Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - posted March 1-7, 2004

Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - posted March 1-7, 2004

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Notes

Previous newsletters

Picks of the week - added 3/11/04

The Newsletter is now linked to the new Hot Topics section here and to specific categories and sub-topics below


Alternatives

Alternative treatments/prevention/nutrition/diet

►March 2004 - Effectiveness of an Herbal Preparation Containing Echinacea, Propolis, and Vitamin C in Preventing Respiratory Tract Infections in Children - A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine) - "Conclusion  A preventive effect of a product containing echinacea, propolis, and vitamin C on the incidence of respiratory tract infections was observed."

►March 5, 2004 - Will an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away? - Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center via Newswise

►March 4, 2004 - Vitamins Don't Prevent Pneumonia in Male Smokers - Reuters via Yahoo!

►March 4, 2004 - Kids Who Eat Too Much Fat, or Too Little, Prone to Weight Gain - And too many aren't eating enough dairy products, study finds - HealthDay via USA Today

►March 3, 2004 - New Exam May Improve Treatment of Lung Disease - HealthDay via www.kpho.com

►March 2, 2004 - Editorial: Food fights - journal article (Canadian Medical Association Journal)

February 26, 2004 - Iron eating bacteria - Novel bacteria could clean up heavy metal- and chlorine-contaminated environments - The Scientist via www.biomedcentral.com

►March 3, 2004 - Alternative therapists to face new controls in government crackdown - The Independent, UK - "Rogue practitioners of alternative medicine who try to exploit patients will be driven out of business under plans announced by the Government yesterday...One in five people uses alternative medicine regularly, and there are more therapists than orthodox doctors but no control on standards of training, ministers said."

►March 2, 2004 - Researchers Rewrite First Chapter for the History of Medicine (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 2, 2004 - Nutrition: For Babies, Going With the Grain (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 8, 2004 - Physician looks at what keeps people slim - With a grant to study thin people, an endocrinologist seeks an answer to why most Americans are overweight. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 26, 2004 - Vitamin B2 may help treat sepsis - Vitamin's anti-bacterial effect fights blood poisoning in mice - journal article (Nature)

►February 29, 2004 - Too Much Weight Tugs at Kids Hearts - HealthDay via Yahoo!

►March 2, 2004 - How sweet it isn't - San Francisco Chronicle via The Miami Herald

►March 2, 2004 - Regulations on practice of herbal medicine - The Scotsman

►March 1, 2004 - Gluten may trigger schizophrenia - More evidence of that wheat and gluten sensitivity may be a factor in the development of schizophrenia - Times Online, UK

►March 1, 2004 - Antioxidants: A radical departure - Are the millions spent on antioxidants wasted, as a new study suggests? - Times Online, UK

►March 1, 2004 - Scientists discover increased benefits of Vitamin D - Chicago Tribune via www.kentucky.com

►February 29, 2004 - NHS scornful of Charles on alternative medicines - www.independent.co.uk - "National Health Service managers yesterday dismissed calls by Prince Charles for more complementary medicines to be made freely available on the NHS, saying most of them did not work...Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, the umbrella body for managers, said the NHS could use only those medicines that had been proven effective, ruling out the majority of complementary therapies."

►February 29, 2004 - Nil by mouth - For thousands of Britons battling the debilitating effects of cancer, depression, even eczema, diet is crucial. They view the vitamins and minerals they take as vital in their fight against sickness. So why does the EU want to cut off their supply? Rose Shepherd makes the case for rescuing remedies - The Observer via The Guardian, UK - "In the 21st century we live under siege. There are concerns about pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, GM, mobile phones, microwaves, amalgam fillings, falling sperm counts, mad cows, MMR - even milk. Farmed salmon is a Trojan horse for carcinogens. Obesity and diabetes are on the march. There is a mass of documentation on all this. So what is the European Commission's big idea? 'Let's clamp down on vitamins and minerals.'...It would be funny if it weren't so tragic. While the EU has been busy drafting legislation, we seem to have been sleepwalking into a situation where chemists and health stores will be purged of hundreds of nutritional supplements."

►February 28, 2004 - Netherlands to crack down on complementary medicine - journal article (BMJ) - "The Netherlands is considering tougher laws on practitioners of complementary medicine after government health inspectors who were investigating the death from breast cancer in 2001 of the actress and comedienne Sylvia Millecam severely criticised her treatment...The investigators found that alternative practitioners contradicted the diagnosis of breast cancer made by her doctors and offered her instead the prospect of a cure with 'unfounded methods of treatment.'"

Comment:  Would that unfounded allopathic methods of treatment and misdiagnoses were eyed with the same level of scrutiny.

Breastfeeding (vs. formula)

►March 2, 2004 - Breastfeeding Lowers Blood Pressure - Circulation via Ivanhoe

►March 1, 2004 - Report: Standard Tests Not Enough for Baby Formula - Reuters via Yahoo!

►January 8, 2004 - Review in Advance - Isoflavones in Soy Infant Formula: A Review of Evidence for Endocrine and Other Activity in Infants - journal article (Annual Review of Nutrition)


Big pharma - includes drug development, funding, FDA oversight, PR/advertising, and research conduct

►March 4, 2004 - Group Seeks Ban of Anti-Cholesterol Drug - AP via Yahoo!

►March 3, 2004 - Analysis: More vaccine makers needed - UPI via http://interestalert.com - "Health officials say the recommendation that doctors withhold doses of a childhood vaccine because of shortages underscores the need for more pharmaceutical companies to enter the vaccine-making field...In a hastily assembled news briefing during the 4th International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised U.S. doctors to hold off administering the third and fourth doses of the popular and effective vaccine that had slashed incidences of pneumococcal disease in children."

►March 4, 2004 - 4 subjects challenge Lilly over drug trial - Outside overseer says he found no indication that suicide victim was depressed - Indianapolis Star via www.indystar.com - "Four participants in an Eli Lilly and Co. drug trial in California said the clinic's staff told them that Traci Johnson, who committed suicide last month during the same study in Indianapolis, had a history of depression...But Dr. Rafat Abonour, chairman of the institutional review board that reviews all Lilly drug trials at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said his review of Johnson's records showed no such history."

►March 4, 2004 - U.S. Lawmakers Push for Drug Monitoring Systems - Reuters via Yahoo!
 
►Healthy Skepticism - Improving health by reducing harm from misleading drug promotion - www.healthyskepticism.org

►December 1997 - MaLAM, a medical lobby for appropriate marketing of pharmaceuticals - We can protect scientific medicine from misleading promotion - journal article (Medical Journal of Australia)

►March 6, 2004 - Watchdog keeps drug firms true - The Australian - "PETER Mansfield is an unlikely revolutionary...Sitting in his 'office' in his southern Adelaide home, the quiet, bespectacled man seems more like a university lecturer than a man who has spent 20 years fighting an unequal battle against drug companies around the world...His chosen fight?...Targeting the elimination of inappropriate marketing of drugs by pharmaceutical companies...Dr Mansfield, a part-time GP, leads Healthy Skepticism, an organisation with core funding of $8000 a year, facing an industry whose annual Australian promotional budget is believed to be more than $1 billion."

►March 4, 2004 - Animal instincts - Duluth-based Merial invents drugs, vaccines - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Other companies have file cabinets.  Merial has freezers...Make that deep-freeze freezers.  Where else would you stash the creepiest infections known to the world of fur and feathers?..."

February 28, 2004 - Genuine concern or corporate greed? - opinion - Broomfield Enterprise via The Daily Camera - "Does Senate Bill 139 represent genuine concern or corporate greed? Follow the money...SB 139 will set forth a statewide database of all Colorado's children. The system will be used to call parents and coerce them to have their children "fully" vaccinated. This means the child must have every single recommended vaccine...When I was a child I only had two immunizations: polio and smallpox. These shots were for serious diseases that affected large populations. I am truly grateful for advances in modern medicine that have eradicated deadly diseases. Today, though, Colorado's children are required to receive 29 vaccinations by the age of 4. The risk of children contracting some of these diseases is miniscule."

►February 21, 2004 - GlaxoSmithKline staff told not to publicise ineffectiveness of its drug - journal article (BMJ)

►March 2, 2004 - U.N.: Drug Producers Target Middle-Class - AP via Yahoo!

►March 2, 2004 - New Acambis CEO Announces Four-Fold Increase in Profits - press release - Acambis plc via PRNewswire-FirstCall via Yahoo! - "In developing new vaccines against infectious diseases, Acambis is aiming to maximise the value of its products by retaining rights to those vaccines for as long as possible. This means not only developing, clinically testing and licensing the vaccines but also, where possible, manufacturing, selling and distributing the product ourselves...The first of these primarily involves the development of our two key franchises: the smallpox vaccine franchise; and the travel vaccines franchise."

►March 8, 2004 - FDA boosts efforts to find fake drugs - Electronic "track and trace" methods are examined as a way to halt the growing problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Doctors protest 400% price hike in HIV medication - An AIDS group has filed a lawsuit alleging antitrust violations. Two state attorneys general are investigating, but Abbott says all complaints are without merit. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 2, 2004 - Crackdown on Prescription Abuse - U.S. Officials Want Better Monitoring, Control of Painkillers (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►March 2, 2004 - MedImmune Looks to Boost FluMist Sales - Company Hopes New Version Will Fix Problems Faced by Nasal Vaccine in Its Debut (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►March 1, 2004 -  Troubled FluMist Vaccine to Remain in Production - Status of Saatchi on $40 Million Account Still Unknown - www.adage.com - "MedImmune today said it will continue producing troubled nasal flu vaccine FluMist, despite slumping sales and the possibility of a $75 million write-off if Wyeth bows out of a co-marketing agreement on the drug."

►March 1, 2004 - FluMist Flop Dogs MedImmune - www.thestreet.com - "
Medimmune said Monday that it would stick with FluMist, its inhaled flu vaccine, conceding that the product wouldn't produce meaningful financial results until the 2007-2008 flu season. FluMist has been a flop, but the company insisted that an improved version of the drug launched in September could eventually produce annual U.S. sales of $500 million."

►March 1, 2004 - MedImmune Plans to Keep FluMist Alive - MedImmune to Keep FluMist Alive Despite Dismal Sales, Lowering Outlook for the Coming Year - AP via ABC News 

►March 1, 2004 - Injecting New Life into the Vaccine Industry - Harvard Business School - "Vaccines for preventable diseases save millions of lives every year, yet as an industry, the vaccine business suffers a host of ailments, the CEO of Merck & Co. contends...Speaking at a Harvard Business School forum recently, Raymond V. Gilmartin (HBS MBA '68) said the vaccine industry needs to overcome hurdles that include a feeble distribution infrastructure, a thin pipeline of competition to inspire more innovation, and a poor diet of incentives for the development of vaccines for which there is no natural market such as vaccinations against anthrax or ricin." 

►February 29, 2004 - Dirty tricks drug firms use to get publicity - The Scotsman - "SHOCKING tactics including bribery, fabrication and plagiarism are being used by unscrupulous drug companies to get their research published in influential medical journals, according to a damning new report...Only a week after controversial research on the MMR vaccine was discredited by the journal which published it following a 'fatal conflict of interest', an influential committee has revealed the widespread use of underhand tactics by researchers."

►February 28, 2004 - Only 6% of drug advertising material is supported by evidence - journal article (BMJ)

►February 28, 2004 - Panel Urges Stricter Limits on Acne Drug - Reuters via Yahoo! News 

►February 29, 2004 - Is Biotechnology Losing Its Nerve? (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "AS a founder of four biotechnology companies, Dennis A. Carson can practically write an encyclopedia entry on risk. After all, his first start-up, a gene therapy and vaccine company called Vical, still does not have a product on the market after 16 years and more than $100 million spent...But now Dr. Carson, who is also the director of the cancer center at the University of California at San Diego, is playing it safe, or at least safer. Rather than develop radical new technology or invent new medicines, his latest venture, Salmedix, plans to sell drugs licensed from other companies - drugs that are already on the market or that have at least gone through some clinical trials."


Big Trouble - was Science, government, industry, medicine clearly 'run amok' - includes "errors"

►March 4, 2004 - 4 subjects challenge Lilly over drug trial - Outside overseer says he found no indication that suicide victim was depressed - Indianapolis Star via www.indystar.com - "Four participants in an Eli Lilly and Co. drug trial in California said the clinic's staff told them that Traci Johnson, who committed suicide last month during the same study in Indianapolis, had a history of depression...But Dr. Rafat Abonour, chairman of the institutional review board that reviews all Lilly drug trials at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said his review of Johnson's records showed no such history."

►March 5, 2004 - In Texas, Hire a Lawyer, Forget About a Doctor? (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "As domestic security director for 16 north Texas counties, Greg Dawson of Fort Worth has many dealings with doctors and hospitals, preparing for a terrorism emergency he hopes will never come...So, Mr. Dawson said, he was stunned this week to find that his name had been added to a little-known Internet database for doctors attacking "litigious behavior." His offense: filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Fort Worth hospital and doctor over the death of his 39-year-old wife, whose brain tumor was missed, and winning an undisclosed settlement."

►March 5, 2004 - Traces of Bt toxin found in lumads blood samples - Mindanao News via www.mindanaotimes.com.ph

►March 7, 2004 - Report on Bt corn toxin confirmed - Norwegian bares results of lab test on blood samples - A Norwegian scientist claimed as “conclusive” the traces of Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) toxin found in the blood samples of several residents living near a Bt corn field in a remote village of South Cotabato. - PNA via The Manilla Bulletin Online

►March 4, 2004 - ‘Bt’ toxin found in B’laans’ blood - Today via www.abs-cbnnews.com - "A Norwegian scientist disclosed here on Thursday an alarming finding that Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxic traces were found in the blood samples of several persons living near a Bt-corn field in a remote village of South Cotabato...Sister Susan Bolanio, director of the Social Action Center of the diocese of Marbel, said the residents claimed that their sickness was a result of the planting of Monsanto’s Bt-corn variety in their village."

►February 21, 2004 - GlaxoSmithKline staff told not to publicise ineffectiveness of its drug - journal article (BMJ)

►March 8, 2004 - Safety reporting now in Senate's hands (opinion) - Congress should finish what it started and pass medical error reporting legislation this year. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Hospitals hang on to money-losing medical practices - Many hospitals and systems derive benefits, such as referrals and stable physician networks, that outweigh practice losses. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 1, 2004 - HRT Risks Could Have Been Found Earlier - British Medical Journal via Ivanhoe Newswire

►February 29, 2004 - Nil by mouth - For thousands of Britons battling the debilitating effects of cancer, depression, even eczema, diet is crucial. They view the vitamins and minerals they take as vital in their fight against sickness. So why does the EU want to cut off their supply? Rose Shepherd makes the case for rescuing remedies - The Observer via The Guardian, UK - "In the 21st century we live under siege. There are concerns about pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, GM, mobile phones, microwaves, amalgam fillings, falling sperm counts, mad cows, MMR - even milk. Farmed salmon is a Trojan horse for carcinogens. Obesity and diabetes are on the march. There is a mass of documentation on all this. So what is the European Commission's big idea? 'Let's clamp down on vitamins and minerals.'...It would be funny if it weren't so tragic. While the EU has been busy drafting legislation, we seem to have been sleepwalking into a situation where chemists and health stores will be purged of hundreds of nutritional supplements."

