►January 1, 2009 - FDA opens offices in China - American Veterinary Medical Association JAVMA News

►January 1, 2009 - Rabies and other public health policies revisited - American Veterinary Medical Association JAVMA News

* ►December 23, 2008 - Mandatory vaccinations - On Line Opinion, Australia - "This coming year may well see an end to my long period of employment as a nurse. In 2009, the Victorian Department of Health Services will release their mandatory vaccination program for all health care workers. The compulsory program includes vaccines for diptheria, tetanus and pertussis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, influenza and tuberculosis. Failure to comply will mean an end to one’s employment as nurse, doctor or allied health worker."

►December 23, 2008 - House-to-house visits to administer polio doses - Times of India

►December 23, 2008 - Rumour blow: 54,000 kids miss out vaccine - Times of India

►December 23, 2008 - 54,000 kids in Bangalore miss out on vaccine - Times of India

►December 23, 2008 - 20,000 receive cancer immunisation - Fiji Daily Post

►December 23, 2008 - Ready infrastructure to tackle avian flu: Anbumani asks States - Minister holds review meeting with officials - West Bengal asked to do regular drill - The Hindu

►December 23, 2008 - Young adults suffer most in flu outbreak - Older people more likely to be vaccinated, experts say - The Independent, UK

►December 23, 2008 - HERFON tasks FG on infant nutrition - Vanguard

►December 23, 2008 - Emotional intelligence - KTVA CBS 11 News

* ►December 22, 2008 - Smoke and Mirrors: Dr Richard Horton and the Wakefield Affair By John Stone - Age of Autism

* ►December 22, 2008 - Vaccinations for children stir debate for parents, doctors - Questions persist on combined shots - Press & Sun Bulletin - "Even if parents want to split up the MMR vaccination, typically given when a child is 12 to 15 months old, parents' options are currently limited. Last week, vaccine-maker Merck announced it was not currently producing or taking orders for separate measles, mumps or rubella vaccinations, but will continue to produce the combined vaccine."

* ►December 22, 2008 - New Yorker's Stand Up for Vaccine Exemptions by Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Awakening

* ►December 22, 2008 - Contamination from Chicken Sources - Absolutely Unherdof

* ►December 22, 2008 - Mother of Confusion: What's a mom to do? The great vaccine debate - News & Observer

►December 22, 2008 - Mother of Confusion: What's a mom to do? The great vaccine debate - Centre Daily Times

►December 22, 2008 - Temple Grandin Turned Disability Into Asset for Animals - Voice of America

►December 22, 2008 - Can autism advocates truly unite for action? Continuing the conversation - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

►December 22, 2008 - Keeping the faith: autism - Sarnia Observer

►December 22, 2008 - HPV vaccine programme for girls aged 13-17 fast-tracked - Primary care trusts have been told to vaccinate all girls aged 12-17 against the human papillomavirus (HPV) as part of a nationwide vaccination programme. - Nursing Times

►December 22, 2008 - Robbed by rare virus, boy gets his voice back - CNN - "Sobol said lesions in RRP (for the condition's full name, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis) are caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, the same condition that causes cervical cancer."

►December 22, 2008 - High HPV vaccination coverage already achieved - Nursing in Practice

* ►December 22, 2008 - Vietnam Investigates Approval Of HPV Vaccines - Pharmalot - "The health ministry will investigate allegations that Merck and Glaxo ran inappropriate lobbying campaigns before their vaccines were approved for use, according to the Vietnam News Agency."

* ►December 22, 2008 - Poor hygiene in poultry industry could lead to spread of bird flu - The Financial Express

* ►December 22, 2008 - Bird flu vaccine protects children - Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal via Reuters Health

* ►December 22, 2008 - MMR Vaccine - Is It Safe Or Not Safe - Or Is There A Better Way - NextGenParenting - "On the Negative side, a retiring Chief Medical Officer with a 40 year career in science and medicine in the US, Britain and Europe says there has not been enough research on the subject, and he has seen a “steady accumilation of evidence” from scientists worldwide that the Measles Mumps, Rubella shot is causing brain damage in certain children."

* ►December 22, 2008 - Hawaii Biotech Completes Dosing Of Phase 1 Trial For West Nile Virus Vaccine - Hawaii Biotech, Inc. via Medical News Today

* ►December 22, 2008 - Vaccinating against the infectious diseases of poverty: do national programmes over-estimate their achievements? - TropICA

* ►December 22, 2008 - Pentavalent Vaccine Launched For The First Time In Lesotho - UNICEF via Medical News Today

* ►December 22, 2008 - Pesticide Exposure Kills Woman, Three Years Later EPA Files Complaint - Beyond Pesticides

* ►December 22, 2008 - Glaxo To End Political Contributions - Pharmalot

* ►December 22, 2008 - Conflicts Of Interest & The University Of Minnesota - Pharmalot

►December 22, 2008 - Indonesia labors to tackle infections - The Jakarta Post

►December 22, 2008 - Malaria Drug May Soon Be Set for U.S. Debut (requires registration) - The New York Times

►December 22, 2008 - Immune cells contribute to the development of Parkinson's disease - Journal of Clinical Investigation via EurekAlert!

►December 22, 2008 - Chinese herb may help fight AIDS - The Times of India

►December 22, 2008 - FDA Obtains Injunction to Stop Production of Illegally Medicated Animal Feed - Milbank Mills Repeatedly Violated Manufacturing Regulations - FDA

►December 22, 2008 - Massachusetts General Hospital and Idera Pharmaceuticals Receive Cooperative Research Grant from Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for Developing New Therapies for Lupus - Business Wire

►December 22, 2008 - Varmus, Lubchenco top Obama team (requires registration) - The Scientist

* ►December 22, 2008 - Chattanooga: Vaccines need shot in the arm - Chattanooga Times Free Press - "'Vaccines are exorbitantly expensive to us,' said Dr. Marian May, pediatrician with Beacon Health Alliance in Chattanooga. 'Reimbursement from insurance companies sometimes can come under the cost of the vaccine to us, so it’s something that we have to track very closely.'"

►December 22, 2008 - IAC Express Issue number 772 - Immunization Action Coalition

►December 22, 2008 - Dr. Ramadoss reviews Avian Influenza situation - Press Information Bureau, Government of India

* ►December 22, 2008 - EU panel supports innovative pandemic, seasonal flu vaccines - CIDRAP News - "The company said EMEA approval of Celvapan would permit the vaccine to be used if the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. The vaccine is derived from an H5N1 strain isolated in Vietnam in 2004."

►December 22, 2008 - Recurrence of bird flu in West Bengal worrying: Anbumani - IANS via The Hindu

►December 22, 2008 - Health officials: This flu season not as bad as last - Southeast Missourian

►December 22, 2008 - There's No Shortage Of Vaccine This Flu Season - The Tampa Tribune via www.tbo.com

►December 22, 2008 - Get your flu shot - Hattiesburg American

►December 22, 2008 - 100,000 Physicians Leverage Sermo Platform to Track Infectious Disease - Sermo Investigates Nation's First Physician-Driven Flu Monitoring System - Sermo Investigates Nation's First Physician-Driven Flu Monitoring System - Sermo, Inc. via Business Wire

►December 22, 2008 - Vaccines helping El Paso have mild flu season, officials say - El Paso Times

►December 22, 2008 - It's not too late for a flu shot - Waseca County News

* ►December 22, 2008 - Local research lab developing flu vaccine - Press & Sun-Bulletin - "Currently, the clinic is injecting people ages 18-49 with an influenza vaccination that was produced by Baxter International and DynPort Vaccine Company. More than 200 people are taking part in the study, but only half will receive the vaccination while others will receive a placebo of salt water. The vaccine has already been tested on more than 4,000 human volunteers so Clyde Abell, a 19-year-old Broome Community College student who lives in Vestal, said he felt safe taking part in the study. Abell said he's taken part in another flu vaccine study last year. Part of the draw is getting a free flu vaccination, having all his medical bills taken care of if he gets the flu and getting a $400 stipend he plans to spend on books."

►December 22, 2008 - Research and Markets: Appreciating the Burden of Influenza, Hong Kong's Government Announced in July 2008 That It Would Launch a Subsidised Vaccination Programme - press release - Research and Markets via Business Wire

►December 22, 2008 - On Report of Tamiflu Issues, Doctors Stress Flu Prevention - MyFox WGHP

* ►December 22, 2008 - Probe into Hailakandi polio death - The Telegraph, India - "Hailakandi district administration today ordered a probe into the death of a two-and-a-half month-old girl who died after she was administered polio drops during an immunisation drive in Lala block yesterday. ... Reports from Hailakandi said the baby had a running stomach and a few bouts of vomiting after she was administered the polio vaccine. ... But what has caused concern is that six more children aged between one day and five years in the adjacent village of Chandrapur took ill after the immunisation drive."

* ►December 22, 2008 - No truth in reports of polio vaccine death: Karnataka - Sify

* ►December 22, 2008 - Rumours spark polio vaccine panic in south India - Reuters

►December 22, 2008 - SMS students and faculty support Purple Pinkie Project - Jasper News

►December 22, 2008 - Over 6 Lakh Children In Himachal Given Polio Drops - myHimachal

►December 22, 2008 - Measles vaccinations to continue in Mid Cheshire - Mid Cheshire Chronicle

►December 22, 2008 - Worst of whooping cough outbreak likely over - Wausau Daily Herald

►December 22, 2008 - AFGHANISTAN: Indications children being hit hard by pneumonia - IRIN Asia

►December 22, 2008 - 16-year-old dies from meningitis - A teenage girl from Strabane has died of meningitis. - BBC

►December 22, 2008 - Pupils warned after meningitis death at Derry school - Belfast Telegraph

* ►December 22, 2008 - Peering inside the skull of a mouse to solve meningitis mystery - Immune cells implicated in fatal seizures - NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine via EurekAlert!

