack...A growing body of research has shown that flu shots reduce heart attack risk by 50 percent to 67 percent. Other studies show influenza vaccination may cut stroke risk in half. In comparison, statin drugs, which lower blood cholesterol, reduce cardiovascular disease deaths by 30 percent on average."

Few in Bay Area try nasal flu vaccine - The Oakland Tribune - "Despite a $25 million television and print ad campaign touting the benefits of the nasal mist, local customers so far are turning their noses up at FluMist...The main drawbacks are the higher cost and restrictions on who can get the vaccine."

Flu jabs for rare illnesses - Taipei Times - "The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is offering people with rare disorders free flu vaccines this winter for the first time, according to the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders."

Experts now suggest flu shots for kids - Hartford Courant via www.sun-sentinel.com

Haemophilus Influenza/Hib Vaccine

Hepatitis A/hepatitis A vaccine

500 Sickened in Outbreak of Hepatitis Tied to Food - The New York Times - "Three people infected with the virus have died, and thousands have lined up for inoculations since the outbreak was reported in early November among people who ate at a Chi-Chi's Mexican restaurant."

Comment: According to the textbook Vaccines, Hepatitis A usually results in complete recovery.  What has happened to make the disease so deadly in this outbreak?

Deadly Pa. Hepatitis Outbreak Spurs Panic - Nation's Biggest Known Outbreak of Hepatitis Kills 3, Causes Panic in Greater Pittsburgh Area - AP via ABC News - "The nation's biggest known outbreak of hepatitis A is causing such a panic that people are lining up by the thousands for antibody shots and no longer eating out."

U.S. Advises Hepatitis A Precautions Amid Probe - Reuters - "Consumers should fully cook green onions as a precaution against hepatitis A, U.S. health officials said on Saturday as they probed the cause of an outbreak that has struck more than 500 people in Pennsylvania."

Pa. outbreak raises privacy issue - Ohio officials say they would have ID’d suspected source - www.toledoblade.com

Fear, rumors follow outbreak of hepatitis in Pennsylvania - Chicago Sun-Times

An Aetna InteliHealth/Harvard Medical School Look At The News - The Dangers Of Hepatitis A - www.intelihealth.com

Doctors Probe Whether Medication Hurt Hepatitis Victim - AP via NEPA News

Vaccination Against Hepatitis A: New Study Finds Universal Vaccination Against Hepatitis A Would Prevent Disease and Save Lives - www.healthnewsdigest.com

Hepatitis B/hepatitis B vaccine

Plague of HBV Discrimination - www.china.org.cn

Global Progress Toward Universal Childhood Hepatitis B Vaccination - CDC

Hepatitis C

Lyme disease/lyme disease vaccine

Meningitis/meningitis vaccine

Debate Over Meningitis Vaccine Tainted by Aggressive Lobbying - AAPS Pharmaceutica - "One factor driving some of the new legislation is aggressive lobbying by Aventis, which makes a vaccine that is effective for most strains of meningococcal disease. The pharmaceutical company has hired firms in various states to make legislators aware of the life-threatening disease and promote its vaccine. The laws Aventis advocates go far beyond the recommendation of the CDC..."

Vaccinated boy contracts meningococcal disease B strain - ABC New Online, Australia - "A boy from Mount Gambier, in South Australia's south-east, who is recovering from meningococcal disease had received the meningococcal C vaccination but contracted the B strain which cannot be vaccinated against."

MMR/measles,mumps,rubella

U.K. Measles Threat Menaces U.S. - Key to Protection: Keeping U.S. MMR Vaccination Rate High - WebMD

Pet vaccines

Vaccines breed controversies - The Star-Ledger via www.nj.com - "How do you know when your pussycat or pooch needs vaccinations? The decision used to be easy. It still is for puppies and kittens. They must have vaccines...But when pets mature that's when conflicting opinions emerge...Host of 'The Pet Stop' on News12NJ, Voynick says excessive vaccinations in adult dogs and cats 'may tip the immune system over the edge and thus make pets more prone to skin conditions, allergies, tumors in cats and some immune mediated diseases.'"

