Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - November 3-9, 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

RFD Columnist, Dr. Meryl Nass, Says Smallpox Vaccine Safety Reports Issued By The U.S. Department Of Defense Are Misleading.  Here Is A Report Presented By The Alliance For Human Research Protection - AHRP via www.redflagsdaily.com

Abiding Smallpox Immunity Could Have Down Side - Reuters Health via Medline - "People who were vaccinated against smallpox before the scourge was eliminated are probably still protected against severe and fatal disease in the event of an accidental or intentional outbreak. That's the good news...The bad news is that vaccinated individuals who develop mild disease could unwittingly increase the spread of infection, according to an article in the American Journal of Epidemiology."

"Deciding Who is Protected Against Smallpox," by Senator Bill Frist - New York Times op-ed via U.S. Department of State (August 2002) - "Should Americans be allowed to make an informed choice to receive the smallpox vaccine? I believe they should and that individual choice should become the central component of a new national policy aimed at protecting us from the possible use of smallpox as a weapon of mass destruction by terrorists."

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

Other Bioterror-related

US crackdown on bioterror is backfiring - NewScientist

Autism

Picky eating common in kids with bowel disease - Reuters Health via www.ivillagehealth.com

Increase in autism demands that we act now - Op/Ed - www.sunspot.net - "In 1993, there 260 students in Maryland's schools identified as autistic...In 2002, there were 3,488...It's a staggering increase."

Autism, Diet, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Redflagsdaily.com Online Autism Conference

Health matters: Understanding 'Quirky Kids' - Daily News Transcript - "Their diagnoses are autism, Asperger's syndrome, sensory integration dysfunction or a combination of many other disorders...Boston-based pediatricians Perri Klass and Eileen Costello sum them all up with one simple term: They're 'quirky kids.'...'"It's not a negative term, it's not pejorative,' Klass said. 'It suggests eccentricity but it has positive overtones.'" - "QUIRKY KIDS"? For more on this click here.

Is partial reversal of autism possible? - Las Vegas Review-Journal

My Turn: Reaching the ‘Point of No Return’ in Public - When ‘J’ has a fit, spectators assume poor parenting is to blame. They never suspect that he’s autistic - Newsweek via MSNBC

Autism/mercury

The fight against toxic mercury in the global environment - www.enn.com

Weldon, Major Autism, Speech Disorder Organizations Voice Concern Over CDC's Use of Vaccine Safety Datalink to Investigate Thimerosal -  Safe Minds/Capitol Strategies Press Release via U.S. Newswire - "The organizations signing the joint statement are: Apraxia Kids, Autism Research Institute, Autism Society of America, Cherab Foundation, Cure Autism Now, Safe Minds, Speechville Express, and Unlocking Autism."

E-News: Congressman Takes A Stand - NVIC - from Barbara Loe Fisher note: "If an investigation into what appears to be scientific fraud turns out to be true, then the government health officials involved should be required to resign their positions. The public cannot have trust in mass vaccination policies promoted by health officials who are not telling the truth about vaccine risks and are not doing everything in their power to reduce those risks. The time has come for accountability by those individuals who are responsible for insuring the safety of mandated childhood vaccines. The public deserves and should accept nothing less than total honesty on the part of those to whom we entrust our children's lives."

Why the hatter was mad - Letters to the Editor, The Washington Times re: Mercury-laced vaccines a threat, child group says - "The hatter was mad because he made hat forms with mercury. Giving mercury to children is like falling into Wonderland and not being able to get out, ever."

U.S. Congressman Sends Strong Letter to CDC Director About Autism-Mercury Study (.pdf file) - Important development and a must read!

