Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - posted December 1-7, 2003

Vaccination NewsLetter: Top Stories - posted December 1-7, 2003

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Previous newsletters

Picks of the week - updated 12/10/23

Smallpox/smallpox vaccine

December 1, 2003 - Berkeley study might explain HIV immunity - Resistance among 10% of European descendants may be linked to gene that blocks smallpox virus - Alameda Times-Star - "Those with immunity or resistance have one or more ancestors who centuries ago survived the scourge of smallpox, the researchers, Alison Galvani, a postdoctoral fellow, and Montgomery Slatkin, professor of integrative biology, believe."

Comment: Is this not part of the process that makes an entire population stronger in the long run? If it is true that vaccines are at least partly responsible for the rise in chronic and autoimmune diseases, might it be that we are "weakening the strong to protect the weak"? If so, might there not be better ways of protecting the weak?

S. Res. 278 - The Bingaman Resolution via www.nvic.org

Comment: IMPORTANT DOCUMENT

Frist bills/Eli Lilly et al protection/VICP - for more, click here

Other Bioterror-related

November 28, 2003 - A shot in the arm?: Cuba's biotech industry raises hope, suspicion - The Dallas Morning News via The Seattle Times - "It was Cuba's $1 billion gamble — to train an army of scientists, develop a sprawling biotech industry and tackle every disease from cancer to AIDS...The bet paid off, Cuban officials say...But some U.S. officials aren't quite ready to applaud. They remain suspicious of Cuba's intentions and reiterate their charge that the socialist nation is running a secret germ-warfare program."

November 28, 2003 - Irradiator prompts terrorism concerns - A Bucks County facility started operations last month. An old question has taken on urgency. - The Philadelphia Inquirer - "This irradiator and 50 others around the country are generating a heated debate over terrorism, nuclear safety and food purity. The residents here are asking many of hte same questions being raised elsewhere: Is food irradiation dangerous? Is the food safe to eat? COuld the radioactive elements be stolen or exploded by terrorists?"

Autism

December 6, 2003 - Judge rules in favor of WUSD in autism case - Wickenburg Sun - "A Maricopa County Superior Court judge recently ruled against the parent of a 9-year-old autistic boy in his attempt to have the Wickenburg Unified School District pay for his son's tuition at a private learning facility in the Valley."

December 6, 2003 - Shock as incidence of autism soars in city - The Inverness Courier - "Autism levels among Inverness children are almost double the national average, an audit into city schools has revealed...The study by Highland Council education department has found as many as one primary age child in 49 has been diagnosed with, or awaiting diagnosis of, Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the Inverness area."

March 14, 2003 - The Recognition Factor - Part of brain that identifies faces also identifies other objects - Health Scout - "For autistic children who have problems recognizing faces, the study's findings may provide a scientific basis to help teach these children face identification, Curran adds."

December 2, 2003 - Autism on rise in schools - The Herald-Mail Online - "Autism affects '10,000 percent' more students across Maryland than it did about 10 years ago, a staggering number that's causing state and county school officials to take a closer look at how children who have the complex disability are taught, a Maryland State Department of Education official said."

Comment: But aren't the "experts" insisting it's a matter of improved diagnosis?

November 27, 2003 - Neighbor told to steer clear of autistic lad - Boston Herald - "The Quincy woman accused of mercilessly harassing an 11-year-old neighbor with autism claiming he brought down her property values was ordered yesterday by a judge to stay away from the child."

November 28, 2003 - Plan to limit aid alarms advocates for disabled - The Sacramento Bee - "Advocates for the disabled are calling it an ominous sign that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed the first-ever suspension of a 35-year-old state law designed to protect services for the state's disabled residents and their caretakers."

November 27, 2003 - Parents look for help on fees - Apple Valley Sun Current - "For a homeowner, the prospect of selling their house and moving to a new home is often a thrilling, exciting experience. Unless you are Krissa Leitz and her two children...Leitz, who recently closed on her house, is moving to a smaller home in Lakeville in order to continue to afford to send her children, Ryan and Abby, to therapy for their autism...Leitz’s story is not unique."

November 23, 2003 - My Autistic Child in the Balance - The Washington Post - "At 14, my son has reached a major crossroads in his life -- but he doesn't even know it. While other boys his age prepare for high school and ultimately college, he is now being channeled into a strictly vocational track, to a world of lowered expectations and dim hope -- and is losing his academics altogether."

Autism/mercury

December 3, 2003 - U.S. Proposes Easing Rules on Emissions of Mercury - The New York Times (registration and/or subscription required) - "The Bush administration is proposing that mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants should not be regulated in the same way as some of the most toxic air pollutants, reversing a stance on air pollution control taken by the Clinton administration in 2000...The administration proposal would make legally mandated mercury regulation fall under a less stringent section of the Clean Air Act that governs pollutants like those that cause smog and acid rain, which are not as toxic to humans. The administration says this would be a more efficient and faster way to reduce mercury in the environment."

November 26, 2003 - Presentation of petition by Bill Welsh of Action Against Autism to the Scottish Parliament - calling on "the Parliament to urge the Executive to inform all relevant health care professionals involved in childhood vaccination programmes in Scotland that parents can opt for the mercury-free vaccine Infanrix for the immunisation of children against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis."

December 3, 2003 - Women's billboard campaign takes aim at vaccine dangers - Citizen Times - "Carson and her friend Angela Medlin of Raleigh asked their families for money this Christmas so they could each put up a billboard with a message...The billboards will say, 'Mercury: It's deadly. Flu shots, vaccines. It's in there. Why?'"

