►March 2004 -
Death by
Medicine - by Gary Null, PhD, Carolyn Dean, MD, Martin Feldman, MD, Debora
Rasio, MD, and Dorothy Smith. PhD - LE Magazine - "Natural
medicine is under siege, as pharmaceutical company lobbyists urge lawmakers to
deprive Americans of the benefits of dietary supplements. Drug-company front
groups have launched slanderous media campaigns to discredit the value of
healthy lifestyles. The FDA continues to interfere with those who offer natural
products that compete with prescription drugs These attacks against natural
medicine obscure a lethal problem that until now was buried in thousands of
pages of scientific text. In response to these baseless challenges to natural
medicine, the Nutrition Institute of America commissioned an independent review
of the quality of 'government-approved' medicine. The startling findings from
this meticulous study indicate that conventional medicine is 'the leading cause
of death' in the United States.
►February 26, 2004 - Doubt
cast on free radical theory - Scientists have questioned a widely accepted
theory for a cause of diseases such as cancer and arthritis. - BBC
►February 24, 2004 -
New Health Dangers of Genetically Modified Food (and vaccines) Discovered -
press release - Institute for Responsible Technology via Common Dreams
Progressive Newswire - "Data from three groups of studies currently being
conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Gene Ecology, in Tromsö, Norway, reveal
potentially serious health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods and
vaccines...3. Genetically engineered pox viruses in cell cultures recombined
with natural viruses to create new hybrid viruses with unpredictable and
potentially dangerous characteristics."
►February 29, 2004 -
Facts on breast milk and breast-feeding - The Jakarta Post - "Breast milk is
not only the best food for baby but should be the only food in the first six
months of its life...'Breast-feeding can go on for two years or as long as both
parties still want to do it,' said pediatrician Utami Roesli from the Indonesian
Lactation Center...Research also shows that illnesses like infections of the
respiratory and digestive systems, meningitis and allergies are much higher with
formula milk consumption...Breast milk consumption can also prevent coronary
artery disease and ischaemic heart disease at a young age."
Comment: For some references concerning
breastfeeding and infectious disease, click
here.
►February 26, 2004 - Vaccine
Program Remedies Must Be Exhausted Before Filing Suit - The Legal
Intelligencer via www.law.com
- "A
couple whose son suffers from autism because of an alleged adverse reaction to
thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once present in vaccines for newborns,
may not file suit in Pennsylvania against a group of pharmaceutical companies
until they exhaust administrative remedies available through the National
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has
ruled...According to the Superior Court opinion, the federal Vaccine Act of 1986
requires that before commencing any state or federal claims, vaccine claimants
must first file a petition with the "no-fault" compensation program, a special
tribunal of the Federal Court of Claims known as the Vaccine Court and located
in Bethesda, Md."
►March 2004 -
Death by
Medicine - by Gary Null, PhD, Carolyn Dean, MD, Martin Feldman, MD, Debora
Rasio, MD, and Dorothy Smith. PhD - LE Magazine - "Natural
medicine is under siege, as pharmaceutical company lobbyists urge lawmakers to
deprive Americans of the benefits of dietary supplements. Drug-company front
groups have launched slanderous media campaigns to discredit the value of
healthy lifestyles. The FDA continues to interfere with those who offer natural
products that compete with prescription drugs These attacks against natural
medicine obscure a lethal problem that until now was buried in thousands of
pages of scientific text. In response to these baseless challenges to natural
medicine, the Nutrition Institute of America commissioned an independent review
of the quality of 'government-approved' medicine. The startling findings from
this meticulous study indicate that conventional medicine is 'the leading cause
of death' in the United States.
►February 29, 2004 - AIDS Tots Used As
'Guinea Pigs' - New York Post Online - "The state
Health Department has launched a probe into potentially dangerous drug research
conducted on HIV-infected infants and children at a Manhattan foster-care
agency, The Post has learned...Some 50 foster kids were used as "guinea pigs" in
13 experiments with high doses of AIDS medications at Manhattan's Incarnation
Children's Center, sources said...Most of the ICC experiments were funded by
federal grants and in some cases, pharmaceutical companies."
Comment: This is just one of many examples
pointing to the fact that we should not blindly give power over our health to
the government or the pharmaceutical companies. Clearly, we cannot simply
assume they have our best interests at heart.
►February 26, 2004 -
Just
5 docs to care for 623,000 patients at night - Evening
Times - "JUST
five doctors will be on duty for overnight home visits to cover more than
623,000 people in Lanarkshire under a new GP contract, it was revealed today."
►February 26, 2004 -
Superflu is being brewed in the lab - New Scientist - "After
the worldwide alarm triggered by 2003's SARS outbreak, it might seem reckless to
set about creating a potentially far more devastating virus in the lab. But that
is what is being attempted by some researchers, who argue that the dangers of
doing nothing are even greater...We already know that the H5N1 bird flu virus
ravaging poultry farms in Asia can be lethal on the rare occasions when it
infects people. Now a team is tinkering with its genes to see if it can turn
into a strain capable of spreading from human to human. If they manage this,
they will have created a virus that could kill tens of millions if it got out of
the lab."
►February 25, 2004 -
Resisting child immunization leads to prosecution - Prof - GNA via
www.ghanaweb.com - "Professor
Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Services (GHS) on
Wednesday said every child must be immunized against Polio in the forthcoming
immunization exercise, warning that legal action would be taken against any
individual or organisation that would prevent a child from being immunized...He
said it was within the laws of Ghana that all children under five years old in
each house or community should be immunized against polio to guarantee that
Ghana became polio free."
►February 26, 2004 -
Social workers 'right to question parents' - This is London - "The
row over the MMR "witch-hunt" deepened today as social workers defended their
right to interview the mothers of autistic children...They insisted some parents
could be harming their children to draw attention to themselves, and admitted
subjecting one mother to an eight-week investigation before accepting she had
done nothing wrong...It came after the Evening Standard revealed up to 20
parents of autistic children faced accusations that they were suffering from
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy."
Comment: It's hard
to believe this could be happening given that Roy Meadows, who has
now been discredited,
was the champion of this apparently ill-conceived theory. How much tragedy
and suffering must the parents of autistic children endure? (And any old
excuse in an attempt to detract from the real issue, i.e., does MMR contribute
to autism?)
►February 23, 2004 - Uses
and Abuses of Science (requires registration or subscription) - The New York
Times - "Although the Bush administration is hardly the first to politicize
science, no administration in recent memory has so shamelessly distorted
scientific findings for policy reasons or suppressed them when they conflict
with political goals. This is the nub of an indictment delivered last week by
more than 60 prominent scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates. Their statement
was accompanied by a report published by the Union of Concerned Scientists,
listing cases where the administration has manipulated science on environmental
and other issues."
►February 23, 2004 - LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER -
Bill
forces shots on all children -
Homeschoolers fight state legislation that criminalizes parents who
object - WorldNetDaily -
"Commented Euteneuer
in a statement: "Along with Mississippi, West Virginia is the only state to
forbid religious vaccine exemptions. This bill goes even further by prohibiting
physicians from granting medical exemptions according to what they believe is
best for each patient. Senate Bill 439 would also make West Virginia the only
state to force homeschoolers to be immunized."
►March 2004 -
Death by
Medicine - by Gary Null, PhD, Carolyn Dean, MD, Martin Feldman, MD, Debora
Rasio, MD, and Dorothy Smith. PhD - LE Magazine - "Natural
medicine is under siege, as pharmaceutical company lobbyists urge lawmakers to
deprive Americans of the benefits of dietary supplements. Drug-company front
groups have launched slanderous media campaigns to discredit the value of
healthy lifestyles. The FDA continues to interfere with those who offer natural
products that compete with prescription drugs These attacks against natural
medicine obscure a lethal problem that until now was buried in thousands of
pages of scientific text. In response to these baseless challenges to natural
medicine, the Nutrition Institute of America commissioned an independent review
of the quality of 'government-approved' medicine. The startling findings from
this meticulous study indicate that conventional medicine is 'the leading cause
of death' in the United States.
►February 23, 2004 - GMC
to probe drug clinic doctors - Seven doctors who worked at a private clinic
for heroin addicts are facing charges of serious professional misconduct. - BBC
*For most of the
Wakefield "conflict of interest" articles posted on the site, click
here (check
periodically for updates)
►February 19, 2004 - Report
Urges Higher Ethics in Human Toxicity Studies (requires registration) -
Reuters Health via Medscape - "A government-sponsored expert panel recommended
Thursday that federal regulators closely scrutinize controversial experiments in
which humans are intentionally exposed to toxic chemicals...The panel urged the
agency to restrict human toxicity research to studies that are "necessary and
scientifically valid" and to only use human volunteers in cases where animal
testing is uninformative or unavailable. Human studies should also only be
performed when the potential benefits to society outweigh the potential risk to
research subjects, the report said."
