Posted December 13, 2004

►December 20, 2004 - Rethinking Old Cures - Scientists are making progress on TB—again. - Newsweek via http://msnbc.msn.com

* ►December 13, 2004 - New vaccine trials bring hope of cure for diabetes - The Times, UK - "The Times has learnt that British scientists have gathered 18 patients with type 1 diabetes, which usually appears before the age of 40, to begin the trial in August."

* ►December 13, 2004 - Flu vaccine factory concerns kept secret - The Times, UK - "A vaccine factory, once run by a Labour Party donor, that shut in October because of contaminated flu jabs had been causing serious concern for years, The Times has learnt...American inspection documents show that the factory in Liverpool, now owned by Chiron but formerly by PowderJect, was warned to improve sterility five years ago. PowderJect, owned at the time by Paul Drayson, continued to produce flu vaccine despite the concerns of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...Lord Drayson, who accepted a life peerage from Tony Blair this year, was involved in a controversy in 2002 when PowderJect won a £32 million contract for smallpox vaccine not long after he made two donations of £50,000 to the Labour Party."

►December 13, 2004 - Heron in Hong Kong being tested for lethal strain of bird flu - www.abc.net.au

►December 13, 2004 - Government prepares for bird flu - AAP via http://news.ninemsn.com.au

►December 13, 2004 - Bird flu virus hits W. Nusa Tenggara - Jakarta Post

►December 13, 2004 - Fiji eradicates three diseases - Fiji Times

►December 13, 2004 - Fears grow of whooping cough wave - www.news.com.au

►December 13, 2004 - UNICEF estimates there are 150,000 HIV cases in Pakistan - Daily Times, Pakistan

►December 13, 2004 - Narayan Sewa Samiti, ray of hope for polio patients - The Navhind Times

* ►December 12, 2004 - Pandemic flu vaccine maker to start working on seed strain for H5N1 virus - CP via www.canada.com - "Holslag said ID Biomedical wants to have the viral seed in the Quebec plant before Christmas. 'But if it is not before Christmas, it's early in January'...The work will be done in a small laboratory at the facility which Health Canada agrees meets Level 2-plus biosafety standards...That trial work will tell authorities how large a dose humans need to gain protection from H5N1 and whether adjuvants - chemicals that boost the vaccine's potency - could be used to stretch initially limited supplies....As well, they should indicate whether a single dose would confer protection or whether, as experts fear, a primer dose followed by one or two booster shots would be needed...Unless adjuvants can be used, that latter scenario would mean at least 64 million doses - produced at a rate of eight million doses a month - would be required to protect 32 million Canadians."
 
* ►December 12, 2004 - Nurse in flu-shot scare claims innocence (requires registration) - AP via Mercury News - "A nurse who sent fears through a Minnesota college by selling flu shots at what the school called an unauthorized clinic said Sunday she had permission from an administrator to be there...Michelle Torgerson, 33, said she sold vaccine left over from clinics she had run in the past and maintained the vaccine was wholesome and that she did not dilute it."

* ►December 12, 2004 - Flu Shot Supply Grows, but Demand Withers - AP via South Florida Sun-Sentinel - "'It's one of those things like Beanie Babies or something,' said Doug McBride, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. 'If you can't get something, you've got more people wanting them.'"

►December 12, 2004 - More Vaccine Available, But Will People Get Flu Shots? - AP via www.ktvu.com

►December 12, 2004 - Warning as bird flu crossover danger escalates - The Observer via The Guardian, UK

►December 12, 2004 - 24 suspected bird flu cases found in Thailand in second half of 2004 - Xinhuanet via China View

►December 12, 2004 - Flu spray offers alternative amid crisis - Alameda Times-Star

►December 12, 2004 - Employers brace for flu season, remind workers to wash coffee cups (requires registration) - AP via Miami Herald

►December 12, 2004 - Flu shot eligibility expanded - Stillwater News Press

►December 12, 2004 - Flu shots available for children - The Tribune-Review via http://pittsburghlive.com

►December 12, 2004 - Hep B vaccination to become universal - www.123bharath.com

►December 12, 2004 - Vaccines aren't just for babies - Manila Bulletin

►December 12, 2004 - Medical Notes - Dr. Eduardo Gonzales - Is threat of flu pandemic real? - Manila Bulletin

►December 12, 2004 - Officials: Whooping cough serious disease - The Daily Nonpareil via www.zwire.com

►December 12, 2004 - Babies at risk in epidemic - www.news.com.au

►December 12, 2004 - Childhood under threat - How can we overcome it? - The Daily Star, Bangladesh

►December 12, 2004 - Pfizer Sales Are Booming But Safety Questions Linger - The withdrawal of Vioxx by competitor Merck has given Pfizer's two top arthritis drugs a huge share of the world market. But some of the same issues that forced the Vioxx withdrawal still swirl around Pfizer's Celebrex and Bextra. - www.theday.com

* ►December 12, 2004 - Doctors in MMR scare face public inquiry - The Sunday Times, UK - "After a year-long investigation by The Sunday Times, the doctors’ disciplinary body has ruled that allegations facing Wakefield and the others, if proved, would raise issues about their registration and fitness to continue to practise medicine...Facing charges with Wakefield are Professor John Walker-Smith, former head of paediatric gastroenterology at the Royal Free hospital, and Professor Simon Murch, who left the hospital this month....None of the accused doctors could be contacted this weekend, but all are believed to have made submissions strenuously denying any professional misconduct."