October 1, 2003 - Congressman Dan Burton's statement to the House of Representatives re: the toxicity of thimerosal and exposure via vaccines

Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study of Computerized Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Databases - Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Study - CDC - "At a glance: The study looked at computerized data from 3 HMOS to see whether there were associations between vaccines that used thimerosal as a preservative and a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Results found no consistent significant associations across the HMOs."

For Congressman Weldon's response to the VSD Study, click here.

How Mercury causes brain neuron degeneration - University of Calgary

Comment: This is an oldie but goodie.

Autism/MMR

December 2, 2003 - Letter from Hilary Butler re: Simon Murch and MMR

December 3, 2003 - Calls to axe TV drama on MMR - Doctors say Channel Five film is inaccurate and could cost lives of children, but programme-makers stand firm - The Guardian, UK - "Channel Five is facing demands to pull the plug on a hard-hitting drama favourable to the disputed view that the MMR jab may be linked to autism."

Autism therapies/education - NEW!

December 1, 2003 - Autism therapies - The Plain Dealer

November 30, 2003 - Couple use music to treat autism, dyslexia, other disorders - North County Times

December 2, 2003 - Schools penalized for special ed scores - AP via Provo Daily Herald - "Across the country this year, thousands of schools were deemed "failing" because of the test performance of special ed students...The results have provoked feelings of fury, helplessness and amusement in teachers like Harper, who say that because of some of their students' disabilities, there is no realistic way to ever meet the expectations of a new federal law backed by the Bush administration that requires that 99 percent of all children be performing at or above grade level by 2014...A school failing to meet those targets risks being taken over by the state or private companies; teachers can lose their jobs."

Autism and vaccines

December 5, 2003 - Kids MD - Autism and Vaccines - “I think (vaccines) played a role. I think a lot of things play a role. I (also) think it's genetic.” - Tiffany Fleming, whose son Connor has Autism. - www.wtoctv.com

December 2, 2003 - Autism study finds no link to vaccines, environment - Boston Herald - "A Boston researcher says the soaring number of children being diagnosed with autism is probably due to a change in the way doctors classify the mysterious brain disorder and is not - as others have suggested - linked to a common childhood vaccine or any environmental factors...But Mark Blaxill, a Cambridge parent who watched in agony as his healthy toddler slowly stopped speaking, retreated into her own world and was diagnosed as autistic before her third birthday, doesn't buy Jick's conclusion...'The data is screaming out that it must be an environmental factor,' Blaxill said."

Comment: The M.I.N.D. Institute at the University of California, Davis doesn't buy the "improved diagnosis" argument either.

Comment: Neither do certain members of Congress and others, most notably Rep. Dan Burton.

Vaccines and Autism (pdf) - by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. and Woody McGinnis, M.D. of the Autism Research Institute - journal article (Laboratory Medicine) (2002)

AIDS/HIV/AIDS vaccine

December 3, 2003 - China Tells Its Public of Enormity of AIDS Toll - The New York Times (registration and/or subscription required) - "The disease was initially confined to intravenous drug users, sex-trade workers and farmers infected by a tainted blood-selling operation in central China, but it is now spreading into the general population...Part of the problem is a widespread lack of public awareness."

Comment: It is known that hepatitis B has spread via the use of re-usable needles in Asia, and AIDS has spread the same why in Africa. Why not AIDS in China? For more on this, go to: Scandals: "But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last." (update and "flashback")

December 5, 2003 - Researchers fake AIDS study data - The Washington Times

December 1, 2003 - S.C. clinic helps those with HIV live longer - Drugs a long way from decade ago - The Sun News via www.myrtlebeachonline.com

December 1, 2003 - AIDS Still Deadly in U.S. - Though Many With HIV Live Long, Experts Say It's Too Early to Call It a Chronic Disease - WebMD Health - "You can live a full life span with HIV -- if you're one of the lucky ones...Modern triple-drug treatment can keep AIDS away. Most Americans treated for HIV live at least 16 years from the time of infection. Many do much better. But many do much worse. They get sick and die of AIDS -- even with state-of-the-art treatment...Why?"

December 3, 2003 - The Elusive Search for an AIDS Vaccine - Scientists hope for at least some success by decade's end - HealthDay - "After a disappointing year of research findings, scientists are little closer to developing the Holy Grail of AIDS prevention -- a successful vaccine...But researchers, doctors and activists still hope to find success by the end of the decade."

December 1, 2003 - WHO unveils plan to put 3 million on AIDS treatment by 2005 - The Washington Post via Bolder Daily Camera

December 2, 2003 - Meet a virus so smart it outwits the experts - Pretoria News via www.iol.co.za - "It would be hard enough if HIV - human immunodeficiency virus - was all that people were fighting against. For Lisa Price, policy manager for the Terence Higgins Trust, the best-known British Aids charity, it is hard to resist thinking of it as an intelligent and calculating enemy: 'This is one of the smartest viruses that people have ever seen. It changes all the time.'"

Comment: Maybe HIV is not so smart. Maybe we are looking at this in the wrong way. What if, as some believe, HIV has nothing to do with AIDS?

