Picks of the Picks -

blogs - NEW!                videos, movies, TV shows & TV clips -  NEW!

* ►September 2008 - Autism's False Profits (book review) - Paul Offit, MD - Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure - The Zack Company

* ►May 12, 2008 - Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use, measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, and autistic disorder: The results of a parent survey. - journal article (Autism) - "This preliminary study found that acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder."

* ►May 8, 2008 - David Kirby: If Autism Has Always Been With Us... By David Kirby - Age of Autism - "If autism has always been with us in the same high numbers that we see today -- as some scientists and academics contend -- then we should be able to identify the 1 in 150 adults currently living with autism in places like the US and UK."

* ►May 8, 2008 - NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

Examining the Science & Politics of HPV Vaccine by Barbara Loe Fisher

It has been nearly two years since the FDA fast tracked the licensure of Merck's GARDASIL vaccine and the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended it for universal use by all 11 year old girls. Calls for state mandates for sixth grade entry soon followed with Merck leading an aggressive lobbying campaign with pro-forced vaccination proponents talking about 12 year old girls having sex. The National Vaccine Information Center countered by publicly framing the debate about GARDASIL mandates as a product safety and informed consent issue: the vaccine had only been tested in fewer than 1200 girls under age 16 followed up for less than two years.

Now, a leading HPV vaccine researcher has spoken out opposing mandates in a three-part series produced by CBS4-TV in Miami. Speaking to investigative journalist Michele Gillen Harper said "We don't know yet what's going to happen when millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and to put in process a place that says you must have this vaccine, it means you must be part of a big public experiment. So we can't do that until we have more data."

It takes a lot of courage for any scientist or physician to stand up and speak out about the need for government, industry and physicians to embrace the precautionary principle: First, do no harm. Dr. Harper has upheld high standards for scientific and ethical integrity by responsibly calling for rigorous post- marketing surveillance of licensed HPV vaccines and adherence to the informed consent ethic.

The National Vaccine Information Center has received nearly 100 reports of serious health problems following vaccination. NVIC issued three reports on GARDASIL adverse events reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). In August 2007, NVIC called on the CDC to warn doctors that the safety of giving GARDASIL simultaneously in combination with other vaccines had not been proven safe.

A family support group for those who have reported HPV vaccine reactions to NVIC is being created. If you or a loved one has suffered an HPV vaccine reaction, you can make a report to NVIC's 26- year old Vaccine Reaction Registry by going to https://www.nvic.org/report/reaction.htm. Please indicate if you would like to participate in the HPV Vaccine Reaction Family Support Group.

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"According to Dr. Diane Harper, "the vaccine has not been out long enough for us to have post marketing surveillance to really understand what all the potential side effects are going to be. We feel it is very safe." However, she adds, "We don't know yet what's going to happen when millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and to put in process a place that says you must have this vaccine, it means you must be part of a big public experiment. So we can't do that until we have more data." Barbara Loe Fisher agrees. She took to the streets a grass roots fight credited with derailing many efforts around the country to mandate the vaccine. "It was the quickest effort I have ever seen in 25 years for a vaccine to be mandated," says Fisher. A mother of a son who she say was left with learning disabilities following a routine vaccination in the 1980's, Fisher is President and Co Founder of the National Vaccine Information Center. It is a non-profit independent clearinghouse for information on vaccines and disease. Fisher says her organization has been contacted by nearly 100 parents claiming their daughters have suffered some type of adverse reaction following a Gardasil shot - at times given in combination with other vaccines. She says many parents are frustrated in their search for answers and that they don't know where to turn. She tells Gillen "the National Vaccine Information Center is getting reports every week, mostly mothers, of what is happening to their 11-year old girls after receiving Gardasil." - CBS4-TV (Miami), Michele Gillen reporting (May 7, 2008)
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=54565@wfor.dayport.com

"Bell says she now finds herself on a search for answers as to what happened to her daughter, Brittney, just weeks following an injection of Gardasil and a tetanus shot. The former cheerleader and runner's left leg was mysteriously affected by paralysis. The family wants to know if the condition could have been triggered by the vaccines she received that day. Reported adverse events following vaccine injections, including Gardasil, have come under increasing scrutiny by parents reviewing them on the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)....."Brittany's case is at a quandary," said Sean Cronin, attorney for the Bell family. Cronin says it is an uphill battle trying to investigate whether the Gardasil shot played any role in what has happened to Brittney. Christina Bell says Brittney's pediatrician does not believe there is a link. Now the Bell family has learned that Merck can't be sued over its Gardasil vaccine because it has been added to a federal list of vaccines recommended by the government. The vaccine manufacturers are insulated from liability." - CBS4-TV (Miami), Michele Gillen reporting (April 25, 2008)
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=53934@wfor.dayport.com

"Christina Bell's daughter, Brittney, was one of the young girls who received the vaccine. Just weeks later, her life took a radical turn for the worse. Seemingly, in a moment's time, Brittney's left leg became paralyzed, her ankle swinging like a rag doll's. Even with a shoe brace, she walks with a limp. "It's hard for me to lift it up," Brittney told Gillen. Brittney's limb paralysis occurred shortly after the 12 year old went to the doctor for a routine tetanus shot for school.....Last February, the FDA told CBS4 that it was investigating reports of 13 deaths following an HPV vaccination. At the time, the agency said it was confident that none were tied to the vaccine and that reports of adverse events were under review but not considered anything out of the ordinary. An FDA spokeswoman told CBS4 this week that she could not provide an update on the number of reported events, including deaths. "I haven't seen updated numbers for several months. We monitor on a daily basis but we don't total it up. We are not seeing a problem," said Susan Cruzan, spokesperson for the FDA.....Brittney's mom said she can't find a doctor willing to report an adverse reaction following the administration of her daughter's vaccines. CBS4 informed her that parents, just like doctors, can report an adverse event and the Bell family has done just that." - CBS4-TV (Miami), April 24, 2007
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=53899@wfor.dayport.com

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* ►May 8, 2008 - Vaccine for Girls Oversold? - Immunization said to 'prevent cervical cancer.' BC govt's claims for $39 million shots program challenged. - The Tyee - "To Victoria drug policy researcher Alan Cassels, the British Columbia government's announcement of funding for the vaccine sounded more like pharmaceutical marketing than sober public health policy. The announcement made claims that are yet to be proven, said Cassels, the author of two books on drug marketing, including The ABCs of Disease Mongering."

* ►May 8, 2008 - State faces new headache over immunizing sect children - Houston Chronicle - "A state requirement that children in foster care be inoculated against disease has prompted another round of headaches for lawyers who represent 464 children taken from a polygamist ranch last month....Some parents worry that even if they don't want their children immunized, they will appear uncooperative with the state and risk losing their child forever....'If you refuse to allow your child to be inoculated, are you — the mother — going to be branded by CPS as non-cooperative? Are you going to be considered as not having the best interests of your child?'"

* ►May 8, 2008 - Ouch. We all might have to do this again - As the first immunized generation hits middle age, experts wonder if the shots they had as children might lose their effectiveness - Globe And Mail

* ►May 7, 2008 - City man on 'Regis & Kelly' Thursday - Shakopee Valley News - “I was just very humbled by what Janine goes through on a daily basis,” Schmelz said. He has followed Gianna’s story since she was born and has been videotaping her each time the families spend time together. He even started a Web site to tell Gianna’s story at www.giannasstory.com and to raise money in hopes of purchasing a van for the family. A trust — the Gianna Pandolfino Family Fund — has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank, 1156 Vierling Drive E. in Shakopee, to help with Gianna’s long-term care. Born July 9, 2000, Gianna began suffering seizures as an infant, most likely due to a reaction to routine vaccinations."

* ►May 7, 2008 - Streetinvesting.com: SIGA Adds Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs to Management Team - Trading Charts - "SIGA Technologies is applying viral and bacterial genomics and sophisticated computational modeling in the design and development of novel products for the prevention and treatment of serious infectious diseases, with an emphasis on products for biological warfare defense. SIGA believes that it is a leader in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight potential bio-warfare pathogens. SIGA has antiviral programs targeting smallpox and other Category A pathogens, including arenaviruses (Lassa fever, Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, Sabia, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis), dengue virus, and the filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg). For more information about SIGA, please visit SIGA's Web site at www.siga.com."