New study disputes vaccine, autism link - Critics say mercury in shots led to nervous-system problems - AP via CNN - "Government researchers say they found little evidence of a link between vaccinations and developmental problems in a study of more than 140,000 U.S. children...The report didn't satisfy vaccine critics, who claimed the study's initial results showed a stronger connection but were watered down. They also noted that the study's lead author now works for a vaccine maker...But Dr. Mark Geier, a geneticist who has worked as a consultant on parents' lawsuits against vaccine makers, said the researchers' own earlier analysis of the study results found strong links between vaccines and such problems -- and that the published results attempt to conceal those findings. He claimed the final analysis "is intentional fraud." " NOTE the different title given this story by Newsday: Study Clears Vaccines Containing Mercury - AP via Newsday.

Mercury-laced vaccines a threat, child group says - The Washington Times - NOTICE: Political Action Alert! WRITE THE WASHINGTON TIMES WITH YOUR STORIES! @ letters@washingtontimes.com

CDC Scandal Emerges—Study Attempts Cover Up of Autism-Mercury Link—Congressman Dave Weldon, M.D., Asks CDC for Investigation - Moms on a Mission for Autism Press Release

Mercury under fire: Vaccine preservative concerns experts (requires free registration) - The Frederick News-Post - "A growing number of parents and health professionals are blaming a mercury compound found in vaccines for an explosion in neurological disorders in the United States...Parents who want to inoculate their young ones from scourges like whooping cough or tetanus may be unwittingly exposing their children to the dangerous chemical, some believe.

Autism/MMR

Communicating science to the public:  MMR vaccine and autism - journal article - Vaccine - "Many well-controlled studies performed subsequently found no evidence that MMR vaccine causes autism." - For another view on how "well-controlled" these studies are, go to: Scandals: Why We Won't Take No* For An Answer (*No relationship between MMR and autism)

Researcher from study alleging link between MMR and autism warns of measles epidemic - journal article - BMJ

A further dose of MMR - Letters to the Editor - The Guardian, UK - "The MMR debate (Epidemic fear, October 31) comes down to one thing: the medical establishment's ideological belief in the MMR jab in particular, and vaccines in general...The real debate needed is over the value of vaccines in dealing with the childhood diseases."

MMR Doctor Hits Back - The Bath Chronicle - "The Bath doctor added that he was saddened by the way politics seemed to be getting in the way of scientific research into the matter."

E-News: Andrew Wakefield - Man of Courage - NVIC - BL Fisher Note: "It takes a man of great courage and integrity to stand up against overwhelming pressure from his scientific colleagues and refuse to say what is false when he knows what is true. Andrew Wakefield will not sell his soul to be protected from those government and drug company officials and doctors subservient to both government and industry who have tried to destroy him and prevent him from proving a scientific hypothesis."

Reid makes MMR plea to parents - The Scotsman

MMR scientists clash over autism link - TimesOnline  - "But speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dr Murch then appeared to soften his defence of MMR, saying it involved an "extremely small" but acceptable risk. - Acceptable to whom?

Top doctor calls for single vaccinations as worried Highland parents boycott MMR jabs -  Health board official warns of outbreak - The Sunday Herald, UK

Focus: The truth about MMR - So is the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella safe? Yes, says the Government, now backed by one of the scientists who first raised fears. No, say campaigners who link MMR with autism. Meanwhile, parents are more bewildered than ever. Paul Vallely evaluates the claims on both sides - and reveals the new evidence that is yet to come to court - The Independent, UK

Row over new 'link' between MMR jab and autism - The Guardian, UK - "The row over the MMR vaccination deepened yesterday when the doctor at the centre of the controversy published fresh evidence of a possible link between the immunisation and autism...Dr Andrew Wakefield released the paper earlier than planned following a dispute with Dr Simon Murch, a co-author of the original research that triggered a nationwide scare about the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in 1998."

Autism and vaccines

Vaccines: A Hidden Danger? - Detroit Now News - Landmark series

From Part 1: "Put another way, a patient would have to weigh 284 pounds to safely ingest that much mercury and not exceed EPA safety guidelines. Little Will weighed only 11 pounds...'It is a policy that we make those vaccines, both the Thimerosal-containing and the Thimerosal-free, available to our patients,' Dr. Freed argues. He is the same doctor who earlier claimed that Thimerasol has been removed from childhood vaccines, but now admits you can avoid it if you know enough to ask."

