* ►November 5, 2008 - Updated Estimates of Pharmaceutical Company Payments to Physicians in Vermont - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Effect of Combined Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 on Cancer Risk in Women - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - journal article (JAMA)

* ►November 5, 2008 - Child and Adolescent Health—A Call for Papers - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Medical Devices Under Scrutiny - journal article (JAMA)

* ►November 5, 2008 - Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis and the People Who Pay the Price - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Persons Tested for HIV—United States, 2006 - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Cannabislike Drugs May Hold Key to Treating Pain While Bypassing the Brain - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Integrity of Active Components of Botanical Products Used in Complementary and Alternative Medicine - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Integrity of Active Components of Botanical Products Used in Complementary and Alternative Medicine—Reply - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - US Health Aid Beyond PEPFAR - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Alzheimer Disease Gene - journal article (JAMA)

►November 5, 2008 - Finally, AMC to get yellow fever vaccines - Times of India

►November 5, 2008 - Anti-cervical cancer vaccine launched in Gujarat - Express News Service via Indian Express

►November 5, 2008 - Cervical cancer vaccine withdrawal is a setback - Irish Times

►November 5, 2008 - Now, Sun Pharma under US FDA lens - Times of India

* ►November 4, 2008 - Voting and Vaccinations - The Vote and Vax project wants to raise the number of people getting vaccinated - video - ABC News

* ►November 4, 2008 - Pasta, vaccines offered to voters on Election Day (includes video) - NewsChannel 9 WSYR

* ►November 4, 2008 - McCain or Obama win? Level 4 Bio-Defense Lab will remain a controversial Boston issue - Open Media Boston

* ►November 4, 2008 - High Court Case Looms Large for Drugmakers (requires registration) - Washington Post - "Without preemption, Wyeth and its supporters argue, fear of litigation could keep vital drugs off the market and excessive warning labels will scare people into skipping medications they need. But Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), one of 18 members of Congress who filed a brief supporting Levine, said in an interview that the 'threat of liability acts as one of the most powerful incentives for companies to be more concerned about safety.' If the court rules for Wyeth, Waxman said, 'Congress has an obligation to change the law if it's harmful to consumers.'"

* ►November 4, 2008 - High Ranking FDA Officials Objected to Preemption Policies - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►November 4, 2008 - What is pre-emption, and what does it mean for drug lawsuits? - The Supreme Court considers whether patients hurt by drugs can sue drug companies that followed U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines - Scientific American

* ►November 4, 2008 - High Court Appears Torn Over Drug Labeling Case - Legal Times via Law.com

* ►November 4, 2008 - Infant formula wars - Village Green Blog via San Francisco Chronicle - "Last week, Environmental Working Group, the advocacy research group that brought to light the presence of bisphenol A in some food products, sent letters to several companies asking them to 'immediately repackage formula and canned food to remove this chemical, shown by many studies to cause brain and reproductive system damage in crucial stages of development.'... 'We're going to baby formula companies directly because we can't wait for the FDA. Their track record concerning this toxic sex hormone has been horrible,' said Alex Formuzis, a spokesman for the group."

* ►November 4, 2008 - Minnesota sues Lilly over Zyprexa - Newsinferno.com

* ►November 4, 2008 - MDs grapple with McCarthy Effect (requires registration or subscription) - The Globe and Mail - "Ms. McCarthy's crusades aren't going unnoticed; she's made various media appearances and landed a recent cover story in US Weekly. In response to Ms. McCarthy and other advocates, doctors who treat children with autism say, their bedside manner has had to evolve."

* ►November 4, 2008 - Life After an Autism Diagnosis - Autism in America: How Families Must Adjust - ABC News

* ►November 4, 2008 - David Kirby on HuffPo: Rain, Autism and Mercury - Age of Autism

* ►November 4, 2008 - Best of Age of Autism: Mercury is in the Air By Mark Blaxill - Age of Autism

* ►November 4, 2008 - Autism Link with Rainy Climates Points Squarely at Vitamin D Deficiency - NaturalNews.com

* ►November 4, 2008 - Study looks at autism, rain - Washington among states examined for possible link - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

* ►November 4, 2008 - Comment: When not to write about autism - New Scientist

* ►November 4, 2008 - ABC News On Call Voices and Views: Autism By Kim Stagliano - Age of Autism

* ►November 4, 2008 - The People That You Meet By Kub Marshman - Age of Autism

►November 4, 2008 - HPV vaccination programme on hold - RTE.ie - "Currently the National Cervical Screening Programme, CervicalCheck, is being rolled out. That programme will provide free smear tests through primary care settings to the 1.1m women in Ireland aged between 25 and 60."

* ►November 4, 2008 - HPV vaccine shelved - Belfast Telegraph - "The Minister for Health Mary Harney has announced that due to current economic constraints, the rollout of the HPV vaccination programme will not go ahead."

* ►November 4, 2008 - The debate over the HPV vaccine - Victoria News - "While health professionals touted the benefits, parents started raising concerns about the safety and implications of the vaccine....Parents have the right to not allow their daughters to have the vaccination. However, provincial legislation permits children under the age of 19, who are able to understand the risks and benefits of the vaccine, to consent to or refuse the vaccine, regardless of their parent’s or guardian’s wishes."

* ►November 4, 2008 - MedImmune initiates Phase I/IIa RSV vaccine trial - Datamonitor via Comtex via Trading Markets - "MedImmune, a biotechnology company, has initiated a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of a live, attenuated intranasal vaccine in healthy children one month to 12 months of age to help prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus infections....The investigational vaccine, MEDI-559, is being developed through a cooperative R&D agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to help address RSV disease in children."

* ►November 4, 2008 - Just How Effective is the Flu Vaccine? - Christian Broadcasting Network - "Barbara Loe Fisher heads of the non-governmental National Vaccine Information Center. She says the repeated references to 36,000 seems to be an attempt to scare people into getting the shot. Fisher suggests the public is smart enough to decide independently. A free market would be better, she believes. 'If we allow vaccines to be subject to the test of the marketplace, then the public will use those vaccines they consider to be safe, effective, and necessary,' Fisher says. Fisher has a new book on the safety issues with vaccines, 'Vaccines, Autism & Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic.' Those concerns have led her to look at alternatives."

* ►November 4, 2008 - AAP Statement Calls for All Children, Aged 6 Months to 18 Years, to Receive Influenza Vaccine - American Academy of Pediatrics via Doctor's Guide

* ►November 4, 2008 - Too Many High-Risk Teens Not Getting Flu Shots - Those with asthma, other conditions have vaccination rates far below goals, study finds - HealthDay via U.S. News & World Report

* ►November 4, 2008 - 'No need for flu jabs for healthy' - This is Scunthorpe, UK

►November 4, 2008 - Flu clinic becomes emergency drill - Frederick News-Post

►November 4, 2008 - Lack of Genetic Diversity in Chicken Coops Could Worsen Bird Flu Outbreaks - Discover Magazine

►November 4, 2008 - Birds of a Feather: Commercial Producers Play Chicken with Avian Flu - Narrowing the gene pool to enhance meat and egg production in chickens could provoke some unintended consequences - Scientific American

* ►November 4, 2008 - 21 at Revere get antibiotics after meningitis death - Medication is a precaution; no students or staff show symptoms - Houston Chronicle - "Ana Cortez, an eighth-grader, died three days after visiting a campus nurse complaining of a headache. Her death is Houston's first this year attributed to meningitis. Houston health officials remain unsure whether the girl had the viral form of the infection, or the more deadly bacterial meningitis. 'The test was inconclusive, but we are treating it as bacterial,' said Kathy Barton, a city health department spokeswoman. Among the reasons a test would not pinpoint whether the girl had the bacterial form of the infection is that she received antibiotics prior to testing."

* ►November 4, 2008 - Boy in Panhandle town dies from meningitis - AP via KTEN.com

►November 4, 2008 - Nigeria: EU Prime Spends N17 Billion On Routine Immunisation - Daily Trust (Abuja) via AllAfrica.com

►November 4, 2008 - Healthy U: How to detect shingles (includes video) - NBC Augusta

►November 4, 2008 - Virus causes irregular heartbeat: study - The Age, Australia

►November 4, 2008 - Bill Gates meets Ramadoss, discusses polio eradication - PTI via The Hindu

* ►November 4, 2008 - Bill Gates & polio in India - Bill Gates is in town. He is expected to launch a special anti-polio drive, among other things. - Livemint.com

►November 4, 2008 - Hepatitis A outbreak reported at elementary school - Seacoastonline.com

* ►November 4, 2008 - Warning over measles epidemic - Manchester Evening News - "So far this year, there have been 260 reported cases across Greater Manchester and Cheshire with outbreaks in Manchester city centre and Trafford. There have also been 100 cases in Lancashire and eight cases in Liverpool in recent months."

* ►November 4, 2008 - Measles case study - Manchester Evening News - "Rachael Whittle, from Longsight, Manchester, was so worried by research linking the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab to autism and the bowel disorder Crohn's disease that she put off giving Lola-Mae the jab, but she became so sick with the disease she had to be admitted to St Mary's Hospital, Manchester."

►November 4, 2008 - “Tara’s Dance”: Upstaging Measles One Performance at a Time - Dance recital provides an ideal opportunity to educate friends and family about the Measles Initiative - Red Cross

►November 4, 2008 - Canadian researchers make Ebola breakthrough - Winnipeg Free Press via Canada.com

* ►November 4, 2008 - China Admits Melamine Widely Used in Animal Feed - NaturalNews.com

►November 4, 2008 - Jim Schumacher and Debbie Bookchin: The McCain/Palin War on Fruit Flies - Why We Can't Afford Continued Ignorance in the White House - The Huffington Post

►November 4, 2008 - Scientists create ‘good bugs' to fight ‘bad bugs' - The Miami Herald

►November 4, 2008 - Google Fights Biological Viruses - InformationWeek

►November 4, 2008 - Import warning as bluetongue vaccination programme gets under way - Scotland's compulsory bluetongue vaccination campaign has swung into force amid repeated warnings about the devastating effects of the disease and the risk of importing animals from Europe. - FarmersWeekly

►November 4, 2008 - Compulsary bluetongue vaccination programme in Scotland - The Telegraph, UK

* ►November 4, 2008 - Vaccinations Against Bird Flu Should Happen Now, Say Experts - Novartis via Medical News Today - "Dr John Wood, from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, a government funded body which helps in the production and testing of vaccines for emerging flu strains, told the BBC: "The fact that they seem to have this protection after eight years is really interesting." He added: "If governments are thinking about stockpiling vaccine, you could actually be stockpiling it in people's arms."

