Today's Top Stories - February 13, 2003

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Posted February 13, 2004:

►February 12, 2004 - Making All Faces Familiar for Those With Autism - HealthDayNews via www.14wfie.com - "University of Washington researchers have discovered that the brains of people with autism function differently than the brains of normal people when they see pictures of unfamiliar people...The study of 11 adolescents and adults with autism and 10 age-matched controls also found that when people with autism see a picture of a familiar face, their brain activity is similar to that of other people...The researchers say these findings indicate that in people with autism, a brain region called the fusiform gyrus that's associated with face processing has the potential to function normally, but may need special training to do so."

►February 9, 2004 - Special Training May Help People with Autism Recognize Faces - press release - University of Washington via Newswise

 ►February 13, 2004 - Bird flu short incubation: study - AP via The Australian

 ►February 12, 2004 - Homeless Vaccinated to Prevent Meningitis (requires registration) - The Los Angeles Times

 ►February 13, 2004 - WHO assurance on bird flu scare - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dispelled fears of bird flu being transmitted by humans in Vietnam. - Aljazeera.net

 ►February 12, 2004 - Pop That Pill - PopMatters via AlterNet.org - "Around 20 years ago, the word 'patient' began evaporating eerily – like the photo of Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future' – from the dictionaries of the drug companies. And in its place came the term, 'medical consumer.' Twenty years ago. That's when drug manufacturers began marketing prescription medications directly to the lay public...It used to be that drug ads were directed only toward physicians, mostly in the dry pages of medical journals. And for good reason. Prescription drugs are complex things; each has risks and benefits. There is no such thing as a harmless medicinal drug. In Hebrew, the word for medicine is samim, or poison. Every drug is a poison."

►February 12, 2004 - MedImmune thinking twice about staying in vaccine business - CNS via www.sunherald.com - "The research chief of Gaithersburg-based MedImmune told a House committee Thursday that the company may get out of the vaccine-production business, following disappointing sales of its nasal-spray vaccine this flu season."

Comment: "BL Fisher Note (from the NVIC newsletter): When America's free enterprise system is allowed to work properly, without government coercion, then those products the public needs and wants will be purchased and consumed and those the public does not need or want will not be purchased and consumed. That leaves the way open for other manufacturers to build a better mousetrap and persuade the public to use that better mousetrap, which is as it should be...A good example is the Prevnar vaccine. The Prevnar vaccine, without any government mandates, was the best selling new drug/biological in 2001. Wyeth can't make the product fast enough to satisfy public demand...In any given year, only about one quarter of the US population has voluntarily chosen to purchase and consume flu vaccine of any kind. Only when government interferes and mandates use of a vaccine or subsidizes manufacturers of vaccines is America's free enterprise system not allowed to work as it should. At the end of the day, the public should not be forced to use a product it does not want...There were very good reasons why the FDA did not approve FLUMIST for use in children under five or adults over 50. MedImmune and Wyeth both know why. MedImmune is wise to read the writing on the wall rather than ask for government bailout of a vaccine that the public, for whatever reasons, obviously does not want."

►February 13, 2004 - CDC Knew of Potential Link between Vaccines, Autism - First Coast News - "The Centers for Disease Control published a study last fall repudiating any possible link between thimerosal and developmental problems like autism in children. However, First Coast News has obtained non-published documents that show the CDC DID have data supporting such a link-- but kept it from the public."

Comment:  Another fine article.

►February 11, 2004 - Rabies more deadly than SARS in China - UPI via http://interestalert.com

►February 13, 2004 - New vaccine hailed as HIV breakthrough - Herald Sun - "Medical experts are thrilled by early results from the injection, which kick-starts the body's immune system to fight HIV...Doctors say if the HIV level can be kept low, patients will avoid AIDS and live long and relatively healthy lives."

Comment:  But what if, as some believe, HIV has nothing to do with AIDS?