Pneumonia/prevnar

Polio/polio vaccine

Chairman Burton to Hold Hearing on Effectiveness of Today’s Polio Vaccine Safety Protocols - Congressional Committee on Government Reform

Nigerian Panel To Rule On Polio Vaccine Safety Next Week - AFP via key surf

Rabies/rabies vaccine

U.S. Has First Human Raccoon Rabies Death - The Herald-Sun

Results of rabies vaccine test due back next spring - Portland Press Herald (fee required)

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

RECALLS

SARS

Chinese Worry About Another SARS Outbreak - AP via The Herald-Sun

Hong Kong confident SARS won't lead to devastation second time round - www.channelnewsasia.com

China, France bid for SARS vaccine - The China Daily

Bone disorder in Sars survivors - www.health24.co.za - "Hong Kong hospital officials said Sunday that 49 Sars survivors are suffering from a degenerative bone disorder, possibly a side-effect of the steroids used to treat them...Many Hong Kong Sars patients who contracted the potentially fatal respiratory illness were treated with an antiviral drug and high dosages of steroids, and some experts had warned that the regimen may be harmful, the Associated Press reports." - Recognizing what appeared to many to be an emergency in this case, still, how often are the treatments devised to deal with illness the cause of long-term consequences attributed to the disease?  (See also Doctors Probe Whether Medication Hurt Hepatitis Victim)

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

SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome)

Shaken Baby/Impact Syndrome: Flawed Concepts and Misdiagnoses - Dr. Buttram via Vaccination Liberation

SIDS

Immune protein clue to cot death - High levels of an immune system protein may increase the risk of cot death, say researchers.  - BBC - "They believe high levels of the chemical may make the nervous system less responsive to danger signs...However, critics of the research, published in Neurology, say it failed to compare children of the same age." - Question:  Do vaccines ever raise the level of cytokines in the brain?

SIDS Linked to Protein Build-up - Ivanhoe - "Researchers from Belgium have linked Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to abnormal amounts of a key protein in the brain...These proteins normally assist in fighting infections, but if levels are too high, they could throw brain functions, such as breathing, off track."

Chemokine regulation of inflammation during acute viral infection. - journal article - "With regard to immunomodulation, use of weak or attenuated viruses to skew the local cytokine network to a configuration able to inhibit a pathogen is a new and interesting concept, but is fraught with important safety issues." - What are the safety issues?  Does this safety concern re: "use of weak or attenuated viruses" have any relevance to vaccines?  And/or to recent news re: SIDS and cytokines?

West Nile virus/vaccine

Whooping cough/DPT vaccine

Boy’s medical bills get help from Jaycees - Tyler Gauvin-Shortell is a little boy with some big medical bills. - www.newbritainherald.com - "Tyler, 8, has suffered from a seizure disorder since he was 4 months old...Earlier this year, Shortell said that one possible cause of the seizures is a component of the diphtheria-petussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine Tyler and his twin brother, Alex, received when they were 4 months old...The boys experienced their first seizures within 10 hours of receiving the vaccine, Shortell said. Alex died from the disorder before his second birthday."  But, surely, it must be a coincidence!

A new whooping cough vaccine is coming for adults - Abilene Reporter-News

Whooping cough makes a comeback in Oregon - AP via Seattle PI

Increase in whooping cough dismays health officials - As cases double in Oregon this year, parents are urged to vaccinate babies at 2 months - The Oregonian

Pertussis: Why diagnosis, testing are tough - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Can't stop coughing? Whooping cough hits adults, too - www.post-gazette.com - "A child visits a pediatrician, who fails to diagnose that the young patient has pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The child infects the doctor, who then passes the respiratory tract infection on to others...That's what happened in September in the Allentown-Lehigh area of the state. As a result, 20 cases of pertussis were confirmed and the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued an advisory to doctors, alerting them to be on the lookout for the disease."

Other vaccines/screening

Anti-smoking vaccine? A new anti-addiction vaccine could be the answer for smokers who lack the willpower to quit, according to scientists. - www.itv.com

Vaccines in general/vaccine research

Vaccines: A Hidden Danger? - WXYZ-TV Investigative Team, Detroit NOW - series of articles

Six Common Misconceptions about vaccination and how to respond to them - CDC - Notice that there are no references in this glibly reassuring document.  There are too many arguable points made in this article to address them all here, but for a different perspective on some of the points, go to these and other Scandals columns: Shoot First, Don't Ask Questions Later; More confusing disease stats; and  Infant Vaccine Deaths - But Who's Counting? (No news is NOT good news.)