* ►May 7, 2008 - LSD and the corruption of medicine (Part II): The entanglement of academia - Scientific Misconduct Blog - "MK-ULTRA set the standard for later industrial-university collaboration. It set the most important precedent for the collusion of academic leadership and civilized government with scientific misconduct. It was the most flagrant violation of the just-signed Nuremberg code of ethics. These events of 50 years ago provide a key to understanding the problems we face in 2008. The main focus of this section is to discuss how academics and Universities participated in MK-ULTRA funded research, and how the contracting worked."

* ►May 6, 2008 - Vaccine Manufactures Need to Prove No Harm - Vaccinating Your Baby Blog, Dr. Jay Gordon - "Vaccine manufacturers, the CDC/FDA/AAP/ACIP need to prove the safety of the aluminum, formalin, residual egg and porcine cells in immunizations. It is not our job to prove danger, it’s their job to prove that attempting to create immunity against certain illnesses is safe and worth the risk to an individual child. The discussion of Public Health is important but parents also want and are completely entitled to discuss risks and benefits for one child, their child."

* ►May 6, 2008 - Hospitals Say, "No Money, No Care" - MSNBC

* ►May 4, 2008 - Rehberg backing veteran's measure - KPAX-TV Montana's News Station - "Some of the veterans who were exposed to biological and chemical weapons tests in the 1960's and 1970's may be getting closer to receiving health benefits. Representatives Denny Rehberg (R-MT) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced similar legislation three years ago. The bill introduced last week, requires Veteran's Administration to assume the toxins in the weapons tests caused the veteran's injuries and illnesses, making them eligible for compensation. The testing exposed veterans to toxins aboard tugboats as part of Project 112 and Project SHAD. They were exposed to e-Coli, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and a standing for anthrax, but the chemicals used for decontamination may have done more harm."

* ►May 2008 - Vaccine-related pain: picking up the child soon after the injection reduces the time of crying - journal article (Archives of Disease in Childhood)

* ►May 2008 - Mast cell activators: a new class of highly effective vaccine adjuvants - journal article (Nature Medicine)

* ►May 2008 - Children’s consent and paediatric research: is it appropriate for healthy children to be the decision-makers in clinical research? - journal article (Archives of Disease in Childhood)

* ►Gianna's Story (includes video) - website - "Upon learning of the NVICP government program, the Pandolfino’s initiated a claim to seek funding to facilitate the special needs of their daughter. That claim lead to an investigation through the federal government. In their quest to seek justice for what had happened to their daughter, the Pandolfino’s ambitiously tried to find the physicians that had cared for Gianna to sign a document that would acknowledge the correlation between Gianna’s vaccinations and her illness.  'Off the record' the Pandolfino’s had little trouble finding doctors to substantiate their suspicions.  Unfortunately, the doctors feared more for their own liability than they did about Gianna and her family’s future. While in the hospital, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy told Janine 'off the record' that her daughter’s condition could have been caused from her DPT vaccination. He added that she would never find anyone that would take responsibility for that."

* ►May 8, 2008 - Etiquette-Based Medicine (free full text) - journal article (NEJM)

* ►May 8, 2008 - Measles shot clinic attracts at least 750 Wednesday - Tuscon Citizen - "According to a University Medical Center memo, proof of one vaccination is not enough. All employees must have proof of receiving a booster vaccination as well. The hospital will be vaccinating their employees starting Wednesday and through the rest of the week. 'Any staff member who does not have full immunity documentation must have an MMR vaccine and blood test before Friday … to be considered immune,' the memo stated. 'This important measure is required for employment or contract compliance at UMC.'"

* ►May 7, 2008 - HPV Scientist Speaks Out - CBS 4 - "'This is a real danger zone,' says Dr. Diane Harper. Why might you care about what she says? Dr. Harper is one of the world's top experts on the Human Papilloma virus, HPV, which can lead to cervical cancer. In fact, she's one of the leading scientists the pharmaceutical industries turned to for help to conduct clinical trials – including those that led to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration of Gardasil – and the recommendations that followed."

* ►May 7, 2008 - The Montreal Children's Hospital of the MUHC Begins Search for Causes of Autism - International Effort Considered Groundbreaking - press release - McGill University Health Centre - "Dr. Eric Fombonne, from the Research Institute of the MUHC at the Montreal Children's Hospital, is involved in a multi-site consortium to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years."

* ►May 7, 2008 - Charges dropped in chelation death - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - "Mr. Lindsay said he had prominent physicians ready to testify that the delivery method of the chelation -- an intravenous push, versus a drip -- is preferred for a small child and that, while the agent used, disodium EDTA, was not 'preferred ... they cannot see that it would have caused the death.' He said the physicians would have testified at trial, which would have begun May 19, that the child's heart damage had actually occurred prior to his death on Aug. 23, 2005. 'First, the DA's office would have had to show beyond a reasonable doubt that the cause of death was this particular chelation process,' Mr. Lindsay said. 'Had they gotten that far, then the next question would have been whether it was gross negligence to the point of criminality. I don't think they could have done it.'"

* ►May 7, 2008 - Doctor says he will treat patients after DA drops charges - AP via York Daily Record

* ►May 7, 2008 - The Bruno's by Harry Hofherr - Age of Autism

* ►May 7, 2008 - Environmental groups sponsor mercury testing - Hair clippings part of an effort to thwart power plants. - Austin American-Statesman

* ►May 7, 2008 - Group To File Lawsuit Over Mercury Levels At New Coal-Fired Plants - 590 KLBJ News Radio - "Neil Carmen with the Sierra Club says the Oak Grove and Sandy Creek plants, near Waco, are not doing enough to control mercury levels. He says they're making a bad situation worse. He says 'Texas is the leading state in terms of mercury pollution, air pollution, from coal-fired power plants, and these new plants would add even more.'"

* ►May 7, 2008 - SPECIAL REPORT: Life After An Autism Diagnosis; Special Diets Pt. 3 - WSAW.com - "The cause of most cases of autism remains a constant source of friction between doctors and parents of autistic children. A small percent of cases - between 2 and 6 percent-- are believed to be caused by a genetic condition called fragile x-syndrome. Researchers are also looking into the possibility that vaccines can trigger the disorder in some children."

* ►May 7, 2008 - The mystery of medications linked to suicide - As number of drug warnings rise, investigators search for reasons why - MSNBC

* ►May 7, 2008 - Boy, 10, who lost legs after doctors misdiagnose meningitis for chicken pox wins multi-million pound payout -  Daily Mail, UK - "A multi-million pound payout has been awarded to the family of a boy who lost both his legs to meningitis after a doctor said he had chicken pox and told his parents to give him Calpol and take him home."

* ►May 7, 2008 - Fluoride pioneer Grand Rapids rethinks safety of putting chemical in water - The Grand Rapids Press via Mlive.com

* ►May 7, 2008 - Ga. company testing AIDS vaccine (requires registration or subscription) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Despite the failure last fall of Merck & Co.'s AIDS vaccine, a fledgling Atlanta biotechnology company, GeoVax Inc., is charging ahead into advanced tests of a new drug that it says shows 'significant promise.' 'We've had excellent results in our early stage human trials,' said Emory University's Harriet Robinson, leader of a team of scientists working on the vaccine....Robinson said her hope is that GeoVax's vaccine may one day be administered to adolescents."

* ►May 7, 2008 - Patients, Doctors, Pharmacists Praise Bipartisan House Resolution on Compounded Hormones Containing Estriol - The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) via PRNewswire-USNewswire via The Earth Times - "International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists today joined hundreds of thousands of women and doctors in applauding the introduction of H. Con. Res. 342, a bipartisan resolution stating that "the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) new policy restricting women's access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest" and calling on the FDA to "reverse its policy."

* ►May 6, 2008 - New Method to Create Vaccines - Nature via Ivanhoe - "Researchers from Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and Emory University have found a way to identify and clone human antibodies specifically tailored to fight infection. The new process develops a “smart bomb” for the immune system. Researchers isolated antibody-secreting cells from people who have received the influenza vaccine, then cloned the antibody genes from these cells."

* ►May 6, 2008 - County, schools team up to offer state-mandated vaccines - Baraboo News Republic

* ►May 6, 2008 - FDA Won’t Test All Drugs For Psychiatric Problems - Pharmalot

* ►May 6, 2008 - Overcoming Gaps In Newborns' Immune Response - Children's Hospital Boston via Medical News Today

* ►May 6, 2008 - State of the World's Mothers 2008 Closing the Survival Gap for Children Under 5 (pdf) - www.savethechildren.org

* ►May 6, 2008 - US Kids Use Antipsychotics More Than In The UK - Pharmalot

* ►May 5, 2008 - Kid dies after vaccine shot - Express News Service via Newindpress - "A three-month-old boy, which was administered vaccine on Wednesday, died on Saturday. The child's parents alleged that death was due to vaccination while the Health Department declared it to be death due to diarrhoea."

