Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - posted November 17-23, 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

Comment:  In The Scientist's November 17, 2003 editorial "Vaccination Undermined", 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.

Smallpox/smallpox vaccine

November 18, 2003 - Smallpox Is Bush's Worst Failure. But He Can Fix the Problem. - D.C. Dispatch via www.theatlanticonline.com - "McGlinchey's article ably details what went wrong: exaggerated fears of the vaccine's side effects; confusing signals from the administration; underfunding; failure to address liability concerns; lack of compensation for health workers made ill by the vaccine or, as a safety precaution, sidelined for up to two weeks after inoculation; above all, the failure from President Bush on down to explain clearly why these vaccinations are important."

Comment:  Were fears of the vaccine's side effects exaggerated, or has a failure to recognize the vaccine's side effects allowed a perception that they were exaggerated?

November 20, 2003 - Test May Predict Adverse Reaction to Smallpox Vaccinations - www.newswise.com

November 19, 2003 - CDC Director Denies Existence of U.S. Smallpox Immunization Program - Global Security Newswire - "In a sharp departure from previous public comments by senior U.S. officials, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the United States never launched a smallpox vaccination program this year, but instead worked toward an overall preparedness campaign (see GSN, Oct. 28)."

Comment: No comment....

November 20, 2003 - Test May Predict Adverse Reaction to Smallpox Vaccinations - www.newswise.com

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

Other Bioterror-related

Autism

November 21, 2003 - Rapid spread of autism baffling - Increase creates a big financial burden for state, summit is told. - The Sacramento Bee - "Autism, the perplexing brain disorder that has been the personal tragedy of thousands of families, is spreading so fast that it is creating a huge financial liability for the government, California experts told a national summit here Thursday...At an average lifetime cost of $4 million each, Rollens said the growth rate represents $44 million a day in long-term state liability."

Comment:  Just exactly how cost-effective are vaccines really,  if they are in any way responsible for the autism epidemic?

November 19, 2003 - US government teams with advocates against autism - Reuters - "The researchers also hinted that the new research may counter what they consider to be misleading ideas about autism, including fears that vaccines could cause the disorder."

U.S. Autism Clock - Fighting Autism

November 19, 2003 - Science Gives Hope To Families Facing Autism - Santa Monica Mirror

November 19, 2003 - Government Develops Strategy to Fight Autism - The New York Times - "Propelled by the skyrocketing number of diagnoses of the perplexing brain disorder autism in children, federal officials have for the first time mapped out a long-term, interagency plan to deal with the problem...Nobody knows the cause of the surge, although epidemiologists suspect it is largely a result of refined diagnosis and public awareness."

November 18, 2003 - The Autism Summit Conference: Developing a National Agenda (pdf) - NIH - November 19-20, 2003 - AGENDA

November 17, 2003 - Media Advisory - Autism on the Rise-Agencies Convene to Attest to this Disturbing Trend - http://www2.ccnmatthews.com 
 

November 16, 2003 - Study uses mobile technology to try to connect with autistic - The Ledger

Autism/mercury

September 2, 2003 - Study Suggests Low-Dose Mercury Accelerates Autoimmune Disease - University of Maryland

November 19, 2003 - Remarks of U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D. Before the National Summit on Autism - Press Release - www.house.gov

November 19, 2003 - Families Raise Concern Over Mercury In Vaccines - Debate Continues Over Past Use Of Thimerosal - Emmy nominated (regional) investigative report - WRAL - TV (aired 2002)

November 18, 2003 - Readers comment on Autism in a Needle? (scroll down)

Autism/MMR

November 21, 2003 - Somewhere Between Scientist and Consumer, The Message Is Lost - Small Times News - "Misinformation had been self-replicating via parents’ Internet newsgroups that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines (collectively known as the MMR) could be a cause of autism – a still largely mysterious condition over which there is some debate on a congenital vs. environmental cause."

Those who want to email the writer of the above editorial can do so at howardlovy@smalltimes.com .

Autism and vaccines

November 19, 2003 - Message To Those Attending The Conference On Autism - from Viera Scheibner, Ph.D.