►December 22, 2008 - Pneumococcal Resistance to Penicillin Redefined - Public health officials warn of artificial decline in cases reported - HealthDay via Modern Medicine

►December 22, 2008 - Potential autoimmunity-inducing cells found in healthy adults - Rockefeller University Press via EurekAlert!

►December 22, 2008 - Mass immunization campaign against measles and rubella being launched in Georgia - More than million people of age 6-27 to be immunized in two weeks - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) via ReliefWeb

►December 22, 2008 - AFRICA: New hope for malaria vaccine - IRIN Africa

►December 22, 2008 - Using math to understand hep. C: Patterns paint picture of who will respond to treatment - Saint Louis University research suggests pre-testing before therapy - Saint Louis University via EurekAlert!

►December 22, 2008 - Studies find connection between diabetes, arthritis - The Birmingham News via al.com

►December 22, 2008 - Aid group lists 'Top 10' humanitarian crises - USA Today

►December 22, 2008 - Science heroes and villains of 2008 - New Scientist

►December 22, 2008 - Bill Gates meets with business leaders in India - Rotary International

►December 22, 2008 - Children’s Hospital researchers link new virus to childhood asthma - Vanderbilt University News - "About a quarter of the children had rhinoviruses, but two types, HRV-A and the previously undescribed HRV- C, were the most common."

►December 22, 2008 - Church Volunteers Stricken With Lung Ailment (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►December 22, 2008 - Prescribing Psycho Drugs To Children Is A Criminal Act  - The Bitter Pill Antipsychotics Virtually Unfit for Human Consumption - Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD - The One Click Group

* ►December 22, 2008 - JAMA Anti-Vitamins Studies Flawed - NaturalNews.com

* ►December 22, 2008 - Toxic UK Social Workers To Be Held Legally Accountable - The One Click Group

►December 22, 2008 - Kids should now get double the vitamin D - Clinical Advisor

►December 22, 2008 - Mercury cleanup bill gets new life - Obama's election boosts hopes of environmentalists - Augusta Chronicle

►December 22, 2008 - How much sushi would Jeremy Piven have had to eat? (requires registration) - Boston Globe

►December 22, 2008 - Sinovac Named to Zhongguancun's Top 20 Most Influential Brands - press release - Sinovac Biotech Ltd. via PRNewswire-Asia - "Sinovac's commercialized vaccines include Healive(R) (hepatitis A), Bilive(R) (combined hepatitis A and B), Anflu(R) (influenza) and Panflu(TM) (H5N1). Sinovac is currently developing Universal Pandemic Influenza vaccine and Japanese encephalitis vaccine."

►December 22, 2008 - AstraZeneca eyes move into ‘biosimilars’ - Financial Times

►December 22, 2008 - Single Virus Used To Convert Adult Cells To Embryonic Stem Cell-like Cells - Bioresearcher Online

►December 22, 2008 - Malaria Drug May Soon Be Set for U.S. Debut (requires registration) - The New York Times

►December 22, 2008 - FDA reform likely to take back seat in Obama plan - Despite push for legislation, 'dysfunctional' agency overshadowed (requires registration) - Baltimore Sun

►December 22, 2008 - Scientists heartened by potential appointees - Michigan Messenger

►December 22, 2008 - FDA Warns Consumers About Tainted Weight Loss Pills - Agency seeks recall of products that pose serious health risks - FDA

►December 22, 2008 - FDA Approved Drugs During 2008 - Ramona Bates MD via eMaxHealth.com

* ►December 21, 2008 - Follow-Up: FDA Contract to "improve morale" - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►December 21, 2008 - Forced Electroshock in USA (National Public Radio) - Alliance for Human Research Protection

►December 21, 2008 - Health officials: It's not too late for flu shots this season! - Brookings Register

* ►December 21, 2008 - Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine - Vindy.com

►December 21, 2008 - Health-Asia: Harried by Sporadic Bird Flu Outbreaks - New cases of avian influenza across Asia in recent weeks confirm warnings that the deadly virus still lurks in the region and raise questions of gaps in efforts to contain it in affected communities. - IPS News

* ►December 21, 2008 - Autism: Effects on Children and Their Parents - Health News - "The report found that over 80 percent of autistic adults between the ages of 19 and 30 are still living at home. Of those parents, 52 percent say their finances are strained and 75 percent of parents with autistic kids worry about their kids not having a job or not being able to live on the money the parents have provided for the future after their demise.  In the study involving 1,652 parents of children and adults with autism (until age 30) compared to 917 parents of regularly developing children, only 13 percent of the parents of “normal” children think their kids have drained their financial resources and a mere 18 percent worry about their kid’s financial future after they die."

►December 21, 2008 - Researchers Recreate Genetic Disorder In The Lab - redOrbit

►December 21, 2008 - It May Be 'China's Time' to Leapfrog Ahead in Biopharma - Seeking Alpha

►December 21, 2008 - Recommendations on sleep issued for medical residents - Houston Chronicle

►December 21, 2008 - Health Highlights: - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay via The Washington Post

* ►December 20, 2008 - Did Ghostwriters Promote Wyeth's Cancer-Associated HRT? - OpEdNews

►December 20, 2008 - Struggle over bird flu samples drags on - NewScientist

* ►December 20, 2008 - 50 pharmaceutical firms unregistered - Environment DDO says pharma industries not affecting environment - Environment Impact Assessment deputy director says only 10 PMIs registered with EPA - Labour DO says Local Industry Ordinance 2003 restricted department from inspecting industries - Daily Times

* ►December 20, 2008 - House OKs bill to create autism commission - Saipan Tribune

* ►December 20, 2008 - Expert: One in 4,000 babies have a rare disorder - The Star, Malaysia

* ►December 20, 2009 - Patterns of Influenza Vaccination among Stroke Survivors - journal article (Neuroepidemiology)

►December 19, 2008 - Bioterrorism Threat Reappears - Biological warfare rears it ugly head again - Officer.com

►December 19, 2008 - Tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli strains are inherited from parents and persist in the infant’s intestines in the absence of selective pressure - journal article (European Journal of Pediatrics)

►December 19, 2008 - Saccharomyces boulardii in childhood - journal article (European Journal of Pediatrics)

►December 19, 2008 - Teacher works magic with emotionally disturbed children - Missourian

* ►December 18, 2008 - Immunization Encounter: Critical Issues - A National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Webcast - video - CDC

* ►December 18, 2008 - Researchers refine in vitro test that will reduce the risk of "first in humans" drug trials - journal article (BMJ)

►December 18, 2008 - Renal screening in children after exposure to low dose melamine in Hong Kong: cross sectional study - journal article (BMJ)

►December 18, 2008 - German experts cause controversy after calling for atomoxetine to be withdrawn - journal article (BMJ)

►December 18, 2008 - European Commission urges governments to reduce hospital acquired infections - journal article (BMJ)

►December 18, 2008 - More than 54 million disabled in U.S., census says - Reuters

►December 18, 2008 - No Change To Dispensing Doctor Arrangements - PharmiWeb

►December 17, 2008 - Durham company gets $850,000 from NIH - News & Observer

►December 16, 2008 - FDA Will Continue To Study Chemical - No Action Planned on Bisphenol A - The Washington Post

►December 14, 2008 - China: Jiangmen: 23,400,000 will be compulsory vaccination of poultry - Pandemic Information News

►December 9, 2008 - Tips for Medical Offices When Starting to Use Pentacel® During the Hib Shortage (pdf) - www.michigan.gov

►December 8, 2008 - Researchers: Fish Contaminated Before Birth - UC Davis Researchers Find Striped Bass With Brain, Liver Problems - KCRA Sacramento

* ►December 2, 2008 - Why should the vaccinated worry about the unvaccinated By Cynthia A. Janak - Renew America

* ►December 1, 2008 - Vaccine Controversy - The vaccine safety debate - video - FOX News

* ►December 2008 - Influenza immunization strategy: It’s time for a change (requires registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children - "Three years after the CDC first recommended influenza immunization for all children 6 to 23 months of age in 2005, the coverage rate in this age group is just 21%. We cannot settle for protecting just one in five children in this age group when safe and effective influenza vaccines are plentiful in the United States."

* ►December 2008 - Alaska Native and American Indian pneumococcal vaccine recommendations revised (requires registration) - Anticipated benefits of a mixed vaccine schedule do not outweigh potential risks and problems with implementation. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - Protective role of autophagy in neonatal hypoxia–ischemia induced brain injury - journal article (Neurobiology of Disease)

►December 2008 - Hypochlorite solutions may be useful in managing CA-MRSA (requires registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children

* ►December 2008 - Increase of S. pneumoniae 19A serotype reported in Canada - (requires registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children - "Following the introduction of the seven-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7, Prevnar, Wyeth) in Canada, there has been a significant decrease in vaccine serotypes 23F, 6A and 14, but there has also been a corresponding increase rise in the nonvaccine serotype 19A, according to data presented here."