►November 4, 2008 - New Vaccines for Adults: Which Do You Need? - Infection Control Today

►November 4, 2008 - Glaxo To Reorganize US Pharma Operations - Pharmalot

►November 4, 2008 - Court tackles whether drug labels shield manufacturers - Case pits amputee against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. - news (Nature)

* ►November 4, 2008 - Merck: Justice Dept. Is Probing Promotion Of Vytorin - Merck via CNN Money

►November 4, 2008 - Does the Supreme Court Control Your Investment? - The Motley Fool

►November 4, 2008 - Getting tough on makers of tiny tubes - Carbon-nanotube manufacturers need to notify the EPA before they start production. - news (Nature)

►November 4, 2008 - Lawmakers Urge Pfizer To Keep Contractors - Pharmalot

►November 4, 2008 - Chagas Disease: An Expert Interview With Caryn Bern, MD, MPH (requires registration) - Medscape

* ►November 3, 2008 - MIT captures single-cell response to vaccination - Chemical engineers study immune cells in unprecedented detail - Massachusetts Institute of Technology via EurekAlert! - "Currently, the only way to test whether a vaccine has worked is to examine a patient's blood sample for the presence of antibodies. However, such tests do not offer a comprehensive picture of the immune system's ability to fight off infection, said Love. "We don't know the diversity of antibodies generated, and we don't know how well they're responding to the pathogen. We don't know how poised the immune system is to respond to challenges it might face," he said. His team's new approach generates information including the number of B cells present, whether they produce antibodies, the type of antibody they produce (for example, those that promote a long or short term response), the specificity (for a target like a protein from a virus or bacterium), and affinity (strength of binding to the target)."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Read The Supreme Court Preemption Transcript - Pharmalot

* ►November 3, 2008 - Preemption Play-By-Play From The Supreme Court - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - Nigeria Seeks US Defendants In Pfizer Trovan Trial - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - Minnesota Sues Eli Lilly Over Zyprexa Marketing - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - Bioterrorism’s Deadly Math - Anthrax Vaccine -- posts by Meryl Nass, M.D.

►November 3, 2008 - Free Flu Vaccines for Veterans and Their Families - Westside Today

►November 3, 2008 - Flu shot may deliver aches, fatigue, but not the flu - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

►November 3, 2008 - Underrated in America: Vaccines - WalletPop

* ►November 3, 2008 - N.H. aims to give flu shots to every child  - State wants every child vaccinated against flu - Eagle Tribune

* ►November 3, 2008 - New strains of influenza virus put more people at risk: health official - CBC

* ►November 3, 2008 - Mercury Containing Flu Vaccines Pushed On Queuing Voters - “Vote and vaccinate” programs rolled out nationwide in an effort to hard sell shots - Infowars.net via PrisonPlanet.com

* ►November 3, 2008 - I Endorse John McCain for President. He is the Autism Candidate. (includes video) - Adventures in Autism

* ►November 3, 2008 - McCain's vote didn't help special-needs kids - letter - Sky Hi Daily News

* ►November 3, 2008 - Conflicting HPV guidance puts GPs in 'impossible situation' - GPs are being placed in an ‘impossible situation’ by PCTs issuing conflicting guidance on how they should deal with a surge in requests for HPV vaccinations. - Pulse, UK

* ►November 3, 2008 - No vaccine delivery in EICS schools - Board splits vote 4-3 - Fort Saskatchewan Record - "EICS is one of many Catholic school boards in Alberta that have decided against offering the vaccine as part of a school immunization program."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Simple shot could save a child's life - Some students and teachers at Revere Middle School are now taking a round of antibiotics after an 8th grader died from meningitis. The young girl attended that west Houston school. Health officials believe she had bacterial meningitis, which is the most deadly kind. (includes video) - KTRK ABC

* ►November 3, 2008 - Sierra’s memory lives on - Family, friends to host free meningitis vaccination clinic - Loveland Reporter-Herald

* ►November 3, 2008 - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Swiss Vaccine Research Institute and Institut Genetique Moleculaire Montpellier: Study Sheds Light on the Mechanisms of Increased Risk of HIV Infection in the Step HIV Vaccine Trial - New Avenues for Vaccine Research - press release - SIVR via Business Wire via MarketWatch

►November 3, 2008 - Immunity, from the cell's point of view - Chemical engineers study immune cells in unprecedented detail - MIT News Office - "MIT engineers have painted the most detailed portrait yet of how single cells from the immune system respond to vaccination."

►November 3, 2008 - Nutritional supplements lack FDA scrutiny - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

►November 3, 2008 - Supreme Court takes up drug warning labels - The case pits a Vermont musician who lost a limb against a pharmaceutical giant. - Christian Science Monitor

►November 3, 2008 - Bisphenol A OK - letter - Salt Lake Tribune

►November 3, 2008 - Vaccine warning follows measles outbreaks - Ellesmere Port Pioneer - icCheshireOnline

 ►November 3, 2008 - Call for MMR uptake as measles hits city - Liverpool Echo

* ►November 3, 2008 - Afghanistan: Polio drive misses 120,000 children - IRIN Asia - "More than seven million children under five were immunised against poliovirus and over six million given supplementary vitamin A capsules during a three-day nationwide immunisation campaign which started on 18 October."

* ►November 2, 2008 - Does the Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Even Work In the Recommended Age Bracket? - Inside Vaccines

* ►October 31, 2008 - Two-year-old still battling killer disease - Whangarei Northern Advocate - "'It shows that this disease is still very much present in Northland,' he said. 'What we are seeing now are cases more often caused by other strains, which are just as nasty. It's very important for people to realise they have to take their sick children to a doctor.'"

►October 31, 2008 - Juries vs. FDA on drug safety - op-ed (requires registration) - Boston Globe

►October 31, 2008 - FDA Chief: Bisphenol-A Review Raises Important Questions - Dow Jones via CNNMoney.com

►October 31, 2008 - 20,000 Welsh teenagers get cervical cancer drug - Healthcare Equipment and Supplies

►October 30, 2008 - Autism linked to the brain's social wiring - The Johns Hopkins News-Letter

►October 30, 2008 - Autism therapy works, but . . . Province won"t expand program - Chronicle Herald

►October 30, 2008 - Boots joins Pampers and UNICEF in 2008 tetanus vaccine initiative - Boots is joining the Pampers and UNICEF tetanus vaccine initiative for one month during the forthcoming campaign. - UKPRwire

►October 30, 2008 - In Chad, UN agency holds workshop as part of polio eradication programme - UN News Centre

* ►October 30, 2008 - Tetanus a potential backyard menace - Straight.com - "The fact that the tetanus vaccine is only given in conjunction with those for diphtheria and pertussis, however, concerns Edda West, the coordinator of the Vaccination Risk Awareness Network. 'The public has no say what vaccine combinations are available to them,' West said.... 'A lot of people are extremely annoyed that they can't get a single tetanus vaccine. It removes decision-making from the public. The fact that they are making a formula that forces other vaccines on people in [sic] unconscionable.'"

* ►October 30, 2008 - Don't buy the vaccines-autism myth - WorldNetDaily - "Technology must never be accepted blindly. It must always be examined critically. In the case of the medical technology and research behind vaccinations, however, only the most willfully ignorant American citizen could choose to believe the myth of vaccination-caused autism when so much credible evidence exists to the contrary."

* ►October 30, 2008 - Common Cold Symptoms Caused By Immune System -- Not The Cold Virus - A University of Calgary scientist confirms that it is how our immune system responds, not the rhinovirus itself, that causes cold symptoms. Of more than 100 different viruses that can cause the common cold, human rhinoviruses are the major cause. - University Of Calgary via ScienceDaily

* ►October 30, 2008 - Polio survivor - Barbara Watson, who suffers from Post Polio Syndrome, is encouraging parents to get their children immunised during Polio Awareness Month. - Star News Group, Australia

* ►October 30, 2008 - Mother's vaccination plea over measles jab - The Argus.co.uk - "'In August my daughter contracted suspected measles. 'I asked for her to be tested to confirm it was measles but the test came back inconclusive because it had not been completed correctly. 'I was told, as my daughter had pretty much recovered by this point, to just forget about it because she was OK.'"
 
* ►October 30, 2008 - Benefits of flu vaccination hotly debated - CIDRAP News - "Presenters at the 48th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and the 46th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (ICAAC-IDSA) presented abundant but often contradictory evidence regarding flu vaccine's direct and indirect protective abilities....But vaccinating children to protect others was challenged in a separate presentation, with Catherine Weil-Oliver of the Universite de Paris arguing that indirect benefit "has not been demonstrated in schoolchildren in any European study. . . . In children younger than two, no indirect benefit has been recorded at all.'"

►October 30, 2008 - Holding Bird Flu Samples Hostage Is Danger for World, US Says - Bloomberg

►October 30, 2008 - Widespread Vaccination Keeps Unvaccinated Flu-Free - Getting flu shots to more people, especially health care workers in geriatric facilities, also keeps unvaccinated people safer. Karen Hopkin reports (includes podcast) - Scientific American

►October 30, 2008 - Health experts probe hepatitis death link - Irish Independent

►October 30, 2008 - Patients v. Big Pharma: Supreme Court to Decide Landmark Case - Should patients have the right to sue drug companies for personal injuries from FDA-approved prescription drugs? - AlterNet

►October 30, 2008 - Health region sets dates for cancer vaccine clinics - Calgary Herald via Canada.com

►October 30, 2008 - Monoclonal Antibody-Based Products Market to Reach $68.4 Billion by 2015, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. - Monoclonal antibodies represent one of the successes of the biotechnology industry along with a broad range of therapeutics and diagnostics. By the year 2015, monoclonal antibody-based products market is projected to reach $68.4 billion, primarily driven by rapid advances in technology that enable antibodies to specifically target disease-causing cells. - press release - Global Industry Analysts, Inc. via PRWeb

* ►October 30, 2008 - Consumers Union Urges FDA to Conduct Full Scale Safety Review of Nanoparticles in Sunscreen - press release - Consumers Union via PRNewswire-USNewswire via Comtex via MarketWatch

* ►October 29, 2008 - High court pits FDA approval against states - USA Today

►October 29, 2008 - U.S. looks at whether home drug stockpiles for flu pandemic makes sense - Canadian Press via Google

►October 29, 2008 - Northfield Labs seeks priority approval of blood substitute (requires registration) - Chicago Tribune

►October 27, 2008 - Wyeth Builds Case for Enhanced Version of Prevnar Vaccine - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►October 19, 2008 - Lack of sunlight linked to male infertility - AAP via www.news.com.au

►October 7, 2008 - Why Current Publication Practices May Distort Science - journal article (PLoS Medicine)

►October 2008 - Bonita Nakanyala: "There is no way I will disclose my client's status to them." - PlusNews Global

* ►October 2008 - Bluetongue outbreak comes from illegal vaccine - NewScientist.com

* ►October 2008 - Health Care Guideline: Immunizations (pdf) - Thirteenth Edition - Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement - "The information contained in this ICSI Health Care Guideline is intended primarily for health professionals and the following expert audiences:  physicians, nurses, and other health care professional and provider organizations;  health plans, health systems, health care organizations, hospitals and integrated health care delivery systems;  health care teaching institutions;  health care information technology departments; medical specialty and professional societies; researchers; federal, state and local government health care policy makers and specialists; and employee benefit managers." "Pregnant women who never have been seen (i.e., have received no dose of pediatric DTP, DTaP or DT or of adult Td or TT) should receive a series of three vaccinations containing tetanus and diphtheria toxoids starting during pregnancy to ensure protection against maternal and neonatal tetanus. A single dose of Tdap can be substituted for one dose of Td during pregnancy, and then the series completed with Td."

