*For most of the Wakefield "conflict of interest" articles posted on the site, click here (check periodically for updates)

►March 7, 2004 - Funding not going into fighting autism - Canadian Press - "When Dr. Noni MacDonald starts talking about the debate over whether childhood vaccinations cause autism, her words are steeped in anger. She thinks the public ought to be angry, too...The source of the emotion? The years of time, effort and research funding that has been spent disproving a piece of British research that last week was repudiated by most of the team responsible for it...MacDonald and others have nothing but praise for the scientists who had the courage to formally declare their work did not prove a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (called the MMR) and rising rates of autism...But she sure does begrudge the resources that 1998 article - and more importantly, the interpretation placed on it by lead author Dr. Andrew Wakefield - diverted from other areas of autism research.

Comment:  Besides the fact that the theory has NOT been disproved, the idea that all these funds have been diverted from other areas of research is ludicrous.  Some funds were diverted to vaccine-manufacturer influenced/financed research, and used to allegedly vindicate the MMR vaccine, but little funding has gone to support research looking into the possible connection between MMR and autism.  Had it been, there might well be additional evidence in support of Wakefield's theory.  Ironically, this very "absence of funding" is wrongly being used to allege an "absence of evidence", when, in fact, it does not, necessarily indicate "evidence of absence" (of, in this case, a relationship between the vaccine and MMR).

►March 5-18, 2004 - MMR: Interesting Conflicts - The vilification of Dr Andrew Wakefield in recent days has been a side show to the important issue of whether the mumps, measles, and rubella triple vaccine (MMR) poses a risk to a small sub set of children. But the attacks have served a purpose. They have highlighted the need to preserve independent medical research - and reminded the public that there is one rule for an off-message messenger like Dr Wakefield and quite another for the government and drug companies. (requires subscription) - Private Eye

Comment: Excellent article.

►March 8, 2004 - Vical to Receive $1 Million in NIH Grants for CMV Vaccine Development - PRNewswire-FirstCall via http://interestalert.com - "CMV infection causes severe consequences in about 3,600 infants and death in about 400 each year in the U.S."

Comment:  This appears to be government funding going to a private company. 

►March 8, 2004 - Few states track hospital infections - AP via www.centredaily.com - "No one federal agency tracks hospital infections, which infect more than 2 million people and kill nearly 100,000 annually, and only Pennsylvania and Illinois require reporting of hospital-acquired infections, a newspaper reported...'You have these infections that are out of control and no one is paying attention,' Dee Dee Vallier, of Hood River, Ore., told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Her husband is disabled after developing a staph infection following back surgery."

►March 7, 2004 - Science takes aim at terror - Los Angeles Times via The Buffalo News

►March 8, 2004 - Renown Buena Park, California Medical Doctor/Author Receives Highest Award From Governor of Carnataka, India After Her Breakthrough Medical Treatment, NAET, Reduced the Effects of Debilitating Diseases in Indian Children - Market Wire via http://interestalert.com - "His Excellency, T.N. Chaturvedi, governor of Carnataka, India (one of India's 22 states) presented California's Dr. Devi Nambudripad with a golden plaque of honor at a ceremony held in her honor in Bangalore, Carnataka where he described her breakthrough medical treatment, NAET, as a 'remarkable contribution to society.'"

Comment:  For more on Dr. Devi (as she is often called), and her incredible approach to the cure of allergies, which has essentially been ignored by mainstream medicine, go to www.naet.com.

►March 15, 2004 - FDA targets medication errors by requiring bar codes on drugs - The rule eliminates a major hurdle to improving patient safety. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 15, 2004 - Peer review: The case for absolute immunity (opinion) - Courts need to know that unqualified immunity is the only thing that makes the practice possible. - www.ama-assn.org - "Without the promise of immunity from civil lawsuits, physicians are likely to think twice about reporting colleagues who might be jeopardizing patient care."

►March 15, 2004 - Tort reform debate best served by truth (opinion) - A message to all physicians from AMA President - www.ama-assn.org

►March 15, 2004 - Letters to the Editor (opinion) - U.S. report wrong in connecting tort reform to insurance premiums - Realistic view of teen sex supports access to emergency contraception - Problems of modern medical life prove younger doctors' dedication - www.ama-assn.org

►March 15, 2004 - Depression link to chronic disease goes both ways - Untreated depression's debilitating nature could trigger chronic disease, new research suggests. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 15, 2004 - RSV peak spurs push for vaccine development - Respiratory syncytial virus follows on the heels of flu, putting renewed strain on pediatric practices. - American Medical News via www.ama-assn.org