►February 29, 2004 - Dismal payout record for radiation-induced illnesses - Government programs aimed at compensating cancer-stricken nuclear-era workers or survivors criticized for complexity and heavy denial rate - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

►February 27, 2004 - HRT risks 'were known years ago' - Women could have been told about the risks of taking hormone replacement therapy years ago. - BBC

►February 22, 2004 - WHO ‘suppressed’ scientific study into depleted uranium cancer fears in Iraq - Radiation experts warn in unpublished report that DU weapons used by Allies in Gulf war pose long-term health risk - Sunday Herald, UK

►February 29, 2004 - Health bosses deny MMR deception - Health bosses have denied university students' claims that they were tricked into having the MMR vaccine without their knowledge. - BBC - "A mass inoculation programme against mumps took place at the University of Kent at Canterbury earlier this month after six students caught the disease...Now some students have told a national newspaper they were not told they were being given the MMR vaccine."


Conferences, workshops, seminars, courses

Treating the Biology of Autism: an approach to interventions for spectrum disorders (pdf) - conference alert - ASA/OCC Biology of Autism Treatments - April 3 & 4, 2004  in Pontiac, Michigan 

►American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting - www.aan.com - meeting alert - April 24 to May 1, 2004 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.  

Success in Autism: Filling in the Gaps - This conference is designed to educate both parents and professionals in breaking through plateaus and helping individuals with autism reach their optimal potential by "filling in the gaps." Consistency is promoted between the school and the home environments. Valuable information is for individuals at all levels, and information given is functional. - Autism Resources - conference alert - March 20-21, 2004 in Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ 

"Recent Advances in the Biology of Autism" - Bassett Healthcare / National Autism Association Teaching Day - conference alert - May 1, 2004 at Clark Medical Education Auditorium in Cooperstown, NY

Bio-Terrorism Countermeasures – Requirements & Funding - King Publishing Group - conference alert - March 9-10, 2004 at The George Washington University in Washington, DC

Ensuring the Safety and Security of the U.S. Medicine Supply - King Publishing Group - conference alert - April 13-14, 2004 at The George Washington University in Washington, DC

Voyages In Autism:  Behaviors and Advocacy (pdf) - conference alert
- March 20, 2004 in San Pablo, CA


Conflict of interest/ethics - re: big pharma, research, vaccines

*For most of the Wakefield "conflict of interest" articles posted on the site, click here (check periodically for updates)

►March 5, 2004 - Companies Facing Ethical Issue as Drugs Are Tested Overseas (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times -

►March 3, 2004 - MMR has always been safe - Doctors - 'OUR policy has been that MMR is and has always been safe.' - Isle of Man Online - "'In other words Dr Wakefield had been paid by the Legal Aid Board to investigate if there was a case linking MMR and autism and he did not disclose this to the editors of the journal, as is required,' said Dr Kishore...'It is hoped that this new revelation will help to dispel any lingering doubts which members of the public have about the safety of MMR and that parents would ensure that their children are vaccinated with MMR. It is also worth recalling that in the past there had been serious problems resulting from use of single vaccines.'"

Comment:  The failure to disclose the possible conflict of interest does not in and of itself mean that there was anything wrong with Wakefield's research.  The research may or may not have been influenced by the alleged conflict.  If there was as much attention being paid to those with clear conflict of interest re: the vaccine manufacturers as re: someone investigating the issue for a legal aid board, the furor over this might seem fair and reasonable.  As it is, the furor appears to be more political than anything.

►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 23, 2004 - Doctors pressure human guinea pigs - MDs are paid up to $5,000 per patient to sign up volunteers for drug trials - CanWest News Service via The Vancouver Sun via www.canada.com

Comment:  Wow.  If that isn't a conflict of interest, I don't know what is.  This article is chock-full of disturbing information.

►February 29, 2004 - MMR docs' links with drugs firms - Sunday Mercury via http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk - "Four leading Midland doctors who deemed the controversial MMR vaccine safe have links to the drug giants who make or supply the jab...Campaigners have called for the General Medical Council to investigate the senior Government advisors, who all hold scientific posts in the Midlands and sat on key committees which declared the vaccine safe."

February 29, 2004 - Twisted conflicts - (letters) The Observer via The Guardian, UK - "It seems a scientist, such as Dr Andrew Wakefield (News and Leader, last week), who uncovers genuine concerns about the safety of a vaccine has to be 'squeaky clean'...In contrast, scientists who are vocal in support of the vaccine, and are responsible for checking its safety, are allowed to receive research funding from the company that produces it and to hold shares in the company, or act as consultants." (sent by Dr Milton Wainwright, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield)

►February 29, 2004 - Doctor demands apology for MMR claims in Lancet - Telegraph, UK - "Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who first raised fears of a link between autism and the MMR vaccine, has hired a libel lawyer to demand an apology from The Lancet after claiming that the medical journal has cast doubt on his honesty...Dr Wakefield's decision to enlist the support of Carter-Ruck, the London law firm that specialises in defamation suits, follows the denunciation of his work last week by The Lancet."

►February 29, 2004 - Dirty tricks drug firms use to get publicity - The Scotsman - "SHOCKING tactics including bribery, fabrication and plagiarism are being used by unscrupulous drug companies to get their research published in influential medical journals, according to a damning new report...Only a week after controversial research on the MMR vaccine was discredited by the journal which published it following a 'fatal conflict of interest', an influential committee has revealed the widespread use of underhand tactics by researchers."

►February 29, 2004 - Autism is a mystery, not a medical conspiracy - opinion - The Scotsman - "In contrast to Wakefield, I intend to declare an interest at the outset. My son Josh is autistic. Like most children, he was given the MMR vaccine at around 18 months. Shortly afterwards, he began exhibiting the first signs of what we now identify as autistic behaviour. The link between these two events is tempting, but, for reasons of sanity, I have resisted it...In the vast majority of cases, autism manifests itself at around two years, or, in other words, just after the MMR is administered. This coincidence inspired Wakefield’s study. In 1998, his team reviewed reports of children with bowel disease and autistic symptoms. Their research led them to conclude that the MMR shot caused developmental regression, in some cases within 24 hours of vaccination."

Comment:  A temporally related relationship alone does not prove causation.  But a recent event raises a red flag and is, in fact, the most likely cause.  Moreover, the fact that autism didn't used to occur at two years old, nor did it result in the loss of skills as does the new, "regressive" form of autism, means cavalierly dismissing the temporal relationship as "coincidental" is neither wise nor scientific.  Sadly, however, this is characteristic of what happens re: the vaccine issue. The fact that others are beginning to corroborate Wakefield's findings, in spite of the difficulty finding funding to do so, and the potential risks to one's reputation and livelihood, make easy answers like the ones voiced in the opinion piece above even harder to swallow.

►February 26, 2004 - Leslie Burke is terminally ill. Today he will ask a court for the right to live - www.independent.co.uk

►February 29, 2004 - Health bosses deny MMR deception - Health bosses have denied university students' claims that they were tricked into having the MMR vaccine without their knowledge. - BBC - "A mass inoculation programme against mumps took place at the University of Kent at Canterbury earlier this month after six students caught the disease...Now some students have told a national newspaper they were not told they were being given the MMR vaccine."


Diseases and their vaccines (current and in the pipeline)

AIDS/HIV/AIDS vaccine

►March 3, 2004 - Ancient Virus May Help HIV Patients Live Longer - HealthDay via Yahoo!

►March 3, 2004 - Mysterious virus may thwart HIV - New England Journal of Medicine via New Scientist

►March 4, 2004 - CDC Reports That OraQuick Test Produces Fewer False Positive HIV-1 Results Than Other Available Tests - OraSure Technologies, Inc. via Business Wire

Comment:  Avoiding a false HIV positive result is certainly important given the regimen of toxic drugs that HIV positive people are pressured to get.

►March 3, 2004 - Persistent Hepatitis G Virus Infection in HIV-Positive Men May be Associated With Prolonged Survival - New England Journal of Medicine via Doctor's Guide

►March 8, 2004 - Doctors protest 400% price hike in HIV medication - An AIDS group has filed a lawsuit alleging antitrust violations. Two state attorneys general are investigating, but Abbott says all complaints are without merit. - www.ama-assn.org

Polio vaccines and the origin of AIDS: some key writings - www.uow.edu.au

The Origin Of Aids - A Scientific Controversy - Tuesday March 2nd at 7.30pm - Special Broadcasting Service Television via www.sbs.com.au - "In his 1999 book The River, author Edward Hooper, a former BBC journalist, charts a remarkable journey to the possible origins of AIDS. He presents strong circumstantial evidence that points to the inadvertent contamination of an experimental oral polio vaccine administered in Africa in the late 1950’s. Hooper argues that this vaccine most likely became the vehicle by which a simian precursor of HIV/AIDS carried by chimpanzees was able to jump the species barrier into humans. If his conclusions are correct it would indicate that the very people who were working to save lives were themselves responsible for unleashing this terrible disease."

►September 25, 1999 - A controversial HIV/AIDS hypothesis - The River - A Journey Back to the Source of HIV and AIDS (requires registration) - journal article (The Lancet)

►February 29, 2004 - Activists get help in fight on AIDS - Grant: Maryland groups receive $335 million, part of the president's pledge to fight the disease and help victims in Africa and elsewhere. - Baltimore Sun

Alzheimer's disease/vaccine

►March 5, 2004 - Monkeys May Speed Alzheimer's Vaccine - Animal Model Shows Promise to Speed Plaque-Removing Vaccine - Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders via WebMD

►March 8, 2004 - Alzheimer's deaths on rise - Mortality related to this disease increased more than for any other of the top 10 killers, prompting concern about the ever-increasing burden on caregivers. - www.ama-assn.org

Anthrax/anthrax vaccine/Gulf War Syndrome

►March 4, 2004 - BioPort Supplies FDA-Licensed Anthrax Vaccine to Taiwan - BioPort via Business Wire

►March 3, 2004 - Justice Seeks Dismissal of Anthrax Lawsuit (requires registration) - AP via The Kansas City Star - "The Justice Department wants a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by six members of the military who are challenging the Pentagon's use of a vaccination against anthrax...Court papers filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court contend the suit has no merit because the Food and Drug Administration ruled on Dec. 30 that the vaccine was safe and effective."

Comment:  Never mind the fact that the FDA miraculously found reason to approve it just days after the judge declared the vaccine experimental, and put a (what turned out to be) temporary hold on the military's anthrax shot program.

►March 4, 2004 - Criticism, skepticism surround anthrax vaccine - BioPort defends product despite lawsuits, studies - The State News - "BioPort Corp. executives are the first to admit that a cloud of doubt seems to linger above their anthrax vaccine...Critics relentlessly question if the Lansing-based company's product would be effective against a bioterrorist attack. Others contend the immunization is harmful to those who receive it...Company executives, however, maintain that scientific fact and a series of medical studies vouch for the safety and effectiveness of the nation's only federally licensed anthrax vaccine."

►March 2, 2004 - Anthrax vaccine inquiry soldiers demand - Medical News Today 

►March 4, 2004 - Drug to treat hepatitis B proves useful in blocking anthrax toxin - The University of Chicago Chronicle - "'These toxins pack a one-two punch that makes inhalational anthrax extremely harmful,' said Tang, Associate Professor in the Ben May Institute for Cancer Research at the University. 'For the first time, we have a clinically approved drug that, at least in tissue culture, completely eradicates half of that toxic team, and does it at non-toxic doses.'"

Comment:  That is good news.  In my opinion, it is far better to develop drugs to treat those exposed to anthrax, rather than expose everyone to the known and unknown risks of anthrax vaccination, whether they need it or not.

►March 2, 2004 - Soldiers demand anthrax vaccine inquiry - www.abc.net.au

►March 2, 2004 - Scientists: Device rids air of anthrax, other biological dangers - AP via Newsday

►October 12, 1999 - Anthrax Vaccine: Safety and Efficacy Issues (Testimony, 10/12/1999, GAO/T-NSIAD-00-48). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►September 20, 2004 - Anthrax Vaccine: GAO's Survey of Guard and Reserve Pilots and Aircrew (20-SEP-02, GAO-02-445). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►July 21, 1999 - Medical Readiness: Issues Concerning the Anthrax Vaccine (Testimony, 07/21/1999, GAO/T-NSIAD-99-226). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►June 30, 1999 - Contract Management: Observations on DOD's Financial Relationship With the Anthrax Vaccine Manufacturer (Testimony, 06/30/99, GAO/T-NSIAD-99-214). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►April 29, 1999 - Medical Readiness: Safety and Efficacy of the Anthrax Vaccine (Testimony, 04/29/99, GAO/T-NSIAD-99-148). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►March 29, 1999 - Gulf War Illnesses: Questions About the Presence of Squalene Antibodies in Veterans Can Be Resolved (Letter Report, 03/29/99, GAO/NSIAD-99-5). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►March 2, 2004 - VaxGen reports Phase I clinical trial results of anthrax vaccine candidate - VaxGen, Inc. via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 2, 2004 - Troops ‘gagged’ over anthrax jab concerns - The Herald, UK - "SOLDIERS calling for an inquiry into the possible effects of Iraq war anthrax vaccinations on the health of their unborn children have accused the Ministry of Defence of attempting to gag them."

►March 2, 2004 - Vaccinated GIs spread infections - Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer - "Thirty people in the military have transferred infections to other people after being vaccinated for smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

►March 1, 2004 - Anthrax Vaccine Paralyzes Soldier - WVLT via www.volunteertv.com

Military Vaccine Dangers - CBS News Video

►March 1, 2004 - Anthrax Jabs Blamed for Baby Deaths - PA News via The Scotsman

►March 1, 2004 -  Soldiers link baby deaths to jabs - Some UK Soldiers who served in Iraq have expressed fears for their unborn babies after claiming a number of child deaths are linked to anthrax jabs. - BBC

►March 1, 2004 - Military Vaccine Flattens GI, 17 - CBS News - "Amid all the war stories that have come out of the conflict with Iraq, Tyran Duncan's hasn't been widely told. The willing soldier became an unwitting victim to the vaccinations he was required to take to deploy. And as CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports, he's not the only one."