* ►April 25, 2008 - ADHD as a (non) allergic hypersensitivity disorder: A hypothesis. - journal article (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology) - "As genes related to the immune system may be associated with ADHD, further genetic research is compulsory. Immunotherapeutic approaches, using immunotherapy and probiotics, can subsequently be implicated in the treatment of ADHD. If hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli like foods contributes to the development of ADHD, the assessment and treatment of ADHD will have to be reconsidered, thereby improving the quality of care for these patients."

* ►May 6, 2008 - Charges dropped in Pa. case of autistic boy given wrong drug - AP via Google - "Charges have been dropped against a Pittsburgh-area doctor accused of causing the death of a 5-year-old autistic boy by incorrectly administering a controversial chemical treatment. Dr. Roy Kerry was accused of using the wrong drug and administering it incorrectly while trying to use chelation therapy on Abubakar Tariq Nadama."

* ►May 6, 2008 - CDC: Sitting on Autism Data? by Dan Hollenbeck - Age of Autism

* ►May 6, 2008 - Get Ready To Rumble by Kent Heckenlively, Esq. - Age of Autism

* ►May 6, 2008 - Veterinarian Wisdom by Twyla Ramos - Age of Autism - "I cannot resist quoting Catherine J. M. Diodati some more: 'We have been paying well-intentioned people to administer toxic and carcinogenic substances to our pets – sometimes damaging or killing them – hoping to prevent diseases which may never occur.  Sadly, more ignorance than knowledge surrounds vaccination…  We are needlessly over-vaccinating them, repeatedly exposing our canines and felines to multiple pathogens and dangerous chemicals…  Many veterinarians… refuse to use certain vaccines because the disease in question is either so innocuous or rare that the risks associated with vaccination outweigh any promised benefits.  They understand that repeatedly injecting unnecessary vaccines is harming their animal clients.  Some veterinarians have designed reduced vaccination schedules, using only a few monovalent (single) vaccines and insisting on an interval of weeks between administering others.  They have also learned that vaccination must be avoided in sick animals – no matter how mild the illness appears – and in animals who are otherwise stressed, on medication, or have received surgery recently…"

* ►May 6, 2008 - Novartis has high hopes for vaccine candidate (requires registration) - Boston Globe - "In a clinical test, Novartis, which has about 2,000 employees in Massachusetts, compared its drug candidate Menveo against a vaccine already on the market called Menactra. According to Novartis, its test data showed that Menveo produced 'a greater immune response' in adolescents 11 to 18 years of age compared to Menactra."

* ►May 6, 2008 - Vaccine deaths: Lab gets clean chit - Times of India - "Tests conducted by the Central Drug Laboratory (Kasauli) have given a clean chit to the measles vaccine which killed four 10-month-old babies in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvallur district on April 23."

* ►May 6, 2008 - School District to Vote on Free Vaccine Program (includes video) - News Channel 7 - "Spartanburg District 7's School Board will vote Tuesday night to decide whether to allow all sixth grade students in the District to participate in a free immunization program provided by The Duke Endowment.  Doctors recommend all pre-teens receive several vaccines at their eleven or 12- year old check-up. The program provides free vaccines against meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and HPV to students whose parents approve."

* ►May 6, 2008 - Study shows mercury levels from products decreasing, though still at dangerous levels - A recent study shows that mercury releases from products in the U.S. declined dramatically between 1990 and 2005, but that they continue to be a significant source of environmental contamination. Mercury released from products contributes nearly one-third of total mercury emissions to the air in the U.S. The findings offer a new view into the relative magnitudes of the different sources of mercury release. - Wiley via PhysOrg.com

* ►May 5, 2008 - Fluoride: Miracle drug or toxic-waste killer? - Safety debate over public water treatments heats up with release of shocking new studies - WorldNetDaily

* ►May 22, 2008 - Nanotechnology in vaccine delivery - journal article (Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews)

* ►May 5, 2008 - Deja Vu: Spinning Measles by Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Awakening
 
* ►May 5, 2008 - Pediatrics: Mentally Ill Parents and Autism by Julie Obradovic - Age of Autism

* ►May 5, 2008 - Crazy Parents = Autistic Kids - Here's the newest "it's genetic" spin to deflect the dialogue away from the environmental causes of autism. - Age of Autism

* ►May 5, 2008 - Grrrreat Scots! Where are the Adults with Autism? - Age of Autism

* ►May 5, 2008 - Autism Incidence Increased by Mercury Emissions - press release - Coalition for SafeMinds and Autism United via PRNewswire-USNewswire

* ►May 5, 2008 - Book Shares True Story of How Routine Vaccine Caused Autism for Author's Son - press release - Reader Views via PR-USA.net - "Author and devoted mother Barbara Coppo shares her heartrending experiences of raising a severely autistic child, whose disabilities were caused by a routine DPT vaccine, in her touching new book, 'The Boy in the Window: A Journey Through an Unexpected Tragedy' (ISBN 9781600372650, Morgan-James Publishing, 2007). When Coppo's son, Kenny, was born, he was a happy, healthy, robust child for the first 19 months of his life. But within three days of receiving his routine DPT vaccination, Kenny suffered nine seizures, and was eventually given a diagnosis of autism. Years later, during the Coppo's lawsuit against the drug company, the UCLA Medical Center determined that Kenny suffered from inflammation of the brain, caused by chemicals and toxins--most likely the mercury from the DPT vaccine--crossing the blood-brain barrier. Beyond a few simple sounds, Kenny cannot speak and has obsessive behaviors, as well as seizures."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Autism recovery stories: No vaccines until 9 months - The waiting list for basic autism therapies can be a year or longer. - Julie's Health Club via Chicago Tribune

* ►May 5, 2008 - Changing patterns in vaccine era pose questions about durability of immunity - The Canadian Press - "I don't think we know much at all," acknowledges Dr. Samuel Katz, co-inventor of the measles vaccine and a pediatric infectious disease expert at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Figuring out answers about the durability of immunity - naturally and vaccine-acquired - in a time without natural boosting won't be easy."..."What's happening if we don't have these exposures? I don't know," Katz admits. These questions about the durability of immunity are on the minds of public health authorities in countries where childhood vaccines have been in longest use, says Dr. Jane Seward, an expert in vaccine-preventable diseases with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Wrongful skepticism infectious - The Lantern - "The peculiar strength of the autism lobby is damaging to public health, for the increase in skepticism of vaccines has unfortunately led to more people contracting infectious diseases. None of the three remaining presidential candidates have been responsible with this issue. John McCain, whose ignorance on a vast range of issues is well documented, was the first of the candidates to voice his idiotic suspicion that vaccines lead to autism."...Comment: "There is a reason that the Autism lobby is "peculiarly strong." That is because it affects more than 1 in 150 children born everyday. Maybe you have a personal connection to MMR, but I have one to Autism. Since there is no "immunization" for it, all political, social, and financial support is greatly appreciated."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Who should MDs let die in a pandemic? Report offers answers - CHEST via AP via Yahoo! - "Now, an influential group of physicians has drafted a grimly specific list of recommendations for which patients wouldn't be treated. They include the very elderly, seriously hurt trauma victims, severely burned patients and those with severe dementia."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Emergent BioSolutions Acquires Advanced Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine Candidate and Technology Acquisition positions Emergent to offer the U.S. Government a domestic source for an advanced anthrax vaccine candidate to meet planned procurement of 25 million doses of rPA vaccine - Emergent BioSolutions via Business Wire via Quote.com

* ►May 5, 2008 - The New Psychiatric Bible And Author Conflicts - Pharmalot - "More than half the 28 new members of writers of the next edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) have ties to the drug industry, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Integrity in Science Watch."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Re: Proposed amendment to the Food and Drugs Act - 50 international scientists, physicians and associated health practitioners are calling upon Canada's Health Minister to reconsider its plan to amend the Food and Drugs Act (Bill C-51). - press release - International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine via CNW Group - "Under the guise of protecting the public's safety, the proposed bill could allow for the introduction of restrictive regulations that would likely fall below 'the radar' of sufficient public scrutiny. One such is bringing nutritional products and pharmaceutical drugs together under a common regulatory term 'therapeutic products'."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Govt rejects kidney selling plan - The West Australian - "The federal government should consider covering organ donors' costs to boost Australia's miserable donation rate, a leading doctors' group says. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) made the call after senior Canberra nephrologist Gavin Carney said young, healthy people should be allowed to sell their kidneys to the government for $50,000."