* ►December 12, 2004 - Autism's rise prompts calls for adding state services - Lowell Sun - "The Massachusetts Department of Education has only recently started keeping track of autistic children, but those numbers also indicate a large jump. In the 2001/2002 school year, there were 3,451 children compared to 4,876 in the 2003/2004 school year."

►December 12, 2004 - Comment: Minette Marrin: How the carers hijacked an autistic man called Andrew - Sunday Times, UK

►December 12, 2004 - Children with autism shine under STAR - San Diego Union-Tribune

►December 12, 2004 - Around Tweeners' Wrists, a Fad of Many Colors (requires registration) - Washington Post - "'I have four. I keep mine on all the time, when I sleep and take a shower. And it's not just for fashion either,' said Paige Keller, 10, of Rockville, who knows a kid in the neighborhood diagnosed with autism. One of her four bracelets is stamped with 'Embrace, Engage, Enable, Expand, Express' the motto adopted by a group advocating autism education and research."

►December 12, 2004 - Hong Kong piglets to get anti-JE shots - UPI via Washington Times

►December 12, 2004 - Scientists solve the mystery of how Botox attacks nerves and eliminates wrinkles - Stanford University via www.eurekalert.org

►December 12, 2004 - Clean needles - & hope - Borough gets first exchange program - New York Daily News

►December 12, 2004 - The Aids virus is a quick-change artist that copies itself at lighting speed. But a team of scientists at Rutgers believes it can outsmart the killer. - The Star Ledger via www.nj.com

►December 12, 2004 - Rutgers researchers optimistic about trio of AIDS drugs - Newsday

►December 12, 2004 - Surgeon guilty of HIV discrimination - http://tvnz.co.nz

►December 12, 2004 - Hurricanes help put damper on West Nile virus - South Florida Sun-Sentinel

►December 12, 2004 - Focus on helping children go to school - The Hindu - "For the past 20 years, Rotary has been fighting polio. Now they have moved on to illiteracy and so has its president, retired chief executive officer of the US-based Glenn Estess Associates Inc."

►December 12, 2004 - Norwalk-like virus locks down BC care facility - CP via Edmonton Sun via www.canoe.ca

►December 11, 2004 - Virus at Toronto neo-natal unit contained - CP via National Post via www.canada.com

* ►December 11, 2004 - Aventis, Chiron to Test Bird Flu Vaccine on Humans - Reuters via Yahoo! - "Aventis-Pasteur and Chiron Corp are due to start human testing of a vaccine against bird flu as early as this month, a World Health Organization official said on Saturday, to try to prevent a pandemic that could kill millions of people."

* ►December 11, 2004 - Doubts Are Raised on Push for Anthrax Vaccine (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "'When the day comes and we have to give this to 20 million people, in terms of this new vaccine, what will happen?' said Jack Melling, former head of Britain's biodefense vaccine program and now a consultant to the United States Government Accountability Office. 'The jury is still out; it is still an open question.'"

►December 11, 2004 - G7 Vaccine Bank to Fight Bioterror, Epidemics - Reuters via ABC News

►December 11, 2004 - More Questions for Producer of Flu Vaccine (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►December 11, 2004 - With supply bolstered, health officials promoting flu shots - Detroit Free Press

►December 11, 2004 - UW vs. the flu - Seattle Times - "University of Washington School of Medicine researchers are trying to gain insights into why the strain of influenza that spawned the 1918-19 'Spanish Flu' outbreak was so deadly. UW Department of Microbiology researchers are participating in a multisite study examining a portion of the virus's genome that could shed light on ways to better protect people from serious strains of influenza."

►December 11, 2004 - All high-risk people urged to get the flu vaccine now - Corvallis Gazette Times

►December 11, 2004 - Look for easing of flu-shot restrictions on Monday - Healthy people at least 50, caregivers for high-risk persons may get access - San Bernardino Sun

►December 11, 2004 - City gets 4,000 flu shots - editorial - Great Falls Tribune

►December 11, 2004 - Flu vaccine still available for high-risk area residents - Texarkana Gazette

►December 11, 2004 - Once again, all of the vaccine is gone - Kentucky Post

►December 11, 2004 - Flu vaccine enough for at-risk groups - Boston Herald

►December 11, 2004 - Flu Shots Are Here, For Some - www.keloland.com

►December 11, 2004 - Restricted flu shots may ease in county - Health officials say they expect to hear within next few days - Ventura County Star