AIDS/HIV/AIDS vaccine

November 21, 2003 - Did vaccinations cause my husband's HIV? - letter, The Illinois Leader

November 20, 2003 - AIDS treatments may up heart attack risk - The powerful drugs that beat back the AIDS virus may have a deadly drawback -- they may increase the risk of heart attack, according to a study in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. - Reuters via CNN

Comment: But what if HIV has nothing to do with AIDS, as many believe?

November 21, 2003 - AIDS Vaccine Still Alive as Booster After Second Failure in Thailand - Science Magazine

November 21, 2003 - Villagers Contract AIDS From Blood Sale - AP via The Herald-Sun

November 20, 2003 - Hopes fade for Aids vaccine - The Guardian, UK

November 17, 2003 - Drug Abuse And HIV/AIDs: Any Link? - It has been emphasised several times that a nexus exists between drug abuse and high risk behaviour that predisposes people to HIV/AIDS. This formed the theme of a three-day gathering of media practitioners and drug control experts in Lagos recently. Godwin Haruna was there - This Day - www.allafrica.com

Alzheimer's disease/vaccine

Anthrax/anthrax vaccine/Gulf War Syndrome

November 23, 2003 - Soldiers to sue over new Gulf War syndrome - The Guardian, Uk - "Multiple vaccinations given in the run-up to the conflict are being blamed for chronic pains, stomach problems, rashes, swelling, fever, depression and anxiety...Lawyers and medical experts say the symptoms are identical to those which affected thousands of veterans after the 1991 Gulf conflict."

November 20, 2003 - Pentagon insists vaccine deaths rare - But family of medic who died wants changes in procedure - AP via MSNBC - "Moses Lacy once accused the Pentagon of a vaccine cover-up. Now, seven months after his daughter’s death following five military-issued shots, Lacy hopes officials finally are taking his concerns about vaccine safety seriously...Some veterans groups critical of government handling of illness in people who served in the Gulf War and the Iraq conflict said they believe the smallpox or anthrax vaccines likely were the culprit in Rachael Lacy’s death — and that the Pentagon knew that all along."

November 19, 2003 - Soldier's Death Tied to Vaccines / Experimental Ebola vaccine attracts no volunteers - AHRP

November 19, 2003 - Medic's death may have been caused by vaccinations, Pentagon says - AP via www.sacbee.com

November 19, 2003 - Soldier's death tied to vaccines - But panels' conclusion not factored into probe of pneumonia cases - www.worldnetdaily.com
 

November 19, 2003 - Soldier's Death May Be Related to Vaccines - The New York Times - "A 22-year-old Army reservist who died in April may have succumbed to a combination of vaccinations, including those for smallpox and anthrax, the Pentagon said yesterday...But an Army medical expert, calling the death "a rare and tragic case," said the military's vaccination policies would not be changed."

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

September 2, 2003 - Study Suggests Low-Dose Mercury Accelerates Autoimmune Disease - University of Maryland

Cancer/cancer vaccines

Chickenpox/chickenpox vaccine

November 18, 2003 - Chickenpox Vaccine Okay for Nursing Mothers - Reuters Health via Medline - "The virus that is used in the chickenpox vaccine doesn't seem to enter a mother's breast milk or pass to feeding infants, new research shows. This means that nursing mothers who are susceptible to chickenpox do not need to wait to get the vaccine...Although chickenpox is often thought of as a childhood illness, adults can get it too and usually it is much more serious than in kids."

Comment:  But doesn't the vaccine make people more likely to get chickenpox as adults?

For other perspectives on the chickenpox vaccine go to: Rise in Shingles Cases Linked To Universal Chickenpox Vaccine Program by Gary S. Goldman, Ph.D. via Online Vaccines Conference at Redflagsdaily.com and Scandals: When is an oops not really an oops?  When you get to solve the problems you cause, and make money doing both!

Diabetes

November 14, 2003 - Juvenile diabetes cured in lab mice - www.boston.com

November 17, 2003 - Mom's Infections Tied to Lower Diabetes Risk in Child - Reuters via Yahoo! - "Among girls at increased risk of type1 diabetes, those whose mothers had colds or certain other infections during pregnancy might be less likely to develop diabetes, new study findings suggest."