►December 2008 - As 2008 ends, there are reasons for optimism in the new year (requires registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - Diagnosis, treatment of young children with UTI (requires registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - Negotiating vaccine reimbursement with managed care organizations (requires registration) - Know the cost of vaccines and their delivery when negotiating prices. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - Another reason to limit antibiotic use? (requires registration) - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - Resident rounds (requires registration) - A case to test your diagnostic skills. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - SPOT the rash (requires registration) - A monthly case study featured in Infectious Diseases in Children, with treatment information and discussion to follow. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - What's Your Diagnosis (requires registration) - A monthly case study featured in Infectious Diseases in Children, with treatment information and discussion to follow. - Infectious Diseases in Children

►December 2008 - Neuroprotection by cord blood stem cells against glutamate-induced apoptosis is mediated by Akt pathway - journal article (Neurobiology of Disease)

* ►January 18, 2008 - Considerations in Vaccine Safety and Efficacy - North American Veterinary Conference iknowledgenow.com - "In spite of the success of animal vaccines, vaccines sometimes induce adverse reactions in animals and sometimes they fail to protect animals. Veterinarians and animal owners must weigh the risks of vaccinating versus the risks of not vaccinating and must use vaccines in a manner that induces optimal protection. This article provides an overview of some of the reasons why vaccines occasionally produce adverse reactions and reasons why vaccines sometimes fail to protect animals from disease."

* ►January 18, 2008 - Vaccine Failures - North American Veterinary Conference iknowledgenow.com - "Advances in technology have greatly enhanced the quality of vaccines and antibiotics available for prevention and treatment of disease. Despite these efforts, industry wide sickness and death rates have changed very little. Are these new technologies not as good as we think?"

* ►December 22, 2008 - Vaccine open to older girls - Fiji Times - "Concern was raised by parents and communities on the ministry's decision to use the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Some vaccination teams that went out to schools met opposition. Many parents refused their daughters to be vaccinated but the ministry argued that Gardasil was effective in preventing cervical cancer in women."

* ►December 22, 2008 - Teens seen as main vaccine group - Otago Daily Times - "The Ministry of Health will provide a one-off support payment to participating schools. This will comprise $200 a school or $300 a school if it has year 8 classes and a per pupil payment of about $2 (yet to be confirmed) for every eligible girl pupil in years 8 and above, up to the age of 18. ... Asked if the payment to schools might be seen as an inducement to schools to persuade girls to have the vaccinations, Mrs Skinner said that should not be an issue."

* ►December 22, 2008 - ‘Polio vaccine-related death’ triggers panic - The Hindu - "B.T. Shivaram, District Health Officer (Urban), told The Hindu that there were only rumours doing the rounds and that no child had taken ill after the vaccination."

* ►December 22, 2008 - Rumours on pulse polio deaths spark violence - Times of India - "Police and hospital authorities had a tough time convincing the people that news about the babies dying after being administered polio drops were only a rumour. At all these hospitals, the parents stayed till late night unconvinced by the explanations offered by doctors. Following widespread protests in many districts, the government health department clarified that a four-month-old baby, Shankar of Periyakodiveri village near Sathyamangalam in Erode had died of hydrocephalus, a congenital disorder of excess fluid in the brains and not because of any lapse on the part of the administration while giving polio drops. All other babies administered polio drops at the same centre were healthy, officials said."

* ►December 22, 2008 - Panic after polio rumour does rounds - Times of India - "Bangalore : A lot of parents who got their children administered with polio drops on Sunday rushed to hospitals after hearing of children being affected because of the drops. There was anxiety and panic among parents in Anekal, Chamrajnagar, Chandapura, Attibele, Hosur and some more parts of the state on Sunday evening. According to district health officer, Dr Shivaram, a child was admitted at Kadugodi public health centre after he complained of vomiting and diarrhoea. He was given polio drops in the morning."

* ►December 22, 2008 - Polio drops for extremely resistant houses aimed - Times of India - "Extremely resistant (XR) houses will now be targeted by the district health authorities in the polio week that begun on Sunday. XR households are the ones which have been refusing administration of polio drops to children of their houses. The percentage of such houses in the state stands at six. In Lucknow, the number of XR houses stands at 224."

►December 22, 2008 - Punjab sets target of 38L kids for pulse polio drive - Times of India

►December 22, 2008 - Polio immunisation drive meets 70% of target - Times of India

►December 22, 2008 - CM launches pulse polio drive - Times of India

►December 22, 2008 - Three-tier strategy to control population growth: minister - The News International, Pakistan - "These programmes aim at reducing morbidity, disability & mortality caused by seven vaccine preventable diseases namely childhood tuberculosis, poliomyeties, diphetheria, pertussis, measles, neonatal tetanus & hepatitis-B by vaccinating all children below one year of age. In addition, all pregnant women are being vaccinated against tetanus. She said the priority targets of the protective programme were polio eradication followed by elimination of neonatal tetanus and measles."

►December 22, 2008 - Pentavalent vaccine launch soon - Times of India

►December 22, 2008 - MB: Quarantine HIV carriers - IPOH: HIV carriers must never be allowed to marry, says Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin. - New Straits Times

►December 22, 2008 - Vaccination makes perfect - Diseases rarely seen return as some parents avoid jabs for their kids - Ha'aretz

* ►December 22, 2008 - Intestinal virus may have caused babies' death - Ha'aretz - "However, the cause of the babies' deaths is still uncertain, and the Health Ministry has not found a single factor like a specific food or medication that could have caused all the deaths, said Dr. Itamar Grotto, who is responsible for the ministry's public health services."

►December 22, 2008 - Survey Reports Scientists 'Suspicious' Of FBI - Morning Edition via NPR

►December 22, 2008 - CDC Q&A On Flu 2008-2009 Flu Vaccination - eMaxHealth.com 

►December 22, 2008 - Health for hard times - A recession is good for our health, argues a current study making the media rounds. It needs a second opinion. - Salon.com

* ►December 22, 2008 - New Insights Into Autism, Obsessive Behavior: Decreased Levels Of Binding Gene Affect Memory And Behavior - Reducing the activity of a gene called FKBP12 in the brains of mice affected neuron-to-neuron communication (synapse) and increased both fearful memory and obsessive behavior, indicating the gene could provide a target for drugs to treat diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disease and others, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report in the current issue of the journal Neuron. -  Baylor College of Medicine via ScienceDaily

* ►December 21, 2008 - Ignoble Allegations At Nobel - Questions arise over conflicts in latest medicine prize and a trip to China. - Forbes

* ►December 21, 2008 - Team to probe vaccine approvals - An inspection team has been set up to investigate allegations that drug-makers ran inappropriate lobbying campaigns before their cancer vaccines were approved for use in Vietnam. - VietNamNet Bridge

* ►December 21, 2008 - Clinical trials often only hope to fight cervical cancer for India's poor - Experimental regimen often only option for country's many poor women - Courier-Journal

* ►December 21, 2008 - Recommendations mixed about vaccinations - Press & Sun-Bulletin

* ►December 21, 2008 - Military Parents Battle the System to Help Their Autistic Children - Unmet treatment needs add to family strains from transfers and war-zone deployments - U.S. News & World Report

* ►December 21, 2008 - Calmer child comes with a price: side effects - Poughkeepsie Journal - "According to a recent study in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, children on atypical antipsychotics had twice the odds of becoming obese, three times of developing diabetes and nearly three times of exhibiting cardiovascular conditions. The study further found children on multiple antipsychotics had five times the odds of developing problems with their blood lipid counts, which are sometimes associated with elevated cholesterol."

* ►December 21, 2008 - Happy Hanukkah from Age of Autism Where Miracles Matter - Age of Autism

* ►December 21, 2008 - Child Warrior: Ronan - Don’t Stop Believing By Cathy Jameson - Age of Autism

►December 21, 2008 - Considering the Autism Diet? Save 10% on Julie Matthews' Nourishing Hope - Age of Autism

►December 21, 2008 - Foster care challenges grow in severity - Many children neglected, abused before being placed - Green Bay Press-Gazette

►December 21, 2008 - What do autism advocates really have in common? - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

►December 21, 2008 - 'Autism reform act of 2009' - opinions please - Autism Blog via http://autism.about.com

* ►December 21, 2008 - Daughter's autism gives Alabama lawmaker a cause - The Birmingham News via al.com - "It doesn't take long for state Rep. Cam Ward to put everything in perspective after spending a long week in Montgomery fighting the political battles that go with being a member of the Alabama Legislature."

►December 21, 2008 - Dr. Kestner: A special Christmas delivery: One year later - Murfreesboro Post - "We had to make decisions about immunizations. Some health experts question the wisdom of recommending the current schedule of immunizations for children. After weeks of research I decided that my daughter would receive the immunizations."