►December 11, 2004 - Flu Bug Bites Iowa - www.kwwl.com

* ►December 11, 2004 - Flu season gets off to slow start in Iowa - It hit later this year, but last year's strain appears to be back. - http://desmoinesregister.com - "The state monitors flu levels through a network of about two dozen 'sentinel' physicians, who swab patients' noses and send the samples to the University of Iowa Hygienic Lab for testing...One of those doctors, Dr. Tom Benzoni of Sioux City, said Friday that he hasn't swabbed any patients yet, because no one has come to him with flu symptoms...Benzoni said the flu-shot 'crisis' has been exaggerated. He said most of the people excluded from shots this year never would have considered getting them until a few years ago. In the past, the vaccine was only recommended for the elderly and other members of high-risk groups, he said."

* ►December 11, 2004 - Charities hit jackpot in lawsuit - Vitamin makers offer $132M to settle actions - National Post via www.canada.com - "A group of 14 major international vitamin manufacturers have agreed to pay $132.2-million -- the largest settlement of its kind ever in Canada -- to end class-action lawsuits in connection with a price-fixing scheme...The 14 major drug companies involved in the settlement agreement include three of the largest in the world -- F. Hoffman-LaRoche Ltd. of Switzerland, BASF Aktiengesellschaft of Germany and Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. of Japan."

►December 11, 2004 - A good prescription - Our position: Tommy Thompson of HHS set example as an independent Cabinet member. - editorial (requires registration) - Orlando Sentinel

►December 11, 2004 - Boy, 16, Dies from Meningitis - PA News via The Scotsman

►December 11, 2004 - Meningitis diagnosed in Angleton - The Facts

►December 11, 2004 - BC vaccination program targets bacterial disease (requires registration ) - The Globe and Mail

►December 11, 2004 - President for urgent action to fight liver ailments - Indo-Asian News Service via www.newkerala.com

►December 11, 2004 - Officials seek link among hepatitis cases - Baltimore Sun

►December 11, 2004 - Beaumont fears 60 got hepatitis C - El Paso Times via www.borderlandnews.com - "Doctors at Beaumont Army Medical Center are looking for 60 people who had surgery there earlier this year and could have contracted the hepatitis C virus."

►December 11, 2004 - Hospitals lacking fibrinogen records - The Asahi Shimbun

►December 11, 2004 - 'I didn't think I could have HIV' - When the doctor told DJ he was HIV positive, he was sure they had made a mistake. - BBC

►December 11, 2004 - UNICEF cautions India to wage relentless war against AIDS/HIV - UNI via www.deepikaglobal.com

►December 10, 2004 - For Siblings of the Autistic, a Burdened Youth (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

* ►December 10, 2004 - Clinical Trials For New Flu Vaccine To Begin At CHMC (includes video) - www.wcpo.com - "Clinical trials for a new flu vaccine begin Monday at Children's Hospital Medical Center (CHMC)...Get a free dose, get paid and help pave the way for the rest of the country."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Lawmakers Press FDA on Whistleblower - AP via The Guardian, UK - "Twenty-two members of Congress signed a letter Friday demanding information on reports that FDA whistleblower David Graham was being punished by Food and Drug Administration officials for his outspoken testimony before a Senate committee...The letter, circulated by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and sent to acting FDA head Lester M. Crawford, said the members of Congress wanted ``to express our strong dismay at recent reports about efforts taken by some at FDA to discredit and smear Dr. Graham....'This shameful behavior by management cannot continue and we demand you put a stop to it,' the letter said."
 
►December 10, 2004 - Inland flu vaccine restrictions could loosen next week - Shots: Months of rationing have left an excess, and the state may relax eligibility limits.

►December 10, 2004 - Gates aided HIV/AIDS project begins - www.e-pao.net

►December 9, 2004 - U.S. health secretary warns of 'huge threats' of bioterrorism, says you must 'assume' attack is coming - AP via San Francisco Chronicle

►December 9, 2004 - European Commission slaps fines on groups in vitamin price-fixing case - www.eubusiness.com

Nothing Posted December 12, 2004

Posted December 11, 2004

►January 2005 - The Diphtheria and Pertussis Components of Diphtheria-Tetanus Toxoids-Pertussis Vaccine Should Be Genetically Inactivated Mutant Toxins - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases) -"Replacement of the diphtheria and aP components with these improved antigens will reduce the amount of protein in DTaP vaccine and, most likely, the incidence and severity of local reactions in teenagers and adults."