November 16, 2003 - Doctors fear devastating diabetes epidemic - The Tennessean

Diphtheria/diphtheria vaccine

Ebola/ebola vaccine

November 19, 2003 - Test of an Experimental Ebola Vaccine Begins - The New York Times

Flu/flu vaccine

November 21, 2003 - Flu vaccine is a good option - The Pilot-Independent - "But before going further, let's dispel a couple of myths...First, the influenza vaccine cannot give someone the flu. It's impossible — the vaccine contains no active RNA and is basically an inactive shell of the influenza virus. However, after receiving the vaccine, some people — primarily those receiving it for the first time — experience a low-grade fever or some minor aches."

Comment:  Just out of curiosity, if it contains no active RNA, etc., why is it capable of causing "low-grade fever or some minor aches"?

Influenza Vaccine - by Kris Gaublomme, MD - VRAN - "The most intriguing deception of the public, however, is the suggestion that the patient who gets an influenza-vaccination will not get the flu."

November 18, 2003 - Early flu outbreaks have CDC worried - Abilene Reporter News - "But doctors are worried this year’s flu season could be brutal. Not only were the outbreaks early in Texas and Colorado, they involved a strain of influenza not targeted by the vaccine...Gerberding said the vaccine should still protect most people, because the strains are very similar. The changing flu strain is called a 'drift.'...'In the past, this has happened. It’s a very common thing,' she said. 'Whatever the drift is, the vaccine will still provide some cross-protection, so we’re optimistic that will be the case this year, but of course we’ll be watching it very carefully.'"

November 19, 2003 - MedImmune Says FluMist Sales Are Far Short of Target - Md. Firm Cites High Cost, Safety Concerns - The Washington Post

November 19, 2003 - Nasal Spray Mishaps - The New York Times - "It sounds like a marketer's dream - a flu vaccine that is given through a spray in the nose rather than an often painful shot in the arm. But attempts to sell such a vaccine this flu season have turned into a nightmare."

November 19, 2003 - Flu season starts early, but vaccine supplies plentiful - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

November 20, 2003 - Officials monitor flu outbreaks to study possible genetic shift - Amarillo-Globe News

November 19, 2003 - Slow FluMist sales give chills to maker - MedImmune reduces outlook for quarter, year - www.sunspot.net

November 19, 2003 - Flu vaccinations may not protect against new strain - The Michigan Daily

November 18, 2003 - Early flu outbreaks have CDC worried - Abilene Reporter News - "But doctors are worried this year’s flu season could be brutal. Not only were the outbreaks early in Texas and Colorado, they involved a strain of influenza not targeted by the vaccine...Gerberding said the vaccine should still protect most people, because the strains are very similar. The changing flu strain is called a 'drift.'...'In the past, this has happened. It’s a very common thing,' she said. 'Whatever the drift is, the vaccine will still provide some cross-protection, so we’re optimistic that will be the case this year, but of course we’ll be watching it very carefully.'"

November 18, 2003 - Flu Vaccine Faces Unexpected Strain - The New York Times - "The influenza vaccine now being given was not developed to protect against a strain of the virus that has surfaced in this country this fall, but the government is optimistic that this year's vaccine will stave off outbreaks, a top federal health official said yesterday."

Haemophilus Influenza/Hib Vaccine

Hepatitis A/hepatitis A vaccine

November 23, 2003 - Food-Borne Illness From Produce on the Rise - The New York Times

November 22, 2003 - Government Makes It Official: Blame Scallions for Outbreak - The New York Times

November 21, 2003 - 'I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy' - Hepatitis A sickens more than 540 people - AP via CNN - "The three deaths have shocked western Pennsylvanians, because health authorities have been saying that hepatitis A is usually not fatal and normally runs its course in a few weeks after causing such symptoms as fever, jaundice, nausea and abdominal pain...State Health Department spokesman Richard McGarvey said there does not appear to be anything surprising statistically about this outbreak. The fatality rate for hepatitis A is one to three deaths per 1,000 cases, though it rises to 18 per 1,000 for those over 50, and higher for those with chronic liver problems, McGarvey said."

November 12, 2003 - An Aetna InteliHealth/Harvard Medical School Look At The News -- The Hepatitis A Outbreak/What Is The Doctor's Reaction? - AP via www.intelihealth.com and www.intelihealth.com  - "As much worry as these outbreaks cause for affected communities, it is important to recognize that most hepatitis A is quite mild and harmless."