From Part 2: "The mercury we're talking about inside this vial is so highly toxic we were warned not to even open it to show you the beige powder called Thimerosal. It's half mercury by weight. It has been added to vaccines as a preservative so they can be made in non-sterile environments since the early 30's. But as health officials have recommended more and more inoculations for children, it was discovered just a few years ago that the cumulative effect of all those shots resulted in children getting up to more than 100 times the amount of mercury the EPA considers safe."

From Part 3: "There are a few things on which everyone agrees, like the dangerous toxicity of mercury. Yet, for years, it has been injected into children and adults, as an additive that preserves and sterilizes vaccines...Why?..So vaccine makers can save what we're told may be a dollar a dose by not having to produce the vaccines in sterile conditions, and to extend shelf life. Yet, this additive called Thimerosal could be leading to lasting harm."

Study Finds No Link Between Vaccines, Autism - Reuters via Yahoo!

AIDS/HIV/AIDS vaccine

No AIDS cure in the near future - David Ho discusses promising vaccine approaches, improved therapies, and remaining obstacles - The Scientist

Human HIV vaccine trial begins - AP via CNN

Alzheimer's disease/vaccine

Anthrax/anthrax vaccine/Gulf War Syndrome

Vaccines and Mystery Illness Investigations - UPI Series - "UPI has been investigating whether vaccines given to children could be linked to autism or other health problems, and whether the anthrax and smallpox vaccines have caused illnesses among U.S. troops. Related stories include the treatment of U.S. soldiers who were injured in Iraq."

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

Cancer/cancer vaccines

Chickenpox/chickenpox vaccine

Diphtheria/diphtheria vaccine

Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids Adsorbed USP (For Pediatric Use) - package insert - Note that there are trace amounts of thimerosal in the single dose vials and 25µ in the multi-dose ones.

Product Approval Information - GlaxoSmithKline - FDA - "The Supplement to your Biologics License Application for Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed (Infanrix), to include in the indication a fifth dose at 4-6 years of age after 4 prior doses of Infanrix, has been approved."

Pa. Man Dies Of Diphtheria - CBS via KYW-TV Philadelphia

Flu/flu vaccine

Vaccine doubts for new flu virus - The Sunday Post - "Doctors bracing themselves for an outbreak of a deadly flu virus are still not certain whether it can be countered by the currently available vaccine...The Fujian strain of the bug, which has claimed the lives of at least four British children already this winter, is not present in the stocks being used for the vaccination programme."

Virulent strain of flu kills five children - Times Online - "John Watson, a respiratory expert at the HPA, said: “Laboratory testing so far this year shows that the main strain circulating is a flu A (H3N2) Fujian-like strain...'This is slightly different to the A (H3N2) Panama-like virus, which has been circulating in the UK in recent years...The flu vaccine contains the Panama-like virus and is considered to offer some protection against the Fujian-like strain and good protection against other strains that may also circulate.'”

No Truth to Rumor About Contaminated Lot of Flu Vaccine - ePediatric News (requires free registration)

No Major Worries for Flu Vaccine, Despite Scant Data - ePediatric News (requires free registration)  - Doesn't "scant data" almost guarantee "no major worries", whether or not there might actually BE reason to worry?

Flu jabs urged for young and old as cases rise - The Scotsman - "Health experts were today urging people to get vaccinated after an early rise in flu cases...The call came after it emerged three children aged between two and eight have already died from flu in Scotland in the last two months." - Has something happened to our children's immune system to make them more vulnerable to the flu?

Hospitals are braced for FluMist - Five times as costly as a flu shot but a lot less painful, the nasal treatment poses concerns with its potential for infecting vulnerable patients. - St. Petersburg Times Online

Nasal Flu Vaccine Not As Popular As Expected - FluMist Sales Fall Short Of Projections - www.nbc4.com

Safety and Efficacy of Influenza Vaccine in Children - journal article - Did any of the studies reviewed include never vaccinated children as controls?  My guess is that they did not.