Effective Pain Reduction for Multiple Immunization Injections in Young Infants - journal article

Holding Babies Makes Getting Shots Easier - AP via www.intelihealth.com

Midwest research looks at cows to produce vaccines - Greenwich Time - "Research to help defend against diseases that could be spread by bioterrorists is being carried out in the pastures of northwest Iowa...Calves have been genetically engineered to produce human antibodies - their immune systems reacting to infection as a human's would - to defend against diseases such as smallpox, botulism and anthrax."

(Vaccine) ingredients/additives & contaminants

Vaccine Ingredients - CDC (pdf)

Vaccine testing

Adverse reactions/VAERS/VICP

Vaccines: A Hidden Danger? - WXYZ-TV Investigative Team, Detroit NOW - series of articles

Doctors key to triggering FDA's warning signals - The agency's MedWatch program monitors the safety of drugs and medical devices and sounds the alarm when problems surface. - www.ama-assn.org - "'MedWatch is important, and we wish health professionals were more diligent in reporting adverse reactions," said Larry D. Sasich, PharmD, MPH, pharmacist and research analyst at Public Citizen. "But since MedWatch is a voluntary reporting system for physicians and others, you only get a small fraction of what actually occurs.'"  - There is apparently doctor resistance to reporting adverse vaccine reactions.  For more on the consequences of the failure to report 100%, click here.

Vaccine side effects hit children - China Daily - "The health bureau of the city of Fushun, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, has issued orders stopping the using of a flu vaccine that may cause infants to suffer fever and even twitching after vaccination...The vaccines were part of a supply of more than 1,000 vials of domestically made flu vaccine that the bureau purchased through legal channels, said Zhou, who refused to reveal the name of the producer."

Boy’s medical bills get help from Jaycees - Tyler Gauvin-Shortell is a little boy with some big medical bills. - www.newbritainherald.com - "Tyler, 8, has suffered from a seizure disorder since he was 4 months old...Earlier this year, Shortell said that one possible cause of the seizures is a component of the diphtheria-petussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine Tyler and his twin brother, Alex, received when they were 4 months old...The boys experienced their first seizures within 10 hours of receiving the vaccine, Shortell said. Alex died from the disorder before his second birthday."  But, surely, it must be a coincidence!

Alternative treatments/prevention

Use of complimentary and alternative treatments for children with autistic spectrum disorders is increasing. - journal article

WHO launches initiative to encourage eating fruit and vegetables

Keys to health Following basic rules of hygiene will keep children well - The Press of Atlantic City

Enigma of sun and bone - U.S. News - "Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D for humans. A mere five to 15 minutes in the summer sunlight two or three times a week can provide all the vitamin D the body needs." - And what role might sunscreen play in the development of rickets, particularly in northern climates?

Strawberries may boost astronaut performance - Frozen fruit protects rats' brains from harmful rays. - Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, New Orleans, November 2003 via Nature

Exercise may speed spinal cord repair - Running boosts nerve talk in injured rats. - Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, New Orleans, November 2003 via Nature

Diet May Improve Cognition, Slow Aging, And Help Protect Against Cosmic Radiation - Society for Neuroscience via www.intelihealth.com

Diet High In Vitamin C Decreases Stroke Risk, Especially Among Smokers - American Academy of Neurology via www.intelihealth.com

Fusion of old and new - The Star Online - "Dr Nor Shahidah said that before integrated medicine is endorsed, there should be adequate scientific evidence on the potential clinical benefits, safety and risks of TCM; this is still lacking in this country, she said."

Focus On Drawing On Traditional Remedies to Fight HIV/Aids - UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via www.allafrica.com - "This fusion of the traditional and modern is taking place in Tanga, a northeastern region on the Tanzanian coast, where the Tanga AIDS Working Group is combining modern voluntary counselling and testing methods with the knowledge of local healers in treating opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS."

Lawmakers seek more oversight of dietary supplement market - Hearings and legislation are launched as concerns rise about dangerous products and unsubstantiated claims. - www.ama-assn.org

Blood safety/contamination

New test method helps reduce blood safety fears - China View

Breastfeeding (vs. formula)

Breast-feeding promotes wound healing - Rat study may fuel breast-versus-bottle debate.  - Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, New Orleans, November 2003 via Nature

Breast-feeding high beats cocaine - BioMedNet (requires registration)