* ►January 2005 - Suppression and Modulation of Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses to Haemophilus influenzae Type B (Hib) Conjugate Vaccine in HibDiphtheria-Tetanus ToxoidsAcellular Pertussis Combination Vaccines: A Study in a Rat Model - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

* ►December 15, 2004 - Emergence of Penicillin-Nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae Clones Expressing Serotypes Not Present in the Antipneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

* ►December 15, 2004 - Induction of Sterilizing Immunity against West Nile Virus (WNV), by Immunization with WNV-Like Particles Produced in Insect Cells - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

* ►December 15, 2004 - Simian Virus 40 and Human Disease (Editorial Commentary full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases) - "It is necessary to determine, with certainty, whether a potentially oncogenic virus inadvertently introduced into the population during the course of administration of a highly successful vaccine does or does not cause any unanticipated adverse effect."

* ►December 15, 2004 - Serologic Evidence for Exposure to Simian Virus 40 in North American Zoo Workers (full text) - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

* ►December 15, 2004 - Evaluation of Combined Live, Attenuated Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Parainfluenza 3 Virus Vaccines in Infants and Young Children - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►December 15, 2004 - Comparative Analysis of Different Vaccine Constructs Expressing Defined Antigens from Mycobacterium tuberculosis - journal article (The Journal of Infectious Diseases)

►December 11, 2004 - Folate in pregnancy may need caution - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2004 - Tourette's syndrome in children - Tic disorders are common and misunderstood - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2004 - FDA panel rejects testosterone patch for women on safety grounds - journal article (BMJ) 

►December 11, 2004 - Agency warns of withdrawal risks for patients taking SSRIs - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2004 - Death rates in England and Wales and the United States: variation with age, sex, and race - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2004 - Neurodevelopmental outcomes after preterm birth - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2004 - Rethinking childhood depression - journal article (BMJ) 

►December 11, 2004 - Seriousness of adverse events: medical judgment is important - letter - journal article (BMJ)

►December 11, 2004 - Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are being ignored - letter - journal article (BMJ) 

►December 11, 2004 - Pitfalls on the road to drug safety - journal article (BMJ) 

►December 11, 2004 - Fund gives $30,000 for HIV babies - Fiji Times

►December 11, 2004 - ‘Cleft lip and palate’ cases high in Sultanate, says expert - Times of Oman

►December 11, 2004 - UK call centre staffer autopsy on Monday - Indian Express

►December 11, 2004 - US regulator raises flu vaccine doubts - www.telegraph.co.uk

* ►December 11, 2004 - Influenza Summary Update - Week 47 USA - Activity Low - CDC via Medical News Today

* ►December 11, 2004 - Animals die after anthrax shots - The Jakarta Post - "A Sleman resident, Katiman, 36, is still puzzled why two of his goats died after being inoculated with anthrax vaccine by animal husbandry officials on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 respectively...Besides Katiman, 29 other goat herders in Hargobinangun in 12 hamlets also faced the same fate. Based on data from the Hargobinangun village office, 54 goats had already died after being vaccinated...The death toll could probably rise because dozens of other vaccinated goats were in a poor condition and had no appetite."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Prozac is risky for children too - European drug regulators are concerned that Prozac, like its sister antidepressants, is unsafe for children, contrary to UK advice. - BBC

►December 10, 2004 - Chemical Compound Shows Promise Against Tuberculosis (requires registration or subscription) - New Medicine Is Best Hope Against Disease in 40 Years - The Washington Post

►December 10, 2004 - State attacks health care costs - The Washington Post via Lawrence Journal-World - "No one is immune from the problem of runaway costs in the dysfunctional American health care system -- not individual families, not businesses and certainly not state and federal governments. The universality of the problem is what makes an experiment being launched in Minnesota this month an important national story."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Human testing on hold after fever outbreaks (requires registration) - Chicago Tribune - "Still, Baxter and other firms say they aren't giving up on cell-based technology, especially since it has a history of successes on the market with other vaccines. Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella, made with cell-based technologies, are on the market, said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia....It is unclear where the problems with Baxter's PreFluCel flu vaccine were. Baxter said it will decide how to proceed after reviewing data in the trial, which involved several hundred healthy people from several European countries."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Child cancers steadily increasing - The rate of childhood cancer has slowly increased over the last three decades, research has found. - BBC - "Vaccinations can have double effect on the incidence. Studies of vaccination against tuberculosis (BCG) have shown reduced risk of childhood leukaemia, but also an excess of some lymphomas, occurring later in life."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Paediatric workers should get pertussis vaccinations - Nursing Times

* ►December 10, 2004 - Unauthorized Minn. Flu Shots Were Vaccines (requires registration) - AP via Mercury News

* ►December 10, 2004 - Flu shot clinic served as a bioterrorism drill - Low turnout surprises officials from county health department - Skagit Valley Herald - "The people who lined up for flu shots Thursday at the Skagit County Fairgrounds didn't know it, but they were participating in a Homeland Security exercise...It was the largest, and the last, flu vaccine clinic the county health department was offering this year, but officials were surprised at the relatively small turnout....Of the 1,200 doses the county had on hand, only half were administered. By noon, after only 400 high-risk people had received the shots, the county opened the clinic to anyone."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Now there's a surplus of flu vaccine - Contra Costa Times - "'The demand curve is down and the supply is picking up,' said Dr. Anthony Iton, Alameda County health officer...Kaiser Permanente still has 200,000 doses available for its Northern California members. In the past two weeks, only a handful of people got shots."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Vaccine supply up as flu season gets ready to hit peak in January - Lodi News-Sentinel - "The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that in some cases supplies have exceeded demand. The CDC has not changed the guideline but is advising that in these cases, states expand the vaccination eligibility criteria...'Of course we want to avoid the loss or waste of vaccine, so there may be cases where states should look at administering the vaccine to other folks such as anyone over 50,' said CDC spokesman Llelwyn Grant."