November 29, 2003 - Aids vaccine researchers fight for cash - www.iol.co.za - "To be a scientist pursuing an elusive vaccine for the rapacious Aids epidemic takes patience, optimism and lots of money...Only one is in short supply: money. Researchers estimate that only one percent of the 70 billion dollars the world spends on research for all medicines every year goes to Aids vaccine research...But with more at least four dozen vaccines now under investigation, compared to a paltry four or five just four years ago, scientists are confident they will figure out how to immunise against HIV infections that lead to Aids."

November 30, 2003 - Mutated gene may block AIDS - Study finds those whose ancestors survived smallpox are resistant or immune to HIV - The Oakland Tribune via www.thestate.com

November 29, 2003 - 24m Africans HIV Positive, Says Akinkugbe - This Day via www.allafrica.com

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

November 30, 2003 - Nursery rejects child with HIV-infected parent - Japan Today

November 30, 2003 - Humanitarian group: AIDS could be worst crisis of all time - CNN - "Monday marks the 15th anniversary of the first World AIDS Day, aimed at raising awareness about the deadly pandemic. Although awareness of the disease has been increasing, the numbers of infected and dead continue to rise."

December 1, 2003 - Epidemic is attacking the roots of society - The International Herald Tribune - "For all the scientific advances in dealing with AIDS, however, scientists in the laboratory that first discovered the virus say only one new thing has been learned in 20 years...'The only important thing we have learned about AIDS since our lab discovered the virus in 1983 is humility, said Jean-Louis Virelizier, head of the viral immunology laboratory at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. 'We now know that knowing the virus is not enough to fight it.'"

Comment: Perhaps the reason that so little is known, after all these years, is that HIV has nothing to do with "AIDS". For more on this go to the Rethinking Aid$ website.

December 1, 2003 - Attacking AIDS and its ally, hunger - International Herald Tribune

For more on the role malnutrition and other factors may play in AIDS, see AIDS in Africa is Caused by Starvation and Medications

Alzheimer's disease/vaccine

Anthrax/anthrax vaccine/Gulf War Syndrome

December 3, 2003 - Doctoring Orders - www.tompaine.com - "Equally important, this case highlights the bipartisan indifference of a Congress that for decades has refused to hold the military accountable for law-breaking and unethical behavior related to its practice of medicine."

December 5, 2003 - Anger over vaccines festers (requires registration) - The Orlando Sentinel - "When Zack Johnson enlisted in the Navy in 1996, he planned to make it a career...That was before the Miami resident refused to take a mandatory anthrax vaccination -- a decision that left him court-martialed, jailed and booted out of the military without so much as a customary bus ticket home...Still, Mike Girard would trade places with him any day."

To learn about and/or order an excellent documentary, narrated by Michael Douglas, on the military's anthrax vaccine program, click here. "Direct Order tells the story of members of the military who were ordered against their will to receive the controversial anthrax vaccine. Years later, after all the disturbing facts about the vaccine have surfaced, the US military still intends to vaccinate all our troops."

S. Res. 278 - The Bingaman Resolution via www.nvic.org

Comment: IMPORTANT DOCUMENT

December 1, 2003 - Death shows vaccine studies needed - letter - Chicago Sun-Times

November 24, 2003 - Veteran death linked to Gulf War - The death of an army veteran in 2001 was linked to his service in the 1991 Gulf War, a coroner has ruled. - BBC

November 25, 2003 - Coroner links veteran's death to the Gulf war - The Independent, UK - "The widow of a Gulf war veteran claimed a landmark victory last night after a coroner decided that his military service in the conflict had contributed to his death."

Direct Order - "Direct Order tells the story of members of the military who were ordered against their will to receive the controversial anthrax vaccine. Years later, after all the disturbing facts about the vaccine have surfaced, the US military still intends to vaccinate all our troops." - documentary narrated by Michael Douglas

Autoimmunity/autoimmune disease

Cancer/cancer vaccines

Chickenpox/chickenpox vaccine

Diabetes

The Diabetes Generation - ABC News Healthology Press - "Until recently, type 2 diabetes and heart disease have affected older adults almost exclusively. But the obesity epidemic in America is now putting younger adults at risk for life-threatening diseases that were once rare in those under age 50."

For another perspective on what may be causing this epidemic of diabetes, go to Classen Immunotherapies Inc. Release: More Proof Published That Common Childhood Vaccines Are The Cause Of The Diabetes Epidemic, Data Identifies Children Eligible For Compensation

November 25, 2003 - New wave of young diabetics - The West Australian - "WA children as young as 12 are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, putting them at risk of kidney, eye and heart problems in their 20s...Diabetes Australia says the disease - once referred to as mature age onset diabetes - is hitting more teenagers, even children, and is fuelled by higher rates of obesity and inactivity."

For another perspective on what is causing this epidemic of diabetes, go to Classen Immunotherapies Inc. Release: More Proof Published That Common Childhood Vaccines Are The Cause Of The Diabetes Epidemic, Data Identifies Children Eligible For Compensation

November 25, 2003 - Experimental Drugs Reduce Neuron Death In Rats Following Insulin Shock - University of California San Francisco via Science Daily News

Diphtheria/diphtheria vaccine

Ebola/ebola vaccine

Flu/flu vaccine

December 5, 2003 - As the Flu Spreads Early and Quickly, Colorado Expands Its Vaccination Campaign - The New York Times (registration and/or subscription required)

December 6, 2003 - With Flu Cases Spreading, Demand for Vaccine Grows - The New York Times (registration and/or subscription required) - "With influenza cases surging in at least 10 states, vaccine makers said yesterday that they had shipped out their entire supplies, and health officials said they were trying to determine whether there was enough vaccine left to immunize people who still want flu shots. More vaccine cannot be made in time for this year's flu season."

