►February 13, 2008 - Viral diseases in children on the rise - The Nation, Pakistan

►February 13, 2008 - Sex-virus campaign may target girls aged 11 - New Zealand Herald - "The Government is yet to state if it will fund the vaccine but offering it from next February is a high priority for the Ministry of Health."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Infant's death after taking polio vaccine is coincidence, says HHD - PunjabNewsline.com - "While disclosing this an official spokesman said that, the infant did not die due to polio vaccine as the vaccine is fully safe and has no side effects of any kind even  if  administered to seriously ill children. In a statement issued here on Tuesday,a spokesman of the Health Department said, in fact, the eight months old infant was born pre-mature, had been suffering from severe pneumonia for the last two weeks and was under treatment from a private practitioner."

* ►February 12, 2008 - National Immunization Program Out of Control - Road to Nowhere: The National Immunization Program is out of control: who will restore sanity? by J.B. Handley - Age of Autism

* ►February 12, 2008 - Age of Autism: Our Story So Far by Dan Olmsted - Age of Autism

* ►February 12, 2008 - Dr Wakefield responds to Viscera - Irish Medical Times - "Dr Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 research on the effects of MMR and its possible links to autism sparked a massive controversy, has responded to a recent study that claims to dismiss the link. Here's his response, sent by email to Irish Medical Times, in full:"

* ►February 12, 2008 - MU Joins International Effort to Search for Autism Causes - $1.6 million grant to MU's Thompson Center to gather DNA data for autism research - Research at MU - "A $1.6 million grant from The Simmons Foundation makes the Thompson Center one of 12 university-based clinics to be part of the Simmons Simplex Collection project -- the largest effort at gathering DNA samples from patients with autism and their families."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Devoted dad gets meeting with health minister - Belleville Intelligencer - "His story is becoming all too common, said Liberal Senator Jim Munson, who greeted Marinoiu as he arrived on the steps of Parliament Hill. 'From my perspective, we're in a crisis,' said Munson. 'Governments have a moral and ethical obligation to pay attention.' A recent Senate report indicated one in 166 Canadians - approximately 48,000 children aged 0-19, and 144,000 adults - are being diagnosed with autism. After meeting with Clement, Marinoiu said the minister passed the buck to the provinces."

►February 12, 2008 - Scrap autism suit, lawyer says - Crown counsel argues `confusing' $1.2B claim against province rehashes families' old complaints (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star

►February 12, 2008 - Some Cases Of Autism May Be Traced To The Immune System Of Mothers During Pregnancy - University of California - Davis - Health System via ScienceDaily

►February 12, 2008 - Autism Speaks receives $25,000 pledge from Hager Cos. - St. Louis Business Journal

►February 12, 2008 - Autism program may be jeopardy, parents and teachers say (includes video) - KVOA.com

►February 12, 2008 - Immunization link to autism refuted again - Great Falls Tribune

* ►February 12, 2008 - Crucell to stop West Nile vaccine, shares drop - Reuters via The Guardian, UK - "Crucell Chief Executive Ronald Brus said the market for the vaccine was drying up. 'When we started the programme in 2003 about 10,000 people in the United State were infected with the West Nile virus. Last year there were only 3,000,' Brus told reporters."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Senator Grassley goes after Schering Plough and Merck with new letter, based on BrandweekNRX information - BrandweekNRX

* ►February 12, 2008 - Congress probes Vytorin insider info on CafePharma, first revealed by BrandweekNRX - BrandweekNRX

* ►February 12, 2008 - FDA Agent Faults Sanofi-Aventis for Ketek Trial Troubles - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

* ►February 12, 2008 - Editorial: Stop CDC from concealing study findings - Superior Telegram

* ►February 12, 2008 - GSK To Update FDA On HPV Vaccine Cervarix Later This Year, CEO Says - Daily Women's Health Policy Report via Medical News Today

* ►February 12, 2008 - UM study: HPV vaccination should be comprehensive - Researchers say exposure too common for a risk-based strategy - The Ann Arbor News via www.mlive.com - "The American Cancer Society advocates vaccinating all females younger than 18, and selectively vaccinating women ages 19 to 26 based on an informed discussion between the woman and her doctor about her sexual history. But the Centers for Disease Control and the Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices recommends universal vaccination for all women ages 11 to 26, regardless of sexual experience. Dempsey said her study agrees with that recommendation."