►February 29, 2004 - AIDS Tots Used As
'Guinea Pigs' - New York Post Online - "The state
Health Department has launched a probe into potentially dangerous drug research
conducted on HIV-infected infants and children at a Manhattan foster-care
agency, The Post has learned...Some 50 foster kids were used as "guinea pigs" in
13 experiments with high doses of AIDS medications at Manhattan's Incarnation
Children's Center, sources said...Most of the ICC experiments were funded by
federal grants and in some cases, pharmaceutical companies."
Comment: This is just one of many examples
pointing to the fact that we should not blindly give power over our health to
the government or the pharmaceutical companies. Clearly, we cannot simply
assume they have our best interests at heart.
►February 27, 2004 -
Journals plan regulation scheme - Medical journals should have a code of
conduct, similar to that which governs newspapers, an ethics body has said. -
BBC
►February 12, 2004 - Human
embryos cloned - South Korean team demonstrates cloning efficiency for
humans similar to pigs, cattle - The Scientist via BioMed Central
►February 24, 2004 - Synthetic
Science - www.alternet.org - "Finally,
two of the authors admitted under threat of perjury that they were paid
consultants of implant manufacturers and one admitted under oath that he knew
that Dow Corning had donated $7 million to Brigham & Women's Hospital, a
participant in the study."
►February
24, 2004 -
Dr. Andrew Wakefield and the MMR Controversy
- Second Opinion by Nicholas Regush -
www.redflagsdaily.com - "It doesnt
look very good for Dr. Andrew Wakefield, an English physician and researcher who
has championed the need to investigate the potential relationship between the
MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and autism...Today, the scavengers of
British journalism surfaced and attacked him and his work, and attempted to
destroy whatever chance he may have to rescue his scientific reputation."
Comment: Excellent overview.
►February
24, 2004 -
The corporate stooges who nobble serious science - The MMR scandal shows a
business riddled with conflicts of interest - "It looks like a conflict of
interest and his failure to disclose it was wrong. But the crime for which he is
being punished is everywhere. The scientific establishment is rotten from top to
bottom, riddled with conflicts far graver than Dr Wakefield's....In other words,
the great majority of the scientists with conflicts of interest are failing to
disclose them...So, given that undisclosed conflicts of interest in science are
everywhere, why is it only Dr Wakefield whose bloody remains are being dragged
through the streets? The obvious answer is that his alleged cooption works
against the interests of the drugs companies, while almost everyone else's works
in their favour."
►February 29, 2004 - AIDS Tots Used As
'Guinea Pigs' - New York Post Online - "The state
Health Department has launched a probe into potentially dangerous drug research
conducted on HIV-infected infants and children at a Manhattan foster-care
agency, The Post has learned...Some 50 foster kids were used as "guinea pigs" in
13 experiments with high doses of AIDS medications at Manhattan's Incarnation
Children's Center, sources said...Most of the ICC experiments were funded by
federal grants and in some cases, pharmaceutical companies."
Comment: This is just one of many examples
pointing to the fact that we should not blindly give power over our health to
the government or the pharmaceutical companies. Clearly, we cannot simply
assume they have our best interests at heart.
►February 24, 2004 -
They Can Dance to It - One Small but (Alas) High-Priced Facility Is Taking
New Steps in Alzheimer's Care (requires
registration) - Washington Post
►February 29, 2004 -
Scandal of the Anthrax Babies - Five soldiers lose their babies. They
all had the anthrax jab. - The Sunday Mirror, UK - "Among the general
population, around one in 20 babies are still-born."
►February 25, 2004 -
Defence had no anthrax safety data - The Australian - "THE
Australian Defence Force admitted in confidential documents that it had "no
available safety data" on its 5000 doses of anthrax vaccine less than six months
before troops were deployed to Iraq."
►February 22, 2004 -
Sydney: Defence chiefs under fire over vaccine - Australian defence chiefs
were criticised today for failing to warn soldiers heading to Iraq that side
effects from an anthrax vaccine had forced them to suspend their inoculation
progamme during the Afghanistan campaign. - New Straits Times via
www.emedia.com.my
►February 23, 2004 -
Anthrax jabs safe - Lindsay - Townsville Bulletin - "SIDE
effects experienced by troops who received the controversial anthrax vaccine
were normal vaccination reactions, Member for Herbert Peter Lindsay said
yesterday...A number of Townsville soldiers and airmen had the vaccination and
did not experience any long-term side effects, he said."
Comment: What on earth does the alleged fact that
"a number of Townsville soldiers and airmen had the
vaccination and did not experience any long-term side effects' have to do with
whether or not some/many others did suffer long-term effects?
►February 23, 2004 - The
blame drain - The Gulf War veterans are blaming their lawyer for the
collapse of their case against the MoD. Jon Robins hears both sides of the story
- www.thelawyer.com
►February 28, 2004 -
We have become allergic to our western way of life - Complementary
healthcare has a vital role to play in the 21st century - comment - The
Guardian, UK - "There is accumulating evidence that the rise in allergies could
be directly linked to the way in which we live and the environment which we
inhabit. Sir Tom Blundell, chairman of the the Royal Commission on Environmental
Pollution, argues that 'given our understanding of the way chemicals interact
with the environment, you could say we are running a gigantic experiment with
humans and all other living things as the subject'."
Comment: Although too few properly designed
studies have been done to investigate whether or not vaccines can be counted
among the environmental insults which might contribute to the rise in allergies,
there is some indication that they may. For more on this, go to
Out of Control:"Childhood
vaccinations and the risk of asthma" - a CDC study.
►February 28, 2004 -
Fight allergies the natural way, Charles urges NHS - The Guardian, UK -
"Prince Charles is urging the NHS to make complementary medicine much more
widely and freely available to counteract a big increase in the number of
allergy sufferers...In an article in today's Guardian, the prince claims that
such an increase in provision need not cost the NHS huge additional expenditure
and will help to prevent the spread of allergies, which otherwise may affect
half the population within a decade...The prince contributed the piece after
reading a Guardian front page story which warned that half the population of
Europe would suffer some sort of allergy by 2015."
►February 23, 2004 -
House doctors
plan asthma study - Asthma sufferers are being asked to volunteer for a
study which aims to measure how better ventilation could improve their
condition. - BBC
►February 27, 2004 -
Demand for research grows as autism cases soar - New York Times via
Kalamazoo Gazette via www.mlive.com - "But
what lies behind the increase in cases is sharply debated. To some, the upswing
has all the hallmarks of an epidemic and indicates that autism itself is
increasing rapidly...To others, the rise can in large part be explained by
increased public awareness of autism in recent years, changes in the way the
disorder is diagnosed and the incentive of tapping into federally mandated
services for autistic children...Neither side can prove its argument, because
the types of studies that could tease out a true increase have not been done."
►February 18, 2004 - Think
twice about disorderly children (opinion) - York Daily Record - "I am the
parent of a preschool-age autistic child, as well as a 'typical' toddler. Im
writing in the hopes that some of the residents of the county might read this
and think twice the next time they see an undisciplined child in the grocery
store, the park, or the mall."
►February 24, 2004 -U.S.
will pay for study to seek cause of autism - USA Today - "A major
U.S.-financed study designed to unearth the roots of autism will track 100,000
babies in Norway to identify biological and environmental factors that could
combine to cause autism and other developmental disorders...Researchers will
collect information on exposures to toxins, including mercury, which has been
suspected as a factor in autism, as well as diet, vaccines, babies' birth weight
and head circumference, and volumes of other data that can be analyzed to
compare children who develop autism with those who do not."
*For most of the
Wakefield "conflict of interest" articles posted on the site, click
here (check
periodically for updates)
►January 19, 2004 -
Methylmercury Toxicology Probed - Seafood contaminant moves through the
body, often posturing as benign molecule -
Chemical and Engineering News via National Institute of Environmental
Health Science
►February 29, 2004 -
The Mercury Threat: Too Dangerous to Wait (requires registration or
subscription) - letter - The New York Times - "Mercury's harm to fetal and child
development is well documented."
►February 28, 2004 -
Editor in the
eye of a storm - journal article (BMJ) - "Instead of Andrew Wakefield
himself inthe media firing line, it is the Lancet that has
found itselfunder scrutiny. Perhaps it was in a bid to forestall
this thatthe Lancet went public over the whole affair last
week in advanceof the Sunday Times story, thus angering Brian
Deer. "
►February 23, 2004 -
MMR:
Investigating the interests - Dr Andrew Wakefield is not the only person
with questions to answer following The Sunday Times' revelations that he failed
to disclose a conflict of interest in his February 1998 Lancet paper that
launched the MMR-autism scare. -
www.spiked-online.com - "Though I have been critical of Dr Wakefield's
Lancet paper and of his campaign
against MMR, I would rather that it was rejected for its scientific deficiencies
rather than through the author being personally discredited. (Long before these
revelations, I argued that this paper should not have been published because of
its highly speculative and methodologically flawed character.) Yet Dr Wakefield
and his supporters have been very quick to allege conflicts of interest (or
worse) in response to anybody who criticises their position. Now they seem fated
to become victims of the climate of acrimony around MMR that their activities
have done much to foster."