E-News: Maryland Elementary School Snorts The Flu Vaccine - NVIC - BL Fisher Note: "This study will apparently try to "judge effectiveness" of the live nasal FLUMIST vaccine in schoolchildren, but is anyone tracking how many of the children who didn't get the FLUMIST vaccine come down with flu symptoms because they got vaccine strain flu from their recently vaccinated fellow classmates? This live virus vaccine can produce flu symptoms in the vaccinated as well as transmit live vaccine strain flu virus to others and be especially dangerous for those who are immune compromised. Hopefully, there were no immune compromised children in the classes that participated in this study."

Vaccine’s impact on AOM less than thought? - Past studies have found reduced AOM rates after receipt of influenza vaccine, but a study from Pittsburgh tells a different story. (requires free registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children - "The influenza vaccine may indeed lower hospitalization rates for young children this winter but vaccine providers may not want to rely on the claim that the vaccine can reduce the burden of acute otitis media (AOM) in young children."

Scientist says influenza bigger risk than SARS - The Daily Yomiuri online

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Vote to Recommend Influenza Vaccination for Children Aged 6 to 23 Months - CDC Media Relations Press Release

Flu shot gave you the flu? It's a myth - Too many people avoid the vaccine, experts say. And that little needle is a small price to pay for avoiding serious illness. - The Los Angeles Times

Haemophilus Influenza/Hib Vaccine

Hepatitis A/hepatitis A vaccine

Hepatitis B/hepatitis B vaccine

Hepatitis C

Lyme disease/lyme disease vaccine

Meningitis/meningitis vaccine

MMR/measles,mumps,rubella

Health officials concerned about measles outbreak - Independent Record - "Federal health officials are worried about a measles outbreak spreading to the United States, especially to places like Montana that have a lower vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella."

Women to be offered MMR vaccine - New mothers and women hoping to become pregnant are to be offered the MMR jab because supplies of the single rubella vaccine have run out.  - BBC - "Immunising against rubella has meant virtually no babies are now born with the syndrome. " - For a different perspective on this, go to Scandals: "Does rubella vaccination prevent congenital rubella syndrome?"

A continuing high incidence of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. - journal article - "The annual incidence of SSPE in EHP in these 2 years was 98 per million population under 20 years of age, the highest ever reported. This incidence was more than ten times higher than the highest incidence in the prevaccine era reported from elsewhere...Among the SSPE patients 19 had a documented history of measles vaccination. Eight of these 19 also had documentation of previous measles illness; of these, seven were vaccinated after the development of measles and one was vaccinated 20 days before measles illness...We found no evidence to implicate measles vaccination in the development of SSPE." - Let me get this straight.  The incidence is higher than prior to vaccination AND 19 of 55 had a documented history of measles vaccination, while among those 19 around half had both the vaccine and the measles.  Yet the conclusion is that there is no evidence to implicate the measles vaccination.  Shouldn't the conclusion be that at least insofar as the results of this study are concerned, measles vaccination cannot be ruled out as a possible (co)-factor in the development of SSPE?

Vaccination, Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome - Redflagsdaily.com - "The health authorities have insisted that the monovalent vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella would not be made available in the United Kingdom. By doing so, they have effectively forced parents who had serious concerns about the MMR vaccine not to vaccinate their children altogether. As vaccination rates fell and the threat of measles outbreaks became real, the health authorities blamed Andrew Wakefield and his research. Obviously no one mentions the fact that Dr. Wakefield has always supported measles, mumps and rubella vaccination of toddlers and that he has only suggested that the monovalent vaccines be made available, alongside the MMR vaccine, just to give parents a choice."