►February 28, 2004 - Anthrax: Vital fact the diggers weren't told - The Australian

►February 29, 2004 - Campaign: Scandal of the Anthrax Babies: A Deadly Chemical Weapon - The Sunday Mirror, UK

►February 29, 2004 - Campaign: Scandal of the Anthrax Babies: Our Worst Nightmare - Baby Kye died: 5 weeks - The Sunday Mirror, UK

Asthma/allergies

►March 2, 2004 - Children in Shelters Hit Hard by Asthma (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 4, 2004 - New inhalers: Breathe easier - New inhalers will help the environment - Times Online, UK

►March 3, 2004 - Anyone have a tissue? - Carolina Morning News via Lowcountry NOW - "At night, my romantic husband is very prone to whisper in my ear, between sniffles (snorts), 'Honey, where are the tissues? I think you used the last one and I need more.'...Yes, we are just two of the some 30 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies. The most difficult season for allergy sufferers is the spring. Why is that?"

►March 1, 2004 - Breathing easier - New medication shows promise for severe allergic asthmatics - The Flint Journal via www.mlive.com

►March 2, 2004 - Asthma Study: Waiting to Exhale - 40 percent of homeless children in shelters in New York City have the respiratory disease, but many are not getting help, authors say - Newsday

Autism

►March 4, 2004 - Autism? Dyslexia? Try Mozart - www.wnep.com

►March 5, 2004 - Men, Empathy, and Autism - A British researcher offers a new theory about the developmental disorder that has skyrocketed among children - http://chronicle.com

Comment:  For some insight into the furor that this theory has caused, go to Scandals: Adding Insult to Injustice to Injury Redux.

►March 6, 2004 - When autism causes aggressive behavior - www.king5.com

►March 6, 2004 - The Geek Theory of Autism - At university, William K. met for the first time people with exceptional skills like his own - National Post via www.canada.com

Treating the Biology of Autism: an approach to interventions for spectrum disorders (pdf) - conference alert - ASA/OCC Biology of Autism Treatments - April 3 & 4, 2004  in Pontiac, Michigan 

►October 2002 - What's in a face? - Novartis Foundation Bulletin

►March 3, 2004 - Autism complaints heading to tribunal - Rights commission forwards 121 cases Families call treatment discriminatory - The Toronto Star

►March 3, 2004 - Parents of Kentuckiana boy say he's part of rising incidence of autism - www.whas11.com - "Evan Riggle's autism is a puzzle – a puzzle his parents say is being pieced together by doctors, therapists, prayer warriors and family. His sister and brother help with his speech...'He hasn't even spoken a word, but he has the potential to change more lives than we ever could,' Evan’s father David says...Emlyn says Evan's system couldn't handle a mercury preservative in vaccines called thimerosal. She says once those vaccines had worn down Evan’s immune system, his one-year measles, mumps and rubella or MMR shot was a knockout punch."

►March 2, 2004 - UK autism research 'is lacking' - UK research into the causes and treatment of autism is seriously behind that of other countries, a report says.  - BBC News - "It says the row over a possible link with the MMR jab has over-shadowed the fact that little is known about the behavioural disorder...And it calls for wider research into all aspects of the condition."

March 1, 2004 - One of Largest Ever Genetic Studies of Autism Launched - Schafer Autism Report

New report calls for more research into causes of autism - National Autistic Society, UK - ""Mapping Autism Research" is the first-ever comprehensive overview of the UK research field. It outlines a surprising lack of research into the causes of autism and successful interventions compared with other countries. The review also concludes that research into how families cope and into autism support services is extremely scant."

►March 3, 2004 - Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario 121 autism related complaints - Medical News Today - "The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Canada, is receiving a record 121 autism-related complaints by Ontario’s Human Rights Commission...The average number of complaints the commission refers to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario is around 90, and that includes all types of complaints, not just one type...The complaints say the province is cutting funding for the treatment of autism for children over six years of age. People say this is discriminatory."

"Recent Advances in the Biology of Autism" - Bassett Healthcare / National Autism Association Teaching Day - conference alert - May 1, 2004 at Clark Medical Education Auditorium in Cooperstown, NY

►March 1, 2004 - Autism Goes Public (requires registration) - The Washington Post - "Last year an employee of a Fairfax movie theater asked the Ortega family to leave a matinee of 'Finding Nemo.' The problem: Every time characters in the movie screamed, so did 4-year-old Nicholas Ortega...While some members of the audience found the cries objectionable, the child's behavior wasn't all that startling for his parents, Fidel and Gretchen Ortega. The Fairfax couple understood such outbursts to be fairly common for Nicholas, as they are for other children with autism."

►March 2, 2004 - Harrowing tale of one father's struggle against autism - Borneo Bulletin via www.brunei-online.com

►March 2, 2004 - Parents urge more autism research - Manchester Online

►February 23, 2004 - Termites, Crayfish and Autism - www.about.com

►March 1, 2004 - Autism research falls behind - The Western Mail via http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk

►March 2, 2004 - 'I had to become an autism expert' - As experts call for more UK research into the causes and treatment of autism, BBC News Online talks to the mother of a nine-year-old autistic boy. - BBC - "Anna Parton, from Bromley, Kent, had to spend £12,000 and devise her own care plan to give her son Robert the help she felt he needed."

Comment:  It is a disgrace that so much of the cost of research and care falls so squarely on the shoulders of parents already over-burdened by the needs of their precious children.

Voyages In Autism:  Behaviors and Advocacy (pdf) - conference alert - March 20, 2004 in San Pablo, CA

►February 29, 2004 - One of largest ever genetic studies of autism launched - Arizona Republic via www.awares.org

►March 2004 - My life with Asperger’s syndrome - journal article (Archives of Disease in Childhood) 

►February 29, 2004 - Research slowly helping despair give way to hope (requires registration) - The Arizona Republic - "'Your child has autism.'...More than 10 families contact the Phoenix-based South- west Autism Research & Resource Center every week after hearing that devastating diagnosis...I say 'family' because autism not only affects your child, but every member of the family. How you feel, what you do, where you eat, how and where you sleep largely depend upon your child with autism."

Autism and vaccines (mercury/thimerosal, MMR, in general) - was Autism/mercury, Autism/MMR, Autism & vaccines

*For most of the Wakefield "conflict of interest" articles posted on the site, click here (check periodically for updates)

►March 5, 2004 - Injection of sense (requires subscription) - Times Online, UK

►March 5, 2004 - MMR: the controversy continues - Even though Dr Andrew Wakefield, the leading protagonist of the MMR-autism link, has been discredited, and the Lancet paper that launched the scare in 1998 has been repudiated by 10 of its 13 co-authors, the controversy continues. This suggests that the key factor in the scare is not Dr Wakefield's flawed science, but the wider climate of fear of environmental dangers and suspicion of scientific, medical and political authority. - www.spiked-online.com

►March 5, 2004 - Researchers Reject Famous MMR-Autism Study - Experts Say Likely to Close the Door on MMR Vaccine Controversy - WebMD

►March 7, 2004 - Single MMR jag demand soars despite claims - The Scotsman - "Accusations that research linking the triple jag to health risks was 'fatally flawed' has only served to further entrench public scepticism over the jag’s safety, according to doctors providing single-vaccine alternatives."

►March 6, 2004 - Key ally of MMR doctor rejects autism link (requires subscription) - Times Online, UK

►March 7, 2004 - Sick children untreated due to MMR fears - Families seek care in US as UK doctors dismiss complaints to avoid triple jab controversy - Sunday Herald, UK - "AUTISTIC children in Britain are being forced to fly to the US for treatment because of the ongoing political controversy surrounding the MMR jab...Up to 10 British children, including a seven-year-old from Edinburgh, have been treated at a specialist centre in Florida for painful bowel diseases after the NHS refused to recognise their symptoms...An investigation by the Sunday Herald has revealed that despite medical evidence of a link between the disorder and autism, NHS doctors are ignoring or dismissing the connection because they fear becoming embroiled in the triple jab controversy. Instead of acknowledging a previously unknown condition that inflames the children’s bowels, they say the painful symptoms are caused by constipation."

►March 7, 2004 - Autism debate underscores research difficulty, cost of disproving bad science - CP via www.canada.com - "When Dr. Noni MacDonald starts talking about the debate over whether childhood vaccinations cause autism, her words are steeped in anger. She thinks the public ought to be angry, too...The source of the emotion? The years of time, effort and research funding that has been spent disproving a piece of British research that last week was repudiated by most of the team responsible for it."

Comment:  Do any of those who are using this opportunity to discredit the research linking the MMR to autism care that the research has not actually been disproved?  Do they care that all that has happened is that a potential conflict has been raised?  Do they care that, although regrettable, a potential for conflict of interest does not in and of itself disprove research, but merely raises the specter that the research has been tainted and/or influenced by the conflict?  Have any of these self-righteously angry decriers ever once complained about the clear and obvious conflicts of interest in support of the MMR vaccine?

►March 7, 2004 - Leading article: The MMR superstition (requires subscription) - The Times Online

►March 6, 2004 - Autism link claim took vaccine from hero to villain (requires subscription) - The Times Online

►March 7, 2004 - The needle and the damage done - opinion - Scotland on Sunday - "THE hours after her one-year-old son Victor was injected with the MMR vaccination were among the longest of Iustina Del Veneziano’s life...After an agonising decision process before deciding to go ahead with the jag, the Edinburgh mum was watching for any small indication that she might have made the wrong move. She didn’t have to wait long."

►March 6, 2004 - Retraction of an interpretation (requires registration) - journal article (The Lancet)

►March 6, 2004 - A statement by the editors of The Lancet (requires registration) - journal article (The Lancet)
 
►March 6, 2004 - A statement by Dr Simon Murch  (requires registration)- journal article (The Lancet) 

►March 6, 2004 - A statement by Professor John Walker-Smith (requires registration) - journal article (The Lancet)  

►March 6, 2004 - A statement by Dr Andrew Wakefield (requires registration) - journal article (The Lancet)   

►March 6, 2004 - A statement by The Royal Free and University College Medical School and The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust (requires registration) - journal article (The Lancet)  

►March 4, 2004 - Shots across the bow - Innocuous inoculation? - www.haaretz.com

►March 4, 2004 - Minnesota Senate: Bill offering bounty for mercury advances - Pioneer Press via www.twincities.com

►March 3, 2004 - Debate Festers Over Autism & MMR - First Coast News - "Bradstreet is also pro-vaccine, despite the results of his research. 'Responsible vaccine policy is the mandate. For example, a nasal measles vaccine is being developed that would be inhaled instead of injected. That's perhaps two years out. Since that's the way the virus is naturally introduced into the body, I'm in favor of that.'...'And whatever cases of regression may be attributable to MMR, we haven't been able to prove enough of them yet for a change in vaccine policy to be necessary. The weight of the evidence still falls squarely on the benefits of vaccination. I think eventually we'll have the data to determine who's at risk, how do we come up with safer vaccines, and how do we make sure all children are protected.'"

►March 3, 2004 - Clinic dismisses attack on MMR doctor - News Shopper - "STAFF at an Eltham clinic offering single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have dismissed claims that research linking the MMR vaccine to autism is 'poor science'...However, staff at the Direct 2000 clinic, in Grove Market Place, Eltham, believe the revelation is an attempt to influence a judicial review into the withdrawal of legal aid for families suing vaccine manufacturers."

►February 29, 2004 - Now Andrew Wakefield demands apology from The Lancet - Sunday Telegraph via www.awares.org 

►March 2, 2004 - Mercury: Enough! - White House shouldn't delay controls on toxic pollutant (requires registration) - The Charlotte Observer

►March 3, 2004 - MMR has always been safe - Doctors - 'OUR policy has been that MMR is and has always been safe.' - Isle of Man Online - "'In other words Dr Wakefield had been paid by the Legal Aid Board to investigate if there was a case linking MMR and autism and he did not disclose this to the editors of the journal, as is required,' said Dr Kishore...'It is hoped that this new revelation will help to dispel any lingering doubts which members of the public have about the safety of MMR and that parents would ensure that their children are vaccinated with MMR. It is also worth recalling that in the past there had been serious problems resulting from use of single vaccines.'"

Comment:  The failure to disclose the possible conflict of interest does not in and of itself mean that there was anything wrong with Wakefield's research.  The research may or may not have been influenced by the alleged conflict.  If there was as much attention being paid to those with clear conflict of interest re: the vaccine manufacturers as re: someone investigating the issue for a legal aid board, the furor over this might seem fair and reasonable.  As it is, the furor appears to be more political than anything.

►March 1, 2004 - Toxin combo common in fish appears capable of impairing motor skills - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign via www.eurekalert.org - "Pups of female rats exposed to a combination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) slip and fall more often trying to maneuver on a rotating rod than do pups from non-exposed moms, scientists say."

►March 3, 2004 - MMR researchers issue retraction - Ten doctors who co-authored the study which sparked health fears over the MMR jab have said there was insufficient evidence to draw that conclusion. - BBC   - "In a statement, to be published in The Lancet, the doctors say: 'We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism as the data were insufficient...However, the possibility of such a link was raised and consequent events have had major implications for public health...In view of this, we consider now is the appropriate time that we should together formally retract the interpretation placed upon these findings in the paper.'"

Comment:  To read the always fair-minded and insightful Nicholas Regush on this and other breaking news stories,  go to www.redflagsdaily.com

►March 2, 2004 - Thimerosal Concerns for Pets (includes video) - First Coast News - "Lamoureux wants pet owners to know there is a risk out there when getting pets vaccinated. She is not advocating the refusal of vaccinations, she says she just wants pet owners to become educated about their choices...Veterinarian "Dr. Skip Hightman says he's seen cases of animals having bad reactions to vaccines. 'As far as anaphylactic reaction, cellulitis, sarcomas and many other problems and sometimes even death.' Dr. Hightman's own cat died of cancer shortly after receiving a rabies vaccination. He says there is one company that's responded to concerns from veterinarians and taken Thimerosal out of its vaccine."

►March 2, 2004 - MMR research poser - letters - The Scotsman

►March 3, 2004 - Legal aid verdict for parents in MMR fight - http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk - "Parents who believe the MMR vaccine caused their son's autism will find out next week if they will have to abandon legal action against a drugs company...Roy and Sue Pargetter are appealing against a decision made last September which resulted in their legal aid being withdrawn."

►March 3, 2004 - Autism debate goes on - Liverpool Echo via http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk - "Today scientists and parents called for more research into the causes of autism, which has been overshadowed by the debate over MMR...They now want a broad range of issues connected to autism to be examined...Ms Tierney, 37, said: "I welcome anything that looks into autism - and the sooner the better...'And it should be done by a research team that has no ties whatsoever and is totally independent.'"