November 18, 2003 - Produce Items Are Vulnerable to Biological Contamination - The New York Times

November 17, 2003 - Hepatitis Inquiry Moves Deliberately From Farm to Plate - The New York Times

Hepatitis B/hepatitis B vaccine

November 19, 2003 - Elimination of Acute Hepatitis B Among Adolescents After One Decade of an Immunization Program Targeting Grade 6 Students - journal article - "Conclusions: Acute HB has been eliminated in the immunized adolescent cohort. A higher carrier rate in urban regions most likely explains the apparent difference in program effectiveness between urban and rural regions."

For a different take on the alleged need for hepatitis B vaccination among adolescents and adults, go to Scandals: The CDC and “The New Math”, where 1 + 1  does not equal 2

November 18, 2003 - Hepatitis B DNA vaccine induces protective antibody responses in human non-responders to conventional vaccination. - journal article
 

Hepatitis C/Hepatitis C vaccine

November 17, 2003 - First Human Tests of Hepatitis C Vaccine Begin - Researchers optimistic, but know there are many steps to go - HealthDay Reporter via USA Today

November 17, 2003 - Human tests for hepatitis vaccine - A vaccine to prevent infection by the virus that causes the liver disease hepatitis C is to be tested on humans. - BBC

Lyme disease/lyme disease vaccine

Meningitis/meningitis vaccine

MMR/measles,mumps,rubella

Pet vaccines

Veterinary Topics: Consequence of an injection - Serum hepatitis is a possible sequel to the administration of tetanus antitoxin - Thoroughbred Times Today

Pneumonia/prevnar

November 17, 2003 - The Impact of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Pneumococcal Diseases: Keeping the Emerging Picture in Focus - A supplement to ePediatric News

Polio/polio vaccine

November 18, 2003 - Medical Laboratory Tests Find Polio Vaccines Safe - IRIN via www.allafrica.com

November 18, 2003 - Nigerian vaccine tests refute contamination claim - The New Scientist

November 17, 2003 - Polio could be wiped out in a year if governments marshalled political will - UN - www.un.org

Rabies/rabies vaccine

RECALLS

SARS

November 20, 2003 - SARS Death Rate Doubles In Polluted Cities - www.sciencedaily.com

SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome)

November 21, 2003 - Dad on trial for murder - Infant's last days described (requires fee) - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - "Chandler's parents brought him for a regular checkup the morning of April 29, 2002.  Frankel examined him thorough, and a nurse administered some inoculations.  Chandler had a touch of a stuffy nose, and Frankel suggested saline drops for the stuffiness and recommended Tylenol --- infants sometimes develop a low-grade fever after vaccinations."

Comment:  It looks like it was just hours later that the infant became comatose.....

For more on the question of misdiagnosed SBS, go the the Online SBS conference at Redflagsweekly.com.

December 24, 2001 - Court's decision brings attention to shaken-baby syndrome - North County Times

May 1, 2003 - Shaken baby syndrome is shown to be a myth - The Scotsman

SIDS

West Nile virus/vaccine

November 19, 2003 - Cases of West Nile Virus in Horses Drop - AP via www.ajc.com - "Cases of West Nile virus in horses have dropped off sharply across the country, and experts say a campaign of vaccinations is one reason why."

Comment:  Until and unless properly designed studies comparing vaccinated to never vaccinated horses are conducted, it will be impossible to know for sure what, if anything, is responsible for this apparent decline in West Nile Virus incidence.

Whooping cough/DPT vaccine

November 21, 2003 - Predictors of death in infants hospitalized with pertussis: A case-control study of 16 pertussis deaths in Canada - journal article

November 21, 2003 - It's time to immunize adolescents and adults against pertussis - journal article

November 19, 2003 - Natural Health Newsletter - Question of the Day - "Dr. Neustaedter:Might I respectfully suggest that you rewrite your article on whooping cough to encourage parents who choose not to vaccinate their children at least TELL others that fact - so that others can make informed judgments as to whether they want to expose their children to the increased risk of playing with unvaccinated children."

Other vaccines/screening

"Vaccination" Against Pregnancy: What You Need To Know - Different Takes: A Publication Of The Population and Development Program At Hampshire College (Winter 2002)

November 19, 2003 - Brain Cancer Research Moves Forward - Ivanhoe - "For 18 years, Keith Black, M.D., from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has been searching for an effective treatment for brain cancer. While his research moves forward, he’s helping patients live longer along the way...His latest research involves an effective brain tumor vaccine."