German Company Admits Defect in Infant Food - The New York Times

Changing epidemiology/serotypes

Pediatric Epiglottitis Caused by Group G Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus - journal article - "The widespread use of immunizations against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has significantly decreased the incidence of meningitis and sepsis caused by this invasive organism.^[1] A welcomed side effect of this immunization program has been a 10-fold decrease in the incidence of epiglottitis (supraglottitis).^{[2, 3]} Hib was the dominant cause of epiglottitis in the early 1980s with other organisms accounting for ~1% of cases.^[4] As Hib epiglottis has disappeared, other organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae,^[5]Haemophilus parainfluenzae,^[6]Staphylococcus aureus,^[7]Candida spp.,^[8] viral pathogens^{[9, 10]} and group A,^[11] B^[12] and C^[13] streptococci have emerged as increasingly likely etiologies for this disease. Epiglottitis may present differently when these alternative microorganisms are the cause." - For more on this, go to Scandals: Changing Disease Epidemiology Via Vaccines - Are We "Robbing Peter To Pay Paul"?

"The Condition Our Condition Is In" (The State of Medicine/Science)

Medical errors - Website of the week - BMJ - "It wasn't that long ago that many people regarded doctors' opinions and actions as near miracles. Nowadays, however, the doctor-patient interaction is more of a deal, where terms must be respected. If a provider does not offer the best quality products, the clients know full well how to safeguard their rights. Hammurabi's rules are back, and if doctors make mistakes in treating their patients they must pay—and the price might be their liberty, as an editorial in this week's BMJ discusses (p 1118). ^"

Putting a Chill on Important Pills: Antibiotics Can't Cure Colds And Flus - And Overuse Puts All of US at Risk - New York Times Syndicate via MedlinePlus/NIH

Conferences

Autism Summit Conference - NIH - conference alert - "A national conference focusing on the Federal government's role in biomedical autism research, early screening and diagnosis, and improving access to autism services will be held November 19-20, 2003, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The summit will provide a public forum to disseminate, evaluate, and integrate the latest science-based autism information among Federal, academic, and community participants."

Conflict of Interest

Drugmakers' paths of influence need to be less hidden - The Wall Street Journal (requires subscription) via www.healthleaders.com - "Wall Street Journal columnist Alan Murray says that although drugmakers should be allowed to lobby for influence with the federal government, their tactics should be public knowledge."

Clinical Trial Patients Don't Care About Study Sponsors Or Physician Conflicts Of Interest - Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions via Life Science News -  "Many patients will volunteer for a clinical trial if asked, even if the physician who inquires is a stockholder in the sponsoring company or has other potential conflicts of interest, a Johns Hopkins study demonstrates...'Many people don't trust pharmaceutical companies because they feel they are being overcharged for medications,' Braunstein adds. 'But given a chance to get involved in the testing of a new drug that may provide them some health benefit, they want to do this.'" - This is just plain hard to believe.  And, if true, equally hard to interpret.

Death and Disease

What Is the Next Plague? - The New York Times - "No one knows when or where the next plague will occur, or whether it will be from a natural or bioterrorist attack...But it is coming." - What, no mention of the role vaccines might be playing in causing mutations and more virulent diseases, and in general wreaking havoc with our immune systems? For more on this, go to: Scandals: Prescription For Disaster - Is Vaccine Policy A "House of Cards"?

What Did We Learn From AIDS? - The New York Times - "AIDS exploded a scientific complacency that seems inconceivably naïve today. Few experts were ruminating about new plagues in the 1970's because it was widely assumed that vaccination, sanitation and antibiotics were making infections obsolete. The retroviruses, the family of viruses that includes the AIDS virus, H.I.V., were felt to be of academic interest only."

WHO Warns Countries Losing Battle Against Child Deaths - NEWS @ ASEAN DISEASE SURVEILLANCE

Is Obesity A Disease? Insurance, Drug Access May Hinge on Answer - The Washington Post - "The rising number of Americans who are seriously overweight has triggered intense debate among scientists, advocacy groups, federal agencies, insurance companies and drug makers about whether obesity should be declared a "disease," a move that could open up insurance coverage to millions who need treatment for weight problems and could speed the approval of new diet drugs." - Or vaccines?

Increasing Infant Mortality Among Very Low Birthweight Infants - CDC - Any chance this could have something to do with increasing infant hepatitis B vaccination?

Effectiveness/herd immunity/coverage

Therapeutic vaccines against infectious diseases - BioMedNet (requires registration) - "Challenges faced in developing therapeutic vaccines include the following...third, defining what biological and immunological read-outs should be used to infer vaccine efficacy." - Gee, and I thought they already knew how to determine/measure vaccine-induced immunity.