Pet vaccines

Pneumonia/prevnar

Waiting for Wyeth - Motley Fool - "But yesterday, the drug maker announced a "temporary delay" in Prevnar shipments as it works to make some changes to its quality-control processes...In Wyeth's press release on the matter, the company sought to comfort investors with assurances that this will not result in a shortage, and that this development does not imply any questions about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine...However, the delay does make one wonder: Why is this upgrade happening now instead of prior to the manufacturing ramp-up months ago?"

Polio/polio vaccine

Did FDR Have Polio After All? - HealthDay via www.healthfinder.gov

FDR's paralysis not from polio, new theory says - Autoimmune illness possible cause - Newsday via The Houston Chronicle - "They base their case on several pieces of evidence. Roosevelt lost the ability to move his legs in the summer of 1921 during a polio epidemic. But he was 39, and most polio victims of that decade were infants and young children. Also, the way the weakness flowed upward -- from his feet to his face, with paralysis on both sides of his body -- more closely resembles Guillain-Barre than polio. Finally, his illness was accompanied by fever at the onset of his paralysis, and in poliomyelitis fever generally arrives days beforehand...Goldman also cited the duration of the progression of the paralysis, the numbness, extreme prolonged pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and the fact that the weakness in his arms and face disappeared, while his legs remained paralyzed. These are all arguments for Guillain-Barre syndrome, he said."

Rabies/rabies vaccine

RECALLS

SARS

Progress Reported in SARS Vaccine Effort - The New York Times - But are they sure that they even know what SARS really is?

Scientist says influenza bigger risk than SARS - The Daily Yomiuri online

SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome)

SIDS

Cot death warning - BUPA - "Each week in the UK, seven babies die as a result of cot death. Despite much research and better understanding of the condition, it's still the leading cause of death in babies over one month old, accounting for more deaths than meningitis, leukaemia, cancer, household and traffic accidents combined. One of the factors known to be linked to an increased risk is overheating in babies, yet a recent survey found a worrying lack of knowledge about baby heat issues."

West Nile virus/vaccine

W. Nile vaccine tested - Human trials being done in Kansas with 60 volunteers - Rocky Mountain News - For analysis of the various factors that might be responsible for West Nile Virus, go to Nicholas Regush's Second Opinion column: Virus or Environment?  Commentator Questions Blame Placed on West Nile Virus

Whooping cough/DPT vaccine

Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids Adsorbed USP (For Pediatric Use) - package insert - Note that there are trace amounts of thimerosal in the single dose vials and 25µ in the multi-dose ones.

Product Approval Information - GlaxoSmithKline - FDA - "The Supplement to your Biologics License Application for Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed (Infanrix), to include in the indication a fifth dose at 4-6 years of age after 4 prior doses of Infanrix, has been approved."

Pertussis Booster in Teens May Prevent Over 68,000 Cases - ePediatric News (requires free registration)

Azithromycin Can Clear Pertussis Pathogen Quickly - ePediatric News (requires free registration)

Whooping cough rise baffles experts - The Los Angeles Times via The Houston Chronicle - "Doctors and public health officials are stumped. Even though vaccination rates are at record highs for whooping cough, cases of the highly contagious respiratory illness have been on the rise nationwide for more than two decades."

Decrease in Hospital Admissions for Febrile Seizures and Reports of Hypotonic-Hyporesponsive Episodes Presenting to Hospital Emergency Departments Since Switching to Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in Canada: A Report From IMPACT - journal article - Pediatrics - "Conclusions. The risks of febrile seizures and HHEs after pertussis-containing vaccine declined significantly with the introduction of acellular pertussis vaccine in Canada. Active surveillance systems are important for detecting trends in uncommon adverse events after routine immunizations.^"

Whooping cough not shot down, but vaccinations up - Los Angeles Times via www.knoxnews.com

Other vaccines/screening

Vaccines in general/vaccine research

(Vaccine) additives & contaminants

Medics' fears over Third World jabs - The Scotsman - Note that nowhere in the Scotsman article are vaccinations as a source of contamination mentioned.