►March 14, 2003 -
MMR: the truth?
- In a three-part series of articles published in the UK Daily Mail this week,
Melanie Phillips provides a comprehensive endorsement of the campaign against
the MMR vaccine that has been sponsored by the former Royal Free hospital
gastroenterologist, Dr Andrew Wakefield. -
www.spiked-online.com - "Phillips'
encouragement for the increasingly irrational and irresponsible anti-MMR
campaign is likely to compound the unwarranted anxieties of parents whose
infants are due to be immunised and result in a further decline in vaccine
uptake. It will also intensify the distress of parents of autistic children,
whose burden is now increased by feelings of guilt for having them immunised."
►February 27, 2004 -
The mercury in your mouth
- Amalgam fillings may be making you sick, but many dentists don't care. And
once you're sick, it's hard to find a doctor to make you better -
www.portlandphoenix.com
►February 27, 2004 -
Parents refused aid to fight MMR - Parents who claim their children were
damaged by the MMR jab have lost their latest bid for legal aid to sue the
manufacturers of the vaccine. - BBC - "Officials said that since there was no
scientific proof that the children had been damaged by the vaccine, there was
little chance it would succeed...The children involved in this case have a range
of disabilities, including autism, bowel problems, epilepsy and other learning
difficulties...Some parents are now considering taking their legal campaign to
the Court of Appeal."
►February 27, 2004 -
MMR Campaigners Vow to Continue Compensation Fight - PA News via The
Scotsman - "'Since this litigation
will no longer be funded, and there is no sign that the Government or
pharmaceutical companies are taking up the very serious questions that research
in the litigation has posed, we as a law firm representing many grievously
injured children will now have to consider whether we press the Government to
properly investigate matters the drug companies have attempted to sweep under
the carpet.'
►February 28, 2004 -
Fiona Phillips: Why Jabs Are Needling Me -
www.mirror.co.uk - "MUM used to regale me with tales of how I nearly died
when I was five. I had measles very badly and it damaged my eyesight...When I
had mumps I screamed the house down because my throat hurt so much. Back then,
in the 60s, having both illnesses was almost considered a rite of passage. My
immune system did its best with both of them and consequently I have lifelong
immunity to both diseases...I passed that resistance on to my children in the
first and most vulnerable year of their lives. If I had been vaccinated against
measles, sure my eyesight would be a lot better, but I believe my children might
not have inherited a natural resistance and could have died before the age of
one."
►February 26, 2004 -
Bush plan for mercury lambasted - Critics say the proposal would actually
weaken control over industry (requires registration) - Charlotte Observer
►February 23, 2004 -
Is it safe? - Clarksburg Exponent Telegram - "The state Department of Health
and Human Resources distributed 68,000 flu vaccine doses this flu season, with
63,000 of them containing a chemical the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
suggested be removed from childhood vaccines..Joe Thornton, state Health and
Human Resources spokesman, said 5,000 were pediatric doses that did not contain
thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury."
►February 27, 2004 -
Vaccination: Mother's anger at withdrawal of MMR jab legal aid - The mother
of an autistic child today hit out at a decision to cut legal aid for families
who are attempting to prove the MMR jab ruined their children's lives - The
Peterborough Today, UK - "'To pull funding at a time when
the evidence is quite clearly becoming extremely strong is absolutely
outrageous...'It's the ultimate insult to deny that these children are ill and
have got a problem and to deny them their day in court.'"
►February 26, 2004 -
MMR and autism - A dose of dissent - The Economist - "A
FEW years ago Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford University,
came up with the idea of the meme. He was trying to make the slippery problem
of the evolution of human culture as tractable as that of biological evolution,
and he thought that if cultural information could somehow be divided into
separately transmissible elements, in the way that biologically heritable
information is divided into genes, the rest might follow. A successful meme, he
speculated, might pass from person to person like a virus...Few recent memes
have been more successful than the one which causes many people, particularly in
Britain, to believe that the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine
can cause autism in children. That meme has been responsible for a fall in
vaccination rates in Britain from more than 90% to less than 80% over the past
six years (see chart)."
Comment: Perhaps the
"meme" is that the MMR vaccine does NOT cause autism. Given that there is
a growing body of evidence that it is involved, the self-satisfied
criticizers of those thought to be swept up in an allegedly incorrect idea,
might better redirect their gaze to themselves.
►February 26, 2004 -
Most parents will allow MMR jab - icSouthLondon - "Eight
out of 10 British parents now think the triple measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
vaccination is safe and almost nine in 10 would give it to their child,
according to a new poll ...Two years ago the number who thought it was safe was
seven in ten."
Comment: If I
understand this poll correctly, it shows that around 1 in 10 parents thinks the
MMR is not safe but would still give it to their child. Can that be?
►February 26, 2004 -
Was the original MMR study unethical? - The Guardian, UK - "Not
entirely. What has got lost in the outcry over the undisclosed conflict of
interest of Andrew Wakefield, the lead researcher, is that the Lancet, which
published his study in February 1998, does not regret publishing the core
findings. Only one aspect of it (albeit the most contentious) - the linking of
the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccination (MMR) to bowel disease and
autism - does editor Richard Horton consider 'entirely flawed'...Dr Horton still
considers the paper important because it identified a new syndrome suffered by
children who had symptoms both of chronic bowel disease and autism. 'I do not
regret for one second publishing details of this new syndrome,' he said...'"I'm
disappointed that Liam Donaldson [chief medical officer] has stated this was
poor science. By stating that he dismisses a very important novel observation.'"
►February 26, 2004 -
Give us the choice of vaccines - Letters to the Editor - The Telegraph, UK -
"Have you any idea how frustrating it is to read or listen
to the reams of opinion on the MMR debate and to feel that last on the list of
importance are the very children damaged, as their parents believe, by the
vaccine?...But deep down there is utter desolation that something that is of
paramount importance in our lives is like a toy being batted back and forth. Who
was to know what a hot political potato this would turn out to be?"
►February 27, 2004 -
MMR
scientist did not hide link with legal case, letter reveals - by Jeremy
Laurence, Health Editor, The Independent, UK - "Andrew Wakefield, the researcher
who sparked the MMR scare with a paper in The Lancet six years ago, did
not cover up his links with the Legal Aid Board, it emerged yesterday...Dr
Wakefield was accused at the weekend of failing to disclose the conflict of
interest over his research at the Royal Free Hospital in London, suggesting a
possible link between the MMR vaccination and bowel disease and autism, which
has led tens of thousands of parents to boycott the triple vaccination...But he
did reveal his links with the Legal Aid Board in a letter published in The
Lancet on 2 May 1998, less than three months after his original research
paper."
Comment: "RFD Comment: 'The plot thickens...'"
To read the rest of this comment and get the kind of insight into health issues
only Nicholas Regush can provide, go to
www.redflagsdaily.com
(Much of the website now requires a subscription.)
►February 27, 2004 -
Journalist takes MMR battle away from high court - MediaGuardian, UK - "A
freelance journalist is hoping to use his upcoming legal action against medical
journal the Lancet to move the debate about the controversial MMR jab from the
high court to a county court in south London.,,Brian Deer said he was taking his
claim for damages relating to a breach of confidentiality over his exclusive
story on the man behind the claims that MMR may be linked to autism to Lambeth
county court on Monday.
►February 26, 2004 -
MMR
and autism - A dose of dissent - Doubt has been cast on the paper that
started the MMR-and-autism scare - The Economist
►February 26, 2004 -
A
Statement by the Editors of The Lancet (pdf) - includes statements by Murch,
Walker-Smith and Wakefield, as well as Richard Horton, the editor of The
Lancet
Comment: " BL Fisher (of
NVIC) Note: The extent to which the forced vaccination proponents have gone
to smear Andrew Wakefield and the meticulous biological mechanism research he
has conducted into MMR-vaccine associated autism is in direct proportion to the
fear they have that his hypothesis is correct: MMR vaccine can cause a
persistent vaccine strain measles virus infection in genetically vulnerable
children that leads to chronic inflammatory bowel disease and autistic
behaviors. It is unfortunate they are so frightened of the scientific truth Dr.