* ►December 21, 2008 - Four culling staff fall ill in Malda - The Statesman

►December 21, 2008 - Cambodian survives H5N1 bird flu virus: official - Reuters UK

►December 21, 2008 - Students participate in Pulse Polio Campaign - MyNews.in

►December 21, 2008 - Pulse polio Immunisation by Rotary - The Sangai Express via E-Pao.net

►December 21, 2008 - 70 lakh children administered Polio drops in TN - UNI via Sakaal Times

►December 21, 2008 - NIMR to study HIV/AIDS lineage - DailyNewsOnline, Tanzania

►December 21, 2008 - Clay family deals with nut allergies - Diligence is required to keep nuts out of the family's food - Jacksonville.com

►December 21, 2008 - People shouldn’t fly when they’re sick, but they do (requires registration) - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

* ►December 21, 2008 - Support for Obama - letter - News & Observer - "Last month I accompanied American Academy of Pediatrics staff on a visit to the Middle East to offer support to pediatricians who are trying to address serious child health issues in underdeveloped countries. We talked with pediatricians from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Palestine and the United Arab Emirates. ... Dave Tayloe Jr., M.D. President, American Academy of Pediatrics Goldsboro"

* ►December 21, 2008 - FDA 'scare' linked to suicide uptrend - Poughkeepsie Journal

* ►December 21, 2008 - Topaz Wafer Rolls Recalled on Melamine Fears - Industrial chemical contaminates more food products - Consumer Affairs

►December 21, 2008 - USFDA set to open India office in Jan - Livemint

►December 21, 2008 - FDA Criticized for Slow Approvals but Allows 21 New Drugs This Year - MedHeadlines

►December 21, 2008 - FDA issues warning about canadian fish - MiamiHerald.com

►December 21, 2008 - RP 'persuaded' to announce Ebola-Reston virus discovery - report - ABS-CBN News

►December 21, 2008 - State testing worth expense - CWD not found in wild whitetails - Detroit Free Press

* ►December 20, 2008 - EPA scientists blast FDA advice on fish - Experts insist mercury warnings for women, kids 'inadequate' - Chicago Tribune via Houston Chronicle

►December 20, 2008 - Bubonic plague outbreak intensifies in Uganda - The East African

►December 20, 2008 - Health officials urge public to get flu vaccinations - Press-Enterprise

►December 20, 2008 - Healthy Christmas visit for Bailiff (includes video) - Channel Television - "Sir Philip, who was accompanied by Lady Bailhache, was welcomed by Medical Officer of Health Dr Rosemary Geller and health chief Mike Pollard. They were given a presentation about pre-school immunisation and met girls from the JCG who have received the HPV jab -given to reduce the chance of contracting cervical canver."

►December 20, 2008 - Health ministry reviews cancer vaccine to check on claims - Viet Nam News

►December 20, 2008 - Conflict hampers vaccination as PPR rages - The East African - "Conflict and drought are hampering efforts to control the viral livestock disease Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), which has already killed at least 2.7 million sheep and goats and undermined livelihoods dependent on livestock in Kenya."

►December 20, 2008 - Breast-feed bill on fast track - Boston Herald - "Massachusetts is one of only four states and territories, including West Virginia, Guam and American Samoa, that don’t have laws protecting nursing mothers from indecency violations, according to National Conference of State Legislatures."

►December 19, 2008 - Researcher Revives 'Shocking' Human Experiment - After Four Decades, Torture Experiment Still Raises Eyebrows - ABC News

* ►December 19, 2008 - Brave New Schools - 9-year-old called drug dealer over cough drops - Case prompted when student shared Vitamin C candy with friend - WorldNetDaily

►December 19, 2008 - Gates grant awarded to UGA - $18.7 million to help fight deadly parasite (requires registration) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

►December 19, 2008 - Nothing But Nets: Nearly One Million Bednets sent to the Central African Republic - UN Dispatch

►December 19, 2008 - Health unit calls for flu, mumps shots to help keep healthy - Owen Sound Sun Times

►December 19, 2008 - Measles and rabies - UK : health news from The Travel Clinic - Cambridge Network

►December 18, 2008 - HPV Vaccination Endangered by Uninformed Parents - Children get no vaccine because of promiscuity concerns - Softpedia.com

* ►December 18, 2008 - Suspensions levied over immunization records - Midland Mirror - "Holmes said the health unit is required by law to have a record of every school-age child’s immunization, or a valid exemption."

►December 18, 2008 - Drug Access | Two-Thirds of HIV-Positive Kenyan Children Do Not Have Access to Antiretroviral Treatment, Report Says - www.kaisernetwork.org

►December 18, 2008 - IOM proposes 20 indicators to measure Americans' health - SmartBrief

►December 18, 2008 - UGA grant to look at wiping out deadly disease - $19 million research award from Gates Foundation third-largest in university's history - Online Athens

►December 18, 2008 - DeKalb High School Student Dies After Contracting Bacterial Meningitis - WSBTV.com

►December 18, 2008 - Meningitis scare for city family - Plymouth Evening Herald

►December 17, 2008 - Meningitis outbreak at Coleshill School - Birmingham Mail, UK

►December 17, 2008 - Fears over hike in mumps cases - The Kerryman

* ►December 17, 2008 - Meningitis Cure Underway - The Ghanaian Times via Modern Ghana - "Clinical trials of a new vaccine for the protection against meningitis has started at the Navrongo Health Research Centre in the Upper East Region. Known as the Meningococcal “A” Conjugate Vaccine (Men A), it is expected to provide immunity to Ghanaians who contract the disease particularly in the dry harmattan season."

* ►December 17, 2008 - Parents search for answers in daughter's death (requires registration) - San Jose Mercury News - "Every day, Jennifer Ekhilevsky calls the coroner, asking for any scrap of information that might help her understand why her 4-year-old daughter died in her sleep last week. How could her blond-haired, blue-eyed Madelyn have performed in a preschool Christmas show on a Friday, ridden the train at Vasona Park on a Saturday, picked out a Christmas tree on a Sunday, and then -- without so much as a sniffle -- be dead on Monday?"

►December 17, 2008 - ‘Vaccines shortage owing to withdrawal of licence’ - Hindu Business Line

►December 17, 2008 - CDC's Emergency Preparedness Web Site Gets Redesign - Occupational Health & Safety - "The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions' Emergency Communication System (ECS) has redesigned its entire Emergency Preparedness and Response Web site, www.emergency.CDC.gov."

►December 17, 2008 - Inovio Biomedical’s Advances in Electroporation-Delivered Therapeutic Vaccines Presented at International DNA Vaccine Conference - press release - Inovio Biomedical Corporation via Business Wire

►December 17, 2008 - Don’t suffer through the flu season this year - Daily Journal

►December 17, 2008 - Europe will shame FF into providing Ireland's life-saving cervical cancer jabs - Daily Mail, UK

►December 17, 2008 - Experts detail the 3 rules for technological fixes - Technology won't fix everything -- knowing where and when to apply it is a key - EurekAlert!

►December 16, 2008 - Polio vaccine for pilgrims to India - Daily News, Sri Lanka

* ►December 16, 2008 - Mother claims daughter was ‘paralysed after cervical cancer jab' - Liverpool Daily Post

* ►December 16, 2008 - Pathologist appeals for U-turn by Harney over cervical cancer vaccine - Daily Mail, UK

►December 16, 2008 - Breast cancer risk warning reignites fears over HRT - Daily Mail, UK

►December 16, 2008 - District Bans Helper Dog For Boy With Autism (includes video) - WCCO.com

* ►December 16, 2008 - Fairfax Signals Support for Autism Bill - City Council resolution urges passage of insurance coverage for autistic youth. - Fairfax Connection - "According to a 2006 Center for Disease Control study, approximately one out of every 150 children in the United States has an autism-related disorder. Over 1,800 children in the City of Fairfax have been diagnosed with autism, a rate of 1 for every 91 children, according to a 2007 report by Virginia Department of Education."

* ►December 16, 2008 - Bill could mandate health insurance for autism therapy - Legislation » Sen. Howard Stephenson sponsoring measure - The Salt Lake Tribune - "This fall, over breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, Whiffen and another mother of an autistic child, Brittany Recalde, easily persuaded Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, to sponsor the bill in the upcoming legislative session. 'It's a draconian society that would knowingly watch children grow past the window of opportunity [for treatment] without [providing] assistance,' said Stephenson, who has successfully sponsored an autism treatment bill in the past."

* ►December 15, 2008 - Parental Rights - Steve and Paula Runyan Blog - "In March 2008, Belgium made international headlines when it sentenced two sets of Belgian parents to five months in prison, and fined them 4,100 euros ($8,000).1 The crime? Failing to vaccinate their children against polio."

* ►December 15, 2008 - Epilepsy Drug May Increase Risk Of Autism - American Academy Of Neurology via eMaxHealth.com

* ►December 15, 2008 - Six-year court battle over hepatitis C ends with settlement - The Japan Times

►December 15, 2008 - Flu among center's patients rare - The Post-Standard via Syracuse.com

►December 15, 2008 - Minister: Flu shot optional - ‘Personal choice’ for Capital health workers - The Chronicle Herald

* ►December 15, 2008 - Measles Campaign Suffers Set Back - Children Denied Mosquito Nets - LeadershipNigeria - "Mothers who took their children for the immunisation expressed shock as their children were not given the nets given the massive radio and television announcements mounted by various agencies of government and non government organizations responsible for the campaign."