Vaccines in general/vaccine research

(Vaccine) ingredients/additives & contaminants

Vaccine Ingredients - CDC (pdf)

Vaccine testing

Adverse reactions/VAERS/VICP

November 17, 2003 - Vaccine Concerns - The seizures began shortly after getting a vaccine when he was only four months old. Now an 8-year-old Bristol boy is undergoing treatment with some promising results. - WTNH Channel 8 News

October 1996 - The Clinical Impact of Adverse Event Reporting - MedWatch: The FDA Medical Products Reporting Program - "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s monitoring of the continued safety of marketed medical products depends greatly upon reporting of adverse events by health professionals. An understanding of how FDA uses this information, and of the limitations/strengths of the national postmarketing surveillance system, underscores the importance of this professional responsibility to the public health."

Alternative treatments/prevention

November 21, 2003 - Sun 'protects against cancer' - Staying out of the sun completely may increase your chances of developing cancer, say doctors. - BBC

November 19, 2003 - Clues may lead to best cancer treatments - Doctors may soon begin looking for compounds that will tell them which cancer patients will be best helped by certain treatments such as drugs or radiotherapy, researchers reported on Wednesday. - Reuters via CNN

October 29, 2003 - Diet and exercise show immediate changes in biomarkers for cancer risk - BioMedNet (requires registration)

November 17, 2003 - Keep Your Brain From Going to Pot  - Wired - "The active chemical in marijuana can do more for your head than give you a high -- it could protect your brain in emergency situations."

Blood safety/contamination

November 21, 2003 - Villagers Contract AIDS From Blood Sale - AP via The Herald-Sun

November 21, 2003 - More hospitals report sterilization problems - CBC Ottawa - "The list of hospitals in Ontario that have used improperly sterilized equipment in medical procedures has grown to seven. The number of people affected is more than 1,350."

Comment:  How much of so-called vaccine-preventable disease is actually caused by medical intervention?  For more on this go to Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last." and BD Applauds Senate Action to Prevent Unsafe Medical Practices That Can Cause HIV/AIDS Spread in Africa

November 18, 2003 - Not all instruments sterilized, MD says - Medicine's highest level of disinfection primarily used for surgical devices - Globe and Mail

Breastfeeding (vs. formula)

November 21, 2003 - Burger King Adopts Breast-Feeding Policy - Burger King Adopts Corporate Policy Allowing Breast-Feeding Day Before 'Nurse-In' - AP via ABC News - "'We want to be a family friendly place," said Rob Doughty, vice president for strategic communications for Miami-based Burger King. "We want to be responsive to our customers, and didn't know this was a big issue. Unfortunately in Utah, it went directly to the press, and we didn't have a chance to take a look at it.'...He said 20 states, including Utah, allow breast-feeding in public."

November 22, 2003 - Effect of breast feeding in infancy on blood pressure in later life: systematic review and meta-analysis -  journal article (BMJ)

Changing epidemiology/serotypes

November 16, 2003 - New infection emerges from immunization - New York's list of communicable diseases continues to grow, as new infections find ways to thwart human immune systems and public health experts hone their methods of identifying and tracking dangerous illnesses. - Troy Record

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

November 21, 2003 - More hospitals report sterilization problems - CBC Ottawa - "The list of hospitals in Ontario that have used improperly sterilized equipment in medical procedures has grown to seven. The number of people affected is more than 1,350."

Comment:  How much of so-called vaccine-preventable disease is actually caused by medical intervention?  For more on this go to Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last." and BD Applauds Senate Action to Prevent Unsafe Medical Practices That Can Cause HIV/AIDS Spread in Africa

November 19, 2003 - Drug Proven To Benefit Heart Attack Victims Vastly Underused - www.pharmaceuticalonline.com

November 19, 2003 - Hospital group works to reduce drug errors - UPI via Medline

November 18, 2003 - Study finds increase in medication errors at U.S. hospitals - Hospitals continue to make a large number of medication errors despite efforts to cut down on those mistakes, according to a study of several hundred hospitals. - Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

September-October 2000 - Make No Mistake: Medical Errors Can Be Deadly Serious - FDA Consumer Magazine