►December 10, 2004 - Flu shots elude some who need them most (requires registration) - Chicago Tribune

►December 10, 2004 - More can get flu shots now after guidelines expand - Muskogee Daily Phoenix

►December 10, 2004 - About 100,000 new doses of child flu vaccine en route to Florida (requires registration) - AP via Miami Herald

►December 10, 2004 - Chiron Receives FDA Warning Letter - press release - Chiron Corporation via Business Wire

►December 10, 2004 - U.S. FDA Warns Chiron Over UK Flu Vaccine Plant - Reuters

►December 10, 2004 - Asian nations work on pandemic planning, halting avian flu - CIDRAP News

►December 10, 2004 - Iowa sees season's first flu case - Cedar Rapids Gazette

►December 10, 2004 - Additional flu vaccines arrive in Randolph County - Moberly Monitor-Index and Evening Democrat - "'The injectible vaccine, because it is a dead virus, only lasts, at best, three months,' Price said. "If we wouldn't have had the delay in getting it, by February most people's protection would have begun to wane.' FluMist, a nasal form of the vaccine, lasts a full year."

►December 10, 2004 - Our Take - Regulators Quarantine Chiron - The Motley Fool

►December 10, 2004 - Residents get another shot at vaccine - Rockland Mariner via www.townonline.com

►December 10, 2004 - Virus sickens 15 elderly in nursing home - UPI via Washington Times - "Dr. Frank McGeorge, director of emergency medicine at Beamount Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., said the illness was not the flu. He likened the intestinal distress to the Norwalk-like virus that has sickened passengers on cruise ships."

►December 10, 2004 - Florida's Health Officials Warn Residents Of West Nile Virus - www.wftv.com

►December 10, 2004 - B.C. Centre for Disease Control launches meningitis vaccination program - CP via www.canada.com

►December 10, 2004 - Meningitis not always deadly - Yuma Sun

►December 10, 2004 - Deadly bug is beaten by girl - Chester Chronicle via http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk

►December 10, 2004 - Girl with meningitis home from hospital - The Herald Sun

►December 10, 2004 - Students armed for battle against meningitis scourge - Daily Post via http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk

►December 10, 2004 - More whooping cough reported - The Examiner

►December 10, 2004 - Md. Hepatitis C May Be From Medical Tests - AP via Yahoo!

►December 10, 2004 - Man wins $44,000 compensation for hep C infection - www.abc.net.au

►December 10, 2004 - Gov't to boost steps to combat hepatitis C - Japan Today

►December 10, 2004 - Hepatitis outbreak hits New Caney schools - www.khou.com

►December 10, 2004 - Experts play down increase in colds - Gulf Daily News

►December 10, 2004 - Rotary chief in town - News Today

►December 10, 2004 - Pueblo County man dies of bubonic plague - www.koaa.com

►December 10, 2004 - Hawaii Biotech Awarded $15.5 million in NIH Funding; West Nile, Dengue Grants Bring Company's Emerging Disease/Bioterrorism Funding to More Than $31 million - press release - Hawaii Biotech, Inc. via Business Wire

►December 10, 2004 - UK pledges smallpox vaccine for global use - www.4ni.co.uk

* ►December 10, 2004 - US pledges smallpox vaccine for world stockpile - CIDRAP News - "The United States is pledging 20 million doses of smallpox vaccine to a global stockpile managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson announced today...Thompson said the US pledge to the global stockpile does not compromise the supply of vaccine for Americans. 'We have stockpiled more than enough smallpox vaccine for every man, woman, and child in America,' he said. 'But in this age of global interconnectedness, we need to take extra steps to be prepared for threats around the world.'"

* ►December 10, 2004 - Nations to stockpile smallpox vaccine - AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer - "Mindful of the threat of a biological attack by terrorists, health ministers from developed countries joined forces Friday to press for the creation of an rapid-reaction center and the stockpiling of smallpox vaccines...Ministers from the Group of Seven nations, plus Mexico, ended up a two-day conference in Paris, which discussed for the first time the threat of a biological attack."

* ►December 10, 2004 - U. of Chicago fires child psychiatrist - AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer - "Dr. Bennett Leventhal, a child psychiatrist and autism specialist who helped change how the medical profession and the public viewed mental illness in children, has been removed as the University of Chicago's chief of child and adolescent psychiatry."