* ►May 5, 2008 - PAS: Moms May Be Waiting Too Long for Daughters' HPV Vaccination - Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting via MedPage Today - "The study was funded by the American Cancer Society. Dr. Kahn reported no conflicts of interest. Co-authors reported conflicts of interest with Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, the National Institutes of Health, Sanofi-Pasteur, M2 Communications, and SciMed."

* ►May 5, 2008 - Starting Flu Vaccination in August Could Help Protect Nearly 11 Million More Children During Scheduled Doctors' Visits - press release - PRNewswire via MedImmune via EarthTimes.org - "'MedImmune is committed to doing all it can to support the ACIP's expanded influenza vaccination recommendations and to work toward our common goal to vaccinate more children against the flu each year,' said John Trizzino, vice president, vaccines.  'The data presented at the PAS meeting highlight the need to use every possible opportunity to improve vaccination rates and compliance, including vaccinating children when they visit their healthcare providers for back-to-school check-ups and sports physicals.  We are focused on delivering FluMist(R) (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal) into the marketplace this year beginning in August.'"

* ►May 2, 2008 - Manufacturing Uncertainty - By raising questions about the scientific research on how some chemicals affect human health, the corporations that manufacture them are able to stall the governmental regulatory process, says Dr. David Michaels of the George Washington School of Public Health. Dr. Michaels talks with host Bruce Gellerman about his new book, “Doubt is Their Product: How Industry’s Assault on Science Threatens Your Health.” - Living on Earth

* ►May 2, 2008 - EPA official ousted while fighting Dow - Chicago Tribune - "Gade has been locked in a heated dispute with Dow about long-delayed plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles beyond its Midland, Mich., plant into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. The company dumped the highly toxic and persistent chemical into local rivers for most of the last century."

* ►April 29, 2008 - Gardasil Vaccine Reports to VAERS - CDC

* ►State Immunization Legislation Resources - The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials via www.astho.org

* ►World Autism Pandemic - If anyone claims to you that the World Autism Pandemic is not real but results from "better diagnosis" and "greater awareness" send them the link to this page and then demand they provide credible scientific proof.  They will fail.  It does not exist.  See here for why:- - Clifford G. Miller

* ►May 5, 2008 - Rockville Biotech Buys Rival's Anthrax Vaccine - A Twist in Race for New Drug, Emergent Aims to Pick Up Pieces of VaxGen's Failed Federal Contract (requires registration) - Washington Post

* ►May 4, 2008 - The Pros & Cons of Measles Vaccines (includes video) - KVOA.com - "Dr. Jane Orient heads the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.  The 4,500 member national group does not oppose vaccines.  But it does oppose the government's requiring them. Orient, a specialist in internal medicine, says, 'We're supposed to have liberty in this country and liberty includes the right to refuse medical interventions.' Orient believes no intervention is perfectly safe.  She worries about possible side effects of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.  She says, 'It's worried that MMR particularly could be related to the autism epidemic, particularly in combination with a lot of other vaccines.'"

* ►May 4, 2008 - Older women warned off cancer vaccine - A leading cancer specialist has warned older women off getting the cervical cancer vaccine and hit out at the drug regulator for approving the jabs in the first place. - The Australian - "Dr Wain says while the drug has proven benefits in younger women, the approval and "excessive" marketing of Cervarix to older women was not justified. He wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia that the vaccine, which costs older women $450 for three injections, had shown an 'absence of efficacy data and uncertain population benefits' among older women."

* ►May 4, 2008 - Many Moms Unwilling to Have Younger Daughters Get HPV Vaccine - Study shows only 49% intended to do so if child was aged 9 to 12 - U.S. News & World Report

* ►May 4, 2008 - Texas Media Needs to Learn Kids' Metal Levels by Anne Dachel - Age of Autism

* ►May 4, 2008 - The Future of Brain Treatment - Age of Autism

* ►May 4, 2008 - Menendez unveils autism bill - Legislation addresses unusually high rates in NJ - Hudson Reporter

* ►May 4, 2008 - Influenza pandemics no deadlier than seasonal flu - As researchers discover that seasonal flu is seeded by viruses originating in Asia - one scientist thinks that pandemic influenza is a construct designed for commercial gain. - Labnews.co.uk - "Doshi suggests one of the reasons that pandemic flu might be so misunderstood is that commercial interests may be playing a role in inflating the perceived impact of pandemics. 'With public policies such as universal vaccination being discussed and more than $5 billion of federal money spent on preparing for the next pandemic, the study raises many important questions of public policy,' he said."

* ►May 3, 2008 - Holding FDA Officials to the same standards as medical students - Dr Thomas Laughren - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►May 3, 2008 - Monsanto GMOs: My Questions about Monsanto’s GMOs and Autism - Adventures in Autism

* ►May 1, 2008 - The CDC and Vaccines - The Intellectual Insurgent

* ►April 2008 - Autism, Pollution, and Nutrients: a Unifying Relationship - Commentary by Teresa Binstock - Autism Research Institute

* ►April 2008 - Pollutants in Placenta, Cord Blood, and Breast Milk of Humans - Advances in Autism Research compiled by Teresa Binstock for ARI - Autism Research Institute

* ►May 4, 2008 - Austin center charts different course on autism - Thoughtful House supporters say children make big improvements there; mainstream doctors call treatments unproven. - Austin American-Statesman - "Jennifer Thompson travels from northern Louisiana with her four sons to a tan building on a hillside in Rollingwood for the kind of medical attention she says they can't get anywhere else. Mainstream medicine calls autism lifelong, but Thompson says that because of the treatment her 9-year-old has received at the Thoughtful House Center for Children, he is 'not autistic anymore.' She credits the center with improvements in her other sons — two of whom struggle with attention deficit disorders, she says, and another with asthma."

* ►May 3, 2008 - Olmsted on Autism: CDC triggers measles outbreak by Dan Olmsted - Age of Autism - "I'm starting to think we should rename the CDC the Centers for Disease Contagion. You've all seen the news that there are suddenly more measles cases in the United States and the CDC is blaming it in part on the increasing reluctance of parents to vaccinate their kids. But it's the CDC's fault, and no other. Getting the 'measles shot' means getting the MMR, and the MMR is 'the autism shot' in the minds of many, many parents."

* ►May 3, 2008 - For Mother's Day: Start Listening to Moms. Stop Blaming Them. - This is the the transcript of a DVD sent to the Presidential candidates by Rebecca Estepp. (includes video) - Age of Autism

* ►May 3, 2008 - Autism recovery stories: Trevor Kent's 'angel' - Julie's Health Club via Chicago Tribune

* ►May 3, 2008 - Local Couple Tells FDA of Son's Death - FOX23 News - "When Cody Miller's doctor prescribed Singulair to treat his allergies, his parents say they didn't think twice. But, soon after the 15-year-old started taking it, his behavior changed. From upbeat and happy to anxious, even aggressive. And after about two weeks, Cody took his own life. Since then, Kate and David Miller have been struggling to understand what happened to their son."

* ►May 3, 2008 - Dingell to probe why EPA official leaving job - Concerns raised after regional director claims her ousting is related to Dow Chemical dioxin cleanup. - The Detroit News

* ►May 3, 2008 - Speeding Up Safety - With the government slow to act and consumers quick to mobilize, companies have learned to take swift action on potentially dangerous products. (requires registration) - Washington Post

* ►May 3, 2008 - Drug giant profits from human suffering - Workers World - "Just two days after the Philadelphia-based pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. reported that first quarter 2008 earnings had soared on a special $2.2 billion pretax gain from a limited partnership with AstraZeneca, federal inspectors reported finding 49 'areas of concern' involving contamination of Merck’s products, including children’s vaccines."

* ►May 3, 2008 - Jakarta, US at odds over 'spy' lab - Negotiations over whether a controversial US military laboratory should remain in Indonesia have reached a knife-edge, as officials argue about biological sample-sharing and the diplomatic status of staff in the facility. - The Australian

* ►May 2, 2008 - Measles in U.S. at Highest Level Since 2001 (requires registration) - The New York Times

"In the current outbreak, 13 patients [20%] were under a year old and therefore too young to have been vaccinated, and 7 others [11%] were 12 to 15 months old, with parents who had not yet taken them for their first vaccination, which is due at 1 year. Sixteen others [25%], who were older, came from families that refused vaccination. Fourteen more had what officials described as “unknown or undocumented vaccination status.”