►March 3, 2004 - Tell EPA to cut mercury pollution - opinion - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

►March 4, 2004 - Researchers retract autism link - AP via The Australian

►March 3, 2004 - Scientists Retract Vaccine-Autism Link - AP via www.wtopnews.com

►March 2, 2004 - Doctor's diary: a jab in the dark - The truth about MMR must be revealed, says Dr James Le Fanu - "The Government finds itself in an invidious situation over the MMR/autism controversy, having painted itself into a corner by denying parents the option of the single measles vaccine. They, thus, have no alternative other than to insist the MMR is totally safe - irrespective of evidence that might emerge to suggest the contrary."

►February 10, 2002 - Dogma on MMR does not work - Parents need information and choice - The Observer via The Guardian, UK - "The MMR debate goes to the heart of the relationship between the individual and society. This is an age in which people expect to exercise choice; but there are times when the collective good must prevail. The great programmes against cholera, polio and smallpox could never have taken place had they not been enforced. Yet here we have the makings of a public health disaster, with drift, fear and confusion. The unconfirmed findings of maverick scientists such as Dr Andrew Wakefield prey upon a public which has grown at once more consumerist and more sceptical of authority, with good reason after the BSE and foot and mouth fiascos."

►March 1, 2004 - Misreporting Measles Research - National Electronic Library for Health (archive) - www.nelh.nhs.uk - "The research study found that a higher proportion of children with developmental disorder and new variant inflammatory bowel disease had measles virus in their gut tissue than healthy children."

Comment:  This analysis tries to make it appear as if there is no evidence linking MMR vaccine to the measles virus in these children or good reason to believe they might be connected. As for research, there is research evidence linking the two.  As for good reason, these children were vaccinated and had never had the measles.  So the presence of measles virus in their gut probably either means that a) it is measles vaccine virus or b) vaccinated children who get the measles can suffer gastrointestinal problems which may or may not be related to autism. 

►February 29, 2004 - Autism is a mystery, not a medical conspiracy - opinion - The Scotsman - "In contrast to Wakefield, I intend to declare an interest at the outset. My son Josh is autistic. Like most children, he was given the MMR vaccine at around 18 months. Shortly afterwards, he began exhibiting the first signs of what we now identify as autistic behaviour. The link between these two events is tempting, but, for reasons of sanity, I have resisted it...In the vast majority of cases, autism manifests itself at around two years, or, in other words, just after the MMR is administered. This coincidence inspired Wakefield’s study. In 1998, his team reviewed reports of children with bowel disease and autistic symptoms. Their research led them to conclude that the MMR shot caused developmental regression, in some cases within 24 hours of vaccination."

Comment:  A temporally related relationship alone does not prove causation.  But a recent event raises a red flag and is, in fact, the most likely cause.  Moreover, the fact that autism didn't used to occur at two years old, nor did it result in the loss of skills as does the new, "regressive" form of autism, means cavalierly dismissing the temporal relationship as "coincidental" is neither wise nor scientific.  Sadly, however, this is characteristic of what happens re: the vaccine issue. The fact that others are beginning to corroborate Wakefield's findings, in spite of the difficulty finding funding to do so, and the potential risks to one's reputation and livelihood, make easy answers like the ones voiced in the opinion piece above even harder to swallow.

►February 26, 2004 - MMR medics challenged over child spinal taps - Times Online - "NEW questions about the ethics of the controversial study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism in children will be raised in Parliament today, The Times has learnt..Less than a week after the doctor who pioneered the research was accused of failing to disclose a £55,000 payment, ministers are to be asked whether he had received proper ethical approval. The fresh doubts centre on whether the lumbar punctures to which autistic children were subjected by Andrew Wakefield’s team at the Royal Free Hospital were clinically justified."

►February 29, 2004 - Wakefield unlikely to be charged over MMR scare - www.independent.co.uk

►February 29, 2004 - MMR docs' links with drugs firms - Sunday Mercury via http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk - "Four leading Midland doctors who deemed the controversial MMR vaccine safe have links to the drug giants who make or supply the jab...Campaigners have called for the General Medical Council to investigate the senior Government advisors, who all hold scientific posts in the Midlands and sat on key committees which declared the vaccine safe."

►February 24, 2004 - This carefully orchestrated campaign must not be allowed to stifle real debate on MMR (requires subscription) - www.independent.co.uk

February 29, 2004 - Twisted conflicts - (letters) The Observer via The Guardian, UK - "It seems a scientist, such as Dr Andrew Wakefield (News and Leader, last week), who uncovers genuine concerns about the safety of a vaccine has to be 'squeaky clean'...In contrast, scientists who are vocal in support of the vaccine, and are responsible for checking its safety, are allowed to receive research funding from the company that produces it and to hold shares in the company, or act as consultants." (sent by Dr Milton Wainwright, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield)

►February 29, 2004 - Doctor demands apology for MMR claims in Lancet - Telegraph, UK - "Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who first raised fears of a link between autism and the MMR vaccine, has hired a libel lawyer to demand an apology from The Lancet after claiming that the medical journal has cast doubt on his honesty...Dr Wakefield's decision to enlist the support of Carter-Ruck, the London law firm that specialises in defamation suits, follows the denunciation of his work last week by The Lancet."

►February 29, 2004 - Dirty tricks drug firms use to get publicity - The Scotsman - "SHOCKING tactics including bribery, fabrication and plagiarism are being used by unscrupulous drug companies to get their research published in influential medical journals, according to a damning new report...Only a week after controversial research on the MMR vaccine was discredited by the journal which published it following a 'fatal conflict of interest', an influential committee has revealed the widespread use of underhand tactics by researchers."

►March 8, 2002 - Serial letter writer, Dr. Elphinstone exposed - Private Eye via www.whale.to

Autism therapies/education/medicine (including the cost of care)/support

►March 4, 2004 - Autism victims to get Capital support centre - Evening News via The Scotsman

►March 3, 2004 - New therapy for Autism - www.wfsb.com - "You can't get a sense of how incredible sensory learning is until you see a before and after example of it."

Success in Autism: Filling in the Gaps - This conference is designed to educate both parents and professionals in breaking through plateaus and helping individuals with autism reach their optimal potential by "filling in the gaps." Consistency is promoted between the school and the home environments. Valuable information is for individuals at all levels, and information given is functional. - Autism Resources - conference alert - March 20-21, 2004 in Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ 

►March 3, 2004 - Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario 121 autism related complaints - Medical News Today - "The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Canada, is receiving a record 121 autism-related complaints by Ontario’s Human Rights Commission...The average number of complaints the commission refers to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario is around 90, and that includes all types of complaints, not just one type...The complaints say the province is cutting funding for the treatment of autism for children over six years of age. People say this is discriminatory."

►March 3, 2004 - Boost for autism sufferers - http://icscotland.icnetwork.co.uk - "Autism sufferers in Glasgow and Lothian are to benefit following a £2m funding boost for improving services...The cash will be spread over three years to develop "one-stop shops" for adults with autism, and for families struggling to cope with the disorder...The Greater Glasgow and Lothian health boards will receive £750,000 each in funding, the Scottish Executive said."

►2004 - Work with autism gets £750,000 boost - Evening Times, UK

►February 27, 2004 - Parents gather at State Capitol to protest autism-treatment cuts - Green Bay Press-Gazette

►March 1, 2004 - Parents: Autism curable - San Mateo Daily Journal

Autoimmunity/autoimmune disease (in general)

Behavioral disorders, chronic disability

►March 6, 2004 - Move to Florida Began Tailspin for Mother and Daughter - The Ledger - "It was the frigid weather and high rent in New Jersey that got Valerie Lowe thinking about a move to Florida...As a single mother caring for a daughter with profound cerebral palsy, Lowe, 41, said she couldn't afford $850 a month for a two-bedroom apartment in a decent part of town...Not while working as a sales associate for Old Navy...Lowe loved her job, so after asking her employer to be transferred to a sunny, Florida location, she wound up at Lakeland Square mall...That was August 2002, and the beginning of Lowe's tailspin into joblessness and welfare."

Bioterror-related, other than smallpox and anthrax

►March 5, 2004 - Safeguarding science - A new government panel will attempt to prevent research data from falling into the hands of terrorists - Newsday

►March 4, 2004 - HHS Will Lead Government-Wide effort to Enhance Biosecurity In "Dual Use" Research - New Advisory Board Established To Provide Guidance - HHS News U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

►March/April 2004 - The Next Worst Thing - Is the federal government's expansion of biodefense research paving the way for the bioweapons of the future? - www.motherjones.com - "It has been called a modern-day Manhattan Project—a spending spree so vast and rapid that it might change the face of biological science. In the wake of 9/11, the U.S. government is funding a massive new biodefense research effort, redirecting up to $10 billion toward projects related to biological weapons such as anthrax. The Pentagon's budget for chemical and biological defense has doubled; high-security nuclear-weapons labs have begun conducting genetic research on dangerous pathogens; universities are receiving government funding to build high-tech labs equipped to handle deadly infectious organisms; and Fort Detrick, Maryland, once the home of America's secret bioweapons program, is about to break ground on two new high-tech biodefense centers."

►March 2, 2004 - Scientists: Device rids air of anthrax, other biological dangers - AP via Newsday

Bio-Terrorism Countermeasures – Requirements & Funding - King Publishing Group - conference alert - March 9-10, 2004 at The George Washington University in Washington, DC

Cancer/cancer vaccines

►March 6, 2004 - Prognosis for teenagers and young people with cancer fails to improve - journal article (BMJ)

►March 2, 2004 - Cancer coincidence? - An overwhelmed state office tries to connect disease clusters to pollution -- but some say the agency is wasting time - The Boston Globe via www.boston.com

►March 1, 2004 - Teens and young adults - the new frontier in cancer says US cancer specialist - Teenagers and young adults - the orphans of the cancer world - Teenage Cancer Trust via www.eurekalert.org
 
►March 1, 2004 - Cancer rates in teens and early 20s rising - More research needed to understand causes - Teenage Cancer Trust via www.eurekalert.org - "A new analysis of cancer figures for England[1] shows that the overall incidence among teenagers and young adults is rising, with the biggest increase among 20 to 24-year-olds, particularly in lymphoma, melanoma and germ cell tumours, including testicular germ cell tumours."

Comment:  If those who question sunscreen use are correct, the rise in melanoma could be attributed to increased exposure to the sun, (and the "fact" that sunscreen only prevents burns and not cancer).

►March 2, 2004 - Fast growth increases teenage cancer risk - The Independent - UK

►March 2, 2004 - Improving treatment of medulloblastoma, a common childhood brain tumor - Pilot study demonstrates that presence of ERBB2 protein might identify medulloblastoma patients who are more resistant to treatment - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital via www.eurekalert.org

Comment:  SV40 has been associated with childhood medulloblastoma.  For more on SV40 and cancer, go to Scandals: The Institute of Medicine Review Of SV40 Contamination of Polio Vaccine and Cancer.

►March 2, 2004 - 2 drugs open a new front in cancer war - Avastin, Erbitux herald revolution that targets cells (requires registration) - The Chicago Tribune

►March 2, 2004 - Women found twice as susceptible to lung cancer - www.newsday.com

►March 1, 2004 - Vaccine Could Stop Breast Cancer in its Tracks - Primes the body to fight altered cells that precede disease - Journal of Clinical Investigation via www.betterhumans.com

►March 1, 2004 - Greek Scientists Find Way to Weaken Cancer Cells - Reuters

►February 27, 2004 - Drugs limit deadly side effects of graft-versus-host disease - Could make bone marrow transplants an option for more cancer patients - University of Michigan Health System via www.eurekalert.org 

Cardiac

Chickenpox/chickenpox vaccine

►March 3, 2004 - Elk River Clinic Announces Chickenpox Vaccine Recall - PRNewswire via http://interestalert.com - "The RiverWay Clinic in Elk River today announced that it is contacting approximately 1,200 patients who received immunizations with varicella (chickenpox) vaccine at the clinic between Dec. 1998 and Dec. 2003 to ensure that they are adequately protected from the chickenpox...An audit of vaccine freezers at the clinic in January found a temperature variance in one freezer containing varicella (chickenpox) vaccine that may have resulted in the loss of effectiveness of the vaccine stored inside."

►March 2004 - Chickenpox Outbreak in a Highly Vaccinated School Population - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Conclusions. A chickenpox outbreak occurred in a school in which 97% of students without a prior history of chickenpox were vaccinated. Students vaccinated >5 years before the outbreak were at risk for breakthrough disease. Booster vaccination may deserve additional consideration."

Comment:  Or maybe we should start reexamining the wisdom of vaccinating children for this what at least used to be benign disease.  For more on why this might be the case, go to Scandals: When is an oops not really an oops?  When you get to solve the problems you cause, and make money doing both!.

►March 1, 2004 - Booster May Be Needed For Failing Chicken Pox Shot - Researchers Study Lake Oswego Outbreak - www.koin.com - "In 2001, 18 children at Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego developed the illness -- despite previous chicken pox vaccinations...Researchers who studied the outbreak found that the big jump in cases came five years after vaccination. Now they believe that a booster shot may be needed after five years."

Comment:  Maybe it would be better to let children get the chickenpox.  For more on this, go to Scandals: When is an oops not really an oops?  When you get to solve the problems you cause, and make money doing both!, Scandals: Playing With Fire - It's Not EASY To Fool Mother Nature, and Scandals: Prescription For Disaster - Is Vaccine Policy A "House of Cards"?

►February 29, 2004 - Study: Vaccine benefit fades - Less effective after a year - The Cincinatti Enquirer - "A new study might spark debate among pediatricians and parents about the effectiveness of the chickenpox vaccine and when it should be given to children...Researchers at Yale Medical School say the effectiveness of the vaccine fades significantly in the first year after vaccination. And the vaccine also doesn't appear to be as effective in children younger than 15 months."

Comment:  Prior to the vaccine being developed, chickenpox was universally considered a benign disease.  If it has become more serious since that time, why might that be?

Diabetes

►February 27, 2004 - Diabetes may be linked to early hearing loss - Studies point to danger of deafness and mental decline in old age - journal article (Nature)

Diphtheria/diphtheria vaccine

Ebola/ebola vaccine

Flu/flu vaccine

►March 6, 2004 - Flu alarm rang falsely, state says - Portland Press Herald - "As Maine's flu season winds down, it appears that predictions of an abnormally severe outbreak were overblown. The flu season in Maine was "not particularly noteworthy," state epidemiologist Kathleen Gensheimer said, despite reports from Western states that this year's flu strain was breaking out early and hitting hard...'There's a fine line between providing information and scaring people,' Gensheimer said. 'This story was sensationalized all the way up the channels.'"