►December 15, 2008 - Report spurs more vaccination - The Post-Standard via Syracuse.com

►December 15, 2008 - Parents Blame Cervical Cancer Vaccine for UK Girl’s Paralysis - Newsinferno.com

►December 15, 2008 - Confessions of an autism mother: Why I’ll never homeschool - Examiner.com

* ►December 14, 2008 - Encephalitis and Encephalopathy (part 3) - Exploring Vaccines

►December 14, 2008 - Why Kids with Autism and ADHD Rarely Thrive in School - Examiner.com

►December 14, 2008 - Researchers develop universal influenza vaccine for animals - A University of Maryland-led science team has developed a universal influenza vaccine for animals that may help prevent or delay another human flu pandemic. - News-Medical.net

►December 12, 2008 - A Dallas baby’s death inspires giving — one book at a time - Pegasus News - "At the hospital, the Kearneys were told the shocking news that Abby had meningitis and suffered a massive stroke. 'I couldn't believe that my little girl who was happy and playful the day before was now brain dead. How could this be?,' says her mother, Mary."

►December 12, 2008 - Schering-Plough Announces FDA Approval of PEGINTRON(TM) and REBETOL(R) Combination Therapy for Treating Pediatric Hepatitis C - press release - Schering-Plough Corporation via PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX via MarketWatch

►December 12, 2008 - Merck Seeks FDA OK On Isentress For Adults Untreated For HIV - Dow Jones via Morningstar

►December 12, 2008 - On the Pulse - Hypersensitivity to HPV vaccine - OnMedica

►December 12, 2008 - GAVI Alliance: Burkina Faso Vaccinates 7.9 million against deadly yellow fever disease - MaximsNews Network

►December 11, 2008 - Mother's plea over deadly disease - Diss Mercury, UK - "A Diss mother whose son died from meningitis in less than three hours, is backing a campaign to raise awareness of the deadly disease."

►December 11, 2008 - Pig Ebola May Lead Scientists to ‘Elusive Reservoir’ of Virus - Bloomberg

►December 11, 2008 - When you and your doctor disagree - who gets to choose? - Examiner.com

►December 11, 2008 - Generex Biotechnology Update On Novel Immunotherapeutic Vaccine to be Presented At San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium - press release - Generex Biotechnology Corporation via GlobeNewswire

►December 11, 2008 - Charting HIV’s Rapidly Changing Journey in the Body - University of Rochester Medical Center via Newswise

►December 11, 2008 - 30-Day Hepatitis C Treatment Study Announced by Aethlon Medical - Business Wire via Trading Markets

►December 10, 2008 - BaySystems to support Polio Eradication Program in India - Customized solution for safe and hygienic storage of vaccines - Bayer via PRdomain.com

►December 10, 2008 - 3M Licenses Dry Powder Inhaler Technology from Cambridge Consultants - press release - 3M Drug Delivery Systems via Business Wire via The Earth Times - "The Conix technology platform includes a variety of inhaler types, ranging from a single dose device suitable for applications such as immunizations, to a multi-unit dose suitable for routine therapies, such as, asthma and COPD."

►March 12, 2008 - Jail for Belgians Who Reject Polio Shot - As doctors struggle to eradicate polio worldwide, one of their biggest problems is persuading parents to vaccinate their children. In Belgium, authorities are resorting to an extreme measure: prison sentences. - AP via FOX News

* ►Gardasil side effects - Medications.com - "Share & Read Gardasil side effects & conditions. Post a new Gardasil side effect"

* ►Medications.com - Welcome to Medications.com - The definitive place to browse and post side effects of today's popular medications. Tens of thousands of posts. Millions of readers. Fifteen Thousand different drugs."

* ►The Inquest into the Death of George Fisher - CryShame

* ►January 2009 - A framework for interpreting genome-wide association studies of psychiatric disorders - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry) - "Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded a plethora of new findings in the past 3 years. By early 2009, GWAS on 47 samples of subjects with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia will be completed."

►January 2009 - Intracranial Hemorrhage in Term Newborns: Management and Outcomes - journal article (Pediatric Neurology)

►January 2009 - Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis in African-American Black and European-Origin White Patients - journal article (Pediatric Neurology)

►January 2009 - Familial Vasovagal Syncope Associated With Migraine - journal article (Pediatric Neurology)

►January 2009 - The many roles of histone deacetylases in development and physiology: implications for disease and therapy - journal article (Nature Reviews Genetics)

►January 2009 - Detecting shared pathogenesis from the shared genetics of immune-related diseases - journal article (Nature Reviews Genetics)

►January 2009 - Exploration of 19 serotoninergic candidate genes in adults and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder identifies association for 5HT2A, DDC and MAOB - journal article (Molecular Psychiatry)

►December 21, 2008 - Pulse Polio drive today - Kerala Online

►December 21, 2008 - Polio campaign goes mobile - Times of India

►December 21, 2008 - COA confirms Luchu bird flu outbreak - RESOLVED: While there are no known cases of the H5N2 strain infecting humans, health authorities continued to monitor farms within a 3km radius of the outbreak - Taipei Times

* ►December 20, 2008 - Sanofi-Aventis Whistleblower Claims Dismissed - Pharmalot

* ►December 20, 2008 - Medical Publisher Investigates Ghostwriting Charge - Pharmalot

* ►December 20, 2008 - Haunting Medical Journals - Injury Board Lansing - "Wyeth has had ghostwriting issues with other drugs, including the diet medications Pondimin and Redux. Merk has also been involved in ghostwriting for the painkilling drug Vioxx, which was linked to heart problems in 2004, and led to countless lawsuits. These companies have developed deliberate media strategies to push their drugs on doctors and patients, regardless of the negative information on their effects published by legitimate studies."

* ►December 20, 2008 - Larry King Live Postponed for Rerun By Kim Stagliano - Age of Autism - "We regret to inform our readers that Larry King Live's program featuring Jenny McCarthy, Stan Kurtz and J.B. Handley of Generation Rescue has been postponed.  Enjoy the rerun of Brad Pitt talking about married life."

* ►December 20, 2008 - New Clues to Who Is Susceptible to Autism Via Vaccine Injury By Scott Laster - Age of Autism

* ►December 20, 2008 - Dr. Bob Sears: Smart Vaccine Decisions for Families with Autism By Dr. Bob Sears - Age of Autism

* ►December 20, 2008 - Best of A of A: Autism Recovery Story - This and other stories of recovery can be found on the Testimonials page at Generation Rescue. By Kelli, Warrior Mother to Evan - Age of Autism

* ►December 20, 2008 - Thank Senator McCain and Ask Him to Keep Fighting For Our Kids - Adventures in Autism

►December 20, 2008 - Initiative To Help Find Autistic Children Who Wander - Westchester.com

►December 20, 2008 - Building brainpower - Teen with Asperger’s turns computer skills into business. - Columbia Tribune

►December 20, 2008 - Toys With Multiple Magnets Pose Bowel Hazard - CBS2 Chicago

* ►December 20, 2008 - Mercury rising: Sushigate heats up (requires registration) - Chicago Tribune

* ►December 20, 2008 - The Skinny on Mercury Toxicity -- What Hit Jeremy Piven, the Thousands of Americans Effected, and the Best Known Cures - press release - Sunlight Saunas; Dr. Rachel West via PRNewswire

►December 20, 2008 - Making Hospitals Greener — and Patients Healthier - TIME Magazine

* ►December 20, 2008 - Boy, 6, dies in street after suspected allergy attack - The Scotsman

* ►December 20, 2008 - UK Girl Paralysed By Cervarix HPV Jab - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Is Cervarix really a miracle vaccine after all? by Christina England - The One Click Group

* ►December 20, 2008 - Senators want probe of Merced case - San Francisco Chronicle - "Both California's U.S. senators have called for a full review of allegations by residents in a Merced neighborhood who claim that a nearby manufacturing plant contaminated their drinking water with a cancer-causing chemical."

* ►December 20, 2008 - Biederman et al - -When the Mainstream Presses... - Alliance for Human Research Protection - "On Sunday two doctors who treat children and a professor at George Washington University point out the significance of the crime against children being perpetrated by psychiatrists at prestigious institutions. Leading the pack is Harvard University's Joseph Biederman MD. Their conclusion: Never fully trust the biggest supermen in any scientific field. Or, putting it another way, 'Trust but verify'-- Ronald Reagan's admonition. Never, never, simply trust 'authorities"'just because they're purported to be authorities by "peers" (i.e., people like themselves)."

* ►December 20, 2008 - Congress to Investigate- FDA $1.5 Million Contract to "improve morale" - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►December 20, 2008 - Wyeth Paid Ghostwriters to Produce Journal Articles Promoting Prempro - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►December 20, 2008 - FDA Panel Votes to Ban 2 of 4 Asthma Drugs for Asthma - Alliance for Human Research Protection - "True to form, the following professional medical associations appeared to protect their financial interests by expressing support for the continued use of all four of these medicines despite the avoidable risks of death: The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Thoracic Society, American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, and American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology."

►December 20, 2008 - Before You Next Fly...The Asbestos Of The Skies - Before you next fly....... Watch the documentary film that resulted in the call for a public inquiry in 2008 in the UK. - The One Click Group

►December 20, 2008 - Plan in place for local flu pandemic - 91.3 KUWS via BusinessNorth.com

►December 20, 2008 - Various immune-related diseases have a strong genetic overlap - Science Centric

►December 20, 2008 - Air to lung to DNA -  Air pollutants damage genes, affect human behaviour - Down To Earth

►December 20, 2008 - Britain gripped by worst flu outbreak since 2000 - Britain is in the grip of the worst flu outbreak for eight years, with emergency services fearing they will be "swamped" by calls when GP surgeries close for Christmas. - The Telegraph, UK - "Dozens of hospitals have closed wards or stopped admitting emergency patients as they battle with the rising number of admissions linked to flu and the vomiting bug norovirus."