►February 12, 2008 - HPV Vaccine for Women Aged 19-26? - Study Backs HPV Vaccination for Young Adult Women, Regardless of Risk Factors - WebMD

►February 12, 2008 - 59% of Grade 8 girls getting HPV vaccine - Belleville Intelligencer

►February 12, 2008 - Unsound objection to HPV vaccine - letter - Daily Press

* ►February 12, 2008 - Iomai Study Shows Self-Applied Travelers' Diarrhea Vaccine Patch Comparable to Clinician-Applied Vaccine Patch - press release - Iomai Corporation via PRNewswire-FirstCall

* ►February 12, 2008 - Crucell sees 'substantial' rise in Quinvaxem demand in next 2 yrs - AFX via Forbes - "The number of doses sold soared to 21 mln last year from 6.3 mln in 2006 - the launch year of the vaccine which protects children against five different diseases."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Vaccine Could Cut Bouts With Stomach Flu (requires registration) - PLoS Medicine via HealthDay via Washington Post - "It may be possible to develop a vaccine to control noroviruses -- a common cause of stomach flu -- but it's likely a such a vaccine would have to be changed every year because the viruses evolve quickly to avoid attacks by the immune system, new research suggests."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System - NeuroTalk Communities - "Because of a recent posting on a study concerning aluminum hydroxide I started looking at some information I had found previously. I found the following statement which was released by the FDA and can be found in its entirety here - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Two comments to the docket reported amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) following administration of AVA. This brings to a total of three patient reports to VAERS of a diagnosis of ALS following administration of AVA. The reports involved 1 female and 2 males, ages 27, 44, or 50 years old."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Baby Exposes Airline Passengers To Measles - Other Children Exposed At Various Schools County Wide (includes video) - NBCSandiego.com - "A San Diego baby has been quarantined in Hawaii after being diagnosed with the measles. Now health officials, both locally and abroad, are trying to contact passengers who may have been exposed to the disease on the infant's plane."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Measles outbreak may have expanded - Six more children could have disease - San Diego Union-Tribune

►February 12, 2008 - Measles –3 million children to be vaccinated in Niger - The government of Niger, in cooperation with the WHO and UNICEF, has launched a mass vaccination campaign against measles. It involves around 3 million children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years. The aim ? To give every child the best possible start in life, says Akhil Iyer, UNICEF representative in Niger. - Afriqu'Echos Magazine

* ►February 12, 2008 - Needles may be headed for the scrapheap - Some vaccinations such as those being tested for HIV may no longer require the use of a needle, say Swiss and European scientists. - Swissinfo - "But would it be totally safe? Kraehenbuhl says that is unlikely. "You always have a risk," he told swissinfo. "You have to measure the cost-benefit relationship. If you vaccinate 100,000 people, you might have an accident. But is that going to prevent you from using a vaccine? We will have do safety studies in humans anyway."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Flu Rampant This Year, as Flu Shots Offer Little Protection - NewsInferno

* ►February 12, 2008 - Merck & Co takes number one spot in vaccines - VacZine Analytics via PharmiWeb - "Merck & Co’s success is mainly due to Gardasil again demonstrating that a single blockbuster product can change the fortunes of a vaccine company in a relatively short-space of time. Gardasil passed the $1 billion mark faster than Wyeth’s Prevnar, which took around 4 years from its launch in 2000. It is noteworthy that demand for Prevnar exceeded manufacturing supply soon after launch restricting sales, undoubtedly a valuable lesson for Merck & Co during their pre-launch demand planning. Merck openly state that if they can fully execute their life-cycle plan for Gardasil their target market for the product could reach 374 million individuals which includes females 9-45 yrs and males 9-24 yrs (2). Although now it does not seem that GSK’s Cervarix will be a significant threat to Gardasil, Merck will still need to work hard in convincing international governments to fund Gardasil beyond its core indication."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Crucell Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Results - Total revenue and other operating income grew by more than 50% to - Crucell via CNN Money - "Sanofi pasteur enters into Phase II clinical trial with their seasonal flu vaccine. This vaccine is being developed using Crucell's PER.C6® cell line technology."