►December 10, 2004 - Pregnant Women Recommended To Avoid Some Fish - www.10news.com

►December 10, 2004 - Challenged Kids Get Horse Medicine - www.wnbc.com

►December 10, 2004 - Yes, she did - Merrimack River Current via www.townonline.com - "Busy hands are helping out a new local cause started by Anita Perkins, founder of the Plum Island Knitters...This past spring, Perkins started a foundation named after her 28-year-old daughter Katy to help those with autism enjoy a higher quality of life."

* ►December 10, 2004 - Autistic girl saves family from fire - Cabot Star Herald - "After a series of medical shots such as the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR) and Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio (DTP) Meagan experienced a 106 degree fever that burned her ear drums and left her mentally challenged."

►December 10, 2004 - Paid, Inc. Sponsors Second Annual 'Sports Illustrated Presents Flutie Bowl 2004' Fundraiser to Benefit Families of Children with Autism - press release - Paid, Inc. via PRNewswire-FirstCall via Yahoo!

►December 10, 2004 - Antonioni files bills to help special education students - Townsend Times

►December 10, 2004 - US-Angolan Partnership Battles HIV/Aids On Multiple Fronts - United States Department of State (Washington, DC) via http://allafrica.com

►December 10, 2004 - Sierra Leone: Efforts to Break Down HIV/Aids Stigma Starting to Pay Off - UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via http://allafrica.com

►December 10, 2004 - Africa: Greater Support Urged for Developing HIV And Malaria Vaccines - UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via http://allafrica.com

►December 10, 2004 - Ethiopia: Free HIV drugs distribution to be undertaken by government - IRIN via Reuters AlertNet

►December 10, 2004 - De-listing of generic HIV drugs fuels criticism of WHO - Proponents say drugs’ removal reveals ‘scrutiny’ of health organization - Southern Voice

►December 10, 2004 - New areas of cancer research: Biological and targeted therapies - www.mayoclinic.com

* ►December 9, 2004 - Pertussis Vaccinations Recommended for Adolescents (requires registration) - Reuters Health via www.medscape.com - "The researchers recommend a variety of region-specific approaches. For example, In North America, they say, universal adolescent and adult vaccination would foster lifelong immunity to B. pertussis infection."

* ►December 9, 2004 - Highly Statistically Significant Protective Response (p=0.0001) Achieved - PRNewswire-FirstCall - "These positive interim Phase 2/3 results strengthen our confidence that our HBV vaccine can provide important advantages in terms of rapidity and level of seroprotection in an adult population known to be difficult to immunize, and increase our belief that our vaccine represents a significant commercial opportunity for our company," said Dino Dina, M.D., president and chief executive officer."

* ►December 9, 2004 - Once scarce, flu vaccine may go wasted, officials fear - AP via The Press Democrat

* ►December 9, 2004 - Illness linked to area ZIP codes - Suny Albany professor's study maps health risks and pollutants. - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - "Researchers blame the higher disease risk on pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other types of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Buried in landfills or trapped in polluted rivers and lakes, these chemicals can be released into the air and breathed in."

* ►December 9, 2004 - EU project looks into effects of neurotoxicants - Cordis News - "Mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are two examples of persistent pollutants that build up both in the environment and the food chain. The effect they might have on people and particularly children is not fully understood, nor is the long-term effect of exposure to low doses of these substances."

* ►December 9, 2004 - Ohio Health Groups Praise Hagan Bill to Ban Schools from Buying Poultry Treated with Cipro-like Antibiotic; Link to Food Poisoning - U.S. Newswire

* ►December 9, 2004 - Hep B virus mutating, new drug in the pipeline - www.teamindia.net - "The virus causing the dreaded Hepatitis B has mutated even as scientists across the world are working on new drugs that are more effective in conquering the disease, a liver expert said today."

►December 9, 2004 - The Genetic Archaeology of Influenza - journal article (NEJM)

►December 9, 2004 - Using the Internet to Identify Infectious-Disease Outbreaks - journal article (NEJM)

►December 9, 2004 - Marginal to Mainstream: Alternative Medicine in America - journal article (NEJM)

►December 9, 2004 - Genetic defect confers risk of major depression, resistance to SSRI drug therapy - Duke University Medical Center via www.eurekalert.org

►December 9, 2004 - Children's Hospital Boston launches major genetic study of autism - Genetics, genomics, bioinformatics and neuroscience join forces - Children's Hospital Boston via www.eurekalert.org

►December 9, 2004 - Therapy Helps Kids With Chronic Fatigue - HealthDayNews via www.healthfinder.gov

►December 9, 2004 - Chamber speaker enlightens crowd on uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy - Peninsula Clarion

►December 9, 2004 - New Study in the New England Journal of Medicine Shows Exelon May Help Parkinson's Disease Patients Who Suffer From Dementia - First large, prospective, placebo-controlled study to demonstrate important benefits in these patients - PRNewswire-FirstCall via http://interestalert.com