* ►Autumn 2008 - Bioterrorism’s Deadly Math - Despite billions spent, we’re not yet ready for a big attack. - City Journal

►Autism Voices and Views - OnCall+ ABC News

►November 10, 2008 - Judging genetic risks: Physicians often caught between what patients want and what science offers - As genetic testing finds its way into routine clinical practice, the path to personalized medicine could leave physicians susceptible to expanded liability risks. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Med schools report record enrollments, more minorities - First-year class size has grown each year of the past decade, but concerns about future physician shortages remain. - www.ama-assn.org

* ►November 10, 2008 - Parity at last: Mental health, physical health get equal coverage - A new law will end the higher cost-sharing and stricter treatment limits that many health plans impose on mental health coverage. - www.ama-assn.org

* ►November 10, 2008 - Pennsylvania health system reform hits snag over coverage, liability help - The governor won't support medical liability assistance for physicians unless the state covers more of its uninsured. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - California law mandates discussing end-of-life options - Physicians must talk about hospice, at the request of dying patients, but they are not required to discuss palliative sedation or refusal of food and water. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Use of shared peer review findings is questioned - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Lack of interest derails Medicare B drug program - The alternative purchasing system for drugs given in the office had only about 4,200 physicians and one drug vendor sign on in three years. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Doctors tally the economic value practices bring to communities - Medical societies are emphasizing how physicians' practices help local and state economies as they seek recruiting help and financial incentives. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Hospital can share P4P bonus with physicians, OIG says - The opinion could allow more expanded collaborative efforts to improve quality and contain costs, experts said. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Selling the subsidy: Questions remain on hospital-physician IT collaboration - Despite changes to federal rules that allow hospitals to donate health IT to physicians, studies show neither hospitals nor physicians are jumping at the opportunity. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Intensive approaches advised for obese youth - Access to these services can be challenging, and experts say simpler strategies must be found to address this problem more widely. - www.ama-assn.org

* ►November 10, 2008 - The poorer the kids, the worse their health, study says - A third of the poorest children are reported to be in less than optimal health compared with 7% of children from the wealthiest families. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - Letters to the Editor - When considering organ donation approaches, look to Spain, not Iran - Properly provided drug samples do not undermine generic prescriptions - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - News in brief: Health & Science - U.S. suicide risk going up - More smokers are highly addicted - Atrial fibrillation and bisphosphonates - FDA issues new warning about psoriasis drug - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - News in brief: Government & Medicine - Cutting back on care - States may see more budget shortfalls - Calif. high court leaves medical marijuana statute intact - www.ama-assn.org

►November 10, 2008 - News in brief: Professional Issues - AHRQ funds project on preventing bloodstream infections - www.ama-assn.org

►November 4, 2008 - Gates to launch major healthcare initiative - IANS via Gulf Times

►November 4, 2008 - Pharmacy offers jab against cervical cancer - The Times, UK - "Boots said that it had conducted a survey in which 65 per cent of women said that they would visit a pharmacy to request and buy three courses of a vaccine over six months."

►November 4, 2008 - Severe meningitis often leads to long-term problems - Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine via Reuters India

►November 4, 2008 - Kiwi scanner could end mass chaos of anthrax hoaxe - Press Release: Foundation For Research Science And Technology via Scoop.co.nz

►November 4, 2008 - HPV issues - letter - Central Peace Signal

►November 4, 2008 - HIV's evolution - The Congo city of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) provided the right environment for the viral grandfather of HIV to jump from chimpanzees to humans, according to research published in Nature. DNA analysis from early biopsies suggests the virus jumped from apes to humans sometime between 1884 and 1924. - Mail & Guardian Online

* ►November 3, 2008 - Vaccines, Politics & Media: Both Sides? by Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Awakening

* ►November 3, 2008 - NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

Vaccines, Politics & Media: Both Sides? by Barbara Loe Fisher

http://www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/
http://www.nvic.org/
http://www.standupbecounted.org/

With a little help from his friends, a man who has made millions from creating and promoting forced use of vaccines has begun the process of canonizing himself. Frustrated that his new book attempting to debunk the autism-vaccine connection is not selling well, Paul Offit is desperately trying to lose the Dr. Proffit label and morph into a martyr even as he continues to lead a public attack begun in 2007 on those questioning vaccine safety and defending informed consent to vaccination.

The day before Halloween, Offit's good friend TV doc Nancy Snyderman gave him a helping hand when she attempted to relentlessly browbeat the intellectually honest and affable Matt Lauer into agreeing with Offit that public debate about vaccines and autism is dangerous and should immediately cease. Gritting her teeth through a steely grin and hissing "It is NOT controversial" at her stunned NBC-TV colleague over and over again, Snyderman's on-camera meltdown was an unexpected Halloween treat for Moms making breakfast for the kids.

The interesting thing about Snyderman's glowing video tribute to her friend and subsequent tantrum when Lauer innocently labeled the vaccine- autism topic a "controversy," was her insistence that public debate should stop because her hero had gotten "death threats" presumably from distraught parents of vaccine injured autistic children. That same sentiment was forwarded by medical reporters at Newsweek magazine and ABC- TV, who appeared to agree with Offit's point of view that citizens questioning vaccine safety and forced use of vaccines are dangerous.

Adopting a strategy similar to the one that Merck pro-actively employed in 2006 to roll out the poorly tested and reactive Gardasil vaccine, Offit and his colleagues are demonizing parents and doctors questioning vaccine safety by characterizing them as ignorant, crazed, anti-science religious fanatics with a penchant for violance. In a desperate play for sympathy, pro-forced vaccination proponents agreeing with Offit's big stick approach are trying to deflect attention from the fact that they, themselves, created the current climate of fear, distrust, and anger. The bitterness now being expressed by parents, who have been belittled, harassed and threatened by hostile doctors inside and outside of government for standing up for their right to protect their children from vaccine injury and death, was inevitable.

When mothers and fathers take their healthy sons and daughters to pediatricians to get vaccinated and then witness them suffering vaccine reactions and regressing into chronic poor health within hours, days and weeks of getting sometimes 5 to 10 vaccines on one day, they are not going to accept an illogical, unscientific explanation like "it's all a coincidence." When mothers and fathers are thrown out of pediatricians offices and denied child medical care for asking questions about vaccines; or reported to child protective services for refusing to get children every vaccine; or denied exemptions to vaccines by government officials taking a militant "no exceptions" stance, they are going to feel angry.

At the same time, pediatricians, who become pediatricians to help children stay well, are not going to willingly accept the possibility that something they injected into a child injured or killed that child. When they cannot answer questions parents ask about vaccines, they are going to feel angry. The debate is so contentious because it is about life and death issues that affect everyone but neither those questioning vaccine safety nor those defending it serve their causes well by engaging in physical intimidation and threats against each other.

What should be troubling for doctors practicing medicine and journalists reporting on it is the Statist approach being taken by influential doctors like Offit, Greg Poland and Peter Hotez in response to three decades of reports by parents that children are being harmed by vaccination. Those who simultaneously develop new vaccines, help make national vaccine policy and promote forced use of vaccines certainly have the right to earn a profit from the products they create. They also have the right to promote an ideology in which they deeply believe. But Americans, who cherish freedom of thought, speech and action, should think long and hard about all efforts to pit citizen against citizen and marginalize those asking for credible scientific investigation into vaccine risks and the right to make informed, voluntary vaccination decisions.

A more reasoned, open minded approach to the vaccine safety debate was taken by pediatrician James Sears, M.D. and ER physician Travis Stork, M.D., who anchored an Oct. 28 episode of "The Doctors." The new CBS daytime show featured a segment airing different views about vaccine risks and mandatory vaccination in which Julia Berle, of TACA, and I appeared. To the credit of the show's producers, a spirited but civilized debate was allowed.

Both of the show's doctors joined an AAP pediatrician guest in strongly encouraging vaccination. However Dr. Sears and Dr. Stork also encouraged parents to become informed and supported the right of parents to make voluntary decisions about vaccines.

The show has elicited heated discussion on "The Doctors" website and a staff member monitoring the discussion boards yesterday told posters "Time to remind everyone that there is a person behind every screen name. Let's remember to address the topic without personally attacking another member because their views are different from yours. We all can learn from everyone's viewpoint, let's try to keep this discussion progressing in the manner intended." Immediately following this advice, posters who had been attacking one another found common ground even as they agreed to disagree.

At the vaccine freedom rally in Trenton sponsored by the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice on October 16, pediatrician Larry Palevsky, M.D. encouraged parents to continue speaking out and working for the legal right to voluntary vaccine decision-making. He challenged doctors to open their minds about vaccine risks, stating:

"As Einstein said, we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. I challenge my colleagues in medicine to listen and learn that there is more to know than what we've been told...... Engage in a more scientific dialogue and not in the rhetoric that keeps coming from those who have a stake in keeping the status quo of one-size-fits-all vaccinations and an ever- increasing vaccine schedule. Take whatever fear you have about speaking out, and turn it into being responsible to our children in a new way."

Another doctor, who has had the courage to step up to the plate and ask her fellow physician colleagues to consider the possibility that vaccine risks are not equal for all and must be examined more thoroughly, is former NIH Director Bernadine Healy, M.D.. In a CBS-TV interview last May, she expressed the view that scientific research must go forward to identify individuals genetically or biologically vulnerable for suffering vaccine injury.

Healy told CBS investigative journalist Sharyl Atkisson: "I don't think you should ever turn your back on any scientific hypothesis because you're afraid of what it might show..... there may be this susceptible group. The fact that there is concern that you don't want to know that susceptible group is a real disappointment to me. If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children. If you turn your back on the notion that there is a susceptible group - what can I say?"

The fear and dread that new vaccine developers and promoters like Offit, Poland and Hotez may have is that their vaccines will not be welcomed with open arms by a public concerned about vaccine risks. But the way to remove public concern about vaccine safety and effectiveness is not to back questioning parents and doctors into a corner and club them into submission and silence.

In the meantime, an editor at the Atlanta Journal Constitution in Georgia is calling for a rejection of a bill to allow New Jersey residents the same freedom that citizens living in 18 other states have: the legal right to exercise conscientious belief exemption to vaccination. And a large HMO in the Midwest is forcing all of its 26,000 employees to get a flu shot every year or be fired.

Tomorrow, all Americans have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote for the candidates they believe will best represent them at the local, state and federal government level. Understanding the positions of candidates on vaccine safety and informed consent issues is important.