Comment from Michael Belkin: Notice press coverage does not mention the other 14 [22%] who were apparently vaccinated and still got measles. That means 28 [47%] of these cases were in vaccinated or vaccination status unknown categories, versus the 16 cases [25%] who were unvaccinated. Media spin blaming measles cases on non-vaccination status overstates the effectiveness of the vaccine and ignores vaccine adverse reactions.

* ►May 2, 2008 - Vaccination death denied - Express News Service via Newindpress.com - "MINISTER for Health MRK Panneerselvam has rejected media reports of death of a four-month-old baby following administration of vaccine. Speaking to journalists at a function here on Thursday, he said the baby, Mukesh, was given the triple vaccine shot at a Primary Health Centre at Sivakkam village near Kattumanar Koil on Wednesday morning. It may be noted that the baby was kept under the observation of doctors in the PHC till 4 pm."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Human Leukocyte Antigen and Cytokine Receptor Gene Polymorphisms Associated With Heterogeneous Immune Responses to Mumps Viral Vaccine (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Our data suggest that certain SNPs in IL-10RA and IL-12RB genes are associated with variations in immune responses to mumps vaccination. Understanding the genetic factors that might influence lower immunity to mumps vaccination by modulating the cytokine microenvironment of the host may provide additional insight into mumps vaccine–induced immune responses and possible vaccine/therapeutic approaches. We also found that median titers of mumps-specific antibodies were significantly higher in girls than in boys (P = .003) after 2 doses of mumps vaccine. Similar gender differences in the humoral (antibody) response to live measles and rubella vaccine in young adults were previously described.49,50 In some observational studies, girls have had higher rates of mumps despite similar rates of vaccination5,51; however, not all outbreaks demonstrate this association.52 Gender differences may represent social or behavioral differences in disease exposure or gender-linked genetic differences in immune response."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Trends in Intussusception Hospitalizations Among US Infants, 1993–2004: Implications for Monitoring the Safety of the New Rotavirus Vaccination Program (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics) - "The observed age-related and race/ethnicity-related differences in background incidence, especially during the period when most infants receive the first dose of vaccine, highlight the need for close scrutiny of reports of intussusception to assess any causal association with vaccination. Other countries that have introduced rotavirus vaccines or are considering their use should consider similar assessments of the epidemiology of intussusception in their own setting to help with assessment of postmarketing safety monitoring data."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Impact of Immunization at Sick Visits on Well-Child Care - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Among all demographic and health-related factors considered, immunization receipt at a sick visit was associated most strongly with decreased subsequent well-child care. Among children already delayed (late) for vaccines, 31% returned for well-child care if immunizations were given at eligible sick visits, compared with 47% of those who received no vaccines (risk difference, with adjustment for covariates: –16%). Among those without immunization delay, 42% of children who received vaccines returned for well-child care, compared with 73% of those who received no vaccines (risk difference: –31%). Although 5 well-child visits are recommended, children with no immunizations at sick visits had an adjusted predicted number of 3.8 well-child visits, those with 1 sick visit with immunizations had 3.3 visits, and those with 2 sick visits with immunizations had 2.8 visits between 6 weeks and 13 months of age."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Parental Psychiatric Disorders Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Offspring (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics) - "In these data, parental psychiatric diagnoses in the aggregate were associated with a twofold increased risk of autism among the children. For both parents, schizophrenia was associated with autism. For other disorders, such as depression and nonpsychotic personality disorders, the positive association between psychiatric disorders and childhood autism was found only for maternal disorders, not for paternal disorders. We hypothesized that having a psychiatric condition might influence parents to have their child evaluated for psychiatric conditions and consequently result in increased diagnosis of autism or, conversely, that a child's disorder may lead to depression among the parents and elevate the association between the parent's and child's diagnosis."

* ►May 1, 2008 - FDA Culpability in promoting Secret Science - Deadly Blood - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►May 2008 - Vaccine research - Vaccine R&D has been revitalized recently in part owing to major commercial successes and increased incentives for products that address neglected diseases. Our interviewees this month describe the rewards and challenges of their complementary roles in the field. - journal article (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery) - "During his postdoctoral training, Jiang was the first to delineate the genomic structure of astrovirus and conducted research on novel rotaviruses — work that led him to Wyeth (New Jersey, USA) where he contributed to the development of the first live oral rotavirus vaccine RotaShield. After 4 years at Wyeth, Jiang was attracted back to the CDC. Jiang explains: "I was impressed by the quality and vital health work conducted at the CDC, particularly in vaccine research and immunization — a noble profession that saves hundreds of thousands of lives each year." Currently, Jiang's work encompasses the research of inactivated and live rotavirus vaccines, including the proof of principle for parenteral rotavirus immunization and testing of candidate vaccines in animal models and in clinical trials."

* ►May 2008 - Postvaricella Acute Transverse Myelitis in a Previously Vaccinated Child - journal article (Pediatric Neurology)

* ►April 15, 2008 - Title: Adjuvant systems and vaccines (patent) - SmithKline Beecham Biologicals, SA (Rixensart, BE) via www.pharmcast.com

* ►April 14, 2008 - Defending Parents - Atlantic Free Press - "One man who single-handedly has saved many parents from such dire consequences is the California-based pathologist and toxicologist Dr. Mohammed Al-Bayati. He understands how coroners can see their role as securing convictions rather than seeking the truth or accepting uncertainty. He has seen how easily they jump to conclusions based on accepting the fraction of the available data that is concordant with their theory. The children described in this article are real cases, documented in the scientific journal Medical Veritas by Dr. Al-Bayati."

* ►April 2008 - Whistleblower Report - Shiv Chopra, former Health Canada Scientist on the Vaccine and Antibiotic Controversy - Vitality Magazine - "Dr. Shiv Chopra, PhD, must be fire-proof. As a vaccine and drug regulator for Health Canada for nearly forty years, he evaluated every red-hot topic in public health and tried to protect us from unsafe drugs, vaccines, and agricultural practices.  Over the years, he tried (sometimes successfully) to stop our government from allowing Canadians to be exposed to ineffective and harmful vaccines, genetically modified foods, pesticides, carcinogenic antibiotics and hormones used in food-producing animals, and agricultural practices that promote Mad Cow Disease. He even went public with his findings, supported by Canada’s public service union, which resulted in legal battles initiated against him by a government determined to shut him up. The courts, however, tended to find in favour of Dr. Chopra, and instead ordered the government to shape up....Dr. Chopra has now written a book on his decades of struggle to have the law recognized as being above political policy. His book, Corrupt to the Core, tells of what crimes our government knowingly committed against public health in order to serve corporate financial interests. The book has been three years in the making and is at the press now."

* ►June 18/19, 2008 - Report of the AAMC Task Force on Industry Funding of Medical Education to the AAMC Executive Council (pdf) - AAMC

* ►May 2, 2008 - Proper Name: Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral ROTARIX - GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, License #1617 - FDA/CBER

* ►May 2, 2008 - It’s Only Money: The FDA & Foreign Plants - Pharmalot

* ►May 2, 2008 - Link between vaccine, autism is disputed - Public health officials say a report that fueled the speculation has been widely discredited. But some parents are not convinced. (requires registration or subscription) - Los Angeles Times - "Despite mainstream scientific evidence showing no connection between the vaccine and autism, a vocal group of parents with autistic children remain committed to the premise.Rick Rollens, the parent of an autistic child in Granite Bay, Calif., said his son, now 17, was 7 months old when he received a series of vaccinations, and his behavior changed dramatically. 'He was never the same after that,' said Rollens, whose son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 17 months. Rollens dismisses epidemiological studies that public officials cite in making their case for vaccinations. 'They're done by people who have a vested interest in protecting the status quo,' Rollens said. 'Vaccine and immunization policy is a sacred cow of the public health community and Big Pharma,' he said, referring to large pharmaceutical companies."

* ►May 2, 2008 - Mejias and Health Committee Hear Concerns About Safety of Vaccines and Possible Link to Autism - Floral Park Dispatch via AntonNews.com - "Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias (D-Farmingdale), chairman of the Legislature's Health & Social Services Committee, was joined by New York State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) as they provided a platform for parents of autistic children from across the United States regarding their concern about immunizations containing thimerosal, a vaccine preservative, and the possible link to autism."