Jabs in developing world 'unsafe' - Many injections given in the developing world are unsafe, a British Medical Journal study finds. - BBC

Dirty needles major cause for spread of diseases in SEA - www.channelnewsasia.com - "The WHO has identified the seven countries which are at the bottom rung of safe needle practices as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal, and North Korea...A study showed that 75 percent of the injections in these countries had re-used needles from previous injections and had not been adequately sterilised...This is compared to 30 percent in other Asian and West Pacific nations, 17 and 19 percent in the two African regions, and 11 percent in Eastern Europe...Countries in the Middle East also scored a high rate of 70 percent, while Latin America was not considered due to lack of data."

Unsafe injections common around world - NewScientist - "Forty per cent of all the health injections given globally in 2000 were performed with reused needles, according to a World Health Organization study. In some countries, three out of four injections were unsafe...The researchers say that reusing needles contributes to the spread of numerous blood borne infections, including hepatitis B and C, HIV, malaria, septicaemia and viral haemorrhagic fevers." -  How could this be allowed to happen?  For one perspective on this question, go to: Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last."

Use of injections in healthcare settings worldwide, 2000: literature review and regional estimates - journal article - BMJ - "Conclusions Overuse of injections and unsafe practices are still common in developing and transitional countries. An urgent need exists to use injections safely and appropriately, to prevent healthcare associated infections with HIV and other bloodborne pathogens.^"

BD Applauds Senate Action to Prevent Unsafe Medical Practices That Can Cause HIV/AIDS Spread in Africa - PRNewswire via Morningstar - "While the role of unsafe sex in the spread of HIV/AIDS is well documented, international health studies indicate that the reuse of medical devices in Africa and the developing world is also a contributing factor to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases...As pointed out on the Senate floor last week, reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that as many as 40 percent of all injections in the developing world are administered with reused, unsterile medical devices. In the year 2000 alone, WHO estimates indicate that 500,000 new HIV infections, two million hepatitis C and 21 million hepatitis B infections were the result of injections from reused devices." - What do you bet the solution to disease which has been spread by unsafe injections is more injections?  For more on this, see Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last."

Vaccine testing

Adverse reactions/VAERS/VICP

Alternative Treatments/prevention

To kill germs, it's simple: Wash your hands - The Boston Globe online

Breastfeeding (vs. formula)

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

Conferences

Innovative Administration Systems for Vaccines - DHHS - conference alert -  December 18-19, 2003, Rockville, MD

Conflict of Interest

Sir Richard Sykes to retire as Chairman of GlaxoSmithKline at Annual General Meeting; Sir Christopher Hogg to become new Chairman - GlaxoSmithKline News Release - Sir Christopher Hogg is "non-executive chairman" of Reuters News Service

Death and Disease

School Screening for Asthma, Allergy in Works - HealthScoutNews via HON News - "In 2001, 6.3 million Americans under 18 reported having asthma, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. While it is the most common chronic disease among children, the frequency with which it is recognized varies, Dr. Raoul L. Wolf, director of the Chicago pilot project, writes in his report."

Add bowel disease to list of child problems - The Journal Times online - "European data shows that the rates of these diseases are soaring in children, Kugathasan said. "The incidence of Crohn's disease in children has tripled - from 1960 to 1980, tripled, from 1980 to now 2000, tripled again," he said...'There's no question about this increasing incidence of diabetes, obesity, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease,' he said...Doctors speculate that all these are linked to problems with immune systems, he said, in particular what has become known as the hygiene hypothesis. This says that because we're living in such sanitary environments, our bodies' immune systems are not often challenged by germs and allergens."

Effectiveness/herd immunity

Unvaccinated Toddlers Pose Risk To Health - USA Today via www.intelihealth.com - "The unvaccinated tend to have white, well-educated and affluent parents who doubt vaccine safety. 'These are intelligent, yuppie parents who chase the Internet and read all the misinformation that's there,' Katz says." - Besides, what kind of risk do the unvaccinated pose if the vaccines work?  And what's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from disease?