Colorado's immunization woes - Health officials launch effort to get shots to more children - Rocky Mountain News

Ethics

Drugs of 4 Patients Subbed Without OK - The Boston Globe (requires subscription) - "The Disabled Persons Protection Commission uncovered numerous ethical violations at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center by Boston Medical Center physicians..."

Ethics of Placebo Use in Pediatric Clinical Trials - The Case of Antihypertensive Drug Studies - journal article

Funding

Genetics (vs. Environment)

Omic omen for environmental health research - BioMedNet (requires registration) - "The genocentric view that bad genes cause disease is no more...The environment plays a bigger role in disease development than previously thought, says Kenneth Olden, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA. Genetics loads the gun, but it's the environment that pulls the trigger,' said Olden."

Emerging field of epigenetics hints at new culprits in disease - Dallas Morning News via www.sunherald.com - "After scientists decoded the human genetic blueprint, the mysteries of disease were supposed to be simpler to solve...But researchers are starting to warn that the genetic blueprint has extra text that's only beginning to emerge.  Solving some disease mysteries, they say, won't happen until this extra information is fully understood."

Government/science/industry/medicine clearly run amok

November 17, 2003 - Vaccination Undermined - Editorial, The Scientist

Comment:  In The Scientist's editorial, Vaccination News is unfairly and inaccurately listed as a "virulently anti-vaccination" website.  Click here to read the recently posted "mission statement" of this website, parts of which were adapted from my February 2002 speech.

November 16, 2003 - The Scientist's Junk Science On Vaccines - The journal’s editor, Richard Gallagher, undermines scientific discussion by writing a silly, belching editorial that might as well be an ad for the vaccine industry. - by Nicholas Regush, www.redflagsdaily.com

November 16, 2003 - Open letter to Mr. Gallagher of The Scientist - Editor/webmaster www.vaccinescience.org

Comment: And what about the ultimate "logical fallacy": that although something (i.e., a vaccine-associated reaction) is temporally related to one or more vaccines, it must be just a coincidence....?

How doctors turned Julie into a twitching, bloated wreck - Telegraph, UK - "Julie Eldred used to have a good job, a long-term boyfriend and her own home. That was 17 years ago. Since then she has been reduced to a twitching, bloated, semi-catatonic wreck by prescription drugs, which numerous experts now say she should never have been given...What Julie, now 43, actually has is Asperger's syndrome, a relatively mild form of autism that in her case was so slight that she was able to live the first 26 years of her life with few problems."

Virus synthesised in a fortnight - NewScientist - "Genome maverick Craig Venter has taken a significant step towards his ambitious goal of building a living organism from scratch...But the method equally makes it much simpler to manufacture a deadly virus for use as a bioweapon. The simple precursors needed would be impossible for governments to keep out of the hands of would-be biowarriors."

Dentist pained by state cutting his right to talk - The Connecticut Post - "When Mark Breiner, an area dentist, wrote an opinion piece for the Connecticut Post, urging legislation banning mercury-based filings, he never thought the state Department of Public Health would take action against him."

Disease spread as blood test was delayed - The Kansas City Star via www.ledgerenquirer.com - "Guardians of the nation's blood supply gathered in 1981 at American Red Cross headquarters to consider a way to prevent hepatitis C from spreading through transfusions...The group concluded: 'Blood collection agencies in the U.S. should prepare to test ALT levels of all blood units'...But that didn't happen.  In fact, the blood industry would delay testing for another six years."

United States: Blood Banks Pass Up Test that Might Have Prevented Thousands of Infections - AP via www.aegis.com - "US blood banks in the early 1980s failed to use a screening test for hepatitis C that could have prevented thousands of infections, the Kansas City Star reported. The Star used data from studies at the time and estimated that if screening that detected an enzyme indicating liver damage had been implemented, more than 300,000 HCV infections might have been prevented."

Federal government fails to warn public about Hepatitis C - AP via www.semissourian.com - "Despite repeated promises, the federal government has failed to warn Americans about the potential dangers of hepatitis C, a virus that infects millions and kills thousands every year...The Kansas City Star reported Sunday that nearly every public education campaign about the virus has sputtered, with the government often citing a lack of money as the reason...The government also did not follow through on a plan to notify tens of thousands of patients that they might have been infected by hepatitis C from blood transfusions before 1992."