* ►May 2, 2008 - Carroll Co. resident continues to raise money for autism - The Madison Courier - "A new experimental treatment is being researched at Kosair Children's Hospital and University Hospital in Louisville. A 7-year-old Louisville boy with autism named Evan Riggle, received glutathione intravenously at the children's hospital....Riggle had a dramatic improvement in his quality of life after the treatment. The treatments can reduce aggression in children with autism and improve their interpersonal, socialization and verbalization skills. The boy's older sister, Michala, saw the change in her brother and wanted other autistic children to have the same opportunity her brother had. Michala, 10, began her quest to raise money for research in Louisville."

* ►May 2, 2008 - Florida House accepts Senate compromise on autism insurance bill - Measure declared 'dead' after House replaces it with legislation covering children of all disabilities - The News-Press

* ►May 2, 2008 - Monsanto GMOs: The World According to Monsanto (includes video) - Adventures in Autism - "I lost track of how many whistle blowers, previously highly respected scientists, were fired and had their reputations trashed for reporting that their findings showed that Monsanto’s GMO products were not safe or reported the million dollar bribes that Monsanto was offering to regulators. Researchers found they caused problems in cell division, which is step one in the development of cancer, and that the bodies of animals reacted to the GMO food as a foreign substance to be attacked, stimulating the immune system. (Does this set off any alarms for anyone? More on this in my follow up post.)"

* ►May 2, 2008 - Prom Deaths? Measles Deaths? - Age of Autism

* ►May 2, 2008 - Pima County declares measles public health emergency - AP via KOLD-TV

* ►May 2, 2008 - What the Government's Not Telling You about the 'Measles Epidemic' - Christian Broadcasting Network

* ►May 2, 2008 - How to Spot the Measles - U.S. Faces Largest Measles Outbreak in Seven Years as Kids Head to Camp - ABC News

* ►May 2, 2008 - House OKs bill banning genetic discrimination - San Francisco Chronicle

* ►May 1, 2008 - Lights, Camera, Scrutiny: Congress & DTC Ads - Pharmalot - "Want to know the full story behind those famous Bob Jarvik ads for Lipitor? How about the rationale for heavily promoting Vytorin? Then tune in next Thursday May 8 to the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on direct-to-consumer advertising. It promises to be a good show."

* ►May 1, 2008 - FDA Warns Merck on Vaccine Plant Problems - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

* ►April 30, 2008 - Flow cytometric monitoring of influenza A virus infection in MDCK cells during vaccine production (pdf) - journal article (BMC Biotechnology)

* ►April 29, 2008 - ACIP meeting minutes February 2008 Minutes (pdf) - ACIP Meetings, Agendas, and Registration via CDC

* ►April 29, 2008 - NVAC Round Two by Kelli Ann Davis - Age of Autism

* ►April 28, 2008 - Synexus has over 10,000 patients in trials - Pharma Times - "The enrollees are spread across Synexus’ 14 ‘hub sites’ in six countries. According to the company, its hub site model – a network of dedicated sites that specialise in patient recruitment and trial management – is increasingly being taken up by the pharmaceutical industry as it “dramatically” reduces costs (often by a factor of 10), improves the quality of study data and speeds up recruitment."

* ►May 2, 2008 - $164m for cervical cancer vaccine - The Government has confirmed it will spend $164.2 million over the next five years on a cervical cancer immunisation programme. - The Dominion Post and NZPA via www.stuff.co.nz

* ►May 2, 2008 - More kids fainting after shots, CDC reports - Reuters - "'A girl aged 13 years fainted within 10 minutes of receiving HPV and MCV4 (meningitis) vaccinations,' the CDC report reads. 'She fell backward and hit her head on the carpeted floor of the clinic.' She fractured her skull and had bleeding on the brain but recovered. 'Providers should strongly consider observing patients for 15 minutes after they are vaccinated,' the CDC recommended."

* ►May 2, 2008 - Syncope After Vaccination --- United States, January 2005--July 2007 - MMWR/CDC - "During 2005--2007, ACIP decided to add several newly licensed adolescent vaccines to the routine immunization schedule and the Vaccines for Children Program. After these vaccines were licensed and recommended for use, the number of postvaccination syncope reports to VAERS increased, primarily among females aged 11--18 years. Although only 7% of the reports met the criteria for being classified as serious, potentially life-threatening injuries after postvaccination syncope were described, and one fatality was documented, resulting from intracranial hemorrhage caused by head trauma in a boy aged 15 years (7)."

* ►May 1, 2008 - U.S. reports biggest measles outbreak since 2001 - Reuters - "'We are concerned ... about the population of people who are choosing not to be vaccinated, and whether we may be on the verge of facing larger-scale outbreaks in the United States,' said Jane Seward of the CDC's division of viral diseases."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Merck vaccine label to include report of death - MarketWatch - "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an update to the product label for Merck & Co.'s ... Rotateq vaccine to include the report of a death of a recipient due to an intestinal obstruction."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Heparin Contamination Fiasco Reveals Dirty Secret of Drug Industry: Their Pills are Made in China! - NaturalNews.com

* ►May 1, 2008 - FDA Report Exposes Troubles at Merck Vaccine Plant - NaturalNews.com

* ►May 1, 2008 - US lawmakers seek more foreign drug plant checks - Reuters - ""What worries me is that without congressional intervention, this could happen again," said Rep. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat who chairs the health subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. More than 80 percent of active drug ingredients are produced abroad, but the FDA has limited staff and funding to inspect overseas manufacturers."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Dog Announces $35,000 Donation to Study the Rabies Vaccine - Chiclet T. Dog, canine co-author of the award-winning book 'Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care,' announces a $35,000 matching gift to the Rabies Challenge Fund. The Fund is conducting studies to prove that vaccine immunity persists for at least five years, and maybe as long as seven. Phase Two of the study will investigate vaccine additives called adjuvants and set up a reporting system for adverse reactions. (includes video) - press release - Jan Rasmusen Dogs4Dogs via PRWeb

* ►May 1, 2008 - Parents ask: Is autism linked to vaccines - Attorney Robert Krakow has become accustomed to taking phone calls from concerned parents with autistic children. - Herald Online - "Krakow couldn't forget one call he received from a parent whose baby cried for three straight days after a series of vaccinations. Three months later, the child could not speak, he said. Many parents with similar experiences, including Krakow, showed up at the Nassau County Legislature on Monday to address elected officials at a Health and Social Services Committee meeting about vaccines, which they believe contribute to autism....Krakow and a group of parents were joined in the Legislature by several advocates and elected officials, including Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) and Legislator Dave Mejias (D-Farmingdale). Weisenberg has led an effort to ban thimerosal, a vaccine preservative that contains highly toxic mercury and is believed to be a trigger of autism in young children. There are no scientific findings to back the claim, however. With strong nonpartisan support, Weisenberg sponsored and helped pass a bill in the state Legislature that bans thimerosal in vaccinations for pregnant women and children under age 3. The law goes into effect on July 1."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Why We Fight by J.B. Handley - Age of Autism

* ►May 1, 2008 - Parents Turn to States for Autism Help - Kansas City infoZine - "Jeff Sell, a Texas trial lawyer with four children, recently became a lobbyist for the Maryland-based Autism Society of America, a job that has him crisscrossing the country to persuade state lawmakers to make life easier for people with the little-understood developmental disability. He shut down his law firm, which had pursued legal cases linking autism with vaccines. But rather than move to Maryland, Sell is staying in Texas so his twin 13-year-old sons can continue to receive state-financed treatment for their autism. If he moves, Sell said, his sons would be on a years-long waiting list for therapy that costs as much as $60,000 a year."

* ►May 1, 2008 - Tracking & Forcing Vaccines: Parents Want Choices by Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Awakening

* ►April 30, 2008 - FDA warns Merck to fix vaccine plant problems - The Associated Press via Google - "The nine-page letter states FDA found 'significant objectionable conditions' in the manufacture of vaccines and drug ingredients during repeated inspections from Nov. 26 to Jan. 17. In a separate posting on its Web site, the agency said it issued the warning letter because Merck's response to the FDA report sent after the inspections was 'inadequate to address the serious deviations noted.' According to the heavily redacted warning letter, Merck officials didn't thoroughly investigate when vaccine batches inexplicably failed to meet specifications, even if batches had been distributed, and some combination measles-mumps-rubella shots that failed 'visual inspection for critical defects' were distributed anyway. The letter also said the plant didn't have written procedures, tests or other laboratory controls to ensure 'identity, strength, quality, and purity' of products."