Ethics

Funding

Government/science/industry/medicine clearly run amok

A Woman's Life Versus an Inept Press - The ACLU Supports a 'Constitutional' Death by Starvation - The Village Voice - "The letter to The New York Times signed by Max Lapertosa, staff counsel, Access Living in Chicago—told of '14 national disability organizations that filed a friend-of-the-court brief to support keeping Terri Schiavo alive.' Lapertosa objected to a Times editorial calling for Terri to go gently into that good night because, said the moral philosophers of the Times, 'true respect for life includes recognizing . . . when it ceases to be meaningful.'... Max Lapertosa reminded Gail Collins's board of oracles at the Time's editorial page that 'many would lump into this category [of meaningless lives] people with severe autism, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy who, like Mrs. Schiavo, are nonverbal and are often described as being "in their own world."'" - Have the supporters of Michael Schiavo's brazen efforts to end Terri's life no shame?

Prescription For Trouble: Approved medicine is being used for the wrong purpose - Detroit Free Press - "A six-month investigation by the Free Press Washington bureau has found that thousands of patients are harmed each year as doctors prescribe drugs in ways the FDA never certified as safe and effective...The practice, known as off-label prescribing, is driven by aggressive drug-company marketing, questionable research and a sometimes cavalier approach by doctors. The FDA has done little to discourage the practice and is considering whether to allow drug companies greater leeway in promoting unapproved treatments."

Young Insomniacs Often Drugged to Sleep/ Study: Medication comes before doctors find underlying problem - HealthScoutNews via www.hon.ch

Hospital hygiene error subject of lawsuit - Canadian Press - "Some patients who are being monitored for possible infection after undergoing testing at a hospital in nearby Oshawa are planning a $70-million class-action lawsuit, a lawyer said Wednesday."

The Doctor Shrugged - FOX News - "In real life, one goes to a hospital if he or she is curious to have a near death experience. Medical treatment is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer, according to a 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association article by Dr. Barbara Starfield (search) of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health."

Mousepox 'Superbug' Test Riles - AP via CBS

Legal/lawsuits/legislation

Lawsuits begin to roll in following hepatitis A outbreak - AP via www.philly.com

Hospital hygiene error subject of lawsuit - Canadian Press - "Some patients who are being monitored for possible infection after undergoing testing at a hospital in nearby Oshawa are planning a $70-million class-action lawsuit, a lawyer said Wednesday."

Drug Companies Settle 7 Suits for $1.6 Billion - The New York Times

Sentences upheld for nurses who gave wrong shots - Taipei Times

*Pending Immunization Legislation - bookmark this link

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

"Deciding Who is Protected Against Smallpox," by Senator Bill Frist - New York Times op-ed via U.S. Department of State - "Should Americans be allowed to make an informed choice to receive the smallpox vaccine? I believe they should and that individual choice should become the central component of a new national policy aimed at protecting us from the possible use of smallpox as a weapon of mass destruction by terrorists."

Pharmaceutical industry/pharmaceutical industry oversight

Waiting for Wyeth - Motley Fool - "But yesterday, the drug maker announced a "temporary delay" in Prevnar shipments as it works to make some changes to its quality-control processes...In Wyeth's press release on the matter, the company sought to comfort investors with assurances that this will not result in a shortage, and that this development does not imply any questions about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine...However, the delay does make one wonder: Why is this upgrade happening now instead of prior to the manufacturing ramp-up months ago?"

Gel Implants a Concern for Advisory Panel - AP via FindLaw - "In a highly unusual move, the chairman of a government advisory panel that reluctantly backed resuming sales of silicone gel breast implants now is urging federal health officials and lawmakers to disregard that advice." - Highly unusual, indeed.  Well, good for Dr. Whalen.  Talk about a man with integrity.

Drug Companies Settle 7 Suits for $1.6 Billion - The New York Times

Politics

Pregnancy/childbirth

Research/publishing/funding/other research results

Letters From Parents &others

Miscellaneous

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