►March 2, 2004 - New, Deadly Flu Pandemic 'Inevitable,' Experts Warn - USA Today via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

Comment:  How do they know it is "inevitable"?  Do we really know why the 1918 flu pandemic occurred and that it is a repeatable event?  If so, how do we "know" that?

►March 4, 2004 - Bills seek to allow greater access to flu shots - Legislation would expand pharmacists' powers to give vaccinations - Baltimore Sun

►March 4, 2004 - Texas working quickly to solve avian flu issue - Country World News

►March 4, 2004 - Japan calls in army to contain bird flu - www.abc.net.au

The Immunization of Children against Influenza can Protect the Elderly - media release - Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit

►March 3, 2004 - Inactivated Flu Vaccine Works in Kids Too - Clinical Infectious Diseases via Reuters via Yahoo!

►March 3, 2004 - Health Hype - What Ever Happened to the Flu Scare? - ABC News - "The flu is now at levels well below last season ...Health officials had acknowledged that the vaccine formula this season did not cover the so-called 'Fujian' strain of virus, but encouraged vaccinations just the same."

►March 3, 2004 - Moment of truth nears on bird flu - Asia Times

►March 2, 2004 - Vietnam's National Assembly Standing Committee told bird flu contained - Xinhuanet via China View

►March 2, 2004 - Officials see big threat from avian influenza - USA Today via The Desert Sun

►March 2, 2004 - Avian Influenza - A 'moving target' for diagnosticians - Ag News, Texas A&M University Agriculture Program

►March 2, 2004 - U.S. flu season is over - UPI via The Washington Times

►March 2, 2004 - Targeted Antiviral Prophylaxis Of Flu Case Contacts Could Successfully Contain Pandemic Influenza - Emory University Health Sciences Center via Science Daily - "In a future outbreak of pandemic influenza, such as the three pandemics that sickened millions and killed hundreds of thousands of people during the 20th century, supplies of flu vaccine might not be available quickly enough to contain the spread of disease. However, according to research by biostatisticians in Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, many thousands of deaths could be prevented if antiviral agents were given to the close contacts of those with suspected cases of flu until adequate supplies of vaccine could be manufactured and distributed."

►March 2, 2004 - MedImmune Looks to Boost FluMist Sales - Company Hopes New Version Will Fix Problems Faced by Nasal Vaccine in Its Debut (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►March 3, 2004 - USDA Says Bird Flu in Texas Appears Contained - Reuters via Yahoo! News 

►March 3, 2004 - `Flu' an informative, precise look at the 1918 pandemic - http://metromix.chicagotribune.com - "In recent American history, the experience with flu is mostly one of minor inconvenience and, perhaps, major discomfort...But epidemiologists, insurance companies and an increasing number of citizens understand that the influenza virus, in one form or another, has the potential to do much worse in the not-too-distant future...In 1918, influenza caused the worst pandemic in the world's history, more lethal than the Black Death, killing more people in months than World War I had in four years."

►March 1, 2004 - Unexpected lessons learned this flu season - New influenza strain reminds the public that influenza is not harmless while making health officials aware of the vaccine program's shortcomings. (requires registration) - The Los Angeles Times - "As it turns out, the 2003-04 flu season appears to have been no worse than many other seasons. Even though it peaked extremely early — in December — the numbers of people who became sick or died weren't unusual...The season did have an impact, however. As health officials prepare for a new season, they're paying special attention to the last season's legacy — both in public awareness and in their strategies to deal with new outbreaks."

►March 2, 2004 - Flu Season Seems Over, Officials Say (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "The flu season appears to have ended early and as abruptly as it started, and was not much more severe than usual seasonal outbreaks, federal health officials said here on Monday...'The influenza season has wound down very dramatically, declining to levels lower than we often expect at this time of year,' said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, a top influenza expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Comment:  So much for the benefits of creating hysteria (unless you consider vaccine manufacturer profits a benefit of vaccination).  For more on this, go to How the Mass Media in the U.S. Created Flu Hysteria and Helped Drive the Vaccine Markets for the Makers of FluMist And Fluzone. - by RFD columnist Sherri Tenpenny, DO in the Online Vaccines Conference @ www.redflagsdaily.com

►March 2, 2004 - Flu threatens world, experts say - Pandemic risk at 30-year high, scientists report - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

►March 1, 2004 - CDC warns of pandemic dangers posed by avian flu - USA Today - "The flu season is fading away, but experts warn that a far greater menace may be on the horizon: The avian flu galloping across Asia poses "the most serious pandemic threat since 1968," Keiji Fukuda said Monday at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases...A pandemic caused by a flu strain that is new, deadly to humans and highly contagious "is inevitable," he said, but no one knows when it may strike."

Comment:  From the people who just brought you the 2003-2004 flu season hysteria and who apparently believe you just can't have too much hysteria (warranted or not).

►March 1, 2004 -  Troubled FluMist Vaccine to Remain in Production - Status of Saatchi on $40 Million Account Still Unknown - www.adage.com - "MedImmune today said it will continue producing troubled nasal flu vaccine FluMist, despite slumping sales and the possibility of a $75 million write-off if Wyeth bows out of a co-marketing agreement on the drug."

►March 1, 2004 - FluMist Flop Dogs MedImmune - www.thestreet.com - "
Medimmune said Monday that it would stick with FluMist, its inhaled flu vaccine, conceding that the product wouldn't produce meaningful financial results until the 2007-2008 flu season. FluMist has been a flop, but the company insisted that an improved version of the drug launched in September could eventually produce annual U.S. sales of $500 million."

►March 2, 2004 - Bird-flu shot ready for trials - The Standard - "
A vaccine for the deadly H5N1 virus is ready for testing on humans and is expected to be available in six months, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday...The United Nations health agency had said in January that a vaccine may not be available until next winter...The new vaccine was developed by using a technology that involves genetic modification of the virus."

Comment:  It may sound great on the surface, but what are the risks?  For instance, it was recently reported that genetic modification of vaccines may may pose considerable problems: "Genetically engineered pox viruses in cell cultures recombined with natural viruses to create new hybrid viruses with unpredictable and potentially dangerous characteristics".  Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a vaccine researcher, testified that the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine causes serious side effects.
 

►March 1, 2004 - MedImmune Plans to Keep FluMist Alive - MedImmune to Keep FluMist Alive Despite Dismal Sales, Lowering Outlook for the Coming Year - AP via ABC News 

March 1, 2004 - Unexpected Lessons Learned This Flu Season - Los Angeles Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►February 29, 2004 - Experts say Flu to Cost Asia $500 Million (requires registration) - The Los Angeles Times

►February 29, 2004 - Great Influenza killed quickly, cruelly, perversely - Vivid history of U.S. epidemic of 1918 is also a cautionary tale for our times (requires registration) - book review - The Providence Journal

Haemophilus Influenza/Hib Vaccine

Hepatitis A/hepatitis A vaccine

►March 3, 2004 - Red Cross Examines Blood Supply After Hepatitis Case - Some Donors Ate At Taco Bell With Infected Employee - www.thechamplainchannel.com

Hepatitis B/hepatitis B vaccine

►February 29, 2004 - Red tape delays hepatitis-B vaccination - The Daily Star

Comment:  For a different perspective on both the risk of acquiring hepatitis B as well as its seriousness, go to Scandals: The CDC and “The New Math”, where 1 + 1  does not equal 2.  For more on the the spread of hepatitis B in developing nations and why advocating the use of vaccination, under the circumstances, is very revealing, go to Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last." - Thomas Moore (Scandals - update and "flashback").

Hepatitis C/hepatitis C vaccine

►March 1, 2004 -How Mild Hepatitis C Unfolds -  One in three people with mild hepatitis C infection will experience rapid worsening of the condition, says a study in the current issue of Gut. - Pak Tribune

New Treatment For Hepatitis C - More Cures, Less Side Effects With Pagylated Interferon - www.about.com

Herpes/herpes vaccine

IBD (inflammatory bowel diseases)

►March 1, 2004 - Chronic Fatigue, Irritable Bowel Mistaken For Celiac Disease - Celiac Disease Often Considered Child's Ailment - www.wbalchannel.com

Lyme disease/lyme disease vaccine

►March 6, 2004 - Lyme Disease Support Group Formed - Voices via www.zwire.com

Mad Cow Disease/CJD

Mad Cow Disease, Mad Deer Disease - Chronic Wasting Disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy - feature articles - Organic Consumers Association

Meningitis/meningitis vaccine/Prevnar/pneumonia/pneumococcal vaccine

►March 3, 2004 - U.S. Further Rations Meningitis Vaccine - Wall Street Journal via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►March 4, 2004 - Immunization controversy: Should colleges require the bacterial meningitis vaccine? - The Stanford Daily - "'I don’t think it would be a good policy to require the vaccine,' said Dr. Ira Friedman, who works at Vaden. 'A vaccine should be required only when its benefits far outweigh its costs, in dollars and otherwise. This is not the case for the meningococcal vaccine. That’s why public health authorities support an educational approach.'”...However, other medical professionals disagree with Friedman’s opinions and claim that there is no significant reason not to get the meningitis vaccine.  According to the CDC, the vaccine proves 85 to 90 percent effective against the most common strains,with rare side effects of mild redness or slight fever."

Comment:  For a different take on the vaccine, go to Scandals: Another Unnecessary Vaccine?  Here Comes the Hype for a New Meningitis Vaccine.

►March 2004 - Decrease of Invasive Pneumococcal Infections in Children Among 8 Children's Hospitals in the United States After the Introduction of the 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Conclusions. Since the introduction of the PCV7, the number of invasive pneumococcal infections caused by vaccine-serogroup isolates among 8 US children’s hospitals has decreased >75% among children <=24 months old. In addition, penicillin resistance decreased in 2002 for the first time since our surveillance began in 1993–1994. However, we have noted that replacement may be developing with serogroups 15 and 33. Furthermore, penicillin resistance seems to be increasing among nonvaccine serogroups. Surveillance must be continued to detect the emergence of changes in the distribution of serotypes as well as antibiotic susceptibility."

Comment:  For more on this problem of serotype replacement, go to Scandals: Changing Disease Epidemiology Via Vaccines - Are We "Robbing Peter To Pay Paul"?.

►March 4, 2004 - LHS student dies of suspected meningitis - Lemoore Advance via www.newzcentral.com

Comment:  Although meningitis can be deadly, it is still a very rare event.  For that reason, vigilance is needed to guard against any hysteria generated over it.  For more on this, go to Scandals: Another Unnecessary Vaccine?  Here Comes the Hype for a New Meningitis Vaccine.

►March 2, 2004 - Senate Passes 2 New Bills On Vaccinations - Colleges Could Be Required To Give Info On Meningitis - www.theiowachannel.com

►March 2, 2004 - Pneumococcal Vaccine in Short Supply - Prevnar Shortage Prompts Change in Vaccination Recommendations - WebMD

►March 3, 2004 - A Shortage of Meningitis Vaccine (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "Because of a severe shortage of a new vaccine to prevent meningitis and ear infections in young children, doctors should postpone giving the last two doses in a four-dose regimen, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday...The shortage was caused by production problems at Wyeth Vaccines, the world's sole manufacturer of the vaccine, known as Prevnar, the disease centers said. The agency said the problems were not expected to be corrected until fall at the earliest...But Douglas Petkus, a spokesman for Wyeth, said he expected supply levels to return to normal by the summer, adding that the shortfall was a result of the company's efforts to keep up with the demand."

Comment:  Should the vaccine be used for ear infections?  Not if you believe "whistle blower" Dr. Erdem Cantekin.  (Also see, News 8 Investigates: Prevnar-Part 1 and News 8 Investigates: Vaccine Safety Part 2.)

►March 3, 2004 - Shortage of Meningitis Drug Continues (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►February 29, 2004 - New Vaccine Shortage - CDC via www.about.com

MMR/measles, mumps, rubella

►March 5, 2004 - Rubella Dangers - Medstar via www.wsoctv.com

Comment:  For a perspective on rubella vaccine dangers, go to Scandals: Is Rubella Vaccination Playing A Role In The Rise In Autism?

►March 7, 2004 - Sick children untreated due to MMR fears - Families seek care in US as UK doctors dismiss complaints to avoid triple jab controversy - Sunday Herald, UK - "AUTISTIC children in Britain are being forced to fly to the US for treatment because of the ongoing political controversy surrounding the MMR jab...Up to 10 British children, including a seven-year-old from Edinburgh, have been treated at a specialist centre in Florida for painful bowel diseases after the NHS refused to recognise their symptoms...An investigation by the Sunday Herald has revealed that despite medical evidence of a link between the disorder and autism, NHS doctors are ignoring or dismissing the connection because they fear becoming embroiled in the triple jab controversy. Instead of acknowledging a previously unknown condition that inflames the children’s bowels, they say the painful symptoms are caused by constipation."

►March 7, 2004 - Dangerous disease - opinion - Scotland on Sunday - "Up to now, parents who fundamentally oppose the MMR have either had to source and pay for single injections - at up to £350 per course - or gamble that if they leave their children unprotected they will not catch one of the diseases. The former option is becoming increasingly rare, with sources of single inoculations drying up - at the moment the mumps vaccine is almost impossible to obtain. A mass order for single vaccines from the NHS would soon have manufacturers vying to meet the demand, of course, and it looks increasingly sensible to offer parents that alternative, so long as they are willing to pay for a service which is above and beyond basic need. Some will see this as caving in to ill-informed prejudice but this would be a small price to pay to protect all our children from disease."

►January 2004 - Seroprevalence of measles, mumps and rubella antibodies in Luxembourg: results from a national cross-sectional study. - journal article (Epidemiol Infect.)

►March 1, 2004 - MMR uptake causes worry - www.edp24.co.uk

►February 29, 2004 - Health bosses deny MMR deception - Health bosses have denied university students' claims that they were tricked into having the MMR vaccine without their knowledge. - BBC - "A mass inoculation programme against mumps took place at the University of Kent at Canterbury earlier this month after six students caught the disease...Now some students have told a national newspaper they were not told they were being given the MMR vaccine."

►March 1, 2004 - Misreporting Measles Research - National Electronic Library for Health (archive) - www.nelh.nhs.uk - "The research study found that a higher proportion of children with developmental disorder and new variant inflammatory bowel disease had measles virus in their gut tissue than healthy children."

Comment:  This analysis tries to make it appear as if there is no evidence linking MMR vaccine to the measles virus in these children or good reason to believe they might be connected. As for research, there is research evidence linking the two.  As for good reason, these children were vaccinated and had never had the measles.  So the presence of measles virus in their gut probably either means that a) it is measles vaccine virus or b) vaccinated children who get the measles can suffer gastrointestinal problems which may or may not be related to autism. 