Conferences

Treating the Biology of Autism: an approach to interventions for spectrum disorders (pdf) - presented by the Autism Society of America, Oakland County Chapter - April 3-4, 2004 - Pontiac, Michigan

Conflict of Interest

November 17, 2003 - FDA advisory committee member on silicone gel breast implants may have major conflict of interest  - Public Citizen

Death and Disease

November 20, 2003 - Lewis And Clark Notes Reveal History Of Human Impacts - www.sciencedaily.com - "Prior to the arrival of Columbus in the Americas around 1500, the estimates of Native American population in North America ranged from 2 million to 3.8 million people. But by the time major western settlement by Europeans began in the 1800s, up to 90 percent of the Native Americans may have died from smallpox, measles and other diseases that had already swept the continent after being introduced by Europeans."

Effectiveness/herd immunity/coverage

Ethics

November 19, 2003 - Bill could require drug firms to test for children's dosages - AP via Houston Chronicle

Comment: In my opinion, this is a no-win situation.  Testing on children is replete with arguably questionable risk.  But using drugs which are untested on children is similarly risky.

Funding

Genetics (vs. Environment)

Government/science/industry/medicine clearly run amok

November 18, 2003 - US scientists warn CIA on new generation of biological weapons - AFP via Yahoo! - "These new tools of war were likely to include binary biological agents made up of two components that are relatively harmless separately but that become deadly when combined, according to the CIA account."

Comment:  And what of potential problem re: combination and multiply administered vaccines, as demonstrated in the 1986 Science article, Two avirulent herpes simplex viruses generate lethal recombinants in vivo?  And why has there not been recognition and study of this potentially disastrous problem with vaccines?

November 21, 2003 - More hospitals report sterilization problems - CBC Ottawa - "The list of hospitals in Ontario that have used improperly sterilized equipment in medical procedures has grown to seven. The number of people affected is more than 1,350."

Comment:  How much of so-called vaccine-preventable disease is actually caused by medical intervention?  For more on this go to Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last." and BD Applauds Senate Action to Prevent Unsafe Medical Practices That Can Cause HIV/AIDS Spread in Africa
 

November 19, 2003 - Witnesses claim IBM feared chemical scare would cause 'mass hysteria' among workers - EE Times - "To prevent problems at the plant, each testified that they were directed by IBM managers to "contain" worker complaints of ailments that could have been related to overexposure to chemicals."

November 19, 2003 - Hospital blasted for mishandling of biopsy tool - The Ottawa Citizen; With files from National Post via www.canada.com

November 18, 2003 - USP releases fourth annual report on medication errors in U.S. hospitals - More than one-third of hospital medication errors that reach the patient involve seniors - www.eurekalert.org

November 19, 2003 - Mainstream Medicine Is Getting Very Weird.  The Latest "Polypill" Episode Is Way Over The Top - Simply Wacko - Editorial by Nicholas Regush, Redflagsdaily.com

November 18, 2003 - Your Doctor's Drug Problem - Editorial, The New York Times - "The rising costs of pre scription drugs are driving the current debate about Medicare reform. Yet Republicans and Democrats alike may be unaware of a primary reason for this inflation: doctors are taught about drugs by agents of the pharmaceutical industry, which works hard to persuade them to select the newest and most expensive medications — even in the absence of scientific evidence that they are any better than older, less costly ones."

Immunity/Immune system

November 21, 2003 - Understanding How Lymph Nodes Respond To Infection May Redefine How Immune System Functions - www.sciencedaily.com

November 21, 2003 - Do Risk Factors for Childhood Infections and Malnutrition Protect Against Asthma? A Study of Brazilian Male Adolescents - journal article - "Conclusions. The present results are consistent with the "hygiene hypothesis," according to which early exposure to infections provides protection against asthma. The policy implications of our findings are unclear given that risk factors for asthma protect against serious childhood diseases in developing countries.^"

November 20, 2003 - Emory scientists find marker for long-term immunity - www.eurekalert.org - "Scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center and The Scripps Research Institute have found a way to identify which of the T cells generated after a viral infection can persist and confer protective immunity. Because these long-lived cells protect against reinfection by "remembering" the prior pathogen, they are called memory T cells. This discovery about the specific mechanisms of long-term immunity could help scientists develop more effective vaccines against challenging infections."