* ►April 24, 2008 - FDA-approved Lawsuit Preemption by Darrel Crain, DC - Planet Chiropractic - "In modern vaccine trials, so-called placebos can contain toxic chemical cocktails that are part of the tested vaccine, including aluminum. The adverse reactions people have to such neurotoxins are then counted as placebo responses. As any first year student of science can tell you, a scientifically valid clinical trial demands the use of a control group receiving a placebo with zero active ingredients, without exception. In any other industry, these kinds of creative 'improvements' to established scientific protocol would be called 'cheating.' Drug companies have their own word for drug safety trials that violate basic rules of science, 'profitable.'"

* ►May 15, 2008 - Reemergence of Recombinant Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Outbreak in Madagascar (full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases) - "Our findings have important implications for the future of the polio eradication program and associated viral surveillance. In both cases, these outbreaks emerged after efficient mass vaccination campaigns with OPV and subsequent low vaccine coverage during a period of 2–3 years. Therefore, priority should be given to (1) achieving and maintaining high population immunity to prevent the emergence of VDPV; (2) continuing research to refine the risk management strategies for possible emergence of VDPVs during the posteradication and OPV cessation era; (3) improving surveillance and diagnostic tools for VDPVs; and (4) conducting detailed epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory studies to clarify the risk factors for VDPV and help prevent its reemergence."

* ►May 1, 2008 - The FDA, Preemption, and the Supreme Court (free full text) - journal article (NEJM)

* ►Informed Consent in Vaccination - VaccineEthics.org - "Informed Consent in Vaccination - The American Medical Association defines informed consent as 'a process of communication between a patient and physician that results in the patient’s authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention.'1 The principle behind this process arises out of respect for patient autonomy and is particularly relevant to the administration of vaccines. The Declaration of Helsinki, the highly regarded international guidelines for research on human subjects, states that 'considerations related to the well-being of human subjects should take precedence over the interests of science and society.'2 While this was written with respect to biomedical research, it has been argued that a similar principle should be applied to vaccine policy. Many bioethicists, clinicians, and others argue that the decision to vaccinate should always be left to patients (or parents, in the case of children), despite years of evidence that mass immunization confers additional protection to the communities by reducing the spread of infectious disease, a phenomenon known as herd immunity. The principle of informed consent requires that a patient understand the risks and potential benefits of a particular vaccine before receiving it.'
 1 American Medical Association website:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4608.html  Accessed 20 July 2007.
2 World Medical Association. 1964, 2000. Declaration of Helsinki, as amended by the WMA 52nd General Assembly, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 2000."

Posted May 8, 2008

* ►September 2008 - Autism's False Profits (book review) - Paul Offit, MD - Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure - The Zack Company

* ►June 2008 - Shigellosis: the current status of vaccine development. - Pathogenesis and immune response - journal article (Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases)

* ►June 2008 - Recently identified factors predisposing children to infectious diseases. - Paediatric and neonatal infections - journal article (Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases)

* ►May 12, 2008 - Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use, measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, and autistic disorder: The results of a parent survey. - journal article (Autism) - "This preliminary study found that acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder."

* ►May 9, 2008 - Merck top executives sacked for demanding compensation - The News - International - Pakistan

* ►May 9, 2008 - MSD awaits nod for cervical cancer drug - Business Standard, India - "MSD Pharmaceuticals, the wholly owned Indian subsidiary of Merck, is awaiting approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to treat cervical cancer. The company has already conducted clinical trials."

* ►May 9, 2008 - Two new polio cases detected - The News - International - Pakistan - "Shifaat had not received a single routine immunisation dose while Ashfaq had only received one routine immunisation dose and 3 additional OPV doses."

* ►May 9, 2008 - Progress Toward Interruption of Wild Poliovirus Transmission --- Worldwide, January 2007--April 2008 - MMWR/CDC

* ►May 8, 2008 - University of the Sciences hosting vaccine symposium - Philadelphia Business Journal - "The panel will consist of Dr. Alan R. Hinman, senior public health scientist at Emory University; Dr. Paul A. Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases and director of the vaccine education center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Stanley A. Plotkin, emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the developer of the rubella vaccine; and Dr. Thomas M. Vernon, retired vice president for policy, public health, and medical affairs at Merck & Co."

* ►May 8, 2008 - Jab urged after diphtheria death - Infectious disease experts have warned parents to check their children are vaccinated after a child in London died from what is thought to be diphtheria. - BBC

* ►May 8, 2008 - David Kirby: If Autism Has Always Been With Us... By David Kirby - Age of Autism - "If autism has always been with us in the same high numbers that we see today -- as some scientists and academics contend -- then we should be able to identify the 1 in 150 adults currently living with autism in places like the US and UK."

* ►May 8, 2008 - Monsanto GMOs: One British Boy's Reaction (includes video) - Adventures in Autism - "Because GMO foods are not labeled in the US, we have no idea if our kids are reacting to them."

* ►May 8, 2008 - To honor Mother's Day, Sierra Club takes on coal plants' mercury pollution - Institute for Southern Studies

* ►May 8, 2008 - NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

Examining the Science & Politics of HPV Vaccine by Barbara Loe Fisher

It has been nearly two years since the FDA fast tracked the licensure of Merck's GARDASIL vaccine and the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended it for universal use by all 11 year old girls. Calls for state mandates for sixth grade entry soon followed with Merck leading an aggressive lobbying campaign with pro-forced vaccination proponents talking about 12 year old girls having sex. The National Vaccine Information Center countered by publicly framing the debate about GARDASIL mandates as a product safety and informed consent issue: the vaccine had only been tested in fewer than 1200 girls under age 16 followed up for less than two years.

Now, a leading HPV vaccine researcher has spoken out opposing mandates in a three-part series produced by CBS4-TV in Miami. Speaking to investigative journalist Michele Gillen Harper said "We don't know yet what's going to happen when millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and to put in process a place that says you must have this vaccine, it means you must be part of a big public experiment. So we can't do that until we have more data."

It takes a lot of courage for any scientist or physician to stand up and speak out about the need for government, industry and physicians to embrace the precautionary principle: First, do no harm. Dr. Harper has upheld high standards for scientific and ethical integrity by responsibly calling for rigorous post- marketing surveillance of licensed HPV vaccines and adherence to the informed consent ethic.

The National Vaccine Information Center has received nearly 100 reports of serious health problems following vaccination. NVIC issued three reports on GARDASIL adverse events reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). In August 2007, NVIC called on the CDC to warn doctors that the safety of giving GARDASIL simultaneously in combination with other vaccines had not been proven safe.

A family support group for those who have reported HPV vaccine reactions to NVIC is being created. If you or a loved one has suffered an HPV vaccine reaction, you can make a report to NVIC's 26- year old Vaccine Reaction Registry by going to https://www.nvic.org/report/reaction.htm. Please indicate if you would like to participate in the HPV Vaccine Reaction Family Support Group.

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"According to Dr. Diane Harper, "the vaccine has not been out long enough for us to have post marketing surveillance to really understand what all the potential side effects are going to be. We feel it is very safe." However, she adds, "We don't know yet what's going to happen when millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and to put in process a place that says you must have this vaccine, it means you must be part of a big public experiment. So we can't do that until we have more data." Barbara Loe Fisher agrees. She took to the streets a grass roots fight credited with derailing many efforts around the country to mandate the vaccine. "It was the quickest effort I have ever seen in 25 years for a vaccine to be mandated," says Fisher. A mother of a son who she say was left with learning disabilities following a routine vaccination in the 1980's, Fisher is President and Co Founder of the National Vaccine Information Center. It is a non-profit independent clearinghouse for information on vaccines and disease. Fisher says her organization has been contacted by nearly 100 parents claiming their daughters have suffered some type of adverse reaction following a Gardasil shot - at times given in combination with other vaccines. She says many parents are frustrated in their search for answers and that they don't know where to turn. She tells Gillen "the National Vaccine Information Center is getting reports every week, mostly mothers, of what is happening to their 11-year old girls after receiving Gardasil." - CBS4-TV (Miami), Michele Gillen reporting (May 7, 2008)
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=54565@wfor.dayport.com