Multiple sclerosis

►March 4, 2004 - Multiple sclerosis: Taming of a shrew - UPI

February 2004 - First episode of acute CNS inflammatory demyelination in childhood: prognostic factors for multiple sclerosis and disability. - journal article (Journal of Pediatrics) abstract 

►March 2, 2004 - Multiple sclerosis: Catherine's crusade - UPI - "Stunned by a report ranking MS as the most disabling -- by a complex measure incorporating the age of those affected and degree of impairment -- yet least funded of 11 diseases studied, Akay gave up her flourishing psychotherapy practice in 1999 to try to even those financial odds...She began by founding a non-profit research fund whose name dictates its sole aim: Cure MS Now!"

Other diseases

►March 3, 2004 - Old Diseases Fall Off Public Health Radar; Complacency Allows Malaria, TB To Flourish - USA Today via www.intelihealth.com - "Microbial killers such as drug-resistant malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and syphilis continue to ravage the world. Health experts say they know how to prevent and treat these diseases, but first they need to overcome a different kind of public health enemy: complacency...Public attention in the past two years has focused on new diseases, such as SARS, and new threats, such as bioterrorism, but scientists here at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases say the lack of attention to older diseases is allowing them to flourish."

►March 4, 2004 - Cigarette Smoking Increases Lupus Risk - Risk of Autoimmune Disease Higher Among Smokers - WebMD Medical News

►March 2004 - Effect of Zinc Salts on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Replication - journal article (Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy) - "The results of this study suggest that zinc mediates antiviral activity on RSV by altering the ability of the cell to support RSV replication."

►February 28, 2004 - Rampant virus caused 2002 stomach bug - New norovirus variant to blame for outbreak. - journal article (Nature)

►March 3, 2004 - Estrogen Linked to Stroke, Dementia Risk (requries registration or subscription) - AP via The New York Times

►March 3, 2004 - Groups Urging No Antibiotics for Earaches - AP via The Herald-Sun - "Parents of cranky children with ear infections be warned: Antibiotics may no longer be what the doctor orders. Two leading medical groups are expected to recommend this spring that doctors stop treating most ear infections in children with antibiotics, federal health officials said Tuesday...The move contradicts years of pediatric practice and is expected to disappoint weary parents of whimpering, infected toddlers...About half of all antibiotics prescribed to preschool children are for treating ear infections. Health officials believe if they can reduce child antibiotic use for such infections, they can stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs created by overuse of the drugs...'It will mark a dramatic change in appropriate antibiotic use,' said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the meningitis and special pathogens branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." 

►March 1, 2004 - CDC Searches for Cause to Mystery Deaths - AP via Yahoo! - "In a project resembling something out of the X Files, federal health officials say the causes of a quarter of the deaths that have stumped coroners in recent years appear to be from ordinary, treatable conditions."

►March 1, 2004 - Chronic Fatigue, Irritable Bowel Mistaken For Celiac Disease - Celiac Disease Often Considered Child's Ailment - www.wbalchannel.com

►February 29, 2004 - Trapped In A World Of Hurt - 50 Million Americans Have Chronic Pain, And So Far Doctors Can't Offer Much Relief (requires registration) - The Hartford Courant via www.ctnow.com

►February 29, 2004 - Tragedy saves twin, motivates his parents - The Modesto Bee - "RSV is something most of us can shrug off as a common cold: a shot of Nyquil, a box of Kleenex and a few nights of discomfort...Many babies get it, too, from shopping carts and from being around others with colds. But for infants in the high-risk category, it can be deadly. For them, RSV can have the same impact as double-pneumonia would on an adult."

►February 27, 2004 - Drugs limit deadly side effects of graft-versus-host disease - Could make bone marrow transplants an option for more cancer patients - University of Michigan Health System via www.eurekalert.org 

►February 29, 2004 - Most `stomach flu' avoidable - In case you haven't been listening, wash those germy hands! - AP via Akron Beacon Journal via www.ohio.com

Other vaccines/vaccines in the pipeline

Pets/pet and other animal vaccines

►March 4, 2004 - Experts hail breakthrough in hunt for horse vaccine - Daily Post via Liverpool Echo via http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk

►March 2, 2004 - Thimerosal Concerns for Pets (includes video) - First Coast News - "Lamoureux wants pet owners to know there is a risk out there when getting pets vaccinated. She is not advocating the refusal of vaccinations, she says she just wants pet owners to become educated about their choices...Veterinarian "Dr. Skip Hightman says he's seen cases of animals having bad reactions to vaccines. 'As far as anaphylactic reaction, cellulitis, sarcomas and many other problems and sometimes even death.' Dr. Hightman's own cat died of cancer shortly after receiving a rabies vaccination. He says there is one company that's responded to concerns from veterinarians and taken Thimerosal out of its vaccine."

Pneumonia/pneumococcal/Prevnar - see Meningitis/meningitis vaccine/Prevnar/pneumonia/pneumococcal vaccine

Polio/polio vaccine

►March 5, 2004 - Rumours and vaccines - The Globe And Mail - "So much is riding on northern Nigeria's verdict on the polio vaccine that any delay is frustrating. It had been expected that the government and Islamic religious leaders in Nigeria's Kano state would announce this week whether vaccinations against polio would resume. On Wednesday, officials with the United Nations World Health Organization said the state had postponed any decision until March 15."

►March 2, 2004 - Last ditch fight to end polio - Focus turns to post-polio era as eradication leader plans a final assault on the virus - The Scientist via www.biomedcentral.com

Polio vaccines and the origin of AIDS: some key writings - www.uow.edu.au

►March 1, 2004 - Polio Vaccine: Agent of Life Or Death? - analysis - This Day via www.allafrica.com - "Over the last 20 years, the world has witnessed miraculous developments in child survival. First, smallpox was eradicated in 1979. Then during the 1980s, infant mortality fell by more than five per cent each year. This means that in one generation, the number of childhood deaths fell by half - an astounding achievement...But 11 million children are still slipping through the safety net each year that many children die from preventable diseases or malnutrition. Today an estimated 1.2 million children are infected with HIV and 10 per cent of new infections occur in children under the age of five. Imagine the fear that a parent in sub-Saharan Africa lives with every day, knowing that their child has a one in 10 chance of dying before reaching their first birthday, and a one in five chance of not seeing their fifth birthday."

Rabies/rabies vaccine

SARS/SARS vaccine

SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome)/SIDS

Smallpox/smallpox vaccine

►March 2, 2004 - Diluted Smallpox Vaccine Dose Equally Effective - Central News Agency via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►March 2, 2004 - New Acambis CEO Announces Four-Fold Increase in Profits - press release - Acambis plc via PRNewswire-FirstCall via Yahoo! - "In developing new vaccines against infectious diseases, Acambis is aiming to maximise the value of its products by retaining rights to those vaccines for as long as possible. This means not only developing, clinically testing and licensing the vaccines but also, where possible, manufacturing, selling and distributing the product ourselves...The first of these primarily involves the development of our two key franchises: the smallpox vaccine franchise; and the travel vaccines franchise."

►March 15, 2004 - Looking Back at Smallpox - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases) - "Examination of clinical variants suggests that severity of illness was usually determined by host responses during the incubation period. Control of viral replication was aided by early postexposure vaccination and might be strengthened by additional immunological interventions."

►March 2, 2004 - Vaccinated GIs spread infections - Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer - "Thirty people in the military have transferred infections to other people after being vaccinated for smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Military Vaccine Dangers - CBS News Video

TB/TB vaccine (BCG)

►March 5, 2004 - Louisiana: Fourteen Elementary Students Test Positive for TB - AP via www.aegis.org

►March 2, 2004 - Non-Profit Experiment Tests Drug Industry's Assumptions - Financial Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract) - "Volunteers who enrolled at St. Louis University for a clinical trial of an experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine are among the first in a new attempt at nonprofit drug and vaccine development in the industrialized world, with not-for-profit organizations challenging the dominance held by pharmaceutical companies over the world of medicine."

►March 3, 2004 - Old Diseases Fall Off Public Health Radar; Complacency Allows Malaria, TB To Flourish - USA Today via www.intelihealth.com - "Microbial killers such as drug-resistant malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and syphilis continue to ravage the world. Health experts say they know how to prevent and treat these diseases, but first they need to overcome a different kind of public health enemy: complacency...Public attention in the past two years has focused on new diseases, such as SARS, and new threats, such as bioterrorism, but scientists here at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases say the lack of attention to older diseases is allowing them to flourish."

►February 28, 2004 - Kids to Get Early Booster in TB Scare - Glasgow Evening Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

Tetanus

West Nile virus/vaccine

►March 1, 2004 - Screening removes West Nile from blood supply - American Society for Microbiology via www.eurekalert.org

Whooping cough/DPT vaccine

►March 3, 2004 - We fight on - Northwich Chronicle via Liverpool Daily Post via http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk - "A FAMILY who have been fighting for answers for more than 30 years say they will never give up hope of getting justice for their daughter...Fred and Pat Pye, of King George Avenue, Northwich, claim their daughter Debbie was left severely disabled when she was given a DPT injection, a fore-runner of the MMR vaccine, in the late 1960s...Now the couple have taken their fight to the next level, writing to Conservative Party leader Michael Howard in a bid for justice for them and the other 500 families in the region who have found themselves in the same situation."

►July 2001 - Whole-Cell but Not Acellular Pertussis Vaccines Induce Convulsive Activity in Mice: Evidence of a Role for Toxin-Induced Interleukin-1 in a New Murine Model for Analysis of Neuronal Side Effects of Vaccination - journal article (Infection and Immunity) - "Our findings provide the first direct evidence of an immunological basis for pertussis vaccine reactogenicity and suggest that active bacterial toxins are responsible for the neurologic disturbances observed in children immunized with Pw." 

►March 2, 2004 - Even With Vaccination, the 'Whoop' Is Back (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "Get used to it. Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, is here to stay...So are pertussis-related deaths among vulnerable infants, unless steps are taken to stem the increasing number of cases of the highly contagious disease."


Legal/political

Funding/incentives/other money matters

►March 5, 2004 - Promise, peril and progress - The Washington Times - "Ever since they were discovered by scientists, embryonic stem cells have been thought to hold both distinct moral peril and great medical promise — that they might one day be used to cure diseases like Parkinson's and juvenile diabetes — but at the cost of devaluing the sacred gift of life. Those dilemmas framed President Bush's August 2001 decision to restrict federal funding of such research to a limited number of stem-cell lines. However, the policy needs re-evaluation in the light of recent circumstances."

►March 3, 2004 - Legal aid verdict for parents in MMR fight - http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk - "Parents who believe the MMR vaccine caused their son's autism will find out next week if they will have to abandon legal action against a drugs company...Roy and Sue Pargetter are appealing against a decision made last September which resulted in their legal aid being withdrawn."

Laws/legislation/political - includes compensation/VICP, re: tort reform

►March 3, 2004 - House debates malpractice bill (requires registration) - The Kansas City Star

►March 5, 2004 - In Texas, Hire a Lawyer, Forget About a Doctor? (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "As domestic security director for 16 north Texas counties, Greg Dawson of Fort Worth has many dealings with doctors and hospitals, preparing for a terrorism emergency he hopes will never come...So, Mr. Dawson said, he was stunned this week to find that his name had been added to a little-known Internet database for doctors attacking "litigious behavior." His offense: filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Fort Worth hospital and doctor over the death of his 39-year-old wife, whose brain tumor was missed, and winning an undisclosed settlement."

►March 1, 2004 - Parents Lobby to Ease Immunization Laws - St. Louis Post-Dispatch via  www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►March 4, 2004 - Changing rules for the disabled - It is an uphill battle but parents and caregivers are supporting the Bar Council’s ongoing signature campaign to end discrimination against the learning disabled in the education system, writes Pang Hin Yue. - http://thestar.com.my 

►March 5, 2004 - Parents furious as strike chiefs snub talks plea - The Scotsman

►March 5, 2004 - Safeguarding science - A new government panel will attempt to prevent research data from falling into the hands of terrorists - Newsday

►March 5, 2004 - Bill seeks to broaden druggists' powers - Measure would let them administer flu vaccine - The Baltimore Sun

►March 5, 2004 - House committee votes to kill immunization bill - AP via Charleston Daily Mail - "A bill that would have allowed parents to refuse to have their children immunized for religious reasons was killed by a House subcommittee...A House Health and Human Resources subcommittee voted 6-1 to postpone indefinitely consideration of the proposal, preventing further legislative action on it this year."

►March 4, 2004 - U.S. Lawmakers Push for Drug Monitoring Systems - Reuters via Yahoo!

►March 4, 2004 - Minnesota Senate: Bill offering bounty for mercury advances - Pioneer Press via www.twincities.com

►March 4, 2004 - Immunization controversy: Should colleges require the bacterial meningitis vaccine? - The Stanford Daily - "'I don’t think it would be a good policy to require the vaccine,' said Dr. Ira Friedman, who works at Vaden. 'A vaccine should be required only when its benefits far outweigh its costs, in dollars and otherwise. This is not the case for the meningococcal vaccine. That’s why public health authorities support an educational approach.'”...However, other medical professionals disagree with Friedman’s opinions and claim that there is no significant reason not to get the meningitis vaccine.  According to the CDC, the vaccine proves 85 to 90 percent effective against the most common strains,with rare side effects of mild redness or slight fever."

Comment:  For a different take on the vaccine, go to Scandals: Another Unnecessary Vaccine?  Here Comes the Hype for a New Meningitis Vaccine.

►March 4, 2004 - Immunization Exemption Debated in W.Va. House - The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register - "Tucker pointed out West Virginia and Mississippi are the only two states in the nation that do not have the possibility of such exemptions in their immunization laws, but Mercer said he does not see that as a downside for the state...'That does not mean we're the two backward (states). We're the two forward ones,' Mercer said, adding that some states are looking at reversing their exemptions."

February 28, 2004 - Genuine concern or corporate greed? - opinion- Broomfield Enterprise via The Daily Camera - "Does Senate Bill 139 represent genuine concern or corporate greed? Follow the money...SB 139 will set forth a statewide database of all Colorado's children. The system will be used to call parents and coerce them to have their children "fully" vaccinated. This means the child must have every single recommended vaccine...When I was a child I only had two immunizations: polio and smallpox. These shots were for serious diseases that affected large populations. I am truly grateful for advances in modern medicine that have eradicated deadly diseases. Today, though, Colorado's children are required to receive 29 vaccinations by the age of 4. The risk of children contracting some of these diseases is miniscule."