We cannot let those who are afraid of the truth about vaccination silence the voices of those who have paid the ultimate price for that fear. Stand by for announcements coming soon about how you can join NVIC in becoming an activist citizen and educate members of your community about the importance of standing up for the right of all Americans to make informed, voluntary decisions about vaccination.
__________________________________________

"People think of me as this wild-eyed maniac," Offit says. "If I sat down with them for 10 minutes, they'd see that my motivation is the same as theirs. You want what's best for kids." Asked how he ranks the intensity of the vitriol aimed at him, Offit says simply, "Abortion, doctors who perform abortions." Nobody's firebombing pediatricians' offices, and there's no moral dilemma here about when life begins. But the overarching question-what happened to my baby?-is still impossible to answer, and the anger is real and it's deep. Some parents of children with autism tell stories with an eerily similar start: an infant who was happy and healthy until she got her shots. Then, suddenly, she lost eye contact and language. Parents' dreams for their babies are buried in sadness, their pockets are emptied to pay for therapies, their worries about their children's future haunt them even as they're trying to get through the screaming, splattered minutes of the day." - Claudia Kalb, Newsweek (November 3, 2008) http://www.newsweek.com/id/165644

"Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a vocal proponent of universal flu vaccination, says he is no stranger to such harassment. Among the most egregious things -- I got a letter once railing against my involvement in vaccines and hoping that something serious would happen to me and hoping that something serious would happen to one of my children," he said.....But some people connected to groups that believe a vaccine-autism link exists say that they, too, have been the targets of hateful speech. "I've been called a baby killer," says Rebecca Estepp, national manager of the autism support group Talk About Curing Autism. "One woman got into my face this summer and told me I was going to cause millions of children to die. Emotions are running high because this involves the health of our children....Poland said he believes legislation should be considered to offer special protection to those in the field of vaccine research. "Since this affects not only a person and his or her family, but indeed the public health, special provisions should be considered in terms of legal consequences," he said. "This was done, for example, in the case of abortion protesters.".....Dr. Peter Hotez, immunologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and father of a daughter with autism, said he believes that federal public health agencies, including the surgeon general's office and the National Institutes of Health, must take a more active role in dissuading the link between vaccines and autism. "[These organizations] have to be willing to speak out and make strong statements that vaccines do not cause autism," he said. "These organizations have been conspicuous by their silence." - Dan Childs, ABC-TV (October 31, 2008) http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6150482

" Parents fail to get their children inoculated for a variety of reasons: ignorance of the requirement; concern over how much it will cost; misunderstanding that for the vaccine to be effective against some diseases, children must get follow-up shots....More problematic are the parents who willfully ignore the requirement, substituting their judgment for that of experts who must guard the public health. In New Jersey, the state Legislature is being asked to approve a bill that would allow parents to opt out of mandatory vaccine requirements. The measure was prompted by a new requirement in New Jersey -- the first in the nation -- that pre- schoolers get annual flu shots.....The bill in the New Jersey Legislature would allow parents a "conscientious exemption" as long as they swear they have "sincerely held" objections to immunizations. No doubt many parents have sincerely held beliefs, but allowing them to opt out of vaccination puts the lives of their children at risk as well as the lives of others....The vaccine-autism link has been thoroughly debunked. States should not back off mandatory vaccination laws, and local school districts and health departments should do a better job of enforcing compliance." - Mike King, Atlanta Journal Constitution (October 29, 2008)
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/10/29/vaccinesed.html

"BJC HealthCare, the shining beacon for traditional medical care throughout the Midwest, has made getting a flu shot mandatory for its 26,000 employees. That goes for all employees, even the ones who never come in contact with patients. If anyone refuses, it is going to be considered a breach of the fitness for duty requirement, meaning anyone who refuses to be vaccinated is subject to dismissal. Many employees are unhappy over this new edict. Some employees who see the policy as a blatant violation of their privacy believe it should be at the discretion of the individual to decide what medications to take. Others think the way the policy was presented created an atmosphere of intimidation. When the policy was initially presented to employees, was made clear that without compliance, the employee could no longer work at BJC. Still others suspect that BJC is getting a kickback from the vaccine's manufacturer. Employees receiving the flu vaccination are required to sign a waiver that totally absolves BJC of any liability if the employee is harmed by the vaccine."- Barbara Minton, NaturalNews.com (November 2, 2008)
http://www.naturalnews.com/024677.html

* ►November 3, 2008 - David Kirby: Rain, Autism, and Mercury - The Huffington Post

* ►November 3, 2008 - AMA Journal Publishes Study Showing Evidence of a Major Environmental Trigger For Autism - press release - Cornell University via PRNewswire via Comtex via MarketWatch - "The American Medical Association journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine has published a new study by researchers at Cornell University indicating evidence of an environmental trigger for autism among genetically vulnerable children. It is the first peer-reviewed study to positively associate the prevalence of autism to a factor related to the levels of precipitation in the areas in which children live.

* ►November 3, 2008 - Rain and Snow May Increase Autism Risk - Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine via MedPage Today

►November 3, 2008 - Rainfall, Autism May Be Linked - Children Living in High-Precipitation Areas More Likely to Have Autism, Study Shows - WebMD

* ►November 3, 2008 - Tayloe takes over as president of American Academy of Pediatrics - Goldsboro News-Argus - "Immunizations have also been a hot topic of late, specifically in the area of autism. On one occasion, Tayloe was included on a panel on TV's "Larry King Live" that featured a heated debate with celebrity mom Jenny McCarthy, who attributed her son's diagnosis to vaccinations received. Tayloe maintains the AAP's position that immunizations are necessary. 'We have absolutely got to convince the government to educate the public that vaccines are good,' he said. 'Vaccines do not cause autism and we're not afraid of the truth -- if something's wrong with a vaccine, we would pull it. It's ridiculous to argue with a bunch of Hollywood actors about this.'"

* ►November 3, 2008 - GMC resumes Wakefield case - OnMedica - "The GMC’s fitness to practice panel today resumed the controversial MMR case involving Dr Andrew Wakefield and two colleagues."

* ►November 3, 2008 - In Search of the Autism Answer - Autism in America: How Proper Diagnosis Is Elusive for Many Families - ABC News

* ►November 3, 2008 - Why Was Special-Needs Child Taken From Local Family? (includes videos) - 10News.com

* ►November 3, 2008 - Number Of American Kids Medicated For Chronic Conditions Increasing - Pediatrics via Medical News Today

* ►November 3, 2008 - Author Royalties From Autism Book Donated to Autism Research - press release - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia via PRNewswire-USNewswire via Comtex via MarketWatch - "Paul Offit, MD, announced today that all author royalties earned from the sale of his new book, 'Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure,' will be donated to the Center for Autism Research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Autism Speaks' Suzanne Wright on Christian, the CDC and the Vaccine Question - Age of Autism

►November 3, 2008 - Child Warrior: Lenny Competing in Disney Martial Arts Tournament - Age of Autism

►November 3, 2008 - Treating autism - Tories need to step up - editorial - The Chronicle Herald

►November 3, 2008 - Grants for Families Living with Autism - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

►November 3, 2008 - Fruit flies and autism - letter - News & Observer

* ►November 3, 2008 - Carly's breakthrough sends a clear message - letters (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star - "Carly's message was clear to other kids and remarkably compelling to parents. First, assume your child understands everything you are saying in front of him/her and don't give up on them. When Carly was much younger, her prognosis was very weak. Today, she is asking to go to medical school. Telling a child at age 6 or 7 that they can no longer benefit from intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) therapy is tantamount to malpractice."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Children in care drugged - One in four children who have been removed from the care of their parents and placed in foster homes are being heavily medicated to control their emotions and behaviour. - The Australian

* ►November 3, 2008 - Minor Shift in Vaccine Schedule Has Potential to Reduce Infant Illness, Death - Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center via Newswise - "In this study, researchers sought to estimate the potential benefit of accelerating first dose administration from 2 months to 6 weeks of age."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Big Pharma May be Handed Blanket Immunity for All Drug Side Effects, Deaths - NaturalNews.com

* ►November 3, 2008 - IAC Express Issue number 761 - Immunization Action Coalition

* ►November 3, 2008 - Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Fraud By Dr. James Howenstine, MD. - www.newswithviews.com - "Natural News reporter Mike Adams has uncovered some interesting facts about this vaccine. The FDA has been aware since 2003 that Human Papillloma Virus [1] does not cause cervical cancer. The Gardasil vaccine is unable to eradicate HPV virus from women who have been exposed to HPV(nearly all sexually active women). This makes vaccinating all young women in Texas against HPV virus a very questionable decision. To make matters even worse it has now been learned that vaccinating women with Gardasil may actually increase the risk that those women harboring a benign cervical HPV viral infection have a 44.6 percent increased risk of having their benign HPV infection converted into a precancerous state by the HPV vaccine administration."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Gardasil Vaccine: Just Say NO - Kitchen Table Medicine

►November 3, 2008 - Schoolgirls’ cervical jab scheme under fire - Press & Journal

►November 3, 2008 - At Least 25,000 HPV-Linked Cancers a Year - CDC Releases Data From 38 States and District of Columbia - WebMD

* ►November 3, 2008 - Wart virus caused 25,000 cancers a year - CDC - Reuters - "Dr. Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who has studied the link between HPV and oral cancers, said the findings suggest a wider use of the cervical cancer vaccines may be justified."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Research Indicates Need For Effective HPV Vaccine For Women And Men And A Simple HPV Screening Test - A call to explore a broader use of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines and the validation of a simple oral screening test for HPV-caused oral cancers are reported in two studies by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigator. - Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

* ►November 3, 2008 - Benefits of HPV vaccine outweigh risk - opinion (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star

►November 3, 2008 - Help reduce cervical cancer risk in women - The Cranford Chronicle via NJ.com - "Union County's school and health department nurses are invited to attend a symposium titled 'Who, What, and Why? Reducing the Risk of Cervical Cancer and Genital Warts in Girls and Women', to be held at The Westwood, 438 North Ave., Garwood on Nov. 20....The program is made possible by Merck & Company in partnership with Union County's Immunization Program."

►November 3, 2008 - HPV vaccine may be given to boys - Irish Medical News

* ►November 3, 2008 - Call for bird flu jabs to avoid chaos - Metro.co.uk - "The public should be vaccinated now against bird flu to avoid a potential disaster if a global pandemic strikes, experts are warning."

Comment:  As of now, bird flu is not transmissible to humans.  Will injecting bird flu into humans change this equation?  In other words, will it create the very pandemic this potentially misguided policy hopes to avoid?

* ►November 3, 2008 - Flu shot protects kids -- even during years with a bad vaccine match - Vaccine could prevent 2,250 pediatric hospitalizations and 650,000 office visits - University of Rochester Medical Center via EurekAlert!

►November 3, 2008 - 'Suboptimal' flu shots for kids pay off: study - CBC

►November 3, 2008 - Steer clear of flu season with free vaccines - University at Buffalo The Spectrum

* ►November 3, 2008 - Indonesia Says Pandemic Threat Remains as Deaths Ease - Bloomberg

►November 3, 2008 - Some Alaska residents can vote, get flu shot - AP via Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via KTUU.com

* ►November 3, 2008 - SIGA Applauds Efforts to Promote Private Sector Participation in Smallpox Biodefense - Government Declaration Provides Liability Protection for Smallpox Countermeasures - press release - SIGA Technologies, Inc. via GlobeNewswire via Comtex via MarketWatch - "Under the HHS declaration, in the event of a declared emergency, the provider of any vaccine or antiviral used to identify, prevent or treat smallpox or other orthopoxviruses will be held harmless for certain liabilities as defined under section 319F-3 of the Public Health Service Act (codified at title 42 of the U.S. Code, section 247d-6d)."

►November 3, 2008 - Bubonic Plague Outbreak in Uganda Kills Three, Monitor Reports - Bloomberg

►November 3, 2008 - Two yellow fever cases in Burkina Faso spark fresh vaccine campaign – UN - UN News Centre

►November 3, 2008 - Anthrax Mail Suspect Makes Bail - NTI: Global Security Newswire - "Keyser is suspected of mailing about 120 packages, mostly to major media outlets, each containing a compact disc bearing the title 'Anthrax: Shock and Awe Terror' — perhaps a book title — as well as a sugar packet labeled 'Anthrax sample.'"