►December 9, 2004 - Immtech's Scientific Consortium Granted U.S. Patent for Method to Combat Retroviral Infections - PRNewswire-FirstCall via http://interestalert.com

►December 9, 2004 - Bentley Pharmaceuticals Reports Successful Results of Its First Phase II Intranasal Insulin Study in Diabetic Patients (requires registration or subscription after two days) - Business Wire via CBS MarketWatch

►December 9, 2004 - bioMerieux Launches Intelligent Patient Therapy Management Solution - Improves Patient Safety and Treatment Cost Management - PRNewswire via http://interestalert.com - "The latest in intelligent patient therapy management, STELLARA also offers the clinician access to data across a hospital or hospital system to identify trends of bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility/resistance, giving the clinician a more complete picture of the local environment."

►December 9, 2004 - Final flu-shot clinic a success - Riverside County is able to give every eligible person who showed up a vaccination. (requires registration) - The Press-Enterprise

* ►December 8, 2004 - Bush Administration withheld documents about flu vaccine shortage until after the election, Democrats charge - www.newstarget.com

* ►December 8, 2004 - Snowe Praises Secretary Thompson For "Leaving No Stone Unturned" In Securing Additional Flu Vaccine Supply - HHS Announced Today Purchase of up to 4 million Doses of Vaccine - http://snowe.senate.gov

* ►December 8, 2004 - Select group needs second flu shot - AP via Log Cabin Democrat - "Children ages 6 months to younger than 9 years who have never received the influenza vaccine before this year should get two doses of it, at least one month apart, health authorities say. Because of the shortage, state health officials are administering the vaccine only to those children within that age group who are considered high risk."

* ►December 8, 2004 - New partnerships needed to insure life-saving vaccines - Canadian Press - "Prices, especially in Canada, are too low, he suggested. And with 80 per cent of the world's supply of vaccines made by five companies, production problems in one can, do, and will cause global shortages."

* ►December 8, 2004 - Industry Distortion of the F.D.A. (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "We are not optimistic that a Republican-dominated Congress and administration, beholden to drug industry campaign contributions, will leap to change a system that works to the industry's advantage."

* ►December 8, 2004 - Compliance Program Guidance Manual Inspection of Biological Drug Products - 7345.848 - FDA/CBER

►December 8, 2004 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Recent Developments and Enforcement Wrap Up - U.S. Newswire

►December 8, 2004 - First analysis of chicken genome offers many new insights - Washington University School of Medicine via www.eurekalert.org - "Other findings from the analysis, reported in the Dec. 9 issue of Nature by the International Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium, include the identification of genes that affirm the chicken's value as a model for study of developmental disorders like cleft palate and diseases like muscular dystrophy."

►December 8, 2004 - Hypertension trial stopped early - A major trial looking at the best drugs to treat high blood pressure has been stopped early because the results were so good. - BBC

►December 8, 2004 - Whooping Cough Forces School Shutdown - Ottumwa School Worried About Outbreak - www.theiowachannel.com

►December 8, 2004 - Certain Immune Genes Key in Fighting HIV - HealthDayNews via Forbes

►December 8, 2004 - Diseases no match for human ingenuity (requires registration or subscription) (book review) - The Miami Herald - "Millions Saved, a new book released Tuesday, chronicles 17 such successful efforts."

►December 8, 2004 - Patton panel addresses HIV - Hospital details its procedures - San Bernardino County Sun

►December 8, 2004 - Prop. 71 stem cell funds bring hopes of major breakthrough Diabetes a first target for research in regenerative medicine - San Francisco Chronicle

►December 8, 2004 - TOPIGEN to conduct first clinical trial for new inhalation drug to treat asthma - FDA approves TOPIGEN's ASM8 Investigational New Drug Application - PRNewswire via http://interestalert.com

►December 8, 2004 - Call for probe into NIMR claims - Minister urged to investigate claims that MRC chief coerced staff over relocation plans - The Scientist via www.biomedcentral.com

►December 8, 2004 - PTC Therapeutics Receives Orphan Drug Designation for PTC124 For the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis - PRNewswire via http://interestalert.com

►December 8, 2004 - Guidelines for sinusitis agreed to by allergists, otolaryngologist - head and neck surgeons - www.vidyya.com

►December 8, 2004 - First-ever safety study of medical cannabis use in Canada launched - McGill University via www.eurekalert.org

►December 8, 2004 - New Drug Application Submitted to FDA for Intravenous Injection of Boniva(TM) - Would Be First IV Bisphosphonate Treatment for Osteoporosis - Market Wire via http://interestalert.com

* ►December 7, 2004 - Web Can Quickly Spot Disease Outbreaks - In some cases, specialized e-mail networks can sound the call even before the government knows. - HealthDayNews via Principal Health News - "The electronic grapevine of the 21st century had worked to astonishing effect, and quite a bit better than official governmental systems set up to do the same thing."