December 7, 2003 - Experts Not Ready to Predict Flu Severity - AP via ABC News

December 6, 2003 - Speakout: Flu epidemic exposes gaps, weaknesses in Colorado's health-care system for kids - Rocky Mountain News

December 6, 2003 - Flu virus attacks child despite vaccination - Health of twins declined rapidly after weekly - Rocky Mountain News - "On Monday, Dezmond got sick. Diego followed the next day...But the parents weren't worried - both boys had had their flu shots, and a doctor's visit ended with a prescription."

Comment: Regardless the cause, this is a terrible tragedy. But did this child die in spite of having been vaccinated or because of it? While it sometimes is impossible to determine what happened in a particular child's case, only by doing population studies, comparing vaccinated to never vaccinated, can an understanding of the overall effects of vaccination be ascertained.

December 6, 2003 - An about-face on flu shots - Because of shortages, healthy people asked to forgo getting them - Rocky Mountain News

Comment: Might there also be a connection between this "about-face" and the death of a flu vaccinated child?

December 2, 2003 - Graedons: Don't become a statistic this flu season - The Herald Sun - "Public-health experts hope that the vaccine will provide some benefit, but it is hard to predict how many people will come down with this bug despite a shot...In an average year, more than 100,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 or so die from flu and its complications. In a year like this, when flu begins early with a mutated virus, the toll could be higher."

Comment: Obviously nowhere nearly 36,000 deaths have occurred thus far, and a relatively small number have been reported. Yet reporting on this year's flu has made it seem as if this year the flu is extraordinarily deadly. But is that actually the case?

Comment: Reporting has also made it seem that children are being hit harder than usual. But is it even true?

December 1, 2003 - U.K.: Spate of Child Flu Deaths Sparks Alarm - All children may be offered vaccine next year - Guardian, Unlimited, UK

November 30, 2003 - Next flu pandemic could wreak global havoc, scientists warn - USA Today

December 3, 2003 - Will This Year's Flu Shot Work? - Vaccinated People Who Do Get Flu Likely Won't Be as Sick - WebMD

December 2, 2003 - Young Children Are Main Victims in UK Flu Outbreak - Reuters, UK - "Britain's Chief Medical Officer has urged increased flu vaccination of high-risk children as figures show that this year's outbreak is hitting infants hardest...At least two children under four years old have died of suspected Fujian flu so far this year and the figures also show that the rate of illness in this age group is three times higher than among middle-aged and elderly people."

December 2, 2003 - Six children die in Fujian flu outbreak - No plan to immunise 15 million children against 'unexpected' strain of influenza virus, say health chiefs - The Guardian, UK

December 3, 2003 - Two Million Flu Cases Expected in France as Epidemic Hits Europe - Agence France Presse via www.immunizationinfo.org

December 2, 2003 - At-risk children 'need flu jabs' - Up to a million children at risk from serious illnesses are being urged to have a flu jab. - BBC - "But they say there is no need for a mass vaccination of children...Around half a dozen children aged between 18 months and 16 are thought to have died from the Fujian strain of influenza this winter...But an inquest has revealed that 12-year-old girl Fern Summers from West Newton in Norfolk, who it was feared had died after contracting the flu strain, actually died after an asthma attack."

Comment: It's encouraging to see such restraint on the part of public health authorities.

December 1, 2003 - Big Shot - Why you should get your flu vaccination. - MSN - "Have you gotten your flu shot this year? If you haven't, your excuse is most likely feeble."

December 2, 2003 - Flu cases ease, but experts cautious - State awaits update tally on Wednesday - Denver Post

December 2, 2003 - Flu claims seven in Britain, but too few cases to declare an epidemic - AFP via Yahoo! - "An outbreak is not considered to be an epidemic until there are 400 cases per 100,000 people."

November 29, 2003 - Experts cast bet on flu vaccine - Imperfect shield beat delivery delay - http://newsobserver.com - "Despite evidence that a flu bug had mutated and was defying the current vaccine, health officials around the world took a calculated risk not to change the formula for this year's flu shots...Part of the reason was that the new strain was difficult to grow in the lab. That could have delayed the vaccine's development and, thus, its availability. Given two options -- a late but better vaccine or a timely but flawed shot -- health officials chose the latter."

November 29, 2003 - Experts urge vigilance, not alarm, about flu - The Buffalo News

November 29, 2003 - Officials: Late flu shot better than none - Federal, local government brace for worse-than-usual sickness season - Ventura County Star

November 30, 2003 - Flu shots for kids a judgment call - New strain hits children hard. Little ones tend to be heartier than adults but there are many reasons to immunize - CP via www.canada.com

November 30, 2003 - Health Department Pushes Vaccinations As Flu Cases Rise - www.ny1.com

Comment: I wonder if the Health Department is disclosing that the current flu vaccine is not the same strain as the current flu, and that it is only speculated that it will work. For more on this, see CDC News Conference Transcript.

December 1, 2003 - Country not Prepared for the Flu - Ivanhoe - "Researchers from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital say two different outbreaks of bird flu were transmitted to humans this year and caused fatal infections. They say these bird-to-human transmissions may suggest certain flu viruses are evolving quickly enough to pose a serious threat the humans. These types of virus transmissions were unheard of before 1997...Although researchers have recently developed new, quicker ways to make vaccines, they say the time it takes to test and approve the new vaccines would still take a good amount of time."