Do We Still Hurt Newborn Babies? - A Prospective Study of Procedural Pain and Analgesia in Neonates - journal article - journal article - "Conclusions  Clinicians estimated that most neonatal intensive care unit procedures are painful, but only a third of the neonates received appropriate analgesic therapy. Despite the accumulating evidence that neonatal procedural pain is harmful, analgesic treatment for painful procedures is limited. Systematic approaches are required to reduce the occurrence of pain and to improve the analgesic treatment of repetitive pain in neonates.^"

Legal/lawsuits/legislation

A00112 - An act to amend the social services law, in relation to prohibiting persons from receiving public assistance who cannot document that their children have been properly immunized. - New York State Assembly - legislation alert - For more immunization legislation, click here.

A05355 - AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring immunization of certain children against hepatitis A - New York State Assembly

Lawmakers seek more oversight of dietary supplement market - Hearings and legislation are launched as concerns rise about dangerous products and unsubstantiated claims. - www.ama-assn.org

*Pending Immunization Legislation - bookmark this link

Parental/health rights/exemptions/mandatory/privacy/health freedom

Parents opting out of vaccines for kids - UPI - "A growing number of parents across the United States are opting out of mandatory vaccination requirements for their children and health experts are concerned this could lead to outbreaks of deadly diseases such as measles, polio and whooping cough...In all, nearly 38,000 children have been exempted from receiving the usual bout of childhood immunizations, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Also, the numbers appear to be increasing dramatically in several states, including Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Michigan."

Opting out of vaccines could get easier - UPI - "More states next year probably will follow the example of Texas and Arkansas and pass legislation making it easier for parents to exempt their children from mandatory vaccine requirements, health experts told United Press International...This trend concerns those experts because the more kids that go unvaccinated the more likely it is for an outbreak to occur. There already are indications more parents are applying for exemptions in Texas and Arkansas as a result of the new laws."

State Mandates on Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases - Immunization Action Coalition

Pharmaceutical industry/pharmaceutical industry oversight

dangerous prescription - More than a dozen dangerous drugs have been pulled off the market since 1997.  Why were they approved in the first place?  An investigation of America's drug safety system. - Frontline/PBS - includes: The FDA - Hazardous to Your Health? AND Politics, Profits and Pharma   

Is the FDA Really Protecting Us? Nope...Opinion by IAHF President John Hammell - Millions of Health Freedom Fighters Newsletter

FDA's McClellan, `Loved by Industry,' Seeks Fast Drug Reviews - Bloomberg - Hmmm, does this mean the FDA is dropping any pretense that its job is to protect the consumer?

Drug Makers Pressed to Upgrade Plants - AAPS Pharmaceutica - "No longer a secret is the shocking revelation that the drug industry has, for a very long time, ignored the upgrading of its manufacturing facilities. The industry’s production techniques lag far behind those of potato-chip and laundry-soap makers [The Wall Street Journal Online, 3 September 2003]."

Pill seeker - The Guardian, UK - "Selling amphetamines to children is a career that normally ends in jail. But not for Matthew Emmens, the chief executive of Shire Pharmaceuticals, the UK's third largest drug company."

Neurontin Sales Soared on Dubious and Misleading Promotion - AAPS Pharmaceutica - "The Parke-Davis division of Warner-Lambert, which was acquired by Pfizer in 2000, was able to greatly expand sales of its anticonvulsant Neurontin (gabapentin) by manipulating study results as part of a campaign to promote the medication for unapproved uses."

Merck Stops Depression Drug Development - AP via The Herald-Sun

Drugmakers' paths of influence need to be less hidden - The Wall Street Journal (requires subscription) via www.healthleaders.com - "Wall Street Journal columnist Alan Murray says that although drugmakers should be allowed to lobby for influence with the federal government, their tactics should be public knowledge."

Politics

Pregnancy/childbirth

RECALLS

Target Corp. voluntarily recalls multi-colored chalk - Duluth News Tribune via www.sunherald.com

Research/publishing/funding/other research results

Daily Aspirin Use Linked with Pancreatic Cancer - Retuers via Yahoo!

Treated Wood Poses Cancer Risk to Kids - EPA Releases Early Findings on Exposure to Lumber Processed With Arsenic - The Washington Post

Letters From Parents &others

Miscellaneous

Newsletter Archives - use this link to access old newsletters, including those whose links may have changed

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