►November 3, 2008 - Houston Student Dies From Meningitis, Schoolmates To Get Medical Exam - All Headline News

►November 3, 2008 - Africa: New Polio Vaccine Could Wipe Out Disease - The East African (Nairobi) via AllAfrica.com

* ►November 3, 2008 - DNA-based Vaccine Against West Nile Virus Effective Even After Onset Of Disease - Researchers are developing a DNA-based vaccine against the dreaded West Nile virus (WNV), which can be transmitted from animals to humans. The unique feature of this vaccine is that it is also effective after onset of the disease, for it has therapeutic properties. - Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

►November 3, 2008 - The Globalist Quiz - Life expectancies range from more than 80 years at birth in a dozen countries to less than 50 years in 19 countries. - Seattle Times

►November 3, 2008 - GAMBIA: President’s herbal HIV/AIDS 'cure' boosts ARV use - IRIN Africa

* ►November 3, 2008 - How HIV Vaccine Might Have Increased Odds Of Infection - In September 2007, a phase II HIV-1 vaccine trial was abruptly halted when researchers found that the vaccine may have promoted, rather than prevented, HIV infection. A new study by a team of researchers at the Montpellier Institute of Molecular Genetics in France shows how the vaccine could have enhanced HIV infection. - Rockefeller University Press via ScienceDaily

* ►November 3, 2008 - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Swiss Vaccine Research Institute and Institut Genetique Moleculaire Montpellier:Study Sheds Light on the Mechanisms of Increased Risk of HIV Infection in the Step HIV Vaccine Trial - New Avenues for Vaccine Research - The Journal of Experimental Medicine via Business Wire via MarketWatch

►November 3, 2008 - AAP Statement Recommends Prenatal Testing, Immediate Intervention to Prevent Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission - Doctor's Guide

* ►November 3, 2008 - NIH Official Sued For Libel By Blood-Products Maker - Pharmalot

* ►November 3, 2008 - A Look at Today’s Arguments in Wyeth v. Levine - The Wall Street Journal Law Blog

►November 3, 2008 - Mumps are back - Toronto Sun - "The recent "resurgence" of mumps in North America means Toronto Public Health will be offering free vaccinations in the new year to post-secondary students."

►November 3, 2008 - Supreme Court’s Decision in the Case Involving Drug Labels Awaited - eFluxMedia

►November 3, 2008 - Preemption case went before Supremes today - ZDNet Healthcare

►November 3, 2008 - Flu shot rates lag for adolescents at risk - IANS via DNA Daily News & Analysis

►November 3, 2008 - HK gov't offers free flu vaccination to target groups - People's Daily, China

* ►November 3, 2008 - Supreme Court Appears Conflicted In Wyeth Drug-Labeling Case - DowJones Newswires via CNN Money - "Justices took issue with Wyeth's argument that it couldn't update its label to add stronger warnings without first getting FDA approval. "Wyeth could have gone back to the FDA anytime" to update the label, said Justice David Souter. "And it simply didn't do it." Seth P. Waxman, the attorney for Wyeth, argued the FDA already knew that improperly administering Phenergan through an IV-push method, which happened to Levine, could result in problems and said the drug's label carried warnings about that."

►November 3, 2008 - Supreme Court Hears Diana Levine Case (Part One) - Injury Board

* ►November 3, 2008 - Significant increased risk of heart attack and stroke triggers Zelnorm national class - PRNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

* ►November 3, 2008 - Chantix, Safety & Side Effects: Mike Cohen Explains - Twice this year, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a non-profit organization, released reports detailing safety risks and adverse events focusing on Pfizer’s Chantix, a controversial pill designed to help people quit smoking. In doing so, ISMP caused a stir about the safety of the drug, and the extent to which such info was being shared and conveyed on a timely basis to doctors and patients. The most recent report, released two weeks ago, also noted the number of serious problems and deaths linked to meds reported to the FDA had set a record in the first three months of this year (back stories here and here). We spoke with ISMP director Mike Cohen about his focus on safety issues… (back stories here and here). We spoke with ISMP director Mike Cohen about his focus on safety issues… - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - Flooding disclosed at virus lab (registration required) - The Scientist

►November 3, 2008 - Columbia Updates COI Policy Amid Senate Probe - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - New Evidence in the Management of Major Mental Illness: Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder CME (requires registration) - Medscape

►November 3, 2008 - Chromosome disorder delays development - The Advocate

►November 3, 2008 - Where Have All The Biotech IPOs Gone? - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - If Obama Wins, ‘Preemption Will Be History’ - Pharmalot

* ►November 3, 2008 - Does chelation therapy work for MS? - The Calgary Herald via Canada.com

►November 3, 2008 - Pfizer Trains Foreign Workers As IT Replacements - Pharmalot

►November 3, 2008 - Gassy dog eats its own feces - Asbury Park Press - "Q: I have read about adverse reactions to rabies/distemper shots in pets. My cat received a rabies/distemper shot in 2005. About 45 days after her shots, she started pulling her hair out. She never breaks the skin or has any bleeding. This happens mostly on her legs and belly. I showed my vet an article about adverse reactions to rabies/distemper shots, and he said I was wasting his time and he threw the article down in disgust."

►November 3, 2008 - Canada approves E coli vaccine for cattle - CIDRAP News

* ►November 3, 2008 - Cows vaccinated to keep people from getting sick - Vaccine envisioned, developed by UBC microbiologist - The Province via Canada.com - "While the vaccine is already available to Canadian cattle farmers and vets, its implementation is still up for discussion, he said, because it's a cattle vaccine for a human disease. 'The cows aren't getting sick so Joe Cattle Farmer would ask, 'Why should I vaccinate cows when they're fine?' ' he said."

* ►November 2, 2008 - Gardasil seems to be beset with problems - letter - Prince George Citizen 

►November 2, 2008 - Food allergies on rise in children - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

* ►November 2, 2008 - Flu Shot Protects Kids - Even During Years with a Bad Vaccine Match - Newswise via Interest!Alert

►November 2, 2008 - A Broken Agency: China And The FDA Safety Gap - Pharmalot

►November 2, 2008 - Cash-rich drugmakers eye mergers or acquisitions - Business Week via The Economic Times

►November 2, 2008 - Firms adopt new ways to fight back - Roche is implementing mass serialization, one of the latest in anti-counterfeiting technologies - livemint The Wall Street Journal

►November 2, 2008 - CDA makes action plan to control viral diseases - Daily Times, Pakistan

►November 1, 2008 - Prevalence, Acquisition, and Clearance of Cervical Human Papillomavirus Infection among Women with Normal Cytology: Hawaii Human Papillomavirus Cohort Study - journal article (Cancer Research)

* ►November 1, 2008 - A closer look at influenza vaccination during pregnancy - David M Ayoub and F Edward Yazbak - journal article (The Lancet Infectious Diseases)

* ►November 1, 2008 - Compelling plea to address isolation (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star - "The number of children receiving IBI has risen to about 1,400 from 531 since the Liberals took office in 2003, the government says. Annual funding has jumped to $151 million from $44 million over the same period, it says. Still, service providers say the money hasn't kept up with the demand. They blame funding crunches for waiting lists and say more than a thousand children are facing long delays for treatment."

* ►October 31, 2008 - Vote & Vax Flu Shot Clinics Operating at More Than 250 Polling Sites Nationwide - press release - Vote & Vax via PRNewswire-USNewswire via Comtex via MarketWatch

* ►October 31, 2008 - Merck’s Vaccine Efforts Are Struggling - BNET - "Merck seems to be having difficulty with many its vaccine efforts. So much so that CEO Richard Clark all but apologized to analysts in his third quarter earnings call. The trouble began about a year ago, when Merck recalled a batch of Pedvaxhib and Comvax vaccines, for Haemophilius influenzae type b and hepatitis B, respectively."

* ►October 31, 2008 - Mandatory flu vaccines could backfire on state - letter - GazetteOnline.com

* ►October 31, 2008 - Free flu vaccines to be offered to all elementary students - Schools, county, health department to split $45,000 cost - SoMdNews.com - "Elementary students will get Flu-Mist, a live vaccine which is sprayed into a person's nose, unless they have asthma or other health issues, in which case they will be given a traditional injected vaccine."

►October 31, 2008 - 10 Ways to Keep Your Kid Free of the Flu - Don't Be Scared by Influenza This Halloween - ABC News

►October 31, 2008 - Influenza Vaccination Subsidy Scheme starts in November - Over 500 private doctors are ready to provide influenza vaccinations to children aged between six months to less than six years under the Influenza Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (IVSS) which will last for five months starting from November 1, the Controller for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, Dr Thomas Tsang, said today (October 30). - Media-Newswire.com
 
►October 31, 2008 - Special Mouth Rinse Spots, Tracks Human Papillomavirus Infection (requires registration) - HealthDay via Washington Post - "'In the future, vaccinating all young women between the ages of 9 and 26 would reduce oral cancer if HPV is indeed the cause,' said Dr. Mark Werner, an obstetrician/gynecologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. 'Maybe at some point, men or young boys will be vaccinated as well.'"

►October 31, 2008 - Protein Signature May Predict Who Responds to Hepatitis C Treatment - A tell-tale set of newly-identified proteins may be able to predict who will most likely respond to standard therapy for hepatitis C infection, say researchers in the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). It is a development that could help patients facing one of the most taxing therapeutic regimens in medicine. - PhysOrg.com

►October 31, 2008 - 'J-Mac' talks in Tulsa on autism - Celebrity Jason McElwain gives publicity to the disorder, and hope to kids. - Tulsa World

►October 31, 2008 - Dr. Janet B. Hardy - The Hopkins researcher and pediatric epidemiologist pioneered studies that led to healthier newborns. - obituary (requires registration) - Baltimore Sun - "Data collected from the study revealed what drugs were unsafe for pregnant mothers and how damaging rubella and other infectious diseases could be to fetuses."

►October 31, 2008 - BJC expands online personal health records system - St. Louis Business Journal

►October 30, 2008 - University of Minnesota breaks flu-shot world record - CIDRAP News

►October 30, 2008 - Childhood stress linked to emotional disorders - journal article (BMJ)

►October 30, 2008 - Uganda loses HIV funding over fears of misuse - Africa news round up: Global Fund holds back money for HIV and malaria treatment, Ugandan health system criticised and 'no cuts' in aid to Africa - The Guardian, UK

►October 30, 2008 - India leads in under-5 mortality - Express Buzz - "The Central government has decided to incorporate the PD vaccine in its National Immunisation Programme after 2010."

►October 30, 2008 - Your Turn: Autism not ‘rare’ disease, should be taken seriously - letter - The Post

►October 30, 2008 - State says flu shots important for children - Central Maine Morning Sentinel

* ►October 29, 2008 - Flu Shots: Pros and Cons of Employee Vaccination Programs - Kitchen Table Medicine - "As taught by Dr. Sheryl Berman, an esteemed immunology professor and researcher, 'the best doctors educate patients on the facts about vaccines and let the patient decide.' When Berman was then asked what her personal recommendations are for each vaccine she replied, 'As an immunologist I get asked all the time what the right choice is around different vaccines. The answer I give is always the same–the right decision is the decision that is right for you. Only you can make that decision. Educate yourself on all the facts, risks, and benefits before making your decisions about vaccinations.' CEO’s of businesses should never be allowed to make health care decisions. And they furthermore should not be making health care decisions because they want to save a few bucks."

►October 29, 2008 - HIV Patients at High Risk for Hospitalisation Up to 90 Days After Starting Antiretroviral Therapy: Presented at ICAAC/IDSA - Doctor's Guide

* ►October 29, 2008 - New Report Shows How Drug Industry Immunity Would Endanger Women - press release - Center for Justice & Democracy via PRNewswire-USNewswire via The Earth Times - "THE BITTEREST PILL examines the history of a variety of products including many types of birth control methods and hormone therapies, as well as lactation and acne drugs.  Said report co-author Amanda Melpolder, 'As new drugs and devices are developed and marketed, it is imperative that women have the safest and most effective products available.  That means making sure corporations are held legally accountable for causing injuries.' Go to http://centerjd.org for the report."