Wakefield is pursuing that they find it necessary to behave like a band of thugs
out to score a hit...For the past 22 years, NVIC co-founder Kathi Williams and I
have watched babies die and be horribly crippled by vaccine reactions while
officials in industry, public health agencies and medical organizations have
refused to support the kind of biological mechanism research that Dr. Wakefield
is doing so that parents and doctors can have more information about children at
high risk for suffering vaccine reactions and find ways to spare their lives.
Parents around the world are not fooled by the ignorant, inhumane behavior of
forced vaccinaton proponents, whose zealous defense of one-size-fits-all vaccine
policies injure and kill innocent children...The truth will shine bright and
clear in the end."
►February 26, 2004 -
Dr Wakefield is
just the man to research MMR safety - opinion - The Herald, UK - "There
is something just a little too neat about the officially-sanctioned vilification
of Dr Andrew Wakefield...Now the Lancet, the
medical journal which published Wakefield's original, peer-reviewed, research
back in 1998, says he was compromised by a conflict of interest because he was
receiving legal aid money at the time, for another study of children whose
parents wanted to take court action against the manufacturers of the vaccine.No sooner had the Lancet editor voiced his concerns,
but Blair, his health secretary, John Reid, and their chief medical officer, Dr
Liam Donaldson, lined up to urge all parents to have their children protected,
claiming the Wakefield study was "poor science" and even suggesting he be
investigated by the General Medical Council. If the GMC applied the same rules
to all academics, it could be very busy. The Lancet has printed a great many
articles which are potentially compromised. It was one of 13 leading medical
journals which, in 2001, accused the pharmaceutical corporations of distorting
the results of published research."
►February 26, 2004 -
Social workers 'right to question parents' - This is London - "The
row over the MMR "witch-hunt" deepened today as social workers defended their
right to interview the mothers of autistic children...They insisted some parents
could be harming their children to draw attention to themselves, and admitted
subjecting one mother to an eight-week investigation before accepting she had
done nothing wrong...It came after the Evening Standard revealed up to 20
parents of autistic children faced accusations that they were suffering from
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy."
Comment: It's hard
to believe this could be happening given that Roy Meadows, who has
now been discredited,
was the champion of this apparently ill-conceived theory. How much tragedy
and suffering must the parents of autistic children endure? (And any old
excuse in an attempt to detract from the real issue, i.e., does MMR contribute
to autism?)
►February 24, 2004 -
Alice in Mercury-Land - commentary (requires registration) - The Orlando
Sentinel
►February 23, 2004 -
Fund-raisers hope to help Whitman girl - The Enterprise via
www.southofboston.com - "Andie
suffers from a severe seizure disorder that her doctors attribute to a reaction
to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine she received when she was a year old.
Despite years of treatment at Boston hospitals, doctors have been unable to
control the seizures...A severe seizure in the spring left Andie with
autism-like problems. She has since lost the ability to speak and now has other
developmental delays."
►February 23, 2004 -
Michigan targets mercury Initiative aims to cut exposure to neurotoxin
(requires registration) - Bay City Times via
www.mlive.com
►February 25, 2004 -
CDC Vaccine
Data Leads Scientists to Shocking Discovery - Yahoo! News via
www.mercola.com - "The panel used data from
the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Vaccine Datalink, which
concluded that children who are given three thimerosal-containing vaccines are
27 times more likely to develop autism than children who receive thimerosol-free
vaccines."
Comment: The panel did not use
data from the CDC. The
Geiers presented data from the CDC's Vaccine Datalink to the panel.
►February 24, 2004 -
Letters: Controversy over accusation of research bias on MMR (free for first
week) - www.timesonline.co.uk -
"Sir, The hysterical reaction to
the disclosure that Dr Andrew Wakefield was funded by the legal aid authorities
to undertake research in relation to litigation by parents at the same time that
he submitted his seminal paper on MMR to The Lancet (report, February 23)
reveals a remarkable divergence between current legal and medical views of what
constitutes bias."
►February 25, 2004 -
Government's double standards over MMR - The Daily Mail via
www.femail.co.uk - "But health
chiefs were immediately accused of hypocrisy by parents and campaigners - who
pointed out that many of the Government's top scientific advisers have links
with drug firms that make or supply the vaccine...At least 19 experts have
interests in firms involved in the measles, mumps and rubella triple vaccine,
campaigners said...They sit on two key committees which declared the vaccine
safe: the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Joint Committee on
Vaccination and Immunisation."
Comment: Excellent article.
►February 24, 2004 -
Blair will be to blame if there's a measles epidemic - opinion - The
Telegraph, UK - "The Government seems to believe that it has won the
argument over the MMR jab. Andrew Wakefield, the scientist who first suggested a
possible link between the triple vaccine and autism, has been villified by the
scientific establishment. Parents stand accused of over-reacting and of
selfishly putting the health of the nation at risk. Vaccination rates have
dropped below 60 per cent in some areas...But the scare over the triple vaccine
is not the fault of over-anxious parents, who cannot be blamed for wanting to
protect their children. Nor can all the blame lie with Dr Wakefield and his
research paper published six years ago in the Lancet. Dr Wakefield has been
"discredited" because he was taking money from the Legal Aid Board at the time
of his report...The board was paying him to discover, on behalf of parents
hoping to sue for damages, whether the jab was harmful to their children. But
this does not necessarily mean his research was biased. He should have disclosed
his interest; but many scientists are paid for research by drugs companies."
►February 23, 2004 -
Inside the world of medical journals - One of the world's most respected
medical journals says it should never have published a controversial paper on
MMR. - What steps do journals take to ensure studies are robust and trustworthy?
- BBC - "The Lancet maintains it should have been told that Dr Wakefield was
being paid to carry out another similar study...It says Dr Wakefield should have
been aware of the potential conflict of interest after reading the journal's
guidelines on the issue... In 1998, these stated: 'The conflict of interest test
is a simple one. Is there anything...that would embarrass you if it were to
emerge after publication that you had not declared it?'"
►February
24, 2004 -
Dr. Andrew Wakefield and the MMR Controversy
- Second Opinion by Nicholas Regush -
www.redflagsdaily.com - "It doesnt
look very good for Dr. Andrew Wakefield, an English physician and researcher who
has championed the need to investigate the potential relationship between the
MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and autism...Today, the scavengers of
British journalism surfaced and attacked him and his work, and attempted to
destroy whatever chance he may have to rescue his scientific reputation."
Comment: Excellent overview.
►February
24, 2004 -
The corporate stooges who nobble serious science - The MMR scandal shows a
business riddled with conflicts of interest - "It looks like a conflict of
interest and his failure to disclose it was wrong. But the crime for which he is
being punished is everywhere. The scientific establishment is rotten from top to
bottom, riddled with conflicts far graver than Dr Wakefield's....In other words,
the great majority of the scientists with conflicts of interest are failing to
disclose them...So, given that undisclosed conflicts of interest in science are
everywhere, why is it only Dr Wakefield whose bloody remains are being dragged
through the streets? The obvious answer is that his alleged cooption works
against the interests of the drugs companies, while almost everyone else's works
in their favour."
Comment: Very
interesting article.
►February 24, 2004 -
Mountain Views:
Precipitous Increase in Autism Cases May Be Tied To Childhood Vaccines -
"There aren't enough special-ed teachers in any state to even begin to approach
the problem. It costs states about $2 million for each child with autism
for the first 18 years of life. The Department of Education disabilities
data bank shows autism cases in school-age children rose from about 5,500
nationwide to an astonishing 79,000 during the 1990s...Despite drug company
studies from 70 years ago that concluded mercury-containing serum was not fit
for cattle or dogs, and with all the huge, expensive federal agencies to protect
us from just such a mistake -- the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and
Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of
Medicine -- not one had taken the time to total up how much thimerosal and
mercury had been added to the average child's intake with the new increased
immunization schedule."
►March 1, 2004 -
School Choice Offers Flexibility for an Autistic Child -
School Reform News via The Heartland Institute - "Three
years ago, Carson was like most two-year-olds: He liked to put things into his
mouth. And like most moms, his mother Cheryl was always alarmed at what he was
putting into his mouth. When Carson bit and broke a mercury thermometer, she was
terrified. She rushed him to the hospital in Sandy, Utah, where doctors showed
her x-ray images of the mercury Carson had swallowed. Unfortunately, there was
nothing they could do. The mercury would pass. All Cheryl could do was
wait...Two weeks into the waiting, the shoe dropped. Carson went from babbling
to mute. He couldnt make noise. He couldnt talk. His social skills
disappeared. He wouldnt sit still. He threw uncontrollable temper tantrums. He
wouldnt even acknowledge when his mom or dad called him, no matter how
stern--or loving--they were. The doctors diagnosed him with pervasive
developmental disorder, a mild form of autism."