* ►December 7, 2004 - Public health group warns about impending plastic problem - San Angelo Standard Times - "But the two most common means of disposal - incineration and landfills- present health hazards, the report said. Incineration of PVC plastics releases dioxins, an exceptionally toxic group of chemicals that persist in the environment, accumulate in the fatty tissue of people and animals and have been associated with cancer, developmental disorders and other health effects, the report said."

* ►December 7, 2004 - Britain Urges Against Use of Antidepressant ; Ties Wyeth Bestseller to Harmful Effects - The Bergen County Record via www.rednova.com - "Madison-based drug maker Wyeth said it would challenge the ruling on the drug, which is marketed as Effexor in the United States."

►December 7, 2004 - Celebrex safer than Vioxx, a study suggests - AP via Detroit Free Press - "In October, sales of Celebrex, made by Pfizer Inc., topped $260 million, or 63.5 percent of the market for Cox-2 inhibitors, according to IMS Health data."

* ►December 6, 2004 - Smuggled Birds May Harbor Avian Flu - Atlanta Journal-Constitution via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►December 5, 2004 - Buying a Front-Row Seat for a Future in Biodefense - Washington Post via www.immunizationinfo.org

►December 5, 2004 - States Ranked on Health Behavior - Philadelphia Inquirer via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►December 5, 2004 - All Business: Questions loom over Merck's severance plan - AP via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - "Given all this, the company disclosed earlier this week in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had adopted a new compensation plan for top executives. It offers one-time severance payments of up to triple their salary and bonus as well as other perks like health benefits if Merck was acquired and they lost their jobs."

►December 3, 2004 - CSL, Aventis to Supply Flu Vaccines to Australian Government - Dow Jones Newswires via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

* ►December 2, 2004 - Only 15 Percent of Elderly Got Flu Shots - New Jersey Journal via www.immunizationinfo.org

►December 2004 - Toward the definition of childhood migraine. - journal article (Current Opinion in Pediatrics)

* ►December 2004 - Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations to reflect implementation challenges (requires registration) - First overhaul of the ACIP’s recommendations since 1991 could be published by June 2005. - Infectious Diseases in Children

* ►December 2004 - Promising vaccines in development, but delivery system is fragile (requires registration) - Progress is fragile, expert says, but there are promising vaccines on the horizon that could come to fruition in 2005. - Infectious Diseases in Children

* ►December 2004 - Flu vaccine shortage may draw attention to waning industry (requires registration) - The highly publicized influenza vaccine shortage stole the vaccine spotlight this year, but could also bring attention to deeper problems in the industry. - Infectious Diseases in Children

* ►December 2004 - Variant CJD waning, but second wave from transfusions possible (requires registration) - Blood banks wrestle with balancing risk and safety with public demand and cost. - Infectious Diseases in Children

* ►December 2004 - CDC launching new autism campaign in February (requires registration) - “Learn the Signs. Act Early” hopes to raise awareness of the importance of early intervention for children with developmental disorders. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2004 - Kawasaki disease not diagnosed in extremes of age range (requires registration) - American Heart Association revises guidelines for diagnosing, managing and caring for children with KD. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2004 - Community-acquired MRSA infections in children on the rise in some areas (requires registration) - Increasing numbers of children are having CA-MRSA recurrences. - Infectious Diseases in Children ►December 2004 - Taking a stand against bad bugs is difficult with no drugs (requires registration) - The IDSA introduced a plan this year that would stimulate antibiotic development and tackle emerging, drug-resistant bacteria. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2004 - What's Your Diagnosis (requires registration) - A monthly case study featured in Infectious Diseases in Children, with treatment information and discussion to follow. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2004 - 2004: a look back (requires registration) - Publication of the AOM/OME guidelines was a highlight of 2004; meanwhile, the lackluster vaccine supply system hit a low point. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2004 - The pediatrician’s guide to hearing loss identification and management (requires registration) - Early remediation of hearing problems helps prevent speech and language deficiencies. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2004 - Pros and cons to rectal administration of acetaminophen (requires registration) - Using acetaminophen suppositories requires certain precautions be taken. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►November 23, 2004 - Beneficial effect of erythropoietin on experimental allergic encephalomyelitis - journal article (Annals of Neurology)

►November 15, 2004 - Does influenza vaccination exacerbate asthma in children? - journal article (Vaccine)

►November 2004 - Biased Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Subclass Production in a Case of Hyper-IgM Syndrome - journal article (Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology)

►November 2004 - Primary adrenal insufficiency in childhood and adolescence: Advances in diagnosis and management - journal article (Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health)

►November 2004 - Dyskinesias and associated psychiatric disorders following streptococcal infections - journal article (Child: Care, Health, and Development)

►October 22, 2004 - Comparison of varicella history with presence of varicella antibody in refugees - journal article (Vaccine)