* ►October 28, 2008 - Patterns of skeletal fractures in child abuse - journal article (BMJ)

* ►October 28, 2008 - NICE guidance on ADHD - NICE recommendations are not evidence based and could expose many to unnecessary harm - journal article (BMJ)

►October 28, 2008 - Forums → Episode 1014 - October 28, 2008 → MMR Vaccination - The Doctors

* ►October 2008 - How to Revaccinate Patients With Allergy History - Pediatric News

* ►October 2008 - Physicians, Staff Are Urged to Get Flu Vaccine - Pediatric News

* ►October 2008 - Gardasil, Valtrex Caplets - Pediatric News

* ►October 2008 - Study: Most Needles for IM Injections Too Long - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - Immunization Coverage Rates in U.S. Reach New Heights - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - Bullying, School Violence: Need for Culture Change - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - It's All Talk in Pediatrics - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - Biopsy Data Refute MMR Vaccine and Autism Link - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - McCain: Control Costs, Ensure Access - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - The Pitfalls in Diagnosing and Treating Mono - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - Obama: Preserve What Works, Improve What Doesn't - Pediatric News

►October 2008 - The World of the Working Mom - Pediatric News

* ►OnCall+ Autism - Dr. Timothy Johnson and the Nation's Top Experts Bring You Autism Information You Can Understand and Trust (includes videos) - ABC News

* ►November 3, 2008 - Vaccinate now to avoid bird flu outbreak, warn experts - The Herald, UK - "People should be vaccinated against bird flu now to avoid the disastrous effects of a sudden global pandemic with 'urgent consideration' given to priming potential victims with a preparatory jab, experts have warned. It would involve an initial vaccination to build up the immune system followed by a booster shot as soon as the first signs of a pandemic emerge, the team of international researchers said."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Cork babies to get routine TB vaccine after 36-year gap - Irish Times

* ►November 3, 2008 - Big DNA secures £1.5m cash injection for vaccine technology - The Scotsman - "The company is developing a technique to deliver vaccines using bacterial viruses called bacteriophages."

* ►November 3, 2008 - Pneumonia, measles hit evacuation centers, 30 die - Business Mirror - "Ariraya theorized that the 'seeming outbreak' of diarrhea 'could be caused by poor sanitation' in the crowded evacuation center that hosts around 15,000 evacuees from 21 of the 26 barangays of Munai."

►November 3, 2008 - Polio peril - The News International, Pakistan
 
►November 3, 2008 - Starting HIV treatment soon after a patient is diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis decreases risk of death - Aidsmap

►November 3, 2008 - Nipah virus threat 'under control' - Subang Jaya: The Health Ministry has given an assurance that its Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is always on the alert for the Nipah virus. - New Straits Times

►November 3, 2008 - Bravo for Hong Kong as tots get free jabs - The Standard, Hong Kong

* ►November 3, 2008 - Medical students pose an infection risk - A worryingly high proportion of Australian medical students are vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases, study findings in today’s MJA (189: 484-86) suggest. - 6minutes.com.au - "Following serological testing of more than 700 first-year medical students over a four year period, researchers found 29% were not immune to hepatitis B, 33% to mumps, 26% to measles, 13% to rubella and 10% to varicella (link)."

* ►November 2, 2008 - The Conspiracy Hypothesis By Kendra Pettengill - Age of Autism

* ►November 2, 2008 - Midwest Health Mecca Makes Flu Shots Mandatory for All Employees - NaturalNews.com - "BJC HealthCare, the shining beacon for traditional medical care throughout the Midwest, has made getting a flu shot mandatory for its 26,000 employees. That goes for all employees, even the ones who never come in contact with patients. If anyone refuses, it is going to be considered a breach of the fitness for duty requirement, meaning anyone who refuses to be vaccinated is subject to dismissal....Employees receiving the flu vaccination are required to sign a waiver that totally absolves BJC of any liability if the employee is harmed by the vaccine. Yet it is the perception for potential harm that makes many of the workers wary of the shot in the first place."

Comment:  This just about says it all.

►November 2, 2008 - Jabs drive call against bird flu - The Press Association via Google - "The World Health Organisation and national governments should give 'urgent consideration' to priming potential victims with a preparatory jab, say influenza scientists."

►November 2, 2008 - People warned to get flu jab - Stourbridge News

►November 2, 2008 - Consult a doc before getting a flu shot - North Shore News via Canada.com

►November 2, 2008 - Where is everyone? Haverhill flu clinics draw half the usual crowd - More free vaccinies offered this week - The Eagle-Tribune

►November 2, 2008 - CDC: More children need to get flu shots - Lancaster Eagle Gazette

►November 2, 2008 - Study backs up flu shot advice for kids - USA Today

►November 2, 2008 - Voters to be offered flu shots at polls - Wausau Daily Herald

►November 2, 2008 - Government has used 60% free flu vaccines: Taiwna DOH - Central News Agency via eTaiwan News

►November 2, 2008 - Flu vaccine available despite dearth of shots for adults at public health - Peninsula Daily News

►November 2, 2008 - China, Japan, ROK agree to jointly combat flu outbreak - Xinhua via China View

* ►November 2, 2008 - Wyeth v. Levine, and The Food and Drug Administration’s Internal Conflict over Federal Preemption - InjuryBoard.com

* ►November 2, 2008 - Byetta: A Story About FDA Approval, FDA Warnings, and Amylin & Lilly’s Quest to Build Shareholder Value; What about Preemption versus Patient Safety? - InjuryBoard.com

* ►November 2, 2008 - The FDA needs some guts, not PR - Asheville Citizen-Times - "When Dr. David Graham sought to warn the public that the painkiller Vioxx was related to tens of thousands of deaths, he needed congressional intervention just to save his job and keep his findings from being suppressed by FDA brass. FDA veterinarian Dr. Victoria Hampshire’s investigation, concluding that a heartworm drug was related to hundreds of dog fatalities, resulted in her removal without explanation from reviewing the drug. The FDA placed her under criminal investigation, and it took a subsequent Senate investigation to vindicate her of any wrongdoing. Today’s FDA works at cross-purposes, tethered to its industry patrons when it should be singularly focused on the public good."

►November 2, 2008 - People's Pharmacy: Does FDA OK give pharmacies a free pass? - King Features Syndicate via Houston Chronicle

* ►November 2, 2008 - Scientists Slam FBI 'Thrax Probe In Bid To Clear Buddy 'Dr. Doom' - New York Post

* ►November 2, 2008 - NY Post: Scientists Slam FBI 'Thrax Probe In Bid To Clear Buddy 'Dr. Doom' - Anthrax Vaccine -- posts by Meryl Nass, M.D.

* ►November 2, 2008 - Health ministry must heal itself - Reusing syringes for so long reveals serious problem in system - editorial - Calgary Herald via Canada.com - "It's baffling this could go on for nearly two decades when, even then, the reuse of disposable syringes was considered unacceptable. Patients can take some comfort in hearing the chances of infection are slim because the needles weren't directly injected into their skin, but they should never have been put at risk in the first place."

►November 2, 2008 - Dr. Peter Salk to visit Warm Springs - The Times-Herald - "Dr. Peter Salk, an AIDS researcher whose father formulated the vaccine for polio, will return to Warm Springs on Nov. 14....He will be back at the institute, which was founded by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, for an observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Polio Hall of Fame."

►November 2, 2008 - Pathogens & People: Mosquitoes and 'break bone fever' - Annapolis Capital

* ►November 2, 2008 - Bongo drummer dies of anthrax - A drum-maker who inhaled anthrax while handling imported animal skins has died. - The Telegraph, UK

►November 2, 2008 - Polio spreads to new countries and increases where it’s endemic - The Punch, Nigeria

►November 2, 2008 - Childhood jab plan praised by experts - The Standard, Hong Kong - "The government has won praise for adding pneumococcal conjugate vaccines into childhood immunization programs - the first in Asia to do so."

►November 2, 2008 - Health Officials Prepare To Treat Students Exposed To Meningitis - Click2Houston.com

►November 2, 2008 - 225,000 patients to be injected with anti-Hepatitis vaccine: Dr. Majeed Chhuto - Regional Times

►November 2, 2008 - Hepatitis cases on the rise in Badin - The Post - "The cases of hepatitis B and C are increasing in the district and as per reports 45 percent people are suffering from the disease in Badin and its adjoining villages."

►November 2, 2008 - New Data Suggest Long-Term Treatment with BARACLUDE(R) (entecavir) May Reduce Liver Damage Caused by Chronic Hepatitis B - http://newsticker.welt.de

►November 2, 2008 - The bat way to understand a virus - With a piercing cry, the wounded bat parachuted a few feet down in the sky, before plunging all the way to the ground. - New Straits Times

►November 2, 2008 - "Biosafety Testing Of Cell Lines Used In Vaccine And Virus Vector Production" Is Focus Of Presentation At WilBio Viral Vectors And Vaccines Conference, Nov. 4 - Microtest Laboratories via Laboratory Network

* ►November 2, 2008 - a mission for mothers - Silver-screen star and Unicef ambassador Salma Hayek is supporting a campaign to wipe out maternal and newborn tetanus by 2012, and everyone can help, writes Joy Orpen - Irish Independent

* ►November 2, 2008 - Exposure to plastic chemical BPA may affect behaviors - Foodconsumer.org

* ►November 2, 2008 - The Politics of Pumpkins By Nancy Hokkanen - Age of Autism

* ►November 2, 2008 - Study links parental age to increased risk of autism - Press-Enterprise

►November 2, 2008 - UNYFEAT to hold autism seminar for emergency workers, families - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

►November 2, 2008 - Got a sick kid? Home remedies may be better than OTC cold medicines - Seattle Times

►November 2, 2008 - Tetanus Death Review Finds Correlation to Age, Vaccination Status - TheHorse.com

►November 2, 2008 - Swaziland promotes circumcision to curb spread of HIV - With the help of Israeli surgeons experienced in performing the procedure on adult men, the government promotes the practice, which studies show can reduce the risk of infection by 60% (requires registration) - Los Angeles Times

►November 2, 2008 - Work drags on formaldehyde study - Post-Katrina: Location of many children who lived in FEMA trailers, their health now unknown. - ProPublica via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

* ►November 1, 2008 - Government Study on Children Living in Katrina Trailers Muddled By Delays, Confusion - ProPublica - This story was also published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is a followup to ProPublica's investigation into the CDC response to formaldehyde findings in FEMA trailers.

* ►November 1, 2008 - Uptake slow for cervical cancer vaccine - Gisborne Herald - "Only about 60 Gisborne girls have taken advantage of the Government's $177 million free cervical cancer vaccination programme."

►November 1, 2008 - Vaccine makers eye Unicef market for new launches - Economic Times, India

►November 1, 2008 - 600 get lessons in contracting at Fort Detrick - Frederick News-Post

►November 1, 2008 - Report: U.S. isn't ready for diseases - Outbreak threat demands stronger plans, experts say - Orlando Sentinel via Houston Chronicle

►November 1, 2008 - Battle against dread diseases - Liverpool Echo, UK

►November 1, 2008 - Polio on the rise again, frustrating health authorities - New York Times via South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

►November 1, 2008 - $9.2m advocacy plan for sustainable vaccine - Awoko, Sierra Leone

►November 1, 2008 - Flu epidemic anniversary: How would modern Britain cope with an influenza pandemic? - Ninety years ago this week, as the First World War was drawing to a fitful close, a dreadful epidemic swept across Britain. - The Telegraph, UK

►November 1, 2008 - 1,400 turn out for free flu shots in Pomona - Daily Bulletin

►November 1, 2008 - Health providers tout vaccine as best prevention for the flu - Flu vaccinations offered for free and for a fee - Tulsa World

►November 1, 2008 - Football takes back seat to autism - 'Toughest thing I've ever done,' Eskimos coach Thorpe says of raising son with the disorder - Montreal Gazette via Canada.com

►November 2008 - Autism Calendar of Events - Schafer Autism Report

* ►October 31, 2008 - The Safety Gap (requires registration) - The New York Times Magazine - "Even the F.D.A.’s staunchest defenders now acknowledge that something is terribly wrong. Among them is Peter Barton Hutt, who served as the agency’s general counsel during the Nixon administration and is widely considered the dean of the F.D.A. bar in Washington. I’ve interviewed Hutt dozens of times over the years, and he has always defended the F.D.A. No more. 'This is a fundamentally broken agency,' Hutt told me earlier this year, 'and it needs to be repaired.'"