►February 27, 2004 -
Autism education case in court - The Record-Courier - "Saying there are
'kids that need serious help and never get it,' a Genoa couple is asking the
Douglas County School District to implement a program that treats the needs of
autistic children...Ranée and Sheldon Gaines expect a response March 8 from an
independent hearing officer with the Nevada Department of Education. They will
find out if they will be reimbursed $8,500 for autism treatment they paid for
their 3-year-old twin sons, Jeremiah and Nehemiah."
►February 23, 2004 -
Fund-raisers hope to help Whitman girl - The Enterprise via
www.southofboston.com - "Andie
suffers from a severe seizure disorder that her doctors attribute to a reaction
to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine she received when she was a year old.
Despite years of treatment at Boston hospitals, doctors have been unable to
control the seizures...A severe seizure in the spring left Andie with
autism-like problems. She has since lost the ability to speak and now has other
developmental delays."
►February 19, 2004 - Rare
Disease Endemic In South America Is Model For Studying Autoimmunity - A
group of men living amid the gold mines and disappearing jungles of northeastern
Colombia, is giving a Medical College of Georgia scientist unprecedented access
to study how the wrong combination of genetics and environment cause the body to
turn on itself. - Medical College Of Georgia via
www.sciendaily.com
►March 5, 2004 - The
development of antimicrobials and vaccines against bacterial bioterrorism agents
where are we? (requires registration or subscription) - Over the
next five years, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) plan to spend
hundreds of millions of dollars to discover and develop or improve treatment and
prevention modalities for agents of bioterrorism. The NIH has recently funded
eight centers designated as 'Research Centers of Excellence.' These centers have
been awarded $350 000 000 to develop new antibiotics and vaccines to protect the
US population from agents of bioterrorism, as well as novel means to detect
them. Several other programs are currently under consideration and/or
development at the NIH to further expand our scientific armamentarium against
these agents. Similar funds are being spent to upgrade the sadly neglected
public health infrastructure. The salient question is: will this strategy prove
successful in protecting the US from future bioterrorism attacks? - Drug
Discovery Todayvia BioMedNet Magazine Cancer/cancer vaccines
►February 26, 2004 - Doubt
cast on free radical theory - Scientists have questioned a widely accepted
theory for a cause of diseases such as cancer and arthritis. - BBC
►February 25, 2004 -
Moffitt Center unlocks mystery protein in tumors - A study done by the
center has provided a breakthrough in the research of detecting tumor cells in
the body - University of South Florida Oracle
►February
24, 2004 - Nevada
leukemia cluster baffles scientists - For three years,
scientists prodded the dust, dirt and water in this rural community and tested
the blood of dozens of its residents -- all in hopes of uncovering why children
were developing leukemia. -
AP via CNN - "Yet despite
the work, scientists revealed Monday that they haven't been able to determine
what caused the disease that has sickened 16 children and killed three since
1997."
►February 24, 2004 -
Chickenpox Vaccine Found to Fade in a Year (requires registration or
subscription) - The New York Times - "Although no vaccine is ever 100 percent
effective, some authorities see the findings as highlighting a potentially
serious problem. If chickenpox becomes less prevalent, fewer unvaccinated
children will contract it. That vulnerability follows them into adulthood,
critics say, and it increases their chances of suffering severe complications if
the disease does eventually strike...Adults whose childhood immunity has worn
off will also be in trouble, said Barbara Loe Fisher, co-chairwoman of the
National Vaccine Information Center...One solution, experts say, is to combine
the chickenpox vaccine with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as
M.M.R., usually given around the same time. That would mean that children would
receive a second, or booster, dose of varicella vaccine, because M.M.R. is
administered twice."
►February 28, 2004 - Farm's
reticence shocks officials - No Notification Despite Mass Fowl Deaths - The
Japan Times - "Health and animal experts expressed shock at the news Friday that
a chicken farm in Tanba, Kyoto Prefecture, did not notify officials that
thousands of its birds had died despite mounting bird flu fears...The incident
highlights the difficulties involved in trying to contain an infectious disease
when announcing that a farm is affected is virtually certain to cripple its
business."
►February 29, 2004 -
Flu Vaccinations (requires registration
or subscription) - letter - The New York Times - "I was upset to learn that such
a low percentage of health care workers are immunized...It baffles me that
health care officials would make such a big deal about the public's taking part
in immunization when the people hired to help the public get healthy and stay
healthy aren't even participating."
Comment: This college student is right to be
baffled.
►February 28, 2004 -
Va. worker may have caught avian flu - Fell ill as it swept the Shenandoah
Valley's poultry farms in 2002 - Richmond Times-Dispatch
►February 23, 2004 -
Is it safe? - Clarksburg Exponent Telegram - "The state Department of Health
and Human Resources distributed 68,000 flu vaccine doses this flu season, with
63,000 of them containing a chemical the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
suggested be removed from childhood vaccines..Joe Thornton, state Health and
Human Resources spokesman, said 5,000 were pediatric doses that did not contain
thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury."
►February 26, 2004 -
Most
of nasal spray flu vaccine unsold - UPI via The Washington Times - "Eighty
percent of the new nasal spray vaccine FluMist, manufactured by MedImmune Inc.,
of Gaithersburg, Md., went unsold in the United States...MedImmune told a
federal panel Tuesday in Atlanta about 4 million doses of leftover FluMist would
most likely have to be destroyed."
►February 26, 2004 -
Nasal Flu Vaccine Available for Free - The Ledger
►February 26, 2004 -
Scientific Tests
Led to Bird Flu Upgrade - Sophisticated Tests Led Scientists to Upgrade Bird
Flu Risk - AP via ABC News
►February 26, 2004 -
Conditions 'ripe' for human bird flu - AP via The Australian
►February 26, 2004 - Human bird flu
vaccine nearly ready - Could be widely available in 3-6 months, scientists
say - Reuters via MSNBC
►February 27, 2004 -
UN conference hears bird flu crisis poses "unprecedented" threat - AFP via
www.channelnewsasia.com - "'Never
in the past have we witnessed an avian virus circulating so quickly in such a
large part of the world,' he said in a statement as experts from 23 Asia Pacific
nations convened for three days of talks...Vallat said the immediate priority
for affected nations was to stop the virus in its tracks by slaughtering
infected poultry as well as birds that had come in contact with them."
►February 26, 2004 -
Health Asia - Better Detection Key to Avoiding New Bird Flu Crisis - If Asia
is to avoid another avian flu crisis, the region has to change the current ways
that its poultry industry has been expanding and put into place new surveillance
systems to detect animal diseases, experts said here Thursday. - Inter Press
Service News Agency
►February 26, 2004 -
Intranasal Influenza Vaccine Used in Switzerland During 2000-2001 Season
Apparently Conferred a High Risk of Bell's Palsy -
New England Journal of Medicine via
Doctor's Guide - "The intranasal influenza vaccine used during the 2000-2001
influenza season in Switzerland was associated with a greatly increased risk of
Bell's palsy that was highest during the second month after vaccination. This
inactivated virosomal-subunit influenza vaccine, licensed only in Switzerland,
is no longer in use...'In contrast, no significant risk of Bell's palsy was
found to be associated with the parenteral influenza vaccines,' reports Margot
Mutsch, PhD, MPH, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Travellers'
Health, in Zurich, and colleagues."
Comment:
The authors of this study are to be commended for following these vaccinees for
more than a month.
►February 26, 2004 -
Superflu is being brewed in the lab - New Scientist - "After
the worldwide alarm triggered by 2003's SARS outbreak, it might seem reckless to
set about creating a potentially far more devastating virus in the lab. But that
is what is being attempted by some researchers, who argue that the dangers of
doing nothing are even greater...We already know that the H5N1 bird flu virus
ravaging poultry farms in Asia can be lethal on the rare occasions when it
infects people. Now a team is tinkering with its genes to see if it can turn
into a strain capable of spreading from human to human. If they manage this,
they will have created a virus that could kill tens of millions if it got out of
the lab."
►February 22, 2004 -
Flu fighters mix
science, soothsaying - Decisions made now will affect next vaccine (requires
registration) - The Kansas City Star
►February 25, 2004 -
U.S. public health chief says emergence of SARS, avian flu the "new normal"
- Canadian Press via www.canada.com - "The
flurry of exotic infectious diseases that have threatened global health in the
past couple of years aren't an aberration - they are the new reality, the
director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said Wednesday...The rapid-fire
emergence of diseases like SARS, West Nile virus, monkeypox and avian influenza
point to a future where new and serious health threats arise on a regular basis
from nature, Dr. Julie Gerberding said in an interview from nearby Hamilton,
where she was speaking at McMaster University."