* ►February 12, 2008 - American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and North American Menopause Society Fail to Disclose Financial Ties to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals - PRNewswire via COMTEX - "The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP) today called on the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) to fully disclose their financial ties to Wyeth when dispensing advice to patients and practitioners that directly benefits the pharmaceutical giant. In recent weeks, AACE, NAMS and other supposedly independent women's health organizations have voiced public support for Wyeth's campaign to restrict women's access to compounded, bio-identical hormones. Unfortunately, these organizations consistently fail to disclose their financial ties to the drug maker when voicing their support."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Prions Link Cholesterol To Neurodegeneration - Prion infection of neurons increases the free cholesterol content in cell membranes. A new study suggests that disturbances in membrane cholesterol may be the mechanism by which prions cause neurodegeneration and could point to a role for cholesterol in other neurodegenerative diseases. - BioMed Central/BMC Biology, via EurekAlert! via ScienceDaily

* ►February 12, 2008 - Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition Responds to Recent Influenza Outbreaks - press release - Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition via PRNewswire-USNewswire - "The Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition was established by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases to protect infants, children and adolescents from influenza by communicating with 'one strong voice' the need to make influenza immunization a national health priority. The Coalition seeks to address and improve the low influenza immunization rates among children. Members represent 25 of the nation's leading public health, medical, patient and parent groups committed to protecting children's health and encouraging wellness. The Coalition is made possible through an unrestricted educational grant to NFID from sanofi pasteur."

►February 12, 2008 - Union Fights Hospital's Plan to Make Flu Shots Mandatory - http://hr.blr.com

►February 12, 2008 - iJET Unveils 2007 Year-in-Review Report on Avian Influenza and Pandemic Planning - press release - iJET Intelligent Risk Systems via PRNewswire via EarthTimes.org

►February 12, 2008 - Flu flummoxes Western Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

►February 12, 2008 - Influenza spreading across USM campus - The Student Printz

* ►February 12, 2008 - Chicken pox outbreak spurs call for vaccinations - The Wichita Eagle via Kansas.com

* ►February 12, 2008 - Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada launches new Public Service Announcement to raise awareness about Meningitis in Canada - The Portrait draws from personal stories of five mothers devastated by meningitis - press release - Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada via CNW Group

►February 12, 2008 - Student at Aiken County School Contracts Bacterial Meningitis - www.wltx.com

►February 12, 2008 - Meningitis confirmed in Cody student - AP via The Powell Tribune via www.montanasnewsstation.com

►February 12, 2008 - Media Advisory - Canadian and European Experts Join Forces to Discuss Infectious Diseases in Upcoming National Conference - Vancouver Set to Host AMMI Canada - CACMID Annual Conference 2008 - press release - AMMI Canada via CNW Group

►February 12, 2008 - Bill to phase out mercury products - Ironwood Daily Globe

►February 12, 2008 - Isis Announces Approximately $2.8 Million in Government Grants and Contracts Awarded to its Ibis Subsidiary to Advance Ibis' Pathogen Identification Technology - FOX Business

* ►February 12, 2008 - Support French Scientist Telling the Truth About GMOs - Institute of Science in Society

►February 12, 2008 - CDC Board Taps Ross School Professor - Richard Bagozzi is chosen to serve on board for the CDC's National Center for Health Marketing. - Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

►February 12, 2008 - Hormone Group Protests Crackdown - Ad Campaign Calls Scrutiny of Custom Menopause Drugs Excessive (requires registration or subscription) - Washington Post

►February 12, 2008 - Making the most of your vaccines - Independent.ie

►February 12, 2008 - Autism Waiver: Draft - Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare

►February 12, 2008 - £15m boost for medical research - Up to 100 jobs will be created by the projects Funding of almost £15.5m has been announced for medical research which may create up to 100 jobs in Scotland. - BBC News

►February 12, 2008 - Natural Hormone Group Protests FDA Crackdown - Pharmalot

►February 12, 2008 - In Alabama, AstraZeneca Fights Medicaid Lawsuit - Pharmalot - "AstraZeneca is one of more than 70 drugmakers that Alabama Attorney General Troy King filed suit against in 2005 over prices. This is the first case to go trial; the state has settled with Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America and Dey, which collectively agreed to pay $6.75 million."

