Air pollution and
case fatality of SARS in the People's Republic of China: An ecologic study -
journal article - "Our
studies demonstrated a positive association between air pollution and SARS case
fatality in Chinese population by utilizing publicly accessible data on SARS
statistics and air pollution indices. Although ecologic fallacy and uncontrolled
confounding effect might have biased the results, the possibility of a
detrimental effect of air pollution on the prognosis of SARS patients deserves
further investigation."
November
20, 2003 - A
poxy story - For several hundred years, a type of pox virus known as
vaccinia has been saving lives. Today it is still proving useful to medicine -
The Economist - "If researchers can discover why vaccinia, and other pox
viruses, are so good at evading the efforts of immune cells, they will make a
significant advance in understanding the way the human immune system works."
November
24, 2003 - Senator:
Military must review vaccine use - UPI - "A week after the Pentagon
acknowledged one soldier's death might have been caused by a vaccine reaction, a
U.S. senator is calling on the military to reconsider mandatory anthrax and
smallpox vaccinations that he says could be causing "grievous" harm...Sen. Jeff
Bingaman, D-N.M., plans on Tuesday to introduce a "Sense of the Senate"
resolution asking Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to review the vaccine
program amid growing reports of serious side effects...'An estimated 84 percent
of the personnel who had anthrax vaccine shots ... reported having side effects
or reactions'..."
November
23, 2003 - The
Doctors and the Drug Makers (6 Letters) - The New York Times - "Arnold S.
Relman portrays how the pharmaceutical industry influences drug costs through
its sponsorship of education programs for doctors (Op-Ed, Nov. 18). But as long
as health care in this country remains primarily pharmaceutically based, these
problems will continue regardless of what program is being financed."
December 1, 2003 -
Diseases of the Mind -
Bacteria, viruses and parasites may cause mental illnesses like depression and
perhaps even autism and anorexia - MSNBC
Setting Standards in
Vaccine Safety - The Brighton Collaboration -
"Mission - The Brighton Collaboration is an
international voluntary collaboration to facilitate the development, evaluation,
and dissemination of high quality information about the safety of human
vaccines/Primary aim - To develop globally accepted and implemented
standardized case definitions of Adverse Events Following Immunization."
To learn more about whether or not childhood
vaccinations have been "ruled out" as a cause of autism, read Congressman
Weldon's recent
remarks
to the Autism Summit
Conference.
November
24, 2003 -
Autism
no longer considered a rare condition - Knight Ridder via
www.sunherald.com -
"Some parents think that childhood
vaccinations are a cause of autism, but that theory has been ruled out by
researchers, Yeargin-Allsopp said." (Responses
to this article can be sent to Diane Carroll at
dcarroll@kcstar.com)
Comment: And yet, even a 100%
vaccination rate does not always do the trick... see
Measles Outbreak
among Vaccinated High School Students -- Illinois -
"Editorial Note: This outbreak demonstrates that transmission of measles
can occur within a school population with a documented immunization level of
100%."
DISCLAIMER: All
information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for
general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the
knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended
as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate
is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in
consultation with your health care provider.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"