►October 31, 2008 - US panel weighs Tamiflu and Relenza influenza pandemic medkits - Scrip World Pharmaceutical News

* ►October 31, 2008 - Baby wasn't abused by cop dad; she died of fatal malady - Rocky Mountain News - "If only Dave O'Shell had hung on just a bit longer. Just a couple more days and tests would have proved he was innocent. O'Shell, a Lakewood police officer, was suspected of abusing his 3-month-old daughter. Baby Alyssa had been taken away. O'Shell's wife, Tiffany, had been advised to divorce him if she ever wanted to get her daughter back. O'Shell, pressured to confess, believed he was about to be arrested for something he didn't do."

►October 31, 2008 - Child's Diagnosis Compounds Family Tragedy - Genetic problem blamed for injuries cop was investigated for - MyFox Colorado

►October 31, 2008 - Texas man who obtained Tysabri dies of cancer - AP via Boston Globe

►October 31, 2008 - Celldex Presents Results from Phase 1 Studies of CDX-1307 with GM-CSF - --CDX-1307 well tolerated with good immune responses observed-- - press release - Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. via Business Wire via MarketWatch

►October 30, 2008 - Ouch, that hurts: A rise in pediatric kidney stones is NOT connected with an increase in infant vaccines...or is it? - OpEdNews

►October 29, 2008 - Virus Found Spreading in Abandoned California Pools, Jacuzzis - Bloomberg - "Neglected swimming pools and Jacuzzis in homes abandoned after mortgage delinquencies may be spurring an increase of West Nile virus near Los Angeles as mosquitoes move in, a study showed."

►October 29, 2008 - More drug users vaccinated against hepatitis B - Two thirds of injecting drug users have been vaccinated against Hepatitis B, compared with only one in four a decade ago, says the Health Protection Agency. - Nursing Times

►October 29, 2008 - Device tracks and delivers virus count in minutes - IANS via The Hindu

* ►October 29, 2008 - KENYA: Child deaths on the rise - IRIN Africa

►October 29, 2008 - S. Africa Reports Fourth Death From Lassa-Type Virus, DPA Says - Bloomberg

►October 29, 2008 - Cancer vaccine take-up success - Liverpool Daily Post

►October 27, 2008 - Whooping cough breaks out in Angelina County - KLTV.com

►October 24, 2008 - Surviving immunizations - Examiner.com

►October 22, 2008 - Aside From Foregoing Medical Treatments, Sick Americans Now Cutting Back On Prescription Drugs - All Headline News

Posted November 1, 2008

* ►November 2, 2008 - Expert's fear over cervical cancer vaccine - Scotland on Sunday - "Mass vaccination of Scottish schoolgirls against cervical cancer should have been delayed because not enough is known about possible side effects, a leading researcher claimed last night. Dr Diane Harper, one of the world's leading experts in the field, said safety trials of the Cervarix vaccine should have been conducted for at least four more years before the decision was taken to give the jabs to thousands of girls in schools....But Harper believes the safety tests for side effects should have been conducted for at least a decade and doses given to millions of individuals around the world before any mass vaccination began. She described the cervical cancer vaccination scheme in Scotland as an 'experiment'."

►November 2, 2008 - I’m not a pin-cushion! - There are some people who suffer from an unreasonable fear of needles. Fair enough ... who likes needles anyway, you might think. - Malaysia Star

►November 2, 2008 - Overcoming Privilege - Polio crippled FDR physically but strengthened him morally - Traitor to His Class - The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt - book review (requires registration) - Washington Post

►November 2, 2008 - Virus riddle vexes grieving daughter - Brisbane Times - "A woman who believes the Hendra virus killed her mother has accused Queensland authorities of ignoring pleas to test for the disease."

* ►November 1, 2008 - Do People Killed And Damaged By Vaccines Not Count? - The British Medical Journal 31 October 2008 The risk/benefit ratio for MMR vaccination Jackie Fletcher, National Co-ordinator JABS, WA3 3R BMJ via The One Click Group - "I would take issue with Dr Flegg with regard to his comment: 'the benefits of vaccination are overwhelming', he should know because it has been referred to by the Health Protection Agency that the passive surveillance system only collects a small proportion (about 10%) of adverse vaccine reactions. If you have an ineffective system of collecting vaccine adverse events you have inaccurate safety data. The Department of Health is therefore conducting a national immunisation service without full knowledge of the terrible risks involved for some children."

* ►November 1, 2008 - On Media: Don't Tase our Kids Bro'! By Anne Dachel - Age of Autism

* ►November 1, 2008 - Texas-Based PROVE on Candidate's Health Care Plans - Age of Autism

* ►November 1, 2008 - Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting - FIND, Inc. via COMTEX via TMCNet.com - "Agenda: On November 20, 2008, the Committee will meet in open session to hear updates of the research program in the Laboratory of DNA Viruses, Division of Viral Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA."

* ►November 1, 2008 - 1,000 youths to be tracked in health study - Ventura County Star - "The data will help researchers understand the role chemicals and other environmental influences play not only in physical illnesses but in developmental disorders like autism, Halfon said. The study will wade into the nature vs. nurture debate and try to pinpoint the reach and limits of genetic influences."

* ►November 1, 2008 - Former FDA Lawyer: Congress Trying to Sway High Court in Wyeth - Wall Street Journal Law Blog

►November 1, 2008 - Pfizer CEO Kindler Calls for More Science, Less Politics at FDA - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►November 1, 2008 - A Flawed Assessment of BPA - editorial (requires registration) - The New York Times

►November 1, 2008 - Supreme Court weighs drug lawsuits - San Francisco Chronicle

►November 1, 2008 - Public Citizen warns FDA danger of Avandia - InjuryBoard Atlanta

►November 1, 2008 - Faith and Science in the Autism-Vaccine Controversy - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

►November 1, 2008 - Free workshop on the vaccine controversy - Suburban News via NJ.com - "SCOTCH PLAINS--The CHILD Organization is offering a free workshop on Nov. 5 titled, The Vaccine Controversy."

►November 1, 2008 - Immunizations Workshop Held in C'ville - NBC 29

►November 1, 2008 - HPV Virus Helps Cervical and Head and Neck Cancer Grow and Spread - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences via Newswise

►November 1, 2008 - As experts warn the UK could face a measles epidemic, can you spot a case? - Daily Mail, UK

►November 1, 2008 - Parents urged to vaccinate children - Rochdale Observer, UK

* ►November 1, 2008 - Pakistan introduces vaccine to prevent top child killer - 5 million children each year to receive their first shot of pentavalent vaccine - Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health via EurekAlert! - "This month, Pakistan is introducing a new combination vaccine that will protect its children against the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and four other common childhood diseases."

►November 1, 2008 - Now, a safer vaccine booster! - Press Trust of India - "IRL's adjuvant is a glycolipid, a carbohydrate-based molecule derived from the cell wall of mycobacteria. It seems to have much of the same immune system-stimulating effect without the dangerous side-effects."

* ►November 1, 2008 - Health providers tout vaccine as best prevention for the flu - Flu vaccinations offered for free and for a fee - Tulsa World

* ►November 1, 2008 - Doctors left scratching their heads as chickenpox vanishes - The Scotsman - "There is a chickenpox vaccination available which is currently used widely in the US. It works similarly to the measles, mumps and rubella jag that school children are currently offered in Scotland and could be rolled out at short notice. It is understood that while this option has been discussed at Scottish Government level, it would take a severe jump in annual cases for the inoculation to be considered. The last case of chickenpox in the Lothians came at the beginning of August when there were 23 instances."

►November 1, 2008 - C.diff cases 'missed by testing' - Beverley Guardian, UK

►November 1, 2008 - Grapes And Grape Extracts May Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Review Article Suggests - Elsevier, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

►November 1, 2008 - CDC: Flu vaccinations a must with bug's early arrival - Columbus Local News

►November 1, 2008 - Influenza vaccines - ADH’s Local Mass Dispensing Plan to provide flu shots across state soon to get under way - El Dorado News Times

►November 1, 2008 - New meningitis vaccine provides long-term immunity - 25 health ministers of African countries affected every year by epidemics of meningitis will soon be able to count on an highly promising candidate vaccine in their plans to combat the disease. - Afrik.com

►November 1, 2008 - Testing Inconclusive for Student Who Died of Meningitis (includes video) - MyFox Houston

►November 1, 2008 - Carlisle boy in coma after contracting meningitis - A boy of 12 is in a coma in hospital after he contracted the potentially-deadly meningitis bug. - News & Star, UK

►November 1, 2008 - GlobeImmune Hepatitis C Therapeutic Vaccine, GI-5005, Doubles Viral Clearance and Increases RVR Rates in Phase 2 Clinical Trial - Four-Week Data Comparing GI-5005 Plus Standard of Care vs. Standard of Care to Be Presented Next Week in Late-Breaking Poster at AASLD Meeting; AASLD President Will Highlight Data at President's Press Conference - press release - GlobeImmune, Inc. via Marketwire via Comtex via MarketWatch

►November 1, 2008 - Impressive Vertex hepatitis C drug data unveiled - Reuters

►November 1, 2008 - New Study Shows that PEGASYS(R) Regimen Provides Higher Sustained Virological Response Rates for Hepatitis C Patients - Roche via PRNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

►November 1, 2008 - Tibotec Presents Interim Findings for TMC435, an Investigational Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Treatment, at the AASLD Liver Meeting 2008 - press release - Tibotec BVBA via PRNewswire via COMTEX via MarketWatch

►November 1, 2008 - Israelis need more of the 'sunshine vitamin' - Jerusalem Post

►November 1, 2008 - Ben Bova: Great strides vs. diseases depend on politicians - Naples Daily News

* ►November 2008 - Vaccine Effectiveness Against Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza in Children 6 to 59 Months of Age During the 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 Influenza Seasons - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Prevention of Influenza: Recommendations for Influenza Immunization of Children, 2008–2009 - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Influenza Vaccination in Adolescents With High-Risk Conditions - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Potential Impact of Acceleration of the Pertussis Vaccine Primary Series for Infants - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Acceleration of administration of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine from 2 months to 6 weeks should reduce the burden of pertussis among young infants."