►December 20, 2008 - County sees rush on flu shots; few remain - Jackson Hole Daily

►December 20, 2008 - Mahoning County offers free nasal spray flu vaccine - Youngstown Vindicator

►December 20, 2008 - Flu jab alert as number of cases soars - Liverpool Daily Post

►December 20, 2008 - Flu hits Nottingham early - This is Nottingham

►December 20, 2008 - Vaccination for Birbhum birds - The Statesman

►December 20, 2008 - Bird flu outbreak in China not a real concern: UN - AFP via Tehran Times

►December 20, 2008 - Rise in mumps sparks call to protect young - This Is Lancashire

►December 20, 2008 - Meningitis outbreak at Coleshill School - Tamworth Herald

►December 20, 2008 - Administration of polio drops today - Central Chronicle

►December 20, 2008 - Over 5 lakh children to receive polio drops - PTI via The Hindu

►December 20, 2008 - Veteran returns to EPI as polio cases hit nelson 1 - The News International, Pakistan

►December 20, 2008 - Belatedly, China spreads word about HIV prevention - After long neglecting the HIV prevalence in the country, the government has embarked on an awareness campaign. (requires registration) - Los Angeles Times

►December 20, 2008 - Study Shows Dramatic Drop In Needlestick Risks For Healthcare Workers - University of Virginia Health System via eMaxHealth.com

►December 20, 2008 - Reliable Health Resources on the Web - Find Out Which Health Sites Give Info You Can Trust - ABC News

►December 20, 2008 - FDA checking out local man's possible cancer cure - WBBH-TV via MSNBC

►December 19, 2008 - Providence to Stop Needling Workers - Alaska SuperStation - "Providence Hospital will stop needling its workers regarding mandatory flu shots."

* ►December 19, 2008 - Dissenting ACNP Psychiatrist Re: Antidepressants / Suicidality - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►December 19, 2008 -NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

New Yorker's Stand Up for Vaccine Exemptions by Barbara Loe Fisher

In the harbor of New York City stands the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom that has welcomed millions of immigrants for 112 years, half of the time that the United States of America has been a nation. And on the base of the statue is an inscription that says in part ".....Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...."

I remembered that phrase when we were driving from Washington, D.C. to New York City and our van got caught up in the Sunday afternoon Manhattan traffic that led us past the Empire State Building on our way to Long Island. Freedom was very much on my mind as we headed for Stony Brook University to participate in the December 15 Vaccine Education Roundtable sponsored by New York state Assemblymen Marc Alessi (D-1st Assembly District) and Richard Gottfried (D-75th Assembly District), who is Chair of the House Health Committee.

Americans have always cherished the freedom to breathe free; to speak, write and dissent without fear of retribution; to believe in God and worship freely without being persecuted; to vote for whom we want to represent us in government and know our vote counts; to follow our conscience and stand up for what is right. Although America is only 222 years old, which is very young compared to other countries that have existed for several thousands of years, during our short history there is no other nation that has defined and defended the freedom of citizens to live in a society based on the principle of equal rights and consent of the governed any better than the United States of America.

These are troubled times for parents in New York and New Jersey and other states. Every day parents are facing more hostility from pediatricians throwing them out of doctor's offices for questioning vaccine safety and are being harassed by government officials determined to force their children to get dozens of doses of state mandated vaccines without voluntary, informed consent. New York currently mandates more than two dozen doses of 11 vaccines for school attendance while New Jersey leads the nation with nearly three dozen doses of 13 vaccines, including annual influenza shots.

Religious exemptions are being pulled by state officials after they throw parents into rooms and grill them for hours about the sincerity of their religious beliefs. Last year in Maryland, state officials threatened several thousand parents with jail time and stiff fines for failing to show proof their children had gotten hepatitis B and chickenpox vaccinations.

It is in this climate of fear and crisis of trust between parents, who want a more equal role in making vaccination decisions for their children, and pediatricians and public health officials, who are determined to strengthen their power to tell parents what to do, that Assemblymen Alessi assembled a panel representing both sides to discuss whether or not a philosophical exemption to vaccination should be added to New York's vaccine laws. Currently New York only provides for a medical and religious exemption, even as 18 other states allow a personal, philosophical or conscientious belief exemption to vaccination.

After the Roundtable, Assemblyman Gottfried expressed strong support for First Amendment rights and told the audience of parents, doctors and legislative staff that he is sponsoring two bills to clarify rights defined under existing religious and medical exemptions so they cannot be violated by state officials. After the Roundtable concluded, he said "Important issues were raised. I look forward to seeing additional data from all sides, especially about the impact of the personal objection laws in other states. I will be reintroducing my bills to strengthen the religious and medical exemptions in the 2009 session. I urge parents to contact their local assembly members and state senators to urge them to co-sponsor."

Assemblyman Alessi commented that "The discussion framed the fact that there is still a large debate on the issue. And although some people in the medical community are adamant that this debate is over, it has only just begun. The amount of conflicting evidence parents are presented with regarding the effects of certain vaccines is staggering. This forum opened the lines of communication between experts in the debate and provided concerned parents with the most recent information on the safety of vaccines. As a parent, I know how difficult it is to make the right decisions regarding our children's health, but if we are to make good decisions, we need to be well informed and continue to have discussions like this roundtable."

At the beginning of the Roundtable, I framed the vaccine safety and informed consent debate and outlined how the informed consent principle relates to philosophical/conscientious belief exemption. I reviewed the general health ranking of New York (25th) compared to the 18 states which have philosophical exemptions (six of the top 10 ranked states have philosophical exemption) and noted that the U.S. uses more vaccines than any nation in the world but ranks 39th in infant mortality. Click here to read my entire presentation with live links to references (see text below).

Other panelists supporting philosophical exemption to vaccination included New York pediatrician Lawrence Palevsky, M.D. , who called for an authentic dialogue that "moves past what appears to a growing number of citizens to be a one-sided, paternalistic, and patronizing set of policies and language with an unwillingness to engage in a real discussion about the science of vaccines." He challenged many of the myths and misconceptions about the safety and effectiveness of vaccine policies.

New York's John Gilmore, executive director of Autism United, who has a vaccine injured son with autism and said "without trust, the proponents of forced vaccination have nothing but authority and authority is an unacceptable basis for any public policy in a democratic society." He pointed out operational flaws and conflicts of interest in vaccine safety regulation and policymaking. Louise Kuo Habakus, of the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice, who has two young sons recovering from vaccine injuries, presented slides summarizing vaccine risks and questioning whether vaccines can be credited with major infectious disease morbidity and mortality decreases in the 20th century. She recounted her impression of the day's events at www.ageofautism.com. (In related events, New Jersey parents held several open houses this week to educate New Jersey legislators about the need to support pending conscientious belief exemption legislation in that state.)

Panelists defending current vaccine policies and opposing philosophical exemptions included New York pediatricians Paul Lee, M.D. , who agreed vaccine safety should be a high priority but disagreed that the amount of mercury and aluminum in vaccines posed a health risk; and longtime vaccine policymaker and American Academy of Pediatrics spokesperson Louis Z. Cooper, M.D. , who agreed trust between pediatricians and parents needs to be strengthened but defended the safety of existing vaccine policies; and Debra Blog, M.D. , medical director of the Immunization Program, New York State Department of Health, who showed slides of children with infectious diseases and strongly opposed adding philosophical exemption to New York state vaccine laws.

Following panelist presentations there was a spirited debate that lasted for more than two hours as panelists argued and defended their positions. NVIC's videographer, Chris Fisher, will be making a video of the day's events available on NVIC's website.

By the end of the day, I thought about how long parents of vaccine injured children have been asking pediatricians to become partners with them in preventing vaccine injuries and deaths. After nearly three decades, parents and doctors inside and outside of government could not be further apart. The failure of pediatricians and public health officials to take seriously the many cases of regression into poor health after vaccination has become the Number One public health problem in the U.S. today.

There will be no resolution until every state has embraced the informed consent ethic and adopted conscientious or philosophical exemption to vaccination in state vaccine laws. At that point, Americans will be free to vote with their feet and the vaccines the public considers to be necessary, safe and effective will be used and those they do not consider to be necessary, safe and effective will be driven off the market. And then, a real time comparison of the long term health of highly vaccinated, less vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens will tell us a lot about the safety and effectiveness of vaccine policies in the last half of the 20th and first half of the 21st centuries.

Statement of Barbara Loe Fisher
Co-founder & President, National Vaccine Information Center
December 15, 2008 at New York Stony Brook University
Vaccine Education Roundtable

Assemblyman Alessi and NY State Legislators:

Thank you for holding this Vaccine Education Roundtable to discuss issues which impact on Assembly Bill 5468 to insert philosophical exemption in New York vaccine laws. I appreciate the invitation to be part of this panel on behalf of New York members of the National Vaccine Information Center, non-profit organization founded in 1982 to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defend the informed consent ethic.

Vaccination is a medical intervention performed on a healthy person which carries an inherent risk of injury or death. The risk of harm can be greater for some than others and there is no guarantee that vaccination will, in fact, confer immunity. With very few predictors having been identified by medical science to give advance warning that harm or failure to confer immunity will occur, vaccination is a medical procedure that could reasonably be termed as experimental each time it is performed on a healthy individual.