Haemophilus Influenza/Hib Vaccine

Hepatitis A/hepatitis A vaccine

December 2, 2003 - FDA: Fight outbreaks smarter - The Philadelphia Inquirer

December 3, 2003 - Hepatitis A: Utah Health Department Continues Quiet Push to Promote Vaccination Against Debilitating Virus - Salt Lake Tribune via www.immunizationinfo.org

November 30, 2003 - Growing concern over sick, infested produce - Boston Herald - "Contaminated vegetables and fruits are infecting consumers in record-high numbers, up 20-fold from three decades ago, experts said."

November 30, 2003 - Bad produce producing bad results - Boston Herald via Milford Daily News

November 30, 2003 - Chi-Chi's outbreak raises questions about FDA's ability to screen produce - AP via pennlive.com

Hepatitis B/hepatitis B vaccine

December 1, 2003 - Mass vaccination of adults against hepatitis B 'inappropriate' - The Times of Oman - "The NIH executive director said it was unusual for those infected later in adult life to become chronic carriers of the virus. The argument, therefore, forms the basis of having a mass immunisation programme for infants to protect them from this deadly disease."

Comment: But very few infants run any risk of contracting Hepatitis B. And those that do, whose mothers are Hepatitis B positive, can be screened for it. For more on this go to Scandals: For No Good Reason: The Utterly Misguided Universal Infant Hepatitis B Vaccination Policy.

For more on the incidence of Hepatitis B and actual risk of contracting it or becoming chronically infected, see Scandals: The CDC and “The New Math”, where 1 + 1 does not equal 2.

Hepatitis C

December 2, 2003 - Hepatitis C prevention starts with education - Kansas State Collegian - "Tattoos and body piercings are common among college students, but both trends can increase one's risk of Hepatitis C."

Comment: Oh, but it's so much easier to just create a vaccine.

Lyme disease/lyme disease vaccine

Meningitis/meningitis vaccine

MMR/measles,mumps,rubella

Pet vaccines

November 24, 2003 - Assessing the risk of vaccination your cat - "Without treatment she will die within a year" (requires registration) - www.khou.com - "'With treatment hopefully we will get 18 months'...According (to) a task force, scientific research has shown a 1-10 per 10,000 rate of vaccine-related scarcoma (sic) in cats that have received vaccinations...What bothers Shotwell is that even with all the research did she any point did get any suggestion that there was a potential danger to her animal from the vaccination."

Pneumonia/prevnar

December 1, 2003 - GPs under pressure after vaccine shortages - The Scotsman - "A vaccine to prevent potentially fatal infections has had to be imported from Germany because there are insufficient stocks to meet a nationwide immunisation programme...The Scottish Executive has had to look abroad for the pneumococcal vaccine because health boards did not anticipate demand for the jab - despite a publicity campaign offering it free to the over-65s."

Comment: For another perspective on use of the pneumococcal vaccine in those over 65, go to Scandals: Something Rotten In The State Of Research - The Twisted Tale Of Pneumonia Vaccine For Adults.

December 1, 2003 - Injection of common sense is needed over winter immunisations - The Scotsman - "I AM sad to say that the government is getting into a real mess over its winter immunisation programme...You may know that there is a campaign to immunise vulnerable folk against the pneumococcus bacterium, a nasty organism that can cause pneumonia, leading to serious illness or even death. This move is heartily supported by doctors but the mechanics of immunising large numbers of people can be daunting and time consuming."

Polio/polio vaccine

December 2, 2003 - Our Doubts On Polio Vaccine - Dep Gov - Daily Trust via www.allafrica.com

December 2, 2003 - Enough of This Campaign of Desperation - Daily Trust via www.allafrica.com

October 25, 2003 - WHO: polio spreading from Nigeria, undermining worldwide eradication - Canadian Press via http://canada.medbroadcast.com

Rabies/rabies vaccine

RECALLS

SARS

December 3, 2003 - Canada Nears SARS Vaccine - Toronto Star via www.immunizationinfo.org

December 2, 2003 - Experts Answer Public Queries on SARS Vaccine Test on Humans - www.china.org.cn

December 2, 2003 - Canada ready if SARS returns, scientists told - Canadian Press

December 1, 2003 - Ferrets Face SARS as Canada Fast-Tracks Vaccines - Reuters UK - "Canadian researchers are immunizing ferrets with three different test vaccines in a fast-tracked effort to find a way to ward off the deadly SARS virus, researchers told a symposium on Monday...'''This is not a long, slow, methodical work-it-out type (of) vaccine,' Finlay told the symposium of researchers from Canada, the United States and overseas at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg."

SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome)

SIDS

December 5, 2003 - A Not-So-Perfect Vaccine: The Diphtheria, Tetanus and Acellular Pertussis vaccine: An Investigation - by RFD columnist F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP in the Online Vaccine Conference at www.redflagsdaily.com

Comment: Excellent article

December 2, 2003 - Incomplete Arousal Processes in Infants Who Were Victims of Sudden Death - journal article

Comment: If the above is true, it begs the question, why? Why does this infant have "incomplete arousal"? The same holds true if sleep position is related to SIDS. Why might an infant be unable to keep from smothering itself when lying on its stomach? Wouldn't a healthy infant be able to sleep with its head turned so it could breathe? What would make an infant too weak to do so?

TB/TB vaccine (BCG)- NEW!