Comment:  What does this say about current methods of determining vaccine-induced immunity?

November 19, 2003 - Clean Kids=Asthma? - WLNS Newscenter 6 - "It's been said "cleanliness is next to godliness," but it could also be giving kids asthma. There's a popular theory that eating a pound of dirt can strengthen a child's immune system. Now, some researchers say the hygiene hypothesis may be a clue to the recent rise in asthma."

Legal/lawsuits/legislation

November 23, 2003 - Soldiers to sue over new Gulf War syndrome - The Guardian, Uk - "Multiple vaccinations given in the run-up to the conflict are being blamed for chronic pains, stomach problems, rashes, swelling, fever, depression and anxiety...Lawyers and medical experts say the symptoms are identical to those which affected thousands of veterans after the 1991 Gulf conflict."

*Pending Immunization Legislation - bookmark this link

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

November 19, 2003 - Natural Health Newsletter - Question of the Day - "Dr. Neustaedter:Might I respectfully suggest that you rewrite your article on whooping cough to encourage parents who choose not to vaccinate their children at least TELL others that fact - so that others can make informed judgments as to whether they want to expose their children to the increased risk of playing with unvaccinated children."

November 20, 2003 - Panel Suggests Electronic Health Records - AP via The Herald-Sun

Pharmaceutical industry/pharmaceutical industry oversight

November 21, 2003 - FDA Now Urges Caution On SSRI Use in Children - The U.S. FDA appears to have backpedaled a bit, preferring to urge "caution" rather than advising physicians to stop prescribing SSRIs for children. - Psychiatric News

Comment:  Who does this "backpedaling" benefit?  Who does the FDA protect, business or the consumer?

November 21, 2003 - Drugmakers Protect Their Turf - Medicare Bill Represents Success for Pharmaceutical Lobby - The Washington Post - "No industry in negotiations over the $400 billion Medicare prescription drug bill headed to the House floor today outpaced the pharmaceutical lobby in securing a favorable program design and defeating proposals most likely to cut into its profits, according to analysts in and out of the industry."

November 17, 2003 - FDA advisory committee member on silicone gel breast implants may have major conflict of interest  - Public Citizen

November 18, 2003 - Your Doctor's Drug Problem - Editorial, The New York Times - "The rising costs of pre scription drugs are driving the current debate about Medicare reform. Yet Republicans and Democrats alike may be unaware of a primary reason for this inflation: doctors are taught about drugs by agents of the pharmaceutical industry, which works hard to persuade them to select the newest and most expensive medications — even in the absence of scientific evidence that they are any better than older, less costly ones."

Politics

Pregnancy/childbirth

RECALLS

Research/publishing/funding/other research results

November 14, 2003 - Scientists Create Bacteria-Eating Virus - AFP via The Discovery Channel

November 17, 2003 - Study: Skin cancer linked to other cancers - AP via CNN - "Women with common, usually nonfatal forms of skin cancer face double the risk of having unrelated cancers, according to a large study, suggesting that the initial diagnosis may be more worrisome than previously thought."

November 14, 2003 - Juvenile diabetes cured in lab mice - www.boston.com

November 18, 2003 - Large Breast Cancer Tumors Rise in '90s - Study Finds Unexpected Increase of Large Tumors in Women With Breast Cancer During '90s - AP via ABC News via Redflagsdaily.com - "Was Hormone Replacement Therapy A Factor?"

The Wacky World of Changing/Conflicting Research Results

November 21, 2003 - Sun 'protects against cancer' - Staying out of the sun completely may increase your chances of developing cancer, say doctors. - BBC

Comment:  Personally, I am not surprised that this would be the case.  The sun is perhaps the most powerful, life-giving force in our universe.  It makes sense that it would have powerful health benefits. 

You've Got To Be Kidding

November 19, 2003 - CDC Director Denies Existence of U.S. Smallpox Immunization Program - Global Security Newswire - "In a sharp departure from previous public comments by senior U.S. officials, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the United States never launched a smallpox vaccination program this year, but instead worked toward an overall preparedness campaign (see GSN, Oct. 28)."

Comment: No comment....

Letters From Parents &others

Miscellaneous

November 18, 2003 - Instant Screening of Newborns Urged - AP via The Washington Post

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

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