►February 26, 2004 -
Study Finds Most
Health Care Workers Do Not Get Flu Vaccines (requires registration or
subscription) - The New York Times - "Only 36 percent of health
workers receive influenza vaccinations each year, despite a longstanding federal
recommendation that such workers be immunized for their own protection and to
prevent the spread of the disease, a leading health organization said here
Wednesday."
►February 22, 2004 - Deadly
human diseases often arrive via animals - Global travel, conditions in food
processing, exotic pets cited in new strains - The News Journal via The Detroit
News - "The danger of these diseases to become
pandemics often has been exaggerated, some scientists said. Even so, scientists
and health officials cannot ignore the possible danger."
Comment: Unless they compared
people who were vaccinated against the flu vaccine to those who have not been
vaccinated against the flu, including those who have never been vaccinated at
all, they simply do not know what is going on.
►February 23, 2004 -
Low
Pathogenic Avian Influenza in British Columbia - Canadian Food Inspection
Agency via Canada News Wire
►February 24, 2004 -
Flu shots for all could become goal - Cox News Service via Longview
News-Journal - "This is long overdue,' said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious
diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who served on ACIP until last
summer. 'Influenza is an infectious disease than can be prevented easily and
safely, and it should be.'"
Comment:
First, it is important to bear in mind that Paul Offit is highly conflicted,
counting among his various financial ties to the vaccine industry, being
paid
by them to tout their safety to doctors. Second, while the claim is made
that it can be prevented easily and safely, in truth, no one knows whether the
benefits of flu vaccine outweighs its risks. The benefits are assumed, and
the risks either dismissed or ignored. Let's see some long-term studies
comparing the flu vaccinated to the never vaccinated and then we'll have some
idea whether or not the benefits outweigh their risks.
►February 23, 2004 -
CDC being
advised on flu shots for all - Experts mull yearly plan for vaccinations -
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Vaccination experts who advise the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention are debating a significant change in immunization
policy: Suggesting or recommending that every American receive a flu shot every
year...If the change becomes policy, it could - depending on the strength of its
wording - more than triple the number of flu shots now given annually in the
United States."
Comment: What's the chance this has something to
do with the flu vaccine manufacturer's demanding that the government create more
demand for their vaccine?
(See Flu
Vaccine Makers Say Gov't Must Increase Demand.)
►February 27, 2004 -
Hepatitis
Drug-Maker Complaints Reviewed - Federal Health Officials Review Complaints
That Hepatitis Drug-Maker Chiron Blocks Research - AP via ABC News
►February 28, 2004 -
Fewer cases
of meningitis reported - Fewer cases of meningococcal disease have been
reported so far this year but health authorities still warn against complacency.
- www.stuff.co.nz
►February 24, 2004 -
Good Health: Nigerian scientists worry over measles vaccine -
www.vanguardngr.com - "The thought of
measles often brings to mind the red, blotchy skin rash that accompanies this
common disorder. But the rash is just an outward sign of the more significant
changes happening inside the body especially within the respiratory system.
Primarily, measles is a respiratory infection caused by a highly contagious
virus that tends to be serious and even fatal for small children...However, a
group of Nigerian scientists have been worried that despite availability of a
certified measles vaccine that has been in use for several decades, the
infection has remained a significant problem in childhood. Their agitation may
well change the course of measles vaccination in the near future."
►February 23, 2004 -
Mumps Outbreak Not Related to Decline in MMMR Uptake - International Society
for Infectious Diseases via ProMED Mail - "In fact this outbreak and similar
ones like it elsewhere in the UK are not a result of recent falls in MMR uptake
-- they are affecting the wrong age group for that -- but are as a result of
previous vaccination policy."
►February 28, 2004 -
Weighing in when junior tips the scales - Children today are not just
getting fatter, they're getting fatter faster than previous generations. As
Alanna Mitchell reports, there are ways a parent can deal successfully with this
troubling trend - The Globe and Mail
►February 26, 2004 - Doubt
cast on free radical theory - Scientists have questioned a widely accepted
theory for a cause of diseases such as cancer and arthritis. - BBC
►February 27, 2004 -
Polio
vaccine: Our boycott is lesser evil, says Gov Shekarau - Vanguard via
www.vanguardngr.com - "AS
the United Nations wound up the first round of its drive to protect 63 million
African children from polio yesterday, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State
said the decision of the state to boycott the immunisation was a 'lesser
evil.'...Kano, Bauchi, Zamfara and Niger boycotted the drive, but Niger and
Bauchi yesterday dropped their opposition and said they were re-joining the
campaign. Governor Shekarau in an interview in Kano said of the boycott: 'It is
a lesser of two evils, to sacrifice two, three, four, five even 10 children (to
polio) than allow hundreds or thousands or possibly millions of girl-children
likely to be rendered infertile.'...Tests carried out on the vaccines by
scientists in the state last year, he said, 'found traces of hormones. We want
explanations.'
►February 26, 2004 -
African polio vaccination drive ends without reaching heart of outbreak -
AFP via Yahoo!
►February 26, 2004 -
Islamic leaders blamed for return of polio - Reuters via The New Zealand
Herald
►February 26, 2004 - Official
Defends Polio Vaccine Boycott - AP via Ledger-Enquirer
►February 23, 2004 - On This Day 1954 -
Lasting Prevention of Polio Reported in Vaccine Tests (requires registration
or subscription) - Dr. Salk Says Discovery Fights Off All 3 Kinds of Crippling
Disease - The New York Times ►February 22, 2004 -
Vaccine hurdle - The Telegraph, India - "Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
administered polio drops to three children at Karaya in south Calcutta in the
morning and it had a smooth run in the city but about 1,500 children across the
state could not be given the drops following boycotts."
►February 24, 2004 -
Are Annual
Rabies Vaccinations For Pets Really Necessary? - opinion -
www.chattanoogan.com - "In March the
Hamilton County Health Department will announce the dates and locations for its
so-called low-cost rabies clinics for cat and dog owners. I have no problem
with that. What I do have a problem with is the Health Departments position
that animals must have yearly rabies shots. The public is being shortchanged
when it is not being informed about 3-year vaccines, which are now being
routinely administered across the country."
►February 27, 2004 -
Smallpox: Child Killer - The Korea Times - "Maximillian
Taubles came to Seoul in early February 1886 over the muddy path that served as
the road from Chemulpo to Seoul...The first impressions of Korea must have
shocked him. Just outside of Seoul he was surprised to see groups of corpses,
most of them children, unburied and exposed to the elements. Feral dogs roamed
among them eating parts of the partially frozen bodies."
►February 23, 2004 - Whooping
woes quarantine students - Only one student officially diagnosed by Student
Health despite numerous inquiries - The Cavalier Daily
►February 27, 2004 -
Vaccination: Mother's anger at withdrawal of MMR jab legal aid - The mother
of an autistic child today hit out at a decision to cut legal aid for families
who are attempting to prove the MMR jab ruined their children's lives - The
Peterborough Today, UK - "'To pull funding at a time when
the evidence is quite clearly becoming extremely strong is absolutely
outrageous...'It's the ultimate insult to deny that these children are ill and
have got a problem and to deny them their day in court.'"
►February 27, 2004 -
Frist to Bring Up Asbestos Bill by April - Reuters via Yahoo! - "Senate
Republican Leader Bill Frist said on Friday that "good progress" had been made
on a bill to reform the asbestos litigation system, and he planned to bring
legislation to the Senate floor by the end of March or the first week of
April...Frist has been trying to jump-start stalled legislation to end asbestos
lawsuits and replace them with a victims' fund supported by asbestos companies
and insurers."
►February 29, 2004 -
The Mercury Threat: Too Dangerous to Wait (requires registration or
subscription) - letter - The New York Times - "Mercury's harm to fetal and child
development is well documented."
►February 25, 2004 - County
Officials Want Help With Hospital Laws (requires registration or
subscription) - L.A. County and O.C. supervisors ask the governor for legal
waivers and repair funds if facilities lag in nursing ratios and safety. - Los
Angeles Times
►February 26, 2004 - House
approves patients' rights bill - 'Taylor's law' allows testimony before
disciplinary board - The Boston Globe
►February 27, 2004 - Survey
Finds Confusion on Medicare Drug Law (requires registration or subscription)
- Kaiser poll reveals that few seniors understand the new prescription benefits
plan. Education efforts are in the works. - Los Angeles Times
►February 26, 2004 -
EPA
rules on mercury responsible - guest column - The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
►February 26, 2004 - Vaccine
Program Remedies Must Be Exhausted Before Filing Suit - The Legal
Intelligencer via www.law.com
- "A
couple whose son suffers from autism because of an alleged adverse reaction to
thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once present in vaccines for newborns,
may not file suit in Pennsylvania against a group of pharmaceutical companies
until they exhaust administrative remedies available through the National
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has
ruled...According to the Superior Court opinion, the federal Vaccine Act of 1986
requires that before commencing any state or federal claims, vaccine claimants
must first file a petition with the "no-fault" compensation program, a special
tribunal of the Federal Court of Claims known as the Vaccine Court and located
in Bethesda, Md."
