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Posted December 19, 2003:
The latest Rapid responses to Hear the Silence - by Elliman and Bedford (BMJ)
The latest Rapid responses to Hear the Silence - by Fitzpatrick (BMJ)
December 20, 2003 - Providing the world with clean water - Remains a complex problem, but time is running out - journal article (BMJ)
December 20, 2003 - The power of stories over statistics - journal article (BMJ)
December 20, 2003 - The midwife, the coincidence, and the hypothesis - journal article (BMJ)
December 20, 2003 - Audit of soap usage by a primary care team - "Much discussion has taken place in the medical press recently about the role of handwashing in preventing the transmission of infection in hospital settings. Transmission of infection is also recognised in the primary care setting.1 Semmelweis showed 150 years ago that if doctors performing necropsies washed their hands before delivering babies a reduction in mortality (from 22% to 3%) due to streptococcal puerperal sepsis could be achieved.2 Many studies since have confirmed that doctors washing their hands between patients can reduce the rates of healthcare acquired infection.3 It has become widely accepted that nurses perform better than doctors at this simple measure to prevent cross infection.4 I was unable to find references to any attempt to quantify this and decided to perform an audit of the consumption of handwash soap from soap dispensers that were situated next to the sinks of members of the primary care team." - journal article (BMJ)
December 20, 2003 - Possible interaction between warfarin and cranberry juice - journal article (BMJ)
December 18, 2003 - Comments re: Flu outbreak worst in 30 years in the West, experts say - The Daily Herald
December 17, 2003 - The puzzle of autism - Congress will vote on a bill that could curtail the right to an education for disabled students; That is not the answer - The Mercury-News via www.bayarea.com
December 19, 2003 - CDC Checking to See if Flu Season Worse Than Usual - "'We are referring to this as an epidemic of flu like we see every year,' she told a news conference. 'I think what we are experiencing here is a typical pattern of influenza with an early onset.'..Public attention has focused on this year's epidemic for several reasons. Influenza hit the United States early and killed several children early on. Gerberding said at least 42 children have died of flu so far this year...
At least 40 percent of the children who died had other medical conditions that made them vulnerable, she said."December 13, 2003 - Empire covers kids’ intranasal flu vaccine - Crain's New York Business - "Children aged 6 months to 9 years should receive two inoculations four weeks apart for full protection against the flu virus."
Comment: This must be a mistake! FluMist hasn't been approved for use by children aged 6 months to 5 years!
December 18, 2003 - Bayh Proposes Flu Protection Law - WTWO News - "It would require the Centers for Disease Control to do a better job of predicting the number of flu shots needed each year."
Comment: How on earth can you require the CDC to predict the future better?
December 18, 2003 - No autopsy sought for infant - The Cincinnati Enquirer - "Olivia had received half a dose of the flu vaccine this fall, the dosage recommended by her doctor, her parents said."
Comment: Do vaccinated infants and children die because of the flu vaccine or in spite of it? We'll never know the answer to this question until and unless properly designed population studies comparing the vaccinated to the never vaccinated are conducted.
December 18, 2003 - Cot death expert to face inquiry - The cot death expert at the centre of a series of high profile cases against women accused of killing their babies is to face a professional conduct committee. - BBC
December 18, 2003 - UK Cot Death Expert May Face Misconduct Charge - Reuters via Yahoo! - "A British pediatrician whose testimony on cot death helped jail mothers accused of murdering their babies could face charges, which, if proved, could amount to serious professional misconduct, a disciplinary body said on Thursday...The General Medical Council, the statutory body that regulates the medical profession, said its preliminary proceedings committee had 'considered allegations' against Professor Sir Roy Meadow...'The committee determined that the allegations, if proved, would raise a question of serious professional misconduct, which could affect his fitness to practice,' it said in a statement."
Comment: How many lives are ruined because of blind faith in "experts"?
December 18, 2003 - Proper Pregnancy Weight Gain Benefits Mom, Baby - Reuters via Yahoo!