December 3, 2003 - TB case at center triggers jitters - Officials try to allay fears of parents after a staff member is hospitalized. - St. Petersburg Times - "Berger explained that TB is harder to catch than mumps and chickenpox. The disease is spread through airborne bacteria. To contract TB, a person needs to be exposed in a confined space for four to six hours a day for three to four weeks, according to Health Department officials...Even then, the disease remains latent for four to six weeks and can be treated before developing into an active case, health officials say."

West Nile virus/vaccine

December 2, 2003 - West Nile ready for its close-up - Scientists obtain first detailed images of the virus - AP via CNN

November 29, 2003 - State wants to use endangered fish to fight West Nile virus - Arizona Daily Sun

Whooping cough/DPT vaccine

December 4, 2003 - Whooping cough on rise, parents warned - Asbury Park Press - "'But I'd say about 99.9 percent of school-age children have their shots,' Meddis said. 'Some of these kids who have been affected have been immunized four times or more in their lives, but not every vaccine is 100 percent effective, and sometimes the protection wanes over time.'"

Comment: Excellent article

November 28, 2003 - Whooping cough on rise again - Coughing, fever may not just be symptoms of flu - The Akron Beacon Journal via www.ohio.com

Other vaccines/screening

December 1, 2003 - Microbiologist aims to find vaccine for bacteria - AP via www.accessnorthga.com - "Aided by a $1.7 million grant, a Medical College of Georgia microbiologist is working on a way to eliminate a common pest that sickens people an estimated 2.4 million times a year...The bacteria known as Campylobacter is the most common cause of gastroenteritis and can cause severe diarrhea, cramping and fever lasting for days. It can be especially dangerous in the elderly and young children, and an estimated 124 people die from the bacteria each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Vaccine incentives/promotion

Vaccines - combined

December 2, 2003 - EU drug watchdog probes Aventis, Glaxo vaccines - Reuters via www.signonsandiego.com - "The European Medicines Evaluation Agency will start an active surveillance programme of so-called hexavalent vaccines early next year following reports of a small number of sudden unexpected deaths in vaccinated children...'The results will be closely monitored so that timely regulatory action can be taken, if necessary,' the agency said...In the meantime, it reaffirmed its view that the benefits of vaccination far outweighed the possible risks of existing vaccines and that vaccination should be continued according to national vaccination schedules."

Comment: But, of course.

November 30, 2003 - Danger of gene-swapping bacterium - A superbug with resistance to virtually all known antibiotics gained its power by hijacking genes from other bugs. - BBC News

Comment: And what of potential problems re: combination and multiply administered vaccines, as demonstrated in the 1986 Science article, Two avirulent herpes simplex viruses generate lethal recombinants in vivo? And why has there not been recognition and study of this potentially disastrous problem with vaccines?

Vaccines in general/overview/vaccine research

December 7, 2003 - Why you should avoid taking vaccines - By Dr. James Howenstine, MD. - www.newswithviews.com

The Case Against Vaccination - Verbatim Report of An Address By Walter Hadwen, J.P., M.D., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., L.S.A., Etc (Gold Medalist in Medicine and in Surgery) At Goddard's Assembly Rooms, Gloucester On Saturday, January 25^th, 1896 (During the Gloucester Smallpox Epidemic)

Comment: In The Scientist's November 17, 2003 editorial "Vaccination Undermined", people who are concerned about the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations were maligned in the following way: "The antivaccine lobby strikes me as ignorant. A simple Web search turns up numerous sites that are virulently antivaccination.¹ Often these sites have a veneer of scientific respectability, but a more than cursory glance reveals otherwise. They are run by health nuts, conspiracy theorists, or misguided physicians who indulge in the logical fallacy of coincidental correlation."

For a considerably more fair-minded assessment of the "anti-vaccine" movement, go to BMJ's "Anti-vaccinationists past and present": "These comparisons emphasise that, regardless of how the medical establishment feels about anti-vaccinationists, it is importantto understand that they have deeply held beliefs, often of a spiritualor philosophical nature,¹¹ and these beliefs have remained remarkablyconstant over the better part of two centuries. The movement encompassesa wide range of individuals, from a few who express conspiracytheories, to educated, well informed consumers of health care,who often have a complex rationale for their beliefs, relatedto a "mixture of world views held about the environment, healing,holism . . . and a critical reading of the scientific and alternativeliterature."¹² "

(Vaccine) ingredients/additives & contaminants

Vaccine Ingredients - CDC (pdf)

Vaccine testing

Adverse reactions/VAERS/VICP

The Clinical Impact of Adverse Event Reporting - Postmarketing Reporting of Adverse Events - FDA - "Another major concern with any spontaneous reporting system is underreporting of adverse events (16, 30-32). It has been estimated that rarely more than 10% of serious ADRs, and 2-4% of non-serious reactions, are reported to the British spontaneous reporting program (30). A similar estimate is that the FDA receives by direct report less than 1% of suspected serious ADRs(32)."

For other estimates of "passive" under-reporting rates, click here.

Comment: But, of course.

Alternative treatments/prevention

Blood safety/contamination

Breastfeeding (vs. formula)

The deadly influence of formula in America - A Natural Family Online Special Report (short version) - Natural Family Online

Changing epidemiology/serotypes/resistance

December 3, 2003 - Powerful Antibiotics - Ivanhoe - "Traditional antibiotics like penicillin may now be powerless against new strains of bacteria. Stronger antibiotics have been developed but those too are losing the battle against mutated versions of bacteria. Now, doctors are looking to a new class of drugs to do the trick."