* ►November 2008 - Coadministration of RIX4414 Oral Human Rotavirus Vaccine Does Not Impact the Immune Response to Antigens Contained in Routine Infant Vaccines in the United States (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Procalcitonin Levels in Febrile Infants After Recent Immunization - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Importance of On-time RotaTeq Vaccination and Long-term Active Surveillance - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Burden of Rotavirus Disease Among Children Visiting Pediatric Emergency Departments in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Oakland, California, in 1999–2000 - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Trends in the Prevalence of Chronic Medication Use in Children: 2002–2005 (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Parental Alcohol Screening in Pediatric Practices (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation Disorders Presenting in Neonates: Clinical Manifestations and Enzymatic and Molecular Diagnoses - journal article (Pediatrics) - "Oxidative phosphorylation disorders present commonly in the neonatal period. The combination of nonspecific manifestations such as prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation with early postnatal decompensation or poor feeding or vomiting and persistent lactic acidosis should suggest the possibility of an oxidative phosphorylation disorder."

* ►November 2008 - Communication About Child Development During Well-Child Visits: Impact of Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status Screener With or Without an Informational Video (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Gestational Diabetes Hinders Language Development in Offspring (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Trends in Hospitalizations Associated With Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injuries - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►November 2008 - Clinical Predictors of Lyme Disease Among Children With a Peripheral Facial Palsy at an Emergency Department in a Lyme Disease–Endemic Area (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Health Risk Behaviors in Adolescents With Chronic Conditions (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Candidate Genes and Cerebral Palsy: A Population-Based Study - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Mental Illness in Young Adults Who Had Strabismus as Children - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Preeclampsia and Risk for Epilepsy in Offspring - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Barriers to Care and Primary Care for Vulnerable Children With Asthma - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Quality of Care for Children Hospitalized With Asthma - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Emergence of and Risk Factors for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus of Community Origin in Intensive Care Nurseries - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Prevalence of Low Bone Mass and Deficiencies of Vitamins D and K in Pediatric Patients With Cystic Fibrosis From 3 Canadian Centers - journal article (Pediatrics)

►November 2008 - Neuroimaging-Use Trends in Nonacute Pediatric Headache Before and After Clinical Practice Parameters (full text) - journal article (Pediatrics)

* ►October 31, 2008 - Risk & Resistance: Child Vaccination Debate - MyFox Kansas City - "Tracy's youngest child, Evan, has never had a vaccine.  While most kids his age have had 19 doses, Evan's had none. Tracy's decision is rooted in devastation. "I don't want to be changing another child's diapers for the rest of their life as a result of vaccinating my child." Her oldest, 15-year-old Taylor, suffered a severe brain injury when she was four months old after a DPT shot.  Doctors say that shot was riskier than the DTAP shot given today. Taylor's dose came from a bad batch of vaccine.  The government awarded the family millions of dollars of Taylor's lifetime to provide for her care. Tracy says she'd rather deal with a vaccine-preventable disease any time."
 
* ►October 31, 2008 - Importance of Influenza Vaccination for Health Care Personnel - FDA/CBER

* ►October 31, 2008 - House to house polio vaccinations - WHO via ElectronicIraq.Net - "The first reports received from day one, from 18 out of the 19 directorates of health show that 921,384 (18%) children out of the total target were reached and vaccinated."

* ►October 31, 2008 - Vaccine based on a ubiquitous cysteinyl protease and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A protects against Streptococcus pyogenes sepsis and toxic shock (pdf) - journal article (Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines)

* ►October 31, 2008 - Encouraging results reported for injectable flu drug - BioCryst Pharmaceuticals via CIDRAP News

►October 31, 2008 - Pharmacists can give flu shots Dec. 4 - The Daily Star

►October 31, 2008 - Interferon-β Pretreatment of Conventional and Plasmacytoid Human Dendritic Cells Enhances Their Activation by Influenza Virus (full text) - journal article (PLoS Pathogens)

►October 31, 2008 - GSK snaps up hepatitis drug developer - RSC

* ►October 31, 2008 - Preemption: The Business Case Of The Century - Pharmalot

►October 31, 2008 - United States: New Antibiotics Offer Hope in Fight Against Drug-Resistant TB: Study - AFP via www.aegis.org

►October 31, 2008 - Motor Molecule for Memory Identified - Howard Hughes Medical Institute via HealthNewsDigest

►October 31, 2008 - Prescribing Antiepileptic Drugs to Pediatric Patients CME (requires registration) - Medscape

►October 31, 2008 - Review Reignites Questions Over BPA (free content) - Wall Street Journal

►October 31, 2008 - Model Measures Effect of Flu Vaccine - The Emory Wheel

* ►October 31, 2008 - Cold Sore Virus Leads to Baby's Death - 10-Day-Old Child Dies of Herpes Simplex Virus - ABC News

* ►October 31, 2008 - Votes And Vaccinations To Be Election Day Combo, Thanks To Yale Researcher's Program - Yale University via Medical News Today

►October 31, 2008 - HPV campaign kicks off middle school program - Saipan Tribune

* ►October 31, 2008 - Five charter school students get chickenpox - San Diego Union-Tribune - "Three of the students had one dose of chickenpox vaccine; one had two doses; and one child was not vaccinated."

* ►October 31, 2008 - Meningitis baby death must not be in vain, say Coventry parents - Coventry Telegraph, UK - "Despite showing many of the classic signs of meningitis, little Liam was wrongly diagnosed by his GP as suffering from an ear infection, while an ambulance crew suggested he had 'nappy rash'. By the time Liam was finally rushed to Walsgrave Hospital in the early hours of August 19, 2004, his condition was critical and despite the best efforts of doctors, he died just hours later."

►October 31, 2008 - First day at school for Carlisle girl who beat meningitis - Two years ago, Olivia Story’s parents feared for their daughter’s life. - Cumberland News, UK

►October 31, 2008 - Charity walk raises £60,000 to fight meningitis - Gazette Series, UK - "The £60,000 raised will go towards Meningitis UK’s Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign, which aims to raise £7million to fund vital research into developing a vaccine against Meningitis B – the most common form of meningitis in the UK, accounting for almost 90 per cent of all cases."

►October 30, 2008 - VaxInnate reports success for new flu jab; adjuvant in trials - FierceVaccines

►October 30, 2008 - Maine not immune to germ threat - Study urges vaccines, public health efforts - Bangor Daily News - "'Americans are more vulnerable than we think we are, and our public health defenses are not as strong as they should be,' warned Jeffery Levi, executive director of the non-profit, nonpartisan Trust for America’s Health, which released the report Wednesday."

►October 30, 2008 - Google Grant to Researchers Aims at Climate-Connected Disease - Source: International Research Institute for Climate and Society via Reuters AlertNet

►October 30, 2008 - Youth & Health | Survey Looks at Black Parents' Knowledge of Meningitis Risks - www.kaisernetwork.org

►October 30, 2008 - Llanfairfechan teenager struck by meningitis - North Wales Weekly News

►October 30, 2008 - 'Apparent' Virus Sickens 325 Students at New York School - More than a third of the students at a private school in the NYC suburbs are missing class because of an apparent virus. - AP via FOX News

►October 30, 2008 - Syringe reuse for IV lines not just in High Prairie: nurses union - CBC

►October 30, 2008 - HPV Testing: An Unnecesary Worry? - If your HPV test comes back abnormal, and the only plan of treatment is to test for it again in a year (or run a series of tests and biopsies that will most likely come back normal) is testing really worth it? - Mom Logic

►October 30, 2008 - Cervical jabs for 20,000 more Welsh girls - News Wales - "Vaccinations against cervical cancer are to be extended to 17 and 18-year-old girls in Wales in this school year. It will offer protection to about 20,000 more girls."

►October 30, 2008 - Calgary students taking home HPV vaccine packages - 660 News Calgary

* ►October 30, 2008 - Widow of anthrax victim can sue U.S. - TCPalm, Florida

►October 30, 2008 - Genelabs deal boosts GSK’s anti-virus research - GlaxoSmithKline has acquired Genelabs Technologies, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of compounds for infectious diseases, for some $57 million (£35 million) in a $1.30 per share cash offer. - www.mandadeals.co.uk

►October 30, 2008 - Original (antigenic) sin - The Philippine Star

►October 30, 2008 - Gearing Up for Wyeth v. Levine - The AM Law Daily

* ►October 30, 2008 - Drug Safety Oversight Board Meeting October 16, 2008, Public Summary - FDA/CDER

►October 30, 2008 - C. diff Epidemic Likely to Get Worse - Experts Say Cases of the Diarrhea Bug Are Now in All 50 States - WebMD

* ►October 29, 2008 - Silsbee Family Warning Others About Dangers of Cancer Vaccine - KFDM-TV News - "It is a vaccine that is designed to prevent girls and women from getting cervical cancer, but tonight one Southeast Texas family says the vaccine did more harm than good....Boyfriends, best friends, great times... all part of the good life of a normal 18-year-old.. the same life Holly Bolan was living more than two weeks ago. Bolan says Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine, took that away. Bolan, 'This has completely crippled me, it's been really tough.' ... after the first shot, Brothers found herself immediately trying to protect her oldest daughter from an unknown illness causing migraine-like headaches, coupled with symptoms similar to warning signs of meningitis.  Ten days later, while being tested for meningitis in the hospital, Bolan suffered several seizure-like episodes that her neurologist, Dr. William High, says was caused by swelling in her brain... the worst he says he's ever seen."

* ►October 29, 2008 - Lily Allen - Daily Record, UK - "The jab is designed to provide protection from flu, but Lily managed to catch the sniffles straight after her trip to the doctor. She said: 'A few days after my flu jab I am burning up and feel like death.'"

►October 29, 2008 - HIV Doctors May Treat All Infected, Adding Thousands - Bloomberg

►October 29, 2008 - The inaugural Annual TreeHouse Lecture: ‘Are we ambitious enough about autism? - 24Dash.com

►October 29, 2008 - $1 million autism grant awarded to Jersey Shore University Medical Center - Asbury Park Press

* ►October 28, 2008 - Final Rule: Toll-Free Number for Reporting Adverse Events on Labeling for Human Drug Products - Food and Drug Administration, HHS via www.pharmcast.com

►October 27, 2008 - What are the world's top killers? - AP via Evansville Courier Press

►October 27, 2008 - Police probe child protection concerns at a North Wales autism school - Police and social services officers have confirmed that they are investigating child protection concerns at a North Wales school for children with autism. - Evening Leader, UK

►October 27, 2008 - A jab at bird flu prevention - The China Post

►October 26, 2008 - Victoria leads the way on immunisations - AAP via Sydney Morning Herald

►October 25, 2008 - Time for that flu shot - Moose Jaw Times-Herald

►October 25, 2008 - MSD India launches GARDASIL - Moneycontrol.com

* ►October 24, 2008 - Scientists Find Breakthrough Immunization - Daily Nexus - "Two UCSB scientists have developed a vaccine with the potential to protect against 2,500 strains of salmonella."

►October 24, 2008 - Immunity to HIV-1 Is Influenced by Continued Natural Exposure to Exogenous Virus (full text) - journal article (PLoS Pathogens)

►October 22, 2008 - The People Speak: Candidate plegdes autism House support - Muskogee Phoenix

►October 13, 2008 - Pediatricians say double vitamin D dose - Reuters

►October 3, 2008 - Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Vascular Interactions of the Lyme Disease Pathogen in a Living Host (full text) - journal article (PLoS Pathogens)

►October 3, 2008 - Signal Peptide-Dependent Inhibition of MHC Class I Heavy Chain Translation by Rhesus Cytomegalovirus (full text) - journal article (PLoS Pathogens)

►October 3, 2008 - Epstein-Barr Nuclear Antigen 1 Contributes to Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma through Disruption of PML Nuclear Bodies (full text) - journal article (PLoS Pathogens)

►October 2008 - Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Patients With Parkinson Disease and Alzheimer Disease - journal article (Archives of Neurology)