►February 12, 2004 - ASU autism study needs samplings of baby hair - The Arizona Republic

►February 12, 2004 - School worker in Michigan charged with mercury spill (requires registration) - The Chicago Tribune

 ►February 12, 2004 - Mercury worries rising - Proposals that let polluting industries set the rules - opinion - Sarasota Herald Tribune

 ►February 12, 2004 - Mercury found in sink at school - Two Middletown High School students discovered a small amount of mercury Wednesday morning in a school laboratory, which prompted several city and state officials to respond. - Middletown Press

 ►February 12, 2004 - Warning signs of diabetes: All in your head? - "Above the neck" signs may help identify those at risk - Academy of General Dentistry via www.tulsaworld.com

 ►February 12, 2004 - Immune to the romance of TB - The Victorians considered it an aphrodisiac, but with its incidence rising, the good news is that there is a new vaccine - Times Online, UK

►February 12, 2004 - NNMC and NCI study possible vaccine for ovarian cancer - The National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are currently investigating vaccine therapy that may prove to be effective against ovarian cancer. - NNS via The Dolphin

►February 12, 2004 - Orange City senator offers bill to ban immunizations containing mercury-based preservatives (requires subscription) - Sioux City Journal

►February 11, 2004 - Destiny: Is it in the Genes? Does Parenting Matter? - Ivanhoe

►February 11, 2004 - Network of NHS watchdogs launched - An independent network of NHS watchdogs is to be launched aimed at giving the public a greater say over healthcare. - BBC

 ►February 11, 2004 - Childhood Cancer Survivors Need More Screening - Cancer via Ivanhoe

 ►January 2004 - The effect of environmental tobacco smoke on eczema and allergic sensitization in children - journal article (British Journal of Dermatology)

►February 9, 2004 - Early Fevers Associated with Lower Allergy Risk Later in Childhood - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease - "Infants who experience fevers before their first birthday are less likely to develop allergies by ages six or seven, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, lends support to the well-known "hygiene hypothesis," which contends that early exposure to infections might protect children against allergic diseases in later years."

Comment:  And what about immune response via vaccination that occurs without fever?  Might it predispose TO allergies?  (One small study suggests that the vaccinated may have more allergies.  For more on this go to Out of Control: "Childhood vaccinations and the risk of asthma"  - a CDC study.)

 ►February 12, 2004 - Australian HIV vaccine gains international attention - National Nine News via http://news.ninemsn.com.au

►February 12, 2004 - Gates Foundation Commits $82.9 Million to Develop New Tuberculosis Vaccines - Grant is the Largest Ever to Support TB Vaccine Research and Development  - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation via PRNewswire via Yahoo!

 ►February 12, 2004 - Health groups urge change in vaccination procedure - AP via www.nbc25.com - "Health care providers are being urged to suspend temporarily the routine use of a fourth dose of a widely used childhood vaccination...Three major health groups, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say the move would help conserve vaccine and minimize the likelihood of shortages caused by production and supply problems at Wyeth Vaccines. It's the only supplier in the U-S...The vaccine in question is pneumococcal conjugate (noo-moh-KAH'-kuhl KAHN'-joo-gut) vaccine, pr P-C-V-7. It can help prevent serious pneumococcal disease such as meningitis and blood infections. Health officials say cutting back to three doses from four won't have any adverse health consequences."

Comment:  If cutting back to three doses from four "won't have any adverse health consequences", what is the purpose of the fourth dose?  (That is, other than to line the coffers of the vaccine manufacturers?)

►February 13, 2004 - Again, No Link Seen Between MMR Vaccine and Autism - Pediatrics via Reuters Health

Comment:  Good grief.  Have these reporters no shame?  For more on why this and other reports on the IOM meeting re: autism and vaccines are literally "not to be believed", click here.

►February 12, 2004 - Targeting hard-to-kill fungal infections - Society of Nuclear Medicine via www.eurekalert.org

 ►February 12, 2004 - Drug Cocktail Might Fight Hepatitis C - Two Drugs May Be Better Than One In This Case - Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. via www.wnbc.com

 ►February 12, 2004 - Diabetes doubles risk of liver disease and liver cancer - American Gastroenterological Association via Medical News Today

 ►February 12, 2004 - Immune system's attack dogs kept on genetic leash - Loss of restraint may contribute to lupus, other autoimmune disorders - Washington University School of Medicine via www.eurekalert.org - "When they're not busy battling invaders, some of the cells that act as the attack dogs of the mouse immune system have to be kept on a genetic leash to prevent them from mounting inappropriate attacks on the mouse's own tissues, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found...'We used to think of mature immune cells like T cells and B cells as metabolically inactive when waiting for infections or other signals that trigger an attack,' says Stanford Peng, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and of pathology and immunology. 'We're now thinking these resting cells actually are very metabolically active, and they are kept in a quiescent state by genes actively working to shut down activating proteins.'"