November 30, 2003 - Danger of gene-swapping bacterium - A superbug with resistance to virtually all known antibiotics gained its power by hijacking genes from other bugs. - BBC News

"The Condition Our Condition Is In" (The State of Medicine/Science)

Hypochondria - An Ignorance-Based Medical Weapon of Mass Devastation Used Against Large numbers of Patients with symptoms not easy to diagnose (requires subscription) - by Nicholas Regush - www.redflagsdaily.com

December 5, 2003 - Study Reviews Discussion of Medical Errors at Hospital Conferences - UCSF Today - "Doctors participating in internal medicine hospital conferences designed to review adverse medical events do not often discuss related medical errors, according to a study led by researchers from the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC)."

December 8, 2003 - Cutting medical errors means systems, money - IOM panel chair says patients should leave hospitals with fewer medical problems, not more. - www.ama-assn.org

December 5, 2003 - Superbug crackdown to be launched - Action to tackle the high rate of infections picked up by patients in English hospitals is to be announced by ministers on Friday. - BBC

November 23, 2003 - Clinics attract new clients — with insurance - AP via The Seattle Times - "But as the sluggish economy pushes more people out of jobs, community clinics here and across the country face added pressure to keep their doors open. One solution — though few will say it aloud — is to attract more paying patients like Meyer."

Conferences

Conflict of Interest

December 7, 2003 - Revealed: how drug firms 'hoodwink' medical journals - Pharmaceutical giants hire ghostwriters to produce articles - then put doctors' names on them - The Guardian, UK - "Hundreds of articles in medical journals claiming to be written by academics or doctors have been penned by ghostwriters in the pay of drug companies, an Observer inquiry reveals...The journals, bibles of the profession, have huge influence on which drugs doctors prescribe and the treatment hospitals provide. But The Observer has uncovered evidence that many articles written by so-called independent academics may have been penned by writers working for agencies which receive huge sums from drug companies to plug their products."

December 7, 2003 - Stealth Merger: Drug Companies and Government Medical Research Some of the National Institutes of Health's top scientists are also collecting paychecks and stock options from biomedical firms. Increasingly, such deals are kept secret. (requires registration) - The Los Angeles Times - BLOCKBUSTER ARTICLE!

December 1, 2003 - Pfizer funding of training project raises questions - Pfizer says funding of health-care managers' training will benefit system - Prague Business Journal - "The project, which is unique in the world according to Pfizer's country manager Richard Paulson, has been praised for getting to grips with the problems of the Czech health-care sector but also has raised questions over what the drug company will get in return."

Death and Disease

December 2, 2003 - Hospital interns falling victim to disease - The Daily Yomiuri - "An increasing number of interns have caught by infectious diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella during their training in recent years, according to a survey by a team led by a doctor at St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki...However, only a few hospitals are taking precautions against the problem, which mainly involves diseases suffered by children."

Comment: Maybe it's too bad they didn't get these diseases as children.

December 8, 2003 - Congress told to think globally on disease threat - The United States needs eyes and ears in other nations to detect the outbreak of infectious diseases that are likely to have a global impact. - www.ama-assn.org

December 3, 2003 - Car fumes linked to child coughs - Young children living near a major road suffer more coughing attacks, research has found. - BBC

December 8, 2003 - Unhappy Returns - China's public-health system was told to make its way in the free market. Now, the underfunded network can't cope with re-emerging diseases. - Time Asia via www.time.com

Effectiveness/herd immunity/coverage

Ethics

November 25, 2003 - Patients: Oklahomans used as human 'guinea pigs' - www.kfor.com - "A cancer research project may have used Oklahomans as human guinea pigs...In late 1996 a Tulsa doctor concocted a vaccine designed to fight deadly skin cancer. Sources close to the doctor say he believed in his research. He tested it on about 100 people, mostly Oklahomans, some of whom now believe that research nearly killed them."

Barbara Loe Fisher note: "Unfortunately, the common myth that vaccines are harmless, that doctors are infallible and that medical researchers are seldom unethical contributed to the blind trust that caused this tragedy. The "sacred cow" status of vaccines must be replaced with a more realistic understanding that every experimental or licensed vaccine, like every experimental or licensed drug, can carry significant risks for individuals. The right to informed consent to taking a risk with a medical intervention, such as vaccination, should be considered a human right because each human being has the moral right to voluntarily choose what they are willing to die for." - From the NVIC newsletter.

December 8, 2003 - Congress gives FDA authority to require drug testing in children - Some physicians call the legislation "misguided" and question the ethics of recruiting pediatric patients. - www.ama-assn.org

December 5, 2003 - Researchers fake AIDS study data - The Washington Times

June 17, 2003 - Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Secretary; Findings of Scientific Misconduct - Agency: Office of the Secretary, HHS. Action: Notice. - The Federal Register via The Office of Research Integrity - "Specifically, PHS found that Dr. Arichi falsified data that purported to show potent long lasting immunization of mice with plasmid DNA leading to protection from challenge with vaccinia virus expressing the hepatitis C core antigen as published in Figures 4, 5, and 6 in PNAS 97:297-302, 2000."

Funding

Genetics (vs. Environment)

Government/science/industry/medicine clearly run amok

November 25, 2003 - Oklahomans used as human 'guinea pigs' - www.kfor.com - "In late 1996 a Tulsa doctor concocted a vaccine designed to fight deadly skin cancer. Sources close to the doctor say he believed in his research. He tested it on about 100 people, mostly Oklahomans, some of whom now believe that research nearly killed them."