"Bell says she now finds herself on a search for answers as to what happened to her daughter, Brittney, just weeks following an injection of Gardasil and a tetanus shot. The former cheerleader and runner's left leg was mysteriously affected by paralysis. The family wants to know if the condition could have been triggered by the vaccines she received that day. Reported adverse events following vaccine injections, including Gardasil, have come under increasing scrutiny by parents reviewing them on the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)....."Brittany's case is at a quandary," said Sean Cronin, attorney for the Bell family. Cronin says it is an uphill battle trying to investigate whether the Gardasil shot played any role in what has happened to Brittney. Christina Bell says Brittney's pediatrician does not believe there is a link. Now the Bell family has learned that Merck can't be sued over its Gardasil vaccine because it has been added to a federal list of vaccines recommended by the government. The vaccine manufacturers are insulated from liability." - CBS4-TV (Miami), Michele Gillen reporting (April 25, 2008)
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=53934@wfor.dayport.com

"Christina Bell's daughter, Brittney, was one of the young girls who received the vaccine. Just weeks later, her life took a radical turn for the worse. Seemingly, in a moment's time, Brittney's left leg became paralyzed, her ankle swinging like a rag doll's. Even with a shoe brace, she walks with a limp. "It's hard for me to lift it up," Brittney told Gillen. Brittney's limb paralysis occurred shortly after the 12 year old went to the doctor for a routine tetanus shot for school.....Last February, the FDA told CBS4 that it was investigating reports of 13 deaths following an HPV vaccination. At the time, the agency said it was confident that none were tied to the vaccine and that reports of adverse events were under review but not considered anything out of the ordinary. An FDA spokeswoman told CBS4 this week that she could not provide an update on the number of reported events, including deaths. "I haven't seen updated numbers for several months. We monitor on a daily basis but we don't total it up. We are not seeing a problem," said Susan Cruzan, spokesperson for the FDA.....Brittney's mom said she can't find a doctor willing to report an adverse reaction following the administration of her daughter's vaccines. CBS4 informed her that parents, just like doctors, can report an adverse event and the Bell family has done just that." - CBS4-TV (Miami), April 24, 2007
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=53899@wfor.dayport.com

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* ►May 8, 2008 - Gardasil Researcher Criticizes Moves to Make HPV Vaccine Mandatory - Newsinferno

* ►May 8, 2008 - Vaccine for Girls Oversold? - Immunization said to 'prevent cervical cancer.' BC govt's claims for $39 million shots program challenged. - The Tyee - "To Victoria drug policy researcher Alan Cassels, the British Columbia government's announcement of funding for the vaccine sounded more like pharmaceutical marketing than sober public health policy. The announcement made claims that are yet to be proven, said Cassels, the author of two books on drug marketing, including The ABCs of Disease Mongering."

* ►May 8, 2008 - Health experts wonder why Alberta only province not to offer HPV vaccine program - Canadian Press via Google

* ►May 8, 2008 - HPV vaccine: What doctors do not tell you - FoodConsumer.org

* ►May 8, 2008 - Malta only EU state not to discuss free HPV vaccine - Malta Today - "As the Health Minister continues to politely avoid the issue, women in Malta are being exposed to a ubiquitous billboard advertising campaign urging them to protect themselves from HPV. Among the methods advertised is immunisation by means of Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline), a three-injection vaccination programme. At around €190 a shot, the total cost of immunisation works out at between €500 and €600. One woman who has already taken two of the three shots feels that the product is overpriced. 'I was helped by family, otherwise I would not have been able to afford it,' she told MaltaToday in confidence. The same woman also feels that the advertising campaign is to a point misleading: 'The campaign omits to mention that the HPV virus is only the preliminary stage of cervical cancer and that often it takes years for the virus to develop into the illness. If well monitored and treated, a woman who has contracted the virus does not run a serious risk of it developing into cancer. Of course, taking the vaccination is a reasonable precaution; but like all effective advertising campaigns, this one has relied on scaremongering.'"

* ►May 8, 2008 - 25 years after HIV virus discovered, AIDS vaccine effort must go on: Bernstein - Canadian Press via Google

* ►May 8, 2008 - AIDS Research Continues at US Laboratory, After Human Trials Halted - Although the government and researchers halted most clinical trials for an AIDS vaccine, a research institute in Baltimore continues its work on the most deadly virus of our times.  Vaccine trials were stopped late last year when it appeared the drug put some people at a higher risk of getting the disease. Scientists at the Institute for Human Virology are hard at work developing a new vaccine. VOA producer Zulima Palacio has the story, beginning with a scientist in the institute's lab. - Voice of America

* ►May 8, 2008 - Merck Deceived FDA, Researchers Say - U.S. Medicine

* ►May 8, 2008 - North Carolina Changes Immunization Requirements - WSOC Charlotte - "Rising 6th graders now need a booster shot called T-DAP. That is if they haven't had the booster in the past 5 years."

* ►May 8, 2008 - State faces new headache over immunizing sect children - Houston Chronicle - "A state requirement that children in foster care be inoculated against disease has prompted another round of headaches for lawyers who represent 464 children taken from a polygamist ranch last month....Some parents worry that even if they don't want their children immunized, they will appear uncooperative with the state and risk losing their child forever....'If you refuse to allow your child to be inoculated, are you — the mother — going to be branded by CPS as non-cooperative? Are you going to be considered as not having the best interests of your child?'"

* ►May 8, 2008 - Health — State's children properly vaccinated from illness - Wilton Villager - "Most parents are willing to follow the recommended vaccination guidelines, but others are more reluctant, said Dr. Sarojini Kurra, a pediatrician with Doctors Pediatrics in Wilton and also at Norwalk Hospital. 'We recommend vaccines very highly, and we won't accept children as our patients if their parents don't agree to vaccinate them because this puts their children and other children at jeopardy,' Kurra said."

* ►May 8, 2008 - China virus death toll hits 30 as outbreak spreads - AFP via ABS-CBN News

* ►May 8, 2008 - High-Dose Influenza Virus Vaccine Provides Improved Immune Responses in the Elderly Compared With Conventional Dose: Presented at AGS - Doctor's Guide - "Lead author Ann R. Falsey, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, and her collaborators sought to evaluate the protective efficacy of high-dose influenza virus vaccine compared with standard-dose vaccine. The high-dose regimen tested contained haemagglutinin 60 mcg per strain, while the licensed standard-dose regimen contained haemagglutinin 15 mcg per strain, said the researchers....Funding for this study was provided by sanofi-pasteur."

* ►May 8, 2008 - CMU student dead after contracting bacterial meningitis - LaMott Smith, 26, of Sterling Heights, fell ill on Tuesday - ABC12.com

* ►May 8, 2008 - Ouch. We all might have to do this again - As the first immunized generation hits middle age, experts wonder if the shots they had as children might lose their effectiveness - Globe And Mail

* ►May 8, 2008 - Congress Criticizes FDA Over HRT Ingredient - Pharmalot

* ►May 8, 2008 - Technology improves production - The Creston News Advertiser - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX via Trading Charts - "The biggest thing that we do is vaccinations," said Dr. Gregory Weis, co-owner of Southern Hills Veterinary Services. "Veterinary medicine has come to a place where it's more economical to prevent a disease than treat it." We strive to vaccinate the majority of our clients' animals. "The cows are at less risk to get sick, even though no vaccination is 100 percent," said Weis. "The chances of their staying healthy throughout their feeding period increases." Vaccination program Before cows conceive, they are started on a vaccination program, he said."

* ►May 8, 2008 - WARF licenses influenza vaccine technology to FluGen - Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation via University of Wisconsin-Madison News - "FluGen's new technology makes this new manufacturing process faster and less expensive by increasing vaccine yield substantially. This could lead to the need for smaller facilities and less time to produce the appropriate vaccines, which could be critical in the event of a "bird flu" pandemic."

* ►May 8, 2008 - Do Antidepressants Enhance Immune Function? - Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is an epidemic of global concern. According to the most recent estimates, released in November 2007, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 33.2 million worldwide are living with HIV infection currently. Although the rates of infection appear to be decreasing, there are obviously immense implications for achieving improvements in HIV/AIDS treatment. - Elsevier, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

* ►May 8, 2008 - A longer lasting vaccine for dogs? - Medill Reports, Chicago Northwestern University - "Ronald Schultz, professor and chairman of pathobiological sciences of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is lead researcher of the Rabies Challenge Fund, testing a hypothesis that the rabies vaccine can last as long as 5 to 7 years. Currently, rabies vaccines are licensed to last only 3 years."

* ►May 7, 2008 - City man on 'Regis & Kelly' Thursday - Shakopee Valley News - “I was just very humbled by what Janine goes through on a daily basis,” Schmelz sai