Pediarix - The First 5-in-1 Vaccine - advertisement - GSK - "Proven Safety - Proven safe in 12 clinical trials worldwide, in which 20,739 doses of PEDIARIX were administered to 7,028 infants"
Comment: How long were these infants followed? How many adverse effects were reported? How many infants experienced at least one adverse reaction? How many infants experienced at least one serious adverse reaction? Given that incidence and/or long-term effects of these diseases are more or less infrequent (depending on the disease), how do the long-term consequences of the diseases compare to the long-term consequences of the vaccines among infants living in developed nations?
December 12, 2003 - Update: Influenza Activity --- United States, 2003--04 Season - CDC/MMWR
December 17, 2003 - Health council: Flu not a crisis - www.mass.gov via www.townonline.com - "There is no precise count of flu cases in the state because so few illnesses are reported to doctors, but officials said they have investigated 17 outbreaks - identified as three to five cases clustered in one location - mostly in nursing homes but also in several schools. Emergency rooms, already crowded with slip-and-fall accidents after a week of icy weather, are nearing capacity, with many reporting a spike in flu cases, health officials said."
December 18, 2003 - Experts: Flu worst in 30 years in West - Could be worse that Hong Kong flu of 1968-69 - AP via Daily Southtown - "The current flu outbreak is the worst for young U.S. children in years, several experts say, perhaps worse in Western states than the Hong Kong flu of 1968-69...A government epidemiologist and other disease doctors predict flu deaths among babies and toddlers will exceed the estimated 92 who die in an average flu year."
December 12, 2003 - New HIV Vaccine Trial Here - New York Blade - "Only nine months after VaxGen reported disappointing results for its AIDS vaccine, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) are stepping up to the plate...The two groups will test a DNA-based vaccine, called Advax, on healthy, non-HIV infected volunteers in New York and Rochester. The vaccine is specifically targeted at the “C” strain of HIV, the greatest risk to people in China and developing nations where HIV infection rates are skyrocketing."
December 17, 2003 - Race May Be Factor in Who Gets Flu Shots - HealthDayNews via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Older black Americans have drastically lower flu vaccination rates than older white Americans, says a Duke University Medical Center study in the online journal BioMed Central Public Health."
December 19, 2003 - Flu
is spreading but exact numbers are hard to pin down - AP via Sun-Sentinel -
"How many will have died when it is over? Probably tens of thousands. Beyond
that, exact numbers are hard to pin down...The reason: Most people who catch the
flu never go to a doctor. And even if they do, they usually never get a definite
diagnosis...The flu is difficult to distinguish from other winter viruses. In
most cases, there is little reason for doctors to go to the trouble of
identifying the culprit, which traditionally has required growing the virus in a
culture, a process that takes two weeks...Even if they do, chances are good they
will find nothing."
Comment: But, hey, why should the fact that we don't
know if it is an epidemic, or if more or less people are dying than usual, or
even if it is flu that people are getting, prevent the media and others from
creating hysterical demand for the flu vaccine?
December 18, 2003 - Youth vaccine may see US shortage again, CDC says - Reuters via Forbes - "A childhood vaccine that has been in short supply in recent years may once again be hard to get, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday...The CDC said vaccine maker Wyeth was finding that production constraints of Prevnar could cause delays in shipments in the first or second quarters of 2004."
December 19, 2003 - Flu is now rampant in 36 states, CDC says - Tens of thousands may die. A true toll will be hard to get since many never go to the doctor. - AP via The Philadelphia Inquirer
Comment: Probably didn't go to the doctor because they got over it just fine without one.
Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism - Institute of Medicine - meeting alert - "The ninth meeting of the Immunization Safety Review Committee will be held on February 9, 2004, at the Keck Center of the National Academies, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, Room 100. This meeting will be part of the information gathering process of the committee and is open to the public."