November 20, 2003 - State to probe drugs for kids - Child advocates complain psychiatric drugs are being used to control unruly behavior, not to treat mental or emotional illness. - The Miami Herald

December 2, 2003 - Disorder Steals Soldier's Mind, Life - The Dallas Morning News via The Ledger Online - "'I don't blame the Army for this disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease),' said his father, retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Alford, who was in the service 34 years. "I blame them for how they treated my son.'

December 3, 2003 - When science breeds nightmares - Dangerous research - International Herald Tribune - "The announcement that an American biologist has tried to create more deadly types of pox viruses in order to develop countermeasures against them raises serious concerns about the lack of control over research involving dangerous pathogens...The explosion in this type of research after the terrorist and anthrax attacks of 2001 underscores the importance of developing sound oversight mechanisms to ensure that efforts designed to protect the United States against biological attacks do not themselves create new dangers."

Immunity/Immune system

Inspirational stories

December 3, 2003 - Gaining respect - Some people, long misunderstood by society, are finding their voice, writes Carolyn Webb. - The Age

November 28, 2003 - The Nui Project / Art and Disability - The Daily Yomiuri - "While the pieces are at once sheer artistic aesthetic, the power of the project stems from the act of creation as empowerment for the artists, and ultimately shines a light on the need for increased advocacy for Japan's disabled community."

November 28, 2003 - Just like the other kids - Alec Rastad takes disease in stride -The Westborough News - "When Alec was two-and-a-half years old, he was diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, an incurable disorder in which the body's immune system does not make enough antibodies to ward off infections."

Legal/lawsuits/legislation

December 2, 2003 - Hospital infection scare moves into the courts - The Globe and Mail - "The Toronto hospital at the centre of an infection scare over prostate-biopsy equipment could be facing a $150-million class-action lawsuit...The hospital announced last month that 861 men could have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis B and C because the probe used for prostate biopsies was improperly disinfected. Sunnybrook officials said the risk of any infection was extremely low, smaller than one in 100,000."

Comment: I wonder how they calculated that risk.

*Pending Immunization Legislation - bookmark this link

Parental/health rights/exemptions/mandatory/privacy/health freedom

Pharmaceutical industry/pharmaceutical industry oversight

December 2, 2003 - Merck, GSK need new drugs - Troubled pharmaceutical giants need new drugs - CBS Market Watch

Politics

PR/advertising - NEW!

December 8, 2003 - "State of the CDC" hits the agency's high notes - A glossy report shows a shift in style that many praise. But some fear a new agency emphasis comes at the cost of disease prevention. - www.ama-assn.org

Pregnancy/childbirth

December 3, 2003 - News for moms-to-be with preeclampsia: Hospital choice helps avoid a cesarean delivery - Saint Louis University research shows c-section rates vary - www.eurekalert.org

RECALLS

Research/publishing/funding/other research results

December 3, 2003 - Space: A Bad Influence on Microbes? - At least one common disease-causing microbe becomes more virulent in simulated microgravity. Scientists studying this phenomenon hope to gain a better understanding of infectious disease. - NASA via www.rednova.com - "Life is a bit different in space, even for microbes. Research shows that the pattern of gene activity in some microbes differs in weightlessness, leading to differences in behavior. These differences could be behind a curious observation: the common food-borne pathogen salmonella becomes more virulent when grown in a form of simulated microgravity."

December 5, 2003 - Researchers fake AIDS study data - The Washington Times

December 1, 2003 - MRI shows back trouble may begin before puberty - www.eurekalert.org

December 2, 2003 - Herpes trial not attracting participants - 25 women have signed up for $380 spot in 350-person vaccine study - The Diamondback

Cochlear Implants and Bacterial Meningitis - FDA Consumer magazine

The Wacky World of Changing/Conflicting Research Results

December 4, 2003 - Doctors given osteoporosis warning - The Herald, UK - "Doctors were yesterday warned by government health advisers to stop using hormone replacement therapy as their first choice of treatment to prevent women suffering osteoporosis."

Also see article posted earlier: December 4, 2003 - Expert resigns over HRT warning - A senior adviser on a medicines watchdog has resigned because he disagrees with a health warning issued on hormone replacement therapy. - BBC

December 8, 2003 - Relief That May Be Too Risky - Hormones: About 9 million women use hormones, down from 15 million last year - Newsweek via www.msnbc.com - "For 15 years Sidney Constien of Malvern, Pa., took hormone therapy for symptoms of menopause. “I kept asking the doctor, ‘How long do I have to take this?’ He kept saying, ‘How long do you want to live?’...bolstered by the widespread belief that hormone therapy prevented heart disease in postmenopausal women, Constien stayed on it. Then, in the spring of 2002, she was diagnosed with breast cancer."

You've Got To Be Kidding

December 2, 2003 - Fast food 'used to wean babies' - Parents are putting junk food such as burgers in the blender to feed to their babies, a BBC Six O'Clock News investigation has found. - BBC

Letters From Parents &others

December 2, 2003 - Letter from Hilary Butler re: Simon Murch and MMR

Miscellaneous

December 8, 2003 - Agreement may boost disease management - Patient-physician collaboration may be key to controlling chronic medical conditions, but achieving it is often a challenge.

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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.