►February 26, 2004 -
Bush plan for mercury lambasted - Critics say the proposal would actually
weaken control over industry (requires registration) - Charlotte Observer
►February 26, 2004 - Immunization
bill passes Senate - AP via Charleston Daily Mail - "Senators passed a bill
that would expand mandatory immunizations for public school students while for
the first time allowing them to decline shots for religious reasons."
Comment: It is
not clear from this whether or not the ambiguous wording in the bill re:
homeschoolers (i.e., can they be charged with a misdemeanor and fined for not
vaccinating?) has been dealt with.
►February 24, 2004 -Medical
Malpractice Bill Fails To Clear Hurdle - Critics Say Bill Is Bailout For
Insurance Companies - www.ksat.com - "Senate
Republicans failed Tuesday in their latest effort to limit medical malpractice
awards...They fell 12 votes short of the number needed to force the Senate to
consider the bill, which would have capped malpractice awards against
obstetricians and gynecologists...But Democrats say the bill is a bailout for
insurance companies who have made bad investments and that a cap on damages
doesn't lead to lower insurance premiums. They called the bill an election-year
ploy, arguing that capping damages has no impact on insurance costs."
►February 27, 2004 -
Autism education case in court - The Record-Courier - "Saying there are
'kids that need serious help and never get it,' a Genoa couple is asking the
Douglas County School District to implement a program that treats the needs of
autistic children...Ranée and Sheldon Gaines expect a response March 8 from an
independent hearing officer with the Nevada Department of Education. They will
find out if they will be reimbursed $8,500 for autism treatment they paid for
their 3-year-old twin sons, Jeremiah and Nehemiah."
►February 27, 2004 -
Parents refused aid to fight MMR - Parents who claim their children were
damaged by the MMR jab have lost their latest bid for legal aid to sue the
manufacturers of the vaccine. - BBC - "Officials said that since there was no
scientific proof that the children had been damaged by the vaccine, there was
little chance it would succeed...The children involved in this case have a range
of disabilities, including autism, bowel problems, epilepsy and other learning
difficulties...Some parents are now considering taking their legal campaign to
the Court of Appeal."
►February 27, 2004 -
MMR Campaigners Vow to Continue Compensation Fight - PA News via The
Scotsman - "'Since this litigation
will no longer be funded, and there is no sign that the Government or
pharmaceutical companies are taking up the very serious questions that research
in the litigation has posed, we as a law firm representing many grievously
injured children will now have to consider whether we press the Government to
properly investigate matters the drug companies have attempted to sweep under
the carpet.'
►February 26, 2004 - Vaccine
Program Remedies Must Be Exhausted Before Filing Suit - The Legal
Intelligencer via www.law.com
- "A
couple whose son suffers from autism because of an alleged adverse reaction to
thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once present in vaccines for newborns,
may not file suit in Pennsylvania against a group of pharmaceutical companies
until they exhaust administrative remedies available through the National
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has
ruled...According to the Superior Court opinion, the federal Vaccine Act of 1986
requires that before commencing any state or federal claims, vaccine claimants
must first file a petition with the "no-fault" compensation program, a special
tribunal of the Federal Court of Claims known as the Vaccine Court and located
in Bethesda, Md."
►February 27, 2004 -
Vaccination: Mother's anger at withdrawal of MMR jab legal aid - The mother
of an autistic child today hit out at a decision to cut legal aid for families
who are attempting to prove the MMR jab ruined their children's lives - The
Peterborough Today, UK - "'To pull funding at a time when
the evidence is quite clearly becoming extremely strong is absolutely
outrageous...'It's the ultimate insult to deny that these children are ill and
have got a problem and to deny them their day in court.'"
►February 27, 2004 -
MMR
scientist did not hide link with legal case, letter reveals - by Jeremy
Laurence, Health Editor, The Independent, UK - "Andrew Wakefield, the researcher
who sparked the MMR scare with a paper in The Lancet six years ago, did
not cover up his links with the Legal Aid Board, it emerged yesterday...Dr
Wakefield was accused at the weekend of failing to disclose the conflict of
interest over his research at the Royal Free Hospital in London, suggesting a
possible link between the MMR vaccination and bowel disease and autism, which
has led tens of thousands of parents to boycott the triple vaccination...But he
did reveal his links with the Legal Aid Board in a letter published in The
Lancet on 2 May 1998, less than three months after his original research
paper."
Comment: "RFD Comment: 'The plot thickens...'"
To read the rest of this comment and get the kind of insight into health issues
only Nicholas Regush can provide, go to
www.redflagsdaily.com
(Much of the website now requires a subscription.)
►February 27, 2004 -
Journalist takes MMR battle away from high court - MediaGuardian, UK - "A
freelance journalist is hoping to use his upcoming legal action against medical
journal the Lancet to move the debate about the controversial MMR jab from the
high court to a county court in south London.,,Brian Deer said he was taking his
claim for damages relating to a breach of confidentiality over his exclusive
story on the man behind the claims that MMR may be linked to autism to Lambeth
county court on Monday.
►February 23, 2004 - The
blame drain - The Gulf War veterans are blaming their lawyer for the
collapse of their case against the MoD. Jon Robins hears both sides of the story
- www.thelawyer.com
►February 26, 2004 - Immunization
bill passes Senate - AP via Charleston Daily Mail - "Senators passed a bill
that would expand mandatory immunizations for public school students while for
the first time allowing them to decline shots for religious reasons."
Comment: It is
not clear from this whether or not the ambiguous wording in the bill re:
homeschoolers (i.e., can they be charged with a misdemeanor and fined for not
vaccinating?) has been dealt with.
►February 26, 2004 -
Give us the choice of vaccines - Letters to the Editor - The Telegraph, UK -
"Have you any idea how frustrating it is to read or listen
to the reams of opinion on the MMR debate and to feel that last on the list of
importance are the very children damaged, as their parents believe, by the
vaccine?...But deep down there is utter desolation that something that is of
paramount importance in our lives is like a toy being batted back and forth. Who
was to know what a hot political potato this would turn out to be?"
►February 25, 2004 -
Resisting child immunization leads to prosecution - Prof - GNA via
www.ghanaweb.com - "Professor
Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Services (GHS) on
Wednesday said every child must be immunized against Polio in the forthcoming
immunization exercise, warning that legal action would be taken against any
individual or organisation that would prevent a child from being immunized...He
said it was within the laws of Ghana that all children under five years old in
each house or community should be immunized against polio to guarantee that
Ghana became polio free."
►February 26, 2004 -
Social workers 'right to question parents' - This is London - "The
row over the MMR "witch-hunt" deepened today as social workers defended their
right to interview the mothers of autistic children...They insisted some parents
could be harming their children to draw attention to themselves, and admitted
subjecting one mother to an eight-week investigation before accepting she had
done nothing wrong...It came after the Evening Standard revealed up to 20
parents of autistic children faced accusations that they were suffering from
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy."
Comment: It's hard
to believe this could be happening given that Roy Meadows, who has
now been discredited,
was the champion of this apparently ill-conceived theory. How much tragedy
and suffering must the parents of autistic children endure? (And any old
excuse in an attempt to detract from the real issue, i.e., does MMR contribute
to autism?)
►February 23, 2004 - LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER -
Bill
forces shots on all children -
Homeschoolers fight state legislation that criminalizes parents who
object - WorldNetDaily -
"Commented Euteneuer
in a statement: "Along with Mississippi, West Virginia is the only state to
forbid religious vaccine exemptions. This bill goes even further by prohibiting
physicians from granting medical exemptions according to what they believe is
best for each patient. Senate Bill 439 would also make West Virginia the only
state to force homeschoolers to be immunized."
►August 13, 2003 -
A shot in the dark - According to a new book, it is not just MMR that
parents should be wary of - evidence is mounting that other vaccines may have
dangerous side effects - book review - The Guardian
►February 19, 2004 - Report
Urges Higher Ethics in Human Toxicity Studies (requires registration) -
Reuters Health via Medscape - "A government-sponsored expert panel recommended
Thursday that federal regulators closely scrutinize controversial experiments in
which humans are intentionally exposed to toxic chemicals...The panel urged the
agency to restrict human toxicity research to studies that are "necessary and
scientifically valid" and to only use human volunteers in cases where animal
testing is uninformative or unavailable. Human studies should also only be
performed when the potential benefits to society outweigh the potential risk to
research subjects, the report said."