Further, the FDA, CDC and vaccine makers openly state that often the numbers of human subjects used in pre-licensing studies are too small to detect all adverse events caused by a new vaccine. This makes government recommended use of newly licensed vaccines by millions of children a de facto uncontrolled national scientific experiment. In this regard, the ethical principle of informed consent to vaccination attains even greater significance.

Informed consent means that a patient or guardian has the right to be fully informed about the benefits and risks of a medical procedure and be allowed to make an informed, voluntary decision about whether or not to take the risk. Informed consent is an important check and balance for the relationship between physicians and patients that encourages physicians to obey the Hippocratic oath to "first, do no harm."

The affirmation of the informed consent ethic in the practice of modern medicine is rooted in a rejection of the traditional paternalistic medical model, which places the patient or guardian in an unequal, powerless position with a physician and facilitates uninformed, involuntary risk taking. The human right for individuals to exercise informed consent to participating in scientific experiments was officially acknowledged by the judges of the Nuremberg Tribunal after World War II. Their ringing endorsement of individual inviolability and the right to self determination when taking medical risks has became an internationally accepted moral guidepost for the ethical practice of modern medicine. The first principle of the Nuremberg Code begins with:

"The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overreaching or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion; and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject matter involved as to enable him to make an understanding and enlightened decision."

In America, the closest we come to upholding the informed consent principle with regard to vaccination is in the 18 states which allow personal, philosophical or conscientious belief exemption to vaccination. In the 2008 edition of America's Health Rankings, Vermont is ranked the number one healthiest state. Vermont allows philosophical exemption to vaccination. In fact, out of the top ten ranked healthiest states, six of them allow philosophical exemption (Vermont, Minnesota, Utah, Idaho, Maine, Washington).

New York ranks 25th in health behind the nation's most populous state, California. The state of California has twice as many residents as New York, as well as more foreign born residents and those who speak English as a second language. However, in almost all other demographics, California is nearly identical to New York in ethnic diversity; numbers of children under age 18; median household income and persons living below poverty.

California allows philosophical exemption to vaccination.

What is interesting is that in the top 10 healthiest states, four had among the lowest vaccination rates for children ages 19 to 35 months: Utah (37th) , Idaho (45th), Maine (40th) and Washington (48th). California which is ahead of New York in overall health ranking, is 31st in vaccination coverage of 19 to 35 month olds while New York is number 9. The healthiest state, Vermont, is 29th in vaccination coverage.

In fact, health is not primarily measured by high vaccination rates or an absence of infectious disease. High vaccination rates are not the most important measure of the overall health of citizens. The 18 states allowing philosophical exemption to vaccination have not compromised individual or public health when compared to other states.

This past September, the CDC announced that national childhood vaccination rates are at near record levels, with at least 90 percent of young children receiving all but one CDC recommended vaccine. Less than 1 percent of children aged 19 to 35 months remain completely unvaccinated.

Today, the U.S. government recommends the use of more vaccines than any other country in the world: 69 doses of 16 vaccines for girls; 66 doses of 15 vaccines for boys given between the day of birth and age 18. That is triple the numbers of vaccinations recommended by public health officials and physician organizations a quarter century ago, when 23 doses of seven vaccines (DPT, MMR, OPV) were routinely given.

But in comparison to other nations, the overall health of Americans has not improved since 2004 and there are 27 countries that exceed the US in healthy life expectancy while the U.S. ranks 39th in infant mortality.

Today, 1 in every 143 babies born in America dies; 1 child in 450 becomes diabetic; 1 in 150 develops autism;1 in 9 suffers with asthma; and 1 in every 6 child is learning disabled.

The chronic disease and disability epidemic that has developed in the last quarter century is killing and injuring more children than any infectious disease epidemic in the history of our nation, including smallpox and polio. The social, economic, and human costs are enormous: nearly two billion dollars has been paid to vaccine victims by the federal government in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program while three-quarters of the more than $2 trillion dollar annual price tag for health care is spent to care for the chronically ill and disabled.

The big question vaccine educated parents are asking is: why are so many of the most highly vaccinated children in the world so sick, suffering with all kinds of chronic brain and immune system dysfunction? Why are babies born in the richest country in the world dying more often than babies born in poorer countries, who do not get vaccinated at all or who get far fewer vaccines?

It is a question that has not been answered by any scientific study conducted to date because there has never been a large, prospective study comparing the long term health of highly vaccinated children to unvaccinated children. In the absence of definitive answers, the right to freely exercise medical, religious and philosophical exemption to vaccination is a human right that may well determine the biological integrity of this and future generations in America.

Because vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry significant risks greater for some than others; because doctors and public health officials are not infallible; because what is considered scientific truth today can be proven false tomorrow; because philosophical exemption to vaccination does not negatively impact on the health of individuals or states; and because informed consent to medical risk taking is a human right, the National Vaccine Information Center urges legislators to affirm the freedom of all New Yorkers to make informed, voluntary vaccination decisions for themselves and their children by supporting philosophical exemption to vaccination.

* ►December 19, 2008 - Merck Dumps Heplisav in Wake of Regulatory Issues - BioWorld Today Via Acquire Media NewsEdge via TMCNet - "The trouble started last March, when the FDA placed a clinical hold on Heplisav after a patient in its Phase III healthy adult study began showing symptoms of vasculitis, an autoimmune condition also known as Wegener's granulomatosis. At the time, Dynavax President and CEO Dino Dina said he did not anticipate a connection between Heplisav and the vasculitis case, even though the condition has cropped up with other vaccines."

►December 19, 2008 - Bethlehem region courts Sanofi vaccine jobs - Fort Mills Times

►December 19, 2008 - Rise in whooping cough cases causes concern (requires registration) - AP via Anchorage Daily News

►December 19, 2008 - FDA Continues To Receive Complaints about Chicken Jerky Products for Dogs and Cautions Consumers - FDA

►December 19, 2008 - Got the flu? CDC says Tamiflu may not be much help (requires registration) - AP via Washington Post

►December 19, 2008 - Killer Peptide May Offer New Therapy Against Influenza A Virus -  In a new study researchers identified what appears to be the first antibody-derived peptide that inhibits the activities of harmful microbes such as influenza A virus and HIV-1. - American Society for Microbiology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

►December 19, 2008 - UC San Diego and Genentech scientists develop potentially disruptive antibody sequencing technology - Bioinformatics researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Genentech have developed a new, quicker way to sequence monoclonal antibodies – a process that is many times faster than the sequencing technology typically used by academic and industry researchers today. - PhysOrg.com

►December 19, 2008 - Autism is no barrier to local small business owner - Cumberland Times-News

* ►December 19, 2008 - Dynavax ends partnership w/ Merck on Hepatitis B vaccine - Dynavax via MarketWatch - "Dynavax said it will continue to evaluate regulatory options for the development of the vaccine and plans to purse a new partner or financing arrangement to support the completion of its developments."

* ►December 19, 2008 - Intercell says licenses vaccine program to Novartis - Trading Markets

* ►December 19, 2008 - Supreme Court should protect public - The Ironton Tribune

* ►December 19, 2008 - Biogen, Elan Shares Fall After U.S. Tysabri Patient’s Death - Bloomberg

►December 19, 2008 - Electronic Records Are Key to Health-Care Reform - BusinessWeek reader William Yasnoff says Obama must make electronic medical records a top priority in his economic stimulus plan - BusinessWeek

►December 19, 2008 - Celtic Pharma raises $100M for fund; Centocor receives FDA response on ustekinumab; - FiercePharma

* ►December 19, 2008 - More Questions About Emory University – Drug Maker Ties - NewsInferno

►December 19, 2008 - Meningitis case "stable, recovering" - official - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)

* ►December 19, 2008 - FDA approves more drugs, still misses deadlines - The number of new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration has ticked upward in 2008, even as regulators failed to meet review deadlines on more than a dozen drugs. - AP via Newsvine

* ►December 19, 2008 - New research unit to lead the way in finding a cure for virus - The Scotsman - "As part of a three-pronged initiative at the ERI, a laboratory will be set up in the next few months dedicated to finding a cure for the human papilloma virus (HPV), the cause of most cervical cancer cases. It comes as thousands of teenage girls across the Lothians are being vaccinated against the disease, and together with a cure, it is hoped the disease could be eradicated altogether."