►March 3, 2004 - Jacksonville Parents File Claim in Vaccine Court (includes video) - First Coast News - "'The cover-up from all this just drives me crazy.'...It's a massive cover-up, says Jacksonville mother Cindy Hartman. She's referring to the potentially damaging effects of a preservative once commonly used in childhood vaccinations. That preservative, thimerosal, is 49.6 percent mercury, one of the most toxic substances on the planet."

►March 3, 2004 - We fight on - Northwich Chronicle via Liverpool Daily Post via http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk - "A FAMILY who have been fighting for answers for more than 30 years say they will never give up hope of getting justice for their daughter...Fred and Pat Pye, of King George Avenue, Northwich, claim their daughter Debbie was left severely disabled when she was given a DPT injection, a fore-runner of the MMR vaccine, in the late 1960s...Now the couple have taken their fight to the next level, writing to Conservative Party leader Michael Howard in a bid for justice for them and the other 500 families in the region who have found themselves in the same situation."

►March 2, 2004 - Senate Passes 2 New Bills On Vaccinations - Colleges Could Be Required To Give Info On Meningitis - www.theiowachannel.com

►March 8, 2004 - Safety reporting now in Senate's hands (opinion) - Congress should finish what it started and pass medical error reporting legislation this year. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Tort reform for obstetricians fails in the Senate - A similar bill targeting help to emergency physicians is likely to be offered next. - www.ama-assn.org

Lawsuits

►March 8, 2004 - New Jersey squelches lawsuit for advertising fraud - In the Courts -  www.ama-assn.org

►March 3, 2004 - Legal aid verdict for parents in MMR fight - http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk - "Parents who believe the MMR vaccine caused their son's autism will find out next week if they will have to abandon legal action against a drugs company...Roy and Sue Pargetter are appealing against a decision made last September which resulted in their legal aid being withdrawn."

Licensing/other procedural matters

►March 5, 2004 - Attorney disbarred - The Journal News - "Filenbaum also represented clients in a private practice, taking on several cases defending parents' rights not to have their children vaccinated. He was considered an expert on immunization law, lecturing on the laws and testifying in other courts on the issue...F. Hollis Griffin, a longtime public defender who has worked with Filenbaum since 1986, said many of the cases involving vaccinations were handled by Filenbaum. Griffin said he lost one Justice Court case as a prosecutor and it was to Filenbaum."

►March 3, 2004 - Alternative therapists to face new controls in government crackdown - The Independent, UK - "Rogue practitioners of alternative medicine who try to exploit patients will be driven out of business under plans announced by the Government yesterday...One in five people uses alternative medicine regularly, and there are more therapists than orthodox doctors but no control on standards of training, ministers said."

►February 28, 2004 - Netherlands to crack down on complementary medicine - journal article (BMJ) - "The Netherlands is considering tougher laws on practitioners of complementary medicine after government health inspectors who were investigating the death from breast cancer in 2001 of the actress and comedienne Sylvia Millecam severely criticised her treatment...The investigators found that alternative practitioners contradicted the diagnosis of breast cancer made by her doctors and offered her instead the prospect of a cure with 'unfounded methods of treatment.'"

Comment:  Would that unfounded allopathic methods of treatment and misdiagnoses were eyed with the same level of scrutiny.

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

►March 1, 2004 - Parents Lobby to Ease Immunization Laws - St. Louis Post-Dispatch via  www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►March 5, 2004 - House committee votes to kill immunization bill - AP via Charleston Daily Mail - "A bill that would have allowed parents to refuse to have their children immunized for religious reasons was killed by a House subcommittee...A House Health and Human Resources subcommittee voted 6-1 to postpone indefinitely consideration of the proposal, preventing further legislative action on it this year."

►March 4, 2004 - Immunization controversy: Should colleges require the bacterial meningitis vaccine? - The Stanford Daily - "'I don’t think it would be a good policy to require the vaccine,' said Dr. Ira Friedman, who works at Vaden. 'A vaccine should be required only when its benefits far outweigh its costs, in dollars and otherwise. This is not the case for the meningococcal vaccine. That’s why public health authorities support an educational approach.'”...However, other medical professionals disagree with Friedman’s opinions and claim that there is no significant reason not to get the meningitis vaccine.  According to the CDC, the vaccine proves 85 to 90 percent effective against the most common strains,with rare side effects of mild redness or slight fever."

Comment:  For a different take on the vaccine, go to Scandals: Another Unnecessary Vaccine?  Here Comes the Hype for a New Meningitis Vaccine.

►March 4, 2004 - Immunization Exemption Debated in W.Va. House - The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register - "Tucker pointed out West Virginia and Mississippi are the only two states in the nation that do not have the possibility of such exemptions in their immunization laws, but Mercer said he does not see that as a downside for the state...'That does not mean we're the two backward (states). We're the two forward ones,' Mercer said, adding that some states are looking at reversing their exemptions."

►March 3, 2004 - Jacksonville Parents File Claim in Vaccine Court (includes video) - First Coast News - "'The cover-up from all this just drives me crazy.'...It's a massive cover-up, says Jacksonville mother Cindy Hartman. She's referring to the potentially damaging effects of a preservative once commonly used in childhood vaccinations. That preservative, thimerosal, is 49.6 percent mercury, one of the most toxic substances on the planet."

►March 2, 2004 - Should parents with philosophical objections to vaccinations be able to get exemptions for their kids? - online poll alert

►February 26, 2004 - Leslie Burke is terminally ill. Today he will ask a court for the right to live - www.independent.co.uk

►February 29, 2004 - Religious exemption worries Ripley mother - Sunday Gazette-Mail - "'How can these groups call themselves pro-life and pro-family if taking a moral stand against abortions performed in the 1960s takes precedence over protecting the lives of those with weakened immune systems today?' she asked."

Comment:  As I said in my 2002 speech: "Public Health will say that these vaccines must be mandatory or these diseases will spread.  But if the vaccines work, anyone choosing them will be protected.  If they don’t prevent the spread of the disease to the vaccinated, what is the point?  It hardly seems right that those who don’t want to be vaccinated should be required to be vaccinated, because vaccines don’t always work...And to whatever extent vaccines are being required because the “immune suppressed” cannot be vaccinated, and are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of disease, while my heart goes out to such people, they are not more important than children who are harmed by vaccines.  Nor should the notion that vaccination may in itself be creating immune suppression be left out of this equation...Besides there is documented proof of outbreaks in 100% vaccinated populations.  Now, whose fault is that?"

►February 29, 2004 - Parents lobby to ease immunization laws - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - "The same vaccines that many credit with ushering in a public health miracle were a curse to 4-year-old Caleb Mueller, his father believes...Keith Mueller of Kansas City blames a batch of state-mandated vaccines with causing a severe allergic reaction in his son when the boy was just over 1. Today, the father is certain that his son's autism is tied to the shots, as well...Mueller is joining several parents rights advocates this year to support bills in the Missouri Legislature that would make it easier for parents to exclude their children from immunizations."

The Exemption Debate - West Virginians For Vaccination Exemptions

March 1, 2004 - Parents of Vaccine Injured Children Support West Virginia Religious Exemption - NVIC


Miscellaneous

Book reviews/new books

Letters from parents &others

►March 8, 2004 - Letters to the Editor (opinion) - Many younger physicians less willing to get out of bed at 2 a.m. - Superhero-style dedication not the only way to practice good medicine - Work force planning requires looking at both the number and distribution of physicians - Primary care doctors need to ask patients about restless leg syndrome - www.ama-assn.org

Other

►March 1, 2004 - IRS Allows Weight-Loss Tax Deduction - AP via Yahoo!

►February 2004 - Drug-Endangered Children - FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin via www.mhnet.org

►March 4, 2004 - As we get older, it's time to keep moving - The Star

►March 5, 2004 - In future, organs will be made to order - The Australian

►March 3, 2004 - Dad's Work Cuts Into His Role in Kid's Health Care - HealthDay via Yahoo! - "Fathers who want to be more involved in their children's health care find work is the biggest barrier to being able to attend their kids' doctor visits, says new research."

►March 2004 - Not All Child Safety Seats Are Created Equal: The Potential Dangers of Shield Booster Seats - journal article (Pediatrics)

►March 2, 2004 - Second Thoughts on a Chemical: In Water, How Much Is Too Much? (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 2, 2004 - New Meat Testing Cuts Food-Borne Diseases - US - Reuters via Yahoo! News 

►March 2, 2004 - Study: Anti-Bacterial Soaps Don't Deliver - AP via The Herald-Sun 

►March 2, 2004 - Study: U.S. May Get Pediatrician Surplus - AP via The Herald-Sun 

►February 29, 2004 - Problems of modern children often take a back seat to the seemingly more urgent problems of adults - Growing up pains - Times Leader

►March 1, 2004 - CDC Says Ads Getting Kids to Play Outside - AP via The Herald-Sun 

Pregnancy/childbirth

►March 2, 2004 - Test May Be Safer Way to Detect Fetal Problems - Reuters via Yahoo!

RECALLS/bans


Research

About research/science, research in general/research conduct

►March 5, 2004 - Scientist says no study yet proving GMO safety - www.sunstar.com.ph - "Traavik, who is based at the University of Tromso in Norway, admitted that there are not enough studies on the safety of GMOs, even from independent scientists, as the studies entail huge costs...He said the United States-based Monsanto Company, producer of the Bt corn, have presented supposed findings on the safety of their products, but he pointed out that the findings were 'not scientifically substantiated'...'If you look at their (study) design, they were more on the productional elements. There were no studies on what happened to the bodies of the scientists exposed to them,' he said."

March 3, 2004 - Estrogen Study Stopped Early Because of Slight Stroke Risk (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "A large federal study of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women has been stopped a year ahead of schedule because the estrogen increased the risk of stroke and offered no protection against heart disease, the government announced yesterday...The study included only women taking estrogen alone, not those who take combined hormones. An earlier study, halted abruptly in 2002 after the researchers found an increased risk of breast cancer, involved only women taking the combined hormones estrogen and progestin...But health officials also noted that the increased risk was small, estimated at about eight extra strokes per year for every 10,000 women taking estrogen."

Comment:  Contrast this situation with what is happening re: vaccine-associated adverse reactions. Why, given the far greater number of vaccine-associated deaths and injuries, hasn't vaccination been halted?  There have been over 125,000, probably representing between 1 and 12 million, adverse vaccine-associated reactions.  When it comes to vaccinations, enough never seems to be enough.  For more on this go to Scandals: Infant Vaccine Deaths - But Who's Counting? (No news is NOT good news.) Scandals: Vaccine-related infant deaths - When is enough, enough?, and Scandals: Avoidance Of Vaccine Truth But Not Consequences -  Are We "Knee Deep in the Big Muddy"?

Funding

►March 5, 2004 - Promise, peril and progress - The Washington Times - "Ever since they were discovered by scientists, embryonic stem cells have been thought to hold both distinct moral peril and great medical promise — that they might one day be used to cure diseases like Parkinson's and juvenile diabetes — but at the cost of devaluing the sacred gift of life. Those dilemmas framed President Bush's August 2001 decision to restrict federal funding of such research to a limited number of stem-cell lines. However, the policy needs re-evaluation in the light of recent circumstances."

Other research results

►March 4, 2004 - "Triple Swap" Kidney Transplant Operation a Success - Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions via Newswise

►February 2004 - Antibodies to infectious agents in individuals with recent onset schizophrenia - journal article (European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience)

►February 20, 2004 - Researchers Find a Type of Stem Cell May Have the Ability to Repair the Brain (requires subscription) - The New York Times

►March 4, 2004 - Scripps scientists describe dangerous cocktail of alcohol, brain peptides, and neurotransmitters - Scripps Research Institute via www.eurekalert.org

►March 4, 2004 - Antibacterial Products Don't Reduce Infection Symptoms - Annals of Internal Medicine via Ivanhoe

►March 2004 - Short Children Born Small for Gestational Age and Treated with Growth Hormone for Three Years Have an Important Catch-Down Five Years after Discontinuation of Treatment - journal article (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism)

►March 6, 2004 - High IQ in childhood may protect from cognitive decline - journal article (BMJ)

►February 27, 2004 - UW study: Baby's face lights up emotional center of new mom's brain - University of Wisconsin-Madison via www.eurekalert.org

►February 12, 2004 - Human embryos cloned - South Korean team demonstrates cloning efficiency for humans similar to pigs, cattle - The Scientist via BioMed Central

►February 29, 2004 - Too Much Weight Tugs at Kids Hearts - HealthDay via Yahoo!

►March 1, 2004 - Studying Hyperlexia May Unlock How Brains Read - Children With Rare Disorder Have Heightened Reading, Learning Skills (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►February 26, 2004 - Mix of Chemicals Plus Stress Damages Brain, Liver in Animals and Likely in Humans - news release - Duke University Medical Center

(The) Wacky World of Changing/Conflicting Research Results

►March 4, 2004 - Doubts about the bedside jug of water - Times Online, UK

►March 3, 2004 - Groups Urging No Antibiotics for Earaches - AP via The Herald-Sun - "Parents of cranky children with ear infections be warned: Antibiotics may no longer be what the doctor orders. Two leading medical groups are expected to recommend this spring that doctors stop treating most ear infections in children with antibiotics, federal health officials said Tuesday...The move contradicts years of pediatric practice and is expected to disappoint weary parents of whimpering, infected toddlers...About half of all antibiotics prescribed to preschool children are for treating ear infections. Health officials believe if they can reduce child antibiotic use for such infections, they can stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs created by overuse of the drugs...'It will mark a dramatic change in appropriate antibiotic use,' said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the meningitis and special pathogens branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." 

►March 4, 2004 - Abandoned HRT study in US is no cause for alarm, local experts say - www.smh.com.au - "Adverse health outcomes might have shut down a major study of hormone replacement therapy this week but Australian experts say the good news relating to the treatment outweighs the bad."

March 3, 2004 - Estrogen Study Stopped Early Because of Slight Stroke Risk (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "A large federal study of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women has been stopped a year ahead of schedule because the estrogen increased the risk of stroke and offered no protection against heart disease, the government announced yesterday...The study included only women taking estrogen alone, not those who take combined hormones. An earlier study, halted abruptly in 2002 after the researchers found an increased risk of breast cancer, involved only women taking the combined hormones estrogen and progestin...But health officials also noted that the increased risk was small, estimated at about eight extra strokes per year for every 10,000 women taking estrogen."

Comment:  Contrast this situation with what is happening re: vaccine-associated adverse reactions. Why, given the far greater number of vaccine-associated deaths and injuries, hasn't vaccination been halted?  There have been over 125,000, probably representing between 1 and 12 million, adverse vaccine-associated reactions.  When it comes to vaccinations, enough never seems to be enough.  For more on this go to Scandals: Infant Vaccine Deaths - But Who's Counting? (No news is NOT good news.) Scandals: Vaccine-related infant deaths - When is enough, enough?, and Scandals: Avoidance Of Vaccine Truth But Not Consequences -  Are We "Knee Deep in the Big Muddy"?