December 17, 2003 - Bad Heir Days in USA Despite Munchausen Proxy and Meadow Meltdown in UK - NewsReleaseWire.com via www.expertclick.com - "The bottom line is that unless and until American media investigate the obvious--and any are invited to ask for names of the stalwarts who reported for years to their peril, now reading young writers penning "surprise" at the exposure of once-revered Roy Meadow and his fanciful baseless theory--innocent mothers and parents, never abused but chronically or temporarily confusingly ill children will not spend holidays or perhaps any time ever with each other."
December 17, 2003 - Older Sperm Are More Damaged, U.S. Study Shows - Reuters via Yahoo!
December 19, 2003 - UK ' behind best' on child cancer - Childhood cancer survival rates in some other European countries outstrip those in the UK, say new figures. - BBC
December 17, 2003 - Pesky bed bugs spark public warning - Now plaguing local shelters; private homes could be next - Resurgence in the medieval bugs a worldwide phenomenon - The Toronto Star
December 19, 2003 - Snakes, ladders, and spin - HARLOT plc: an amalgamation of the world's two oldest professions - journal article (BMJ) - "It has finally dawned on us that being good and being poor are causally related: being good doesn't pay. Accordingly, we have decided that it's time for us to find out whether being bad pays better. We're combining the world's oldest and second oldest professions, cashing in on our reputations, and distributing this confidential prospectus for our new company, HARLOT plc. "
The Power of 1.5 Political Action Conference - sponsored by Unlocking Autism, Cure Autism Now, The GRACE Foundation of New York, Talk Autism, The Doug Flutie Foundation and the Dan Marino Foundation - www.unlockingautism.org - conference alert - April 21-23, 2004 in Washington, DC - "WHY: Because approximately 1.5 million people in the United States have an autism spectrum disorder. Simple math tells us that close to 10 million people, most likely registered voters, are related in some way to these children and adults and are significantly concerned about their well being. That is a lot of power and that is a lot of votes that when harnessed could very well grab the attention of the next President of the United States."
December 19, 2003 - All women in Scots jails to get MMR jab - Evening Times, UK
Comment: Some people just live right.
December 18, 2003 - Flu-research money lags other diseases - Knight Ridder Tribune via Tallahassee Democrat - "The flu kills about 36,000 Americans a year, but the federal government spends only about half as much money on research to fight it as it spends to attack the boll weevil, a pest that eats cotton."
December 18, 2003 - WHO report shows life expectancy discrepancies - Of particular note is impact of AIDS - Boston Globe - "At a time when a girl born in Japan can expect to live until 85 and a girl born in Massachusetts can expect to live until 81, a girl in Sierra Leone can only expect to live until 36...The World Health Organization calls that a travesty in a report on global health to be released today."
Comment: The question is, what is the answer? Drugs, drugs, and more drugs? Or food, good water, shelter, and other necessary components of an improved standard of living?
December 18, 2003 - U.S. judge dismisses military lawsuit - He says 1950 doctrine prevents family's effort - Detroit Free Press - "Even the judge who threw out the case said there ought to be a better law...But under the Feres Doctrine of 1950, a family apparently can't sue the U.S. military for neglect in the questionable death of a boot camp recruit."
December 18, 2003 - Homeland Insecurity - Mother Jones - "Efforts by the U.S. government to create an effective, comprehensive strategy against terrorist attacks have lost momentum, while Americans, paradoxically, have become complacent about the terrorist threat. So says a federal report released this week."
December 18, 2003 - One in three children could get flu this winter - www.ananova.com
December 18, 2003 - More Than Flu Vaccine Shortages - JAMA via Ivanhoe Newswire via www.drkoop.com - "In their new report, NVAC members say, beginning in late 2000, significant "unprecedented and unanticipated" shortages of routinely administered vaccines occurred in the United States. They say 11 childhood diseases are routinely prevented through vaccinations. Of those, eight vaccines were undersupplied."
December 2003 - HIV vaccine candidate fails in Thailand trials - VaxGen’s vaccine candidate was not effective in preventing HIV or slowing the progress of HIV. (requires registration) - Infectious Disease News - "The vaccine candidate did not show efficacy for either primary or secondary endpoints, company officials said, the primary endpoint being the prevention of HIV infection. The secondary endpoints concerned whether vaccination slowed disease progression in those who later contracted HIV. The vaccine candidate appeared well tolerated with no serious adverse events related to the vaccine."