* ►December 19, 2008 - Toddler Deaths From OTC Drugs Linked To Abuse - Pharmalot

►December 19, 2008 - NU researchers say genetic approach might prevent bacteria from resisting drugs - NU researchers may have tools to defeat drug-resistant bugs - Chicago Tribune

►December 19, 2008 - Report: U.S. Funding For Research On Neglected Infectious Diseases Is Very Low - Families USA via Medical News Today

►December 19, 2008 - Buck at Jefferson County preserve had chronic wasting disease - The Journal Sentinel

►December 19, 2008 - Breakthrough In Understanding Development Of Type 1 Diabetes - Finnish scientists have reported a breakthrough in understanding the development of type 1 diabetes. They discovered disturbances in lipid and amino acid metabolism in children who later progressed to type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. The alterations preceded the autoimmune response by months to years. The study may prompt new approaches for prediction and prevention of type 1 diabetes in pre-autoimmune phase of the disease. - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland via ScienceDaily

►December 19, 2008 - Shedding Light On Cause Of Bowel Disease - Scientists have uncovered vital clues about how to treat serious bowel disorders by studying the behaviour of cells in the colon. - PLoS Medicine via ScienceDaily

►December 19, 2008 - Gut Instinct: Salmonella Bacteria's Molecular Tactics To Cause Illness - Arizona State University via Medical News Today

►December 19, 2008 - Healthy Women At Greater Risk of Contracting HIV Than Previously Thought - Health News

* ►December 19, 2008 - Focus on the World Agricultural and Environmental Diagnostics Market - Business Wire

►December 19, 2008 - FDA Announces Permanent Injunction Against Wilderness Family Naturals LLC - Medical News Today

* ►December 19, 2008 - Groups Asked to Sign Statement Seeking To Restrict Triclosan, Find EPA Health and Environmental Standards Too Weak - Beyond Pesticides

►December 19, 2008 - Wyeth acquires British biotech firm - domain-b.com

►December 19, 2008 - Symptom Score Helps Monitor Recovery from Ear Infections - Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins via Newswise

►December 19, 2008 - Genes Involved In Antibiotic Resistance Vary Within A Species - Case Western Reserve University via Medical News Today

►December 19, 2008 - Lowering Co-Pays May Not Boost Compliance - Pharmalot

* ►December 18, 2008 - Parents demand right to decide child vaccinations - NorthJersey.com - "Lisa Fioranelli of Wayne, who heads the Holistic Moms Network, said she got involved in the vaccine issue after teaching special education. She saw many children who were born healthy and then had negative reactions to vaccines. "Parents are taking care to introduce one food at a time," Fioranelli said. "Yet we're injecting the flu vaccine into their bloodstream without knowing if the child is allergic."

* ►December 18, 2008 - Anti-cancer shots will lead to more sex, feel parents - Daily News & Analysis

* ►December 18, 2008 - Teaming Up To Prevent Adverse Drug Events CME/CE (requires registration) - Medscape

* ►December 18, 2008 - Nothing to Sneeze At: Antivirals in the Treatment and Prevention of Seasonal Influenza CME (requires registration) - Medscape

* ►December 18, 2008 - Dear Me: Pay Me $3K, Signed Charles Nemeroff - Pharmalot

►December 18, 2008 - Hopkins wins $10.3 million for immune study - Baltimore Examiner - "The National Institutes of Health grant, the largest basic immunology grant received by Hopkins, will allow researchers to study the human immune system to provide insight for more targeted therapies."

►December 18, 2008 - UGA receives $18.7 million Gates Foundation grant - UGA News Service via The Red and Black Publishing Company

* ►December 18, 2008 - Mouse Trap? Immunologist Calls For More Research On Humans, Not Mice - The fabled laboratory mouse — from which we have learned so much about how the immune system works — can teach us only so much about how we humans get sick and what to do about it, says a leading researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. - Stanford University Medical Center via ScienceDaily

* ►December 18, 2008 - Time Bomb? The Clinical Trial ‘Gold Rush’ In India - Pharmalot

►December 18, 2008 - Finding Venture Capital In 2009 Will Be Tough - Pharmalot

►December 18, 2008 - Notice: Clinical Studies of Safety and Effectiveness of Orphan Products - Food and Drug Administration, HHS via www.pharmcast.com

►December 18, 2008 - Taking care of human life should be top priority for all - This letter has not been edited - Rocky Mountain News

►December 18, 2008 - Farmers in Dark Over Bird Flu - Radio Free Asia

►December 18, 2008 - Countries continues to combat bird flu outbreak - TheMedGuru

* ►December 18, 2008 - More Help To Get Young People Talking - A £12 million action plan to improve services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs was launched today by Health Secretary Alan Johnson and Children's Secretary Ed Balls. - Department of Health via PharmiWeb

* ►December 18, 2008 - Not just for depression anymore - American Friends of Tel Aviv University  via EurekAlert!

►December 18, 2008 - Autistic boy’s family wins ruling - Richmond Times-Dispatch

►December 18, 2008 - Canada sets new limits on cold medicine for children - Reuters

►December 18, 2008 - Glaxo places big bet on drug for clogged arteries - Reuters via CNBC

►December 18, 2008 - Merck & Co., Inc. Awards More Than $8 Million to Non-Profit Organizations in 2008 to Help Address HIV and AIDS Worldwide - Merck

►December 18, 2008 - For Some Drugmakers, The World Will Be Flat - Pharmalot

* ►December 18, 2008 - Some kids’ cold medicine overdoses deliberate - Report finds children overmedicated on purpose to keep them quiet - Reuters via MSNBC

►December 17, 2008 - Update on the 2008–2009 Influenza Vaccine: It’s Not Too Late to Vaccinate - journal article (Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

►December 17, 2008 - Photo: Whooping cough vaccinations - Juneau Empire

►December 17, 2008 - MMR uptake breakthrough in Scotland - eGov Monitor

►December 17, 2008 - Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Top Stories of 2008 - journal article (Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

►December 17, 2008 - Scientists Fool Bacteria Into Killing Themselves to Survive - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign via Biocompare

* ►December 17, 2008 - Einstein Researchers Find Convincing Evidence That Probiotics are Effective - Findings may help patients better tolerate antibiotics - Albert Einstein College of Medicine via Biocompare

* ►December 16, 2008 - Notice: Draft Guidance for Industry on Genotoxic and Carcinogenic Impurities in Drug Substances and Products: Recommended Approaches; Availability - Food and Drug Administration, HHS via www.pharmcast.com - 'Regulatory issues related to the presence of genotoxic or carcinogenic impurities have arisen with greater frequency because of enhanced technological capability in identifying impurities and an increased focus on their potential for negatively affecting human health. FDA guidance documents that address issues related to impurities and residual solvents include the following International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidances for industry"

►December 16, 2008 - Notice: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Postmarketing Adverse Drug Experience Reporting - Food and Drug Administration, HHS via www.pharmcast.com

* ►December 16, 2008 - Proposal to allow drug companies to give information to public sparks outcry - journal article (BMJ)

* ►December 15, 2008 - Barbara Loe Fisher Co-founder & President, National Vaccine Information Center Vaccine Education Roundtable December 15, 2008 Stony Brook University, Long Island, NY - National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)

►December 11, 2008 - Used bottle caps funding polio vaccines for kids - The Japan Times

►December 11, 2008 - AMA congratulates former Senator Daschle on nomination to HHS secretary - www.ama-assn.org

* ►December 10, 2008 - Brain Deletion of FK506-Binding Protein Enhances Repetitive Behaviors in Mice - Cell Press via Biocompare - "Our studies may offer insight into the molecular underpinnings of repetitive and perseverative behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative disorders," offers Dr. Klann. "Given that FKBP12 is a modulator, but not a required component of mTOR signaling, it may be an ideal target for therapeutic drug development aimed at ameliorating some of the mTOR-related pathologies of neurological disease."

►December 10, 2008 - Afghan Government Faces Polio Spread in Volatile Regions - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

* ►December 10, 2008 - Chicken pox parties - Portsmouth Herald News via Seacoastonline.com

* ►December 10, 2008 - Did the press give your kid measles? - ZDNet Healthcare

* ►December 9, 2008 - Medical schools urge limits on pharma industry influence on students - Canadian Press via C-Health Canoe

* ►December 8, 2008 - New horizons in adjuvants for vaccine development - journal article (Trends in Immunology)

►December 6, 2008 - Candidate genes for temporal lobe epilepsy: a replication study. - journal article (Neurological Sciences)

* ►December 4, 2008 - A Common Variant in DRD3 Receptor Is Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. - journal article (Biological Psychiatry)

* ►December 2, 2008 - Title: Infectious DNA as a vaccine against west nile and other flaviviruses - University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) via www.pharmcast.com

►December 2, 2008 - Title: Methods of using IL-1 antagonists to treat autoinflammatory disease - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Tarrytown, NY) via www.pharmcast.com

* ►December 2008 - Guidance for Industry Postmarketing Adverse Event Reporting for Medical Products and Dietary Supplements During an Influenza Pandemic (pdf) - FDA/CDER

►December 2008 - Prenatal dopamine and neonatal behavior and biochemistry - journal article (Infant Behavior and Development)

►December 2008 - Innate immune response to viral infection of the lungs - journal article (Paediatric Respiratory Reviews)

►December 2008 - 20 specific health indicators to measure health and well-being of Americans - Chiropractic Economics

►December 2008 - Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis offers an advantage over symptomatic diagnosis for the long term benefit of patients: the motion for - journal article (Paediatric Respiratory Reviews)

►November 26, 2008 - Vitamin D Can Alter Colon Cancer Cells In Many Ways, Through One Pathway - A colon cancer cell isn't a lost cause. Vitamin D can tame the rogue cell by adjusting everything from its gene expression to its cytoskeleton. In the Nov. 17 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, Ordóñez-Morán et al. show that one pathway governs the vitamin's diverse effects. The results help clarify the actions of a molecule that is undergoing clinical trials as a cancer therapy. - Rockefeller University Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily

* ►November 13, 2005 - Japan Links Tamiflu to Sudden Deaths in Children - Japan's health ministry says it plans to reissue a warning of dangerous behavioral side effects linked to the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu. This comes amid reports that several children in Japan died after taking the medication. Governments around the world are stockpiling the medicine amid growing fears of a possible human pandemic of avian influenza. (includes audio) - Voice of America