►February 12, 2004 - Jefferson Researchers Find Immune Response, Dosing Keys to Vaccine's Success Against Melanoma - Journal of Clinical Oncology via A Scribe Newswire

►February 12, 2004 - Expert: Shots when pregnant? - The Capital Times

 ►February 12, 2004 - Vaccine research: back to the drawing board? - www.aidsmap.com - "The major presentations on HIV vaccines at the Eleventh Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco were dominated by one question. Is it reasonable to press ahead with large-scale clinical trials, such as the one now underway in Chon Buri and Rayong provinces, Thailand? Or should the emphasis and funding for vaccine research shift more strongly back to basic immunology and experiments in animal models?"

 ►February 12, 2004 - Drug company greed hurts effort on flu (requires registration) - opinion - The Central Florida Future - "What Bush's privatization plan would essentially do to the U.S. pharmaceutical landscape is put our unenviable drug dependency more in the hands of companies whose sole interests are profits. That almost definitely will result in a drop in vaccine availability nationwide."

►February 12, 2004 - Flu Vaccine Makers Say Gov't Must Increase Demand - Reuters, UK - "Vaccine makers can not guarantee enough future supplies of flu vaccines unless the government can help ensure profitability, drug company officials told U.S. Congress on Thursday...Unless the market is expanded -- either by ensuring that more at-risk people get vaccinations for influenza or simply more people in general, companies have little incentive for innovation, the executives said...'Raising demand is key to raising supply,' Howard Pien, president and chief executive officer of Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron Corp. said...'A universal recommendation... will in turn provide the impetus on the part of vaccine manufacturers to increase their production capacity to meet routine demand,' James Young, president of Research and Development at MedImmune, said."

Comment:  Can this really be happening?  Are they going to get away with it?  If history is any judge, they just well may.  For more on the flu and the flu vaccine, go to Dr. Sherri Tenpenny's articles at www.redflagsdaily.com .

►February 12, 2004 - Vaccine Update February 2004 - www.detnow.com - "It would be irresponsible to leave children at risk of diseases that can kill, and not every vaccine that can provide protection is laced with the toxic substance that so many have questioned, but no matter what you may hear from the people you depend upon to protect your health, the safety of some vaccines is still questionable...'Everybody wants vaccines to be as safe as they possibly can,' U-M Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Gary Freed, M.D. has said, but medical experts at the respected University of Michigan are among those who continue to downplay any real concerns. Following our first reports about the issue on Action News last Fall, the university website countered our broadcasts with what it said was 'the truth about vaccines,' labeling the concerns we reported as mere 'rumor and speculations,' claiming its professional staff is trained to handle such concerns, despite the fact they gave our producer what they later admitted was patently inaccurate information to her questions on the phone. Regardless of which shot is given, one nurse wrongly informed the producer, there will not be mercury in the shot...Even today, U-M’s website wrongly claims 'no harmful effects have been reported' from the mercury in vaccines except for minor redness and swelling where needles have been injected."

Comment:  This article, by Steve Wilson, is just about as good as it gets, and should not be missed.  Thank you, Steve Wilson, for having the courage and integrity that so many journalists lack. 

►February 11, 2004 - Scripps scientists say genetic mutation doesn't protect against HIV and plague - Scripps Research Institute via www.eurekalert.org 

►February 11, 2004 - Man Gets $850,000 After Wrong Surgery - AP via The Herald-Sun 

►February 11, 2004 - Peptide May Help Predict Heart Disease - AP via The Herald-Sun 

►February 11, 2004 - Life Expectancy Box - New federal data show Americans' life expectancy has increased to an all-time high. - AP via The Herald-Sun 

►February 12, 2004 - Infant Deaths Up for First Time Since '58 - AP via The Herald-Sun - "U.S. infant mortality has climbed for the first time in more than four decades, in part because more women are putting off motherhood and then having multiple babies via fertility drugs, the government said...At the same time, U.S. life expectancy reached an all-time high of 77.4 years in 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Life expectancy in 2001 was 77.2 years." 

►February 12, 2004 - Avian flu found at four New Jersey live chicken markets; officials say no danger to humans - AP via The Hannibal Courier-Post

►February 11, 2004 - Children at risk - Colorado last in child vaccinations - AP via The Hannibal Courier-Post

Comment:  Not everyone agrees with this assessment.  For more on this, read a letter from NVIC rep, Cindy Loveland, to the governor of Colorado.

►February 12, 2004 - Infectious disease deaths up sharply in China - Infectious diseases claimed 6,474 lives on the Chinese mainland last year, up nearly a quarter on figures for 2002. - People's Daily, China

 

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