►March 15, 2004 - Possible correlation between diabetes and hearing loss - New research confirms a long-suspected connection, though it is still too soon to start auditory screening for diabetics. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 9, 2004 - Anthrax Treatments Promising In Tests - Two Developers Say Experimental Drugs Are Safe for Humans (requires registration) - The Washington Post 

►March 3, 2004 - FDA Launches New Easy-to-Use Drug Information Web Site - FDA 

►March 8, 2004 - Study: Inhaled Steroids Do Not Harm Fetal Growth - Reuters via Yahoo! News 

►March 8, 2004 - Diets high in fat and animal protein linked to increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - Yale University via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 9, 2004 - Again, lawmakers consider proposal to limit jury awards - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

►March 9, 2004 - Anthrax treatments look promising - Two developers say experimental drugs safe - Washington Post via MSNBC

►March 8, 2004 - Flu was worst in years - Hospital cases shot up, especially among kids, pregnant women (requires registration) - Dallas Morning News

Comment:  Given the revised overall assessment of the flu season, an example of which is in the article below, was Dallas really worse vis à vis the flu (and if so, why?), or was the media generated hysteria simply more "effective" in creating panic in that area?

►March 8, 2004 - U.S. Flu 'Epidemic' Not So - ScoutNews, LLC via Dr. Koop - "In the words of Saturday Night Live "commentator" Emily Latella: Never mind.'...What started out in the fall of 2003 as a fear that an influenza pandemic was threatening the United States has ended with fewer flu cases than in 2002."

►March 9, 2004 - Source of hepatitis C can be elusive - North America Syndicate via The Arizona Republic

►March 4, 2004 - Depressed moms want pediatricians to hear them - University Hospitals of Cleveland  via www.eurekalert.org

►March 5, 2004 - Stroke Therapy Helps Cerebral Palsy - University of Alabama at Birmingham via Ivanhoe

►March 5, 2004 - Internet can Help Kids' Health - American Heart Association via Ivanhoe

►March 4, 2004 - Texas Schools Told to Cut Fatty Foods - Texas Public Schools Told to Cut Sugar and Fatty Foods to Combat Obesity - AP via ABC News

►March 5, 2004 - A Look at Simple Ways to Limit Allergies - American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology via AP via Yahoo!

►March 8, 2004 - One remedy for antibiotic overuse (requires registration - The Los Angeles Times - "Giving patients with colds or bronchitis a kit containing common over-the-counter remedies can reduce antibiotic overuse...Researchers from the Minnesota health department and several health insurance companies designed cough and cold kits that included Tylenol, powdered chicken soup, throat lozenges and tea bags for adults diagnosed with colds or bronchitis. In an experiment, patients at five family practice clinics got the kits; those at five other clinics did not...The researchers tracked how many patients filled prescriptions for oral antibiotics within three days of their appointments. They found that 12.8% of patients given free kits filled prescriptions, compared with 18.2% of patients who did not get kits. The study involved nearly 11,000 patients."

Comment:  Maybe I'm missing something here, but how about just not giving prescriptions for antibiotics to people who don't need them?  (And explaining why, giving alternatives, etc.)

►February/March 2004 - Letters to BMJ in response to Pressure mounts for inquiry into MMR furore

Comment:  Be sure to read the excellent letter from Hilary Butler.

►2003 - The Emerging Picture of Persistent Measles Vaccine Virus in Autism - by Dr. Andrew Wakefield - www.visceral.org.uk

►March 8, 2004 - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Pakistan - This is a Follow-up report (No. 1) via OIE on the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in Pakistan. - Poultry News via www.thepoultrysite.com

►March 8, 2004 - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the US - This is a Follow-up report (No. 1) via OIE on the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in the US. - Poultry News via www.thepoultrysite.com

►March 8, 2004 - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Thailand - This is a Follow-up report (No. 5) via OIE on the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in Thailand. - Poultry News via www.thepoultrysite.com

►March 8, 2004 - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in China - This is a Follow-up report (No. 3) via OIE on the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in China. - Poultry News via www.thepoultrysite.com

►March 8, 2004 - Avian Influenza in Canada - This is follow up report No 2 via OIE on the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in Canada. - Poultry News via www.thepoultrysite.com

►March 8, 2004 - Mass Cull In Maryland To Contain Bird Flu - State officials in Maryland have ordered the culling of 328, 000 birds on two huge commercial chicken farms, nearly four times the number killed when two Delaware farms were infected last month. - Poultry News via www.thepoultrysite.com

►March 8, 2004 - Quick, easy and accurate - Rapid diagnosis of the flu could help prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics - www.haaretz.com