December 2003 - Pandemic flu vaccine trials and reverse genetics: foundation for effective response to next pandemic - NIH officials are hoping to ensure an adequate global supply of influenza vaccine. (requires registration) - Infectious Disease News - "When the last influenza pandemic occurred in 1968, the NIH conducted several clinical trials of inactivated vaccines. The studies had little practical impact because few doses of influenza vaccine were then being used in the United States and other countries. The current situation is very different. In the United States, approximately 90 million doses of influenza vaccine will be used this year. Vaccine coverage among the elderly exceeds 65%, vaccination is increasing among younger adults and recommendations have recently been issued strongly encouraging vaccination of children."
December 18, 2003 - Tobacco industry's 'grab 'em young' methods exposed - The Independent, UK - "The cynical and exploitative methods used by tobacco companies to market cigarettes and snare a new generation of addicts were laid bare for the first time yesterday with the publication on the internet of thousands of previously confidential documents."
Report of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force: 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations, and Supporting Literature via www.dogs4sale.com.au - "The evolution of biologics represents a continuum of advances encompassing efficacy, safety, and usage. Early vaccines did not enjoy the same safety and efficacy profiles of currently available products, often resulting in adverse reactions or short durations of immunity (DOI). The resulting recommendations for revaccination reflected these product limitations, and most of the widely accepted recommendations for revaccination were based on a 'better safe than sorry' approach because the diseases these vaccines were designed to prevent were widespread and devastating."
June 2003 - Neurodevelopmental Disorders after Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Brief Communication - journal article (Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine)
December 19, 2003 -
US flu vaccine producers get $85m boost - Fund will help manufacturers ramp up output via animal-cell technology - The Straits TimesInfluenza Virus Vaccine - Fluzone® 2003 -2004 Formula (pdf)
December 18, 2003 - Ex - Doctor Claims Pap Tests Were Falsified - AP via The New York Times - "The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center certified thousands of Pap tests when they were never reviewed by physicians, putting an unknown number of women at risk of diseases that may have gone undetected, two lawsuits allege."
December 2001 - Pharma Buys a Conscience - Provincial Health Ethics Network - "Why pharmaceutical companies want the goodwill of doctors is no great mystery. The surprise is why they want the goodwill of someone like me. I am a philosophy professor, and I work at a bioethics center...The issue of corporate money has become something of an embarrassment within the bioethics community. Bioethicists have written for years about conflicts of interest in scientific research or patient care yet have paid little attention to the ones that might compromise bioethics itself."
Comment: For more on this go to Not-So-Public Relations - How the drug industry is branding itself with bioethics
December 18, 2003 - Flu spreads across U.S. but no epidemic yet: CDC - Reuters - "Influenza is now widespread in 36 U.S. states and has been found in all 50, but the outbreak is not yet an epidemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday...People may be filling hospital emergency rooms thinking they have flu, but only about a third of suspect cases actually are influenza, the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease."
December 18, 2003 - Why U.S. supply of flu vaccine fell short - Knight Ridder via The Seattle Times - "What went wrong?...U.S. health officials and drug companies say it was mostly bad luck, and the difficulties inherent in making vaccines...Critics say it was flawed decisions by both of the above. And they say officials should be more candid that this year's flu vaccine was formulated to protect against three older strains of the virus, but not against the new strain racing across the country."
December 19, 2003 - Vaccine shortage a question of timing - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - "If international health officials had discovered the Fujian strain of influenza a little earlier or if manufacturers had been able to speed up production, perhaps there would have been time enough to make a vaccine that was both the right type and the right quantity...That's not the case now."
December 18, 2003 - EBay pulls plug on sale of flu shots - The Boston Globe - "'Sure, this is unethical, but it's not a lot different from stuff we do in medicine every day,' Annas said."
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