►March 2, 2004 - Researchers Halt Hormone Therapy Trial - Reuters - "The National Institutes of Health said on Tuesday it had stopped a trial of women taking estrogen replacement therapy after finding the pills not only failed to improve their health but also may have slightly raised the risk of strokes...It was the second broad trial of hormone replacement therapy to have been halted in two years."

►February 27, 2004 - HRT risks 'were known years ago' - Women could have been told about the risks of taking hormone replacement therapy years ago. - BBC

►February 27, 2004 - Jury still out on safety of male hormones - New York Times via The Houston Chronicle - "Given the shocking recent discovery of potentially serious ill effects of hormone replacement for women, it is hardly surprising that many experts are warning against assuming that supplemental testosterone is safe and effective for men experiencing the normal effects of aging."
 


Vaccine-related issues

Adverse reactions/VAERS (includes non-vaccine-related)

►March 4, 2004 - Group Seeks Ban of Anti-Cholesterol Drug - AP via Yahoo!

►March 4, 2004 - 4 subjects challenge Lilly over drug trial - Outside overseer says he found no indication that suicide victim was depressed - Indianapolis Star via www.indystar.com - "Four participants in an Eli Lilly and Co. drug trial in California said the clinic's staff told them that Traci Johnson, who committed suicide last month during the same study in Indianapolis, had a history of depression...But Dr. Rafat Abonour, chairman of the institutional review board that reviews all Lilly drug trials at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said his review of Johnson's records showed no such history."

►March 4, 2004 - Addictive Effects of Steroids Raise Questions About Users' Awareness (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 3, 2004 - Anti-depressants 'cause bleeding' - Elderly people and those with a history of bleeding disorders have been warned of the risk of taking certain types of anti-depressants. - BBC

...and the media

Changing epidemiology/serotypes/resistance

►March 4, 2004 - Doctors and Patients Start to Curb Use of Antibiotics (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "The inappropriate use of antibiotics has led illness-causing microbes to become resistant to such drugs. Antibiotic resistance is a major public health problem throughout the world and is particularly common among the bacteria that cause ear and respiratory infections."

►March 2004 - Decrease of Invasive Pneumococcal Infections in Children Among 8 Children's Hospitals in the United States After the Introduction of the 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Conclusions. Since the introduction of the PCV7, the number of invasive pneumococcal infections caused by vaccine-serogroup isolates among 8 US children’s hospitals has decreased >75% among children <=24 months old. In addition, penicillin resistance decreased in 2002 for the first time since our surveillance began in 1993–1994. However, we have noted that replacement may be developing with serogroups 15 and 33. Furthermore, penicillin resistance seems to be increasing among nonvaccine serogroups. Surveillance must be continued to detect the emergence of changes in the distribution of serotypes as well as antibiotic susceptibility."

Comment:  For more on this problem of serotype replacement, go to Scandals: Changing Disease Epidemiology Via Vaccines - Are We "Robbing Peter To Pay Paul"?.

►March 2, 2004 - Bacteria Run Wild, Defying Antibiotics (requires registration or subscription) - "A new chapter in the continuing story of antibiotic resistance is being written in doctors' offices across the country, as a group of common bacteria rapidly becomes resistant to the antibiotics that have been used to treat them for decades...The bacteria are called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph for short. Staph are the most common cause of skin infections like boils and can also cause lung infections, bloodstream infections and abscesses in the body's internal organs...In hospitalized patients, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant staph have been common for years. Among healthy people, though, antibiotic resistance in staph has not been a big problem. Since the 1970's, doctors have routinely, and successfully, treated staph infections in healthy patients with penicillin-like drugs...Not anymore. Office doctors who follow this practice now may find their patients getting sicker instead of better."

Comment:  It's not easy to fool Mother Nature.  Are we creating the same problem with overuse of vaccines that we have with overuse of antibiotics?  For more on this, click here.

►February 25, 1999  - Antimicrobial Resistance: The NIH Response to a Growing Problem - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institutes of Health

Combined vaccines

►March 4, 2004 - New combination vaccine can cut down number of inoculations for babies - CNA via www.channelnewsasia.com

Contaminants - vaccine & other/blood/environment ingredients/additives & contaminants

►March 3, 2004 - Red Cross Examines Blood Supply After Hepatitis Case - Some Donors Ate At Taco Bell With Infected Employee - www.thechamplainchannel.com

Vaccine Ingredients - CDC (pdf)

Disease in general, including chronic disease/emerging disease/public health/health care in general

►March 3, 2004 - Animal Diseases Threaten Humans - Atlanta Journal-Constitution via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►March 3, 2004 - Emerging Illnesses "The New Normal" - The Cox News Service via www.intelihealth.com - "The numerous outbreaks of previously unrecognized diseases that occurred during the past two years were no anomaly, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday evening: They are a 'new normal' for which governments are not yet prepared."

Comment:  What, if any, role my vaccination play in the emergence of new diseases?  For more on this, go to Scandals: Changing Disease Epidemiology Via Vaccines - Are We "Robbing Peter To Pay Paul"?

►March 2, 2004 - Health experts laud the old-fashioned quarantine (requires registration) - Knight Ridder via The Charlotte Observer - "The best hope for stopping epidemics of infectious diseases, public health experts said Monday, may be a long-neglected tool: quarantining people...When modern medicine couldn't come up with antibiotics, vaccines and effective treatments against the contagious respiratory disease SARS last year, Canada and Asia dusted off quarantine laws and isolated more than 200,000 people. That stopped the disease."

►March 2, 2004 - Study: Anti-Bacterial Soaps Don't Deliver - AP via The Herald-Sun 

Effectiveness/herd immunity/coverage

►March 2, 2004 - Vaccinating children protects adults as well - American Society for Microbiology via www.eurekalert.org - "Since the approval of a vaccine against pneumococcal bacteria for young children in 2000, there has not only been a drop in the incidence of severe disease caused these bacteria in children but also a significant decline in the disease in adults. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report their results today in two studies at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases...'We were pretty confident when we recommended this vaccine for children it would help them,' says Cynthia Whitney, a researcher on both studies. 'What was a pretty pleasant surprise was the amount of benefit we've seen in unvaccinated populations.'"

►March 2004 - The Impact of Reminder-Recall Interventions on Low Vaccination Coverage in an Inner-City Population - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

►March 2004 - Childhood Immunization Rates Before and After the Implementation of Medicaid Managed Care - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

►February 27, 2004 - Alliance Sets Goal to Increase Child Vaccinations - Reuters via Yahoo! - "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."

Funding/money matters

►February 2004 - Do We Spend Too Much on Immunizations? - Health Care Policy Center, Independence Institute

►February 27, 2004 - Alliance Sets Goal to Increase Child Vaccinations - Reuters via Yahoo! - "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."

Genetics (vs. Environment)/includes individual differences

►March 2, 2004 - Women found twice as susceptible to lung cancer - www.newsday.com

►February 28, 2004 - Action Urged on Diseases With Dangers for Women - New York Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►February 28, 2004 - CDC chief urges better effort to stop diseases that affect women - The New York Times via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Immunity/Immune system

►March 2, 2004 - Study examines whether giving good bacteria reduces infections - Medical College of Georgia via www.eurekalert.org - "Whether giving good bacteria that normally helps keep the intestinal tract and immune system healthy can reduce infections in intensive-care patients is the focus of a new clinical study at the Medical College of Georgia...'When people are admitted to intensive care on broad-spectrum antibiotics, we know that 25 to 40 percent of them will get an infection with a resistant bacteria during their stay,' says Dr. Robert G. Martindale, gastrointestinal surgeon, nutritionist and principal investigator on the new study...As the name indicates, these antibiotics are designed to protect patients from infection by a broad range of agents. However, they also can wipe out the natural bacterial flora in the intestinal tract, a disruption with widespread consequences including making the intestinal lining more susceptible to bacterial invasion, impacting the health of colon cells and disarming the immune system."

Comment:  And if it is true that antibiotics also impair the immune system, this could well be a recipe of disaster.  (See Overuse: More Harm Than Good - Antibiotics May Lower Immune System.)

►February 27,  2004 - Microbiology. We get by with a little help from our (little) friends - journal article (Science) abstract 

►March 2, 2004 - Study examines whether giving good bacteria reduces infections - Medical College of Georgia via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 3, 2004 - Changes in immune system cause diseases: expert - The Navhind Times - "The former vice-chancellor of Manipal University and noted cardiologist, Prof B M Hegde, delivering the third Dr Emidio Afonso memorial lecture, said that diseases are created by changing the immune system of a living body and only human mind can prove to be the most powerful immune-booster...Prof Hegde, speaking before a gathering on the topic ‘Human immune system (A new look)’, at a special function organised by Dr Emidio Afonso Memorial Trust, in the city today, said that fruits, vegetables, proteins, hyperimmune sera, vaccinations, Ayurveda, exercise and social support can also supplement the human mind as the immune-boosters. “The trace minerals can also play a vital role in immune system,” he maintained...Any medicine, any tablet can provide relief to a person for a restricted time-span; however the same turns out to be a poison after its constant and uninterrupted use, he observed."

►March 1, 2004 - Fat cells may help fight disease - UPI via The Washington Times

►2004 - Red Wine Maintains Immune System - www.about.com

Incentives

Miscellaneous

Promotion/education/PR

►March 3, 2004 - School Program Curbs Teen Suicide Attempts: Study - Reuters via Yahoo!

►March 2004 - The Impact of Reminder-Recall Interventions on Low Vaccination Coverage in an Inner-City Population - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

►March 2004 - Effects of an Advocacy Intervention to Reduce Smoking Among Teenagers - journal article (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

Recalls

Shortages/production

►March 3, 2004 - Analysis: More vaccine makers needed - UPI via http://interestalert.com - "Health officials say the recommendation that doctors withhold doses of a childhood vaccine because of shortages underscores the need for more pharmaceutical companies to enter the vaccine-making field...In a hastily assembled news briefing during the 4th International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised U.S. doctors to hold off administering the third and fourth doses of the popular and effective vaccine that had slashed incidences of pneumococcal disease in children."

►March 3, 2004 - Shortage forces cutback in infant vaccine - Health officials asked doctors to further reduce the number of vaccine doses given to protect infants against meningitis and deadly blood infections, in order to stretch out a short supply. - Reuters via CNN

►March 3, 2004 - U.S. Further Rations Meningitis Vaccine - Wall Street Journal via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►March 4, 2004 - Drug shortage prompts child vaccine cutback - Toledo Blade

►March 3, 2004 - Current Vaccine Delays and Shortages - National Immunization Program via www.cdc.gov

Ensuring the Safety and Security of the U.S. Medicine Supply - King Publishing Group - conference alert - April 13-14, 2004 at The George Washington University in Washington, DC

►February 29, 2004 - New Vaccine Shortage - CDC via www.about.com

Testing/clinical trials/science

►March 2, 2004 - Non-Profit Experiment Tests Drug Industry's Assumptions - Financial Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract) - "Volunteers who enrolled at St. Louis University for a clinical trial of an experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine are among the first in a new attempt at nonprofit drug and vaccine development in the industrialized world, with not-for-profit organizations challenging the dominance held by pharmaceutical companies over the world of medicine."

►March 4, 2004 - CDC Reports That OraQuick Test Produces Fewer False Positive HIV-1 Results Than Other Available Tests - OraSure Technologies, Inc. via Business Wire

Comment:  Avoiding a false HIV positive result is certainly important given the regimen of toxic drugs that HIV positive people are pressured to get.

Tracking

Immunization Tracking - Source Code and Application - Item number: 3664884194 - Starting bid: US $5,000.00 - Ends Mar-11-04 18:40:11 PST - www.ebay.com

February 28, 2004 - Genuine concern or corporate greed? - opinion- Broomfield Enterprise via The Daily Camera - "Does Senate Bill 139 represent genuine concern or corporate greed? Follow the money...SB 139 will set forth a statewide database of all Colorado's children. The system will be used to call parents and coerce them to have their children "fully" vaccinated. This means the child must have every single recommended vaccine...When I was a child I only had two immunizations: polio and smallpox. These shots were for serious diseases that affected large populations. I am truly grateful for advances in modern medicine that have eradicated deadly diseases. Today, though, Colorado's children are required to receive 29 vaccinations by the age of 4. The risk of children contracting some of these diseases is miniscule."

►March 2, 2004 - Study suggests better use of web could improve infectious disease reporting - Penn State via www.eurekalert.org 

Travel-related

►March 2, 2004 - New Acambis CEO Announces Four-Fold Increase in Profits - press release - Acambis plc via PRNewswire-FirstCall via Yahoo! - "In developing new vaccines against infectious diseases, Acambis is aiming to maximise the value of its products by retaining rights to those vaccines for as long as possible. This means not only developing, clinically testing and licensing the vaccines but also, where possible, manufacturing, selling and distributing the product ourselves...The first of these primarily involves the development of our two key franchises: the smallpox vaccine franchise; and the travel vaccines franchise."

Vaccines in general/overview/vaccine research/vaccine safety/risk

►February 29, 2004 - 'Unless pin-up parents rally round, we will see the return of dread diseases' - comment - The Observer via The Guardian, UK - "Meet 'John' and 'Jane', pin-up parents. They insist on organic food for their toddler, bring him to the best baby group in town, buy him only all-cotton outfits from Baby Gap and won't let him watch more than three hours of television a week...Despite this perfect parenting, however, John and Jane put their child's health at risk every day. They are among the 5 per cent of British parents who have opted out of vaccinating their child."

Comment:  This argument rests on assuming that the epidemic of autism, the rise in chronic disease (including cancer, asthma, diabetes), and other concerns raised by so-called "pin-up parents" could have nothing to do with vaccination and have been scientifically settled.  But condescension does not truth make.  And buying the propaganda generated by the vaccine manufacturers as to the safety of their product does not prevent harm from being done.  To the contrary, if these parents are right, it merely serves to perpetuate and compound the damage.

►March 1, 2004 - Vaccinations: Irrational fear isn't confined to Third World - editorial - The Dallas Morning News - "Polio is back in northern Nigeria, thanks to a conspiracy theory spread by some Muslim clerics. They're telling their people that a United Nations vaccine program is part of a Western plot to render their women infertile. African children will be left crippled because of such barbaric nonsense, and a dread disease that could have been eradicated by scientists will live to maim countless others...But before we start feeling too superior to the superstitious Nigerians, let's consider how vulnerable our own irrational fears of vaccines leave our population to potentially calamitous outbreaks of disease."

Comment:  It's only an irrational fear if you dismiss or ignore the evidence against vaccines.


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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.