►March 8, 2004 - Polio Vaccine: Controversy Over Or Renewed? - Weekly Trust via www.allafrica.com - "The hope of all stakeholders in the oral polio vaccine saga, that a final stand will be reached after the report of the All-inclusive Final Verification Committee (AFVC) had been published, may have been dashed by the renewed debate on the issue...But in a dramatic reversal of this apparent resolution of a lingering crisis, the said Dr Lawal Alhassan Bichi of Bayero University, Kano denounced the report that bore his name. He told Weekly Trust in Kano that he has no hand in the Punch report, and added that he was not the chairman of the committee as the publication claimed and therefore neither wrote nor signed the particular report. In an advertisement carried in the Punch newspaper of Friday, February 27th 2004, signed by two members of the committee, one Dr Lawal Alhassan Bichi (chairman) and A. Babatunde (secretary), the committee published the result of its verification tour of South Africa, Indonesia, and India; reaching the conclusion that the OPV was safe for use on Nigerian children."

►March 8, 2004 - 'We Had to Choose Between Two Evils' - Gov Shekarau - Weekly Trust via www.allafrica.com

►March 8, 2004 - Jefferson Alzheimer's Vaccine Shows Promise In Animal Model - Thomas Jefferson University via Science Daily

►March 8, 2004 - EPA Doubles Estimates of Children with Mercury in Blood - www.accessnorthga.com

►March 8, 2004 - Emissions impossible? Protesters call for reduction of mercury emissions - Hundreds protested Sunday at the University at Albany, blaming the federal Environmental Protection Agency for mercury pollution in local waters and calling for all power plants to reduce 90 percent of their mercury emissions by 2008. - Troy Record

►March 8, 2004 - Statins appear to offer protection against development of alzheimer disease, new research shows - Neuroepidemiology via Pharmaceutical Executive

►March 8, 2004 - Attacking Schoolkids' Asthma - Philly District has a bus and adults who care - Philadelphia Daily News via www.philly.com

►March 8, 2004 - Protein Sequences: Not So Predictable After All - Ludwig Institute For Cancer Research via Science Daily

►March 8, 2004 - Elusys Presents Data on Anthrax Antibody at American Society for Microbiology's Biodefense Research Meeting - Antibody Prevents Death in Animals Exposed to Anthrax and Shows Unexpected Protective Benefits - press release - Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. via PRNewswire via Yahoo!

►March 9, 2004 - New Microbes Could Become the 'New Norm' (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 9, 2004 - Indian Immunologicals Develops Thermostable Rabies Vaccine - www.financialexpress.com

►March 8, 2004 - Common virus may contribute to uncommon bone disease in children - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia via www.eurekalert.org

►March 9, 2004 - Millions of Pacific children not immunised - Millions of children in the Pacific region are not immunised against potentially deadly diseases such as hepatitis B and measles, say speakers at a Unicef/World Health Organisation conference in Auckland. - www.stuff.co.nz

►March  2004 - Fever phobia hot topic for pediatrics (requires registration) - When parents are overheated over temperatures, pediatricians need to address fever myths. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 2004 - Outgoing NIP director reflects on immunization success story - (requires registration) - In a recent interview, Infectious Diseases in Children spoke with Walter A. Orenstein, MD, about the NIP and his plans ahead. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 2004 - Largest outbreak of measles since 1999 reported in Alabama (requires registration) - The outbreak is a reminder to physicians to keep measles in the differential diagnosis for fever and rash in infants who have traveled overseas. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 2004 - The story of avian influenza in Thailand (requires registration) - An unlucky boy who liked to play with chickens in his yard died from respiratory complications after contracting avian influenza. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 2004 - Research on rotavirus vaccines continues as need remains pressing (requires registration) - The future of rotavirus vaccines includes both bovine-human reassortants and attenuated human rotavirus strains. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 2004 - Nevirapine shows resistance but helps prevent mother-to-child transmission (requires registration) - Research shows that nevirapine still brings mother-to-child HIV transmission rates down but may cause maternal resistance problems later. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 2004 - Perinatal HIV transmission is low but still a concern (requires registration) - At an urban hospital, only nine of 131 infants born over a two-year period were HIV positive. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►March 4, 2004 - Diseased hearts' unbalanced response to stress (requires registration or subscription) - BioMedNet

►March 2, 2004 - Anti-vivisectionists bark over beagle patent (requires registration or subscription) - BioMedNet

►February 27, 2004 - Eating your way to Alzheimer's disease (requires registration or subscription) - BioMedNet