►February 27, 2004 -
Scientists doubt animal research - Many animal
experiments may be of little benefit to treating human disease, according to
experts. - BBC
►February 25, 2004 - Hopkins
group had pattern of errors - Drug mix-ups, unqualified staff led to broader
probe; Child died after home care lapse - The Baltimore Sun
►February 13, 2004 - Fraud
spurs Cell paper retraction - Postdoc fabricated data, leaving his career in
tatters and embarrassing his boss - The Scientist via BioMed Central
►February 20, 2004 -
Low-level magnetic fields concern - Exposure to low-level magnetic fields
could be harmful, say US scientists. - BBC News
►February 26, 2004 - Mix
of Chemicals Plus Stress Damages Brain, Liver in Animals and Likely in Humans
- AScribe Newswire - "Stress is a well known culprit in disease, but now
researchers have shown that stress can intensify the effects of relatively safe
chemicals, making them very harmful to the brain and liver in animals and likely
in humans, as well...Even short-term exposure to specific chemicals -- just 28
days -- when combined with stress was enough to cause widespread cellular damage
in the brain and liver of rats, said Mohamed Abou Donia, Ph.D., a Duke
pharmacologist and senior author of the study."
►February 12, 2004 - Human
embryos cloned - South Korean team demonstrates cloning efficiency for
humans similar to pigs, cattle - The Scientist via BioMed Central
►February 24, 2004 - Smoking
outside may not protect those indoors -
Parents who smoke outdoors still expose homes and kids to nicotine.- journal article (Nature)
►February 23, 2004 - Antibiotics
may not be necessary when treating children with a simple skin abscess -
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas via
www.eurekalert.org
►February 28, 2004 -
"Drink plenty
of fluids": a systematic review of evidence for this recommendation in acute
respiratory infections - journal article (BMJ)
- "Doctors often recommend drinking extra fluids to patients withrespiratory infections. Theoretical benefits for this advice
are replacing insensible fluid losses from fever and respiratory
tract evaporation, correcting dehydration from reduced intake,and
reducing the viscosity of mucus.12
To many this adviceis self evident and justified on the basis that
even if thebenefit is uncertain, or at best small, at least it is
harmless...However, there are theoretical reasons for increased fluid
intaketo cause harm."
►February 24, 2004 - Heard
the latest on HRT? (requires registration or subscription) - BioMedNet
►February 26, 2004 -
Intranasal Influenza Vaccine Used in Switzerland During 2000-2001 Season
Apparently Conferred a High Risk of Bell's Palsy -
New England Journal of Medicine via
Doctor's Guide - "The intranasal influenza vaccine used during the 2000-2001
influenza season in Switzerland was associated with a greatly increased risk of
Bell's palsy that was highest during the second month after vaccination. This
inactivated virosomal-subunit influenza vaccine, licensed only in Switzerland,
is no longer in use...'In contrast, no significant risk of Bell's palsy was
found to be associated with the parenteral influenza vaccines,' reports Margot
Mutsch, PhD, MPH, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Travellers'
Health, in Zurich, and colleagues."
Comment:
The authors of this study are to be commended for following these vaccinees for
more than a month.
►February 24, 2004 -
New Health Dangers of Genetically Modified Food (and vaccines) Discovered -
press release - Institute for Responsible Technology via Common Dreams
Progressive Newswire - "Data from three groups of studies currently being
conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Gene Ecology, in Tromsö, Norway, reveal
potentially serious health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods and
vaccines...3. Genetically engineered pox viruses in cell cultures recombined
with natural viruses to create new hybrid viruses with unpredictable and
potentially dangerous characteristics."
►February 26, 2004 -
Superbug
Deaths Climb in Britain - AP via Yahoo! - "Although new antibiotics are
constantly being developed, some experts fear it is only a matter of time until
virtually every drug is useless."
►February 26, 2004 - "Superbug"
deaths rise 15-fold in past decade - Reuters via Yahoo! - "Britain has vowed
to reduce hospital infections caused by a "superbug" after new figures showed
deaths from the drug-resistant bacteria had climbed 15-fold in a decade." Combined
vaccines
►February 24, 2004 -
Piercing Upper
Ear May Cause Infection - Oregon Outbreak Underscores Danger of Upper-Ear
Piercing; May Result in Hard-To-Treat Infections - AP via ABC News
►February 22, 2004 - Deadly
human diseases often arrive via animals - Global travel, conditions in food
processing, exotic pets cited in new strains - The News Journal via The Detroit
News - "The danger of these diseases to become
pandemics often has been exaggerated, some scientists said. Even so, scientists
and health officials cannot ignore the possible danger."
►February 27, 2004 -
Alliance Sets Goal to Increase Child Vaccinations - Reuters - "An
international alliance launched a campaign on Friday to save the lives of one
million children by 2006 by increasing access to immunizations in the world's
poorest countries...The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and
The Vaccine Fund, its financial arm, hope to raise $400 million annually from
governments and private sources to immunize 30 million children against diseases
such as polio, hepatitis and yellow fever...'Our goal is to allow every child,
everywhere in the world access to immunizations,' Jacques-Francois Martin, the
president of The Vaccine Fund, said at the London launch of the campaign."
►February 24, 2004 -
Chickenpox Vaccine Found to Fade in a Year (requires registration or
subscription) - The New York Times - "Although no vaccine is ever 100 percent
effective, some authorities see the findings as highlighting a potentially
serious problem. If chickenpox becomes less prevalent, fewer unvaccinated
children will contract it. That vulnerability follows them into adulthood,
critics say, and it increases their chances of suffering severe complications if
the disease does eventually strike...Adults whose childhood immunity has worn
off will also be in trouble, said Barbara Loe Fisher, co-chairwoman of the
National Vaccine Information Center...One solution, experts say, is to combine
the chickenpox vaccine with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as
M.M.R., usually given around the same time. That would mean that children would
receive a second, or booster, dose of varicella vaccine, because M.M.R. is
administered twice."
►March 2004 - You Should
Worry About Vaccine Safety - Coastal Post Online - "But industry has the
trump card. Marin County receives enough monies from the vaccination program
that its officials wish only to 'Hear No Evil.'..Eventually the tide must turn.
But at what cost? Across how many more coffins containing infant and toddler
bodies must the shadow of vaccination fall?"
►February 27, 2004 -
Royal Plea over Third
World Vaccines Campaign - PA News via The Scotsman - "Queen
Rania of Jordan made an impassioned plea today for help to save the lives of one
million children in the poorest parts of the world...The glamorous royal urged
donors to contribute to the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunisation (GAVI) and the Vaccine Fund...Queen Rania, a mother of three, told
guests at the luncheon she had asked her children about vaccinations...Her
daughter had said jabs hurt, but then you get to wear a plaster...'To a child,
wearing a Band Aid is enough to make it all worthwhile.'"
Comment: It's easy to be so pro-vaccine when you are
blissfully unaware of the
100,000+
vaccine-associated reactions, probably
representing well over a million, which have been reported in the United States
alone. But is ignorance really bliss? And can what you don't know
still hurt you?
►February 1, 2004 -
Healthy Traveler -Which shots to get - Need for immunizations depends on
such factors as destination, the traveler's health and previous vaccines.
(requires registration) - The Los Angeles Times - "Figuring out which
immunizations one needs for a trip abroad isn't simple, travel medicine
physicians note. It depends on several factors, including the traveler's health,
previous vaccines, the destination and where the traveler plans to stay and
visit."
Comment: Note that according to
one source,
"The severity of side effects among
all vaccine recipients was low, though Jelinek cautioned that people with
autoimmune diseases like lupus and Graves disease should be careful, as
stimulation of the immune system by vaccines can cause episodes of their
diseases."
►March 2004 - You Should
Worry About Vaccine Safety - Coastal Post Online - "But industry has the
trump card. Marin County receives enough monies from the vaccination program
that its officials wish only to 'Hear No Evil.'..Eventually the tide must turn.
But at what cost? Across how many more coffins containing infant and toddler
bodies must the shadow of vaccination fall?"
Comment: This is
the mantra, but it doesn't make it true. Where are the long-term studies
comparing the vaccinated to the never vaccinated? Only when they are done
will we have any idea what the true risks of the diseases are compared to the
vaccines.
►February 23, 2004 - DNA
Vaccines Get A Shot In The Arm - Polymer microspheres synchronize DNA
release and immune response - Chemical & Engineering News
►August 13, 2003 -
A shot in the dark - According to a new book, it is not just MMR that
parents should be wary of - evidence is mounting that other vaccines may have
dangerous side effects - book review - The Guardian
Newsletter Archives - use this link to access old newsletters, including
those whose links
may have changed
DISCLAIMER: All
information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for
general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the
knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended
as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate
is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in
consultation with your health care provider.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"