►February 12, 2008 - Flu outbreak hits campus - DiamondBack The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

►February 12, 2008 - Reminder: Ketek Clinical Fraud Hearing Today - Pharmalot

►February 12, 2008 - Have you heard these ear infection facts? -  McClatchy Newspapers via Ohio.com

* ►February 11, 2008 - GSK needs to Respond re Paxil Suicide Data: The Glenmullen Report - Alliance for Human Research Protection - "The New Scientist reports (below) that unsealed court documents--including an expert report by Harvard psychiatrist, Joseph Glenmullen, MD--reveal that GlaxoSmithKline knew as early as 1989 that there was an 8-fold increased risk of suicide for patients taking Paxil. Yet, the company did not acknowledge the risk to the public until 2006."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Charges Dismissed in Randolph County Shaken Baby Case - Jeffrey Galford had faced a charge of death of a child by a parent or guardian. - WBOY-TV - "The state's former medical examiner, Dr. James Frost, was set to testify that the baby's death was a homicide, but he said that after talking to the defense's expert witness on Shaken Baby Syndrome, he no longer can testify that the baby's death was a homicide. Frost said he did not look at the evidence or the baby's medical records before determining the cause of death."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Parents Contest Mandatory Vaccinations (includes video) - WAPT Jackson - "Six-year-old Tyler has Asperger's syndrome, a highly functioning form of autism. At 2 years old, Tyler made eye contact and talked quite a bit. Tyler's father, Chris Holzinger, said, 'After his 2-year-old vaccinations, he became less verbal; eye contact ceased. He started swaying, head-butting, doing a lot of these autistic characteristics.' Tyler's parents and 200 others are active in an online support group backing a bill giving Mississippi parents the choice to not have all vaccines."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Baby is fifth child with measles in San Diego County - San Diego Union-Tribune - "The case may be related to an outbreak of measles among four children last week. The infant, who is expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, was taken to the same doctor's office as the first child reported with measles, officials from the county's Health and Human Services Agency said Monday."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Baby May Be 5th Measles Case - NBCSandiego.com - "Public health officials informed parents at the baby's day care, Baldwin Academy, on Monday and are working with the Murray Callan Swim School, both in Pacific Beach, to figure out how many other children may be at risk. Sixteen students are now on home quarantine for two weeks. Three had not been immunized because their parents chose to opt out of vaccinating them. Thirteen students are younger than one year old."

* ►February 11, 2008 - GSK needs to Respond re Paxil Suicide Data: The Glenmullen Report - Alliance for Human Research Protection - "The New Scientist reports (below) that unsealed court documents--including an expert report by Harvard psychiatrist, Joseph Glenmullen, MD--reveal that GlaxoSmithKline knew as early as 1989 that there was an 8-fold increased risk of suicide for patients taking Paxil. Yet, the company did not acknowledge the risk to the public until 2006."

►February 11, 2008 - Popular Anti-Wrinkle Drug Botox Gets FDA Warning - Planet Chiropractic

►February 11, 2008 - Indiana County senator controls fate of autism proposal - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

►February 11, 2008 - An Autism "Valentine" on Larry King - http://autism.about.com

►February 11, 2008 - Red Flag For Autism - www.wqad.com

►February 11, 2008 - "A center of excellence" - PensacolaNewsJournal.com - "For Aisha and Shanti Byrd, their son's autism diagnosis about a year ago wasn't the heartbreaker. Rather, it was the long time it took to settle on the diagnosis and then to get help for now 3-year-old Aishan."

►February 11, 2008 - Cops learn about autism to help prevent tragedy - Hillsboro department joins education, awareness program - Courier News Online

►February 11, 2008 - Pulse Polio: over 80 p.c. of targeted children covered - The Hindu

►February 11, 2008 - Nigeria: EU Provides N3.4 Billion Toward Polio Eradication - Daily Trust (Abuja) via http://allafrica.com
 
►February 11, 2008 - Scientists identify possible target for prevention and treatment of pneumonia - Science Centric

►February 11, 2008 - Researchers Peel Back Another HIV Mystery - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►February 11, 2008 - UCLA stem cell scientists reprogram human skin cells into embryonic stem cells - University of California - Los Angeles via www.eurekalert.org
 
►February 11, 2008 - Gene therapy protocol at UCSD activates immune system in patients with leukemia - University of California - San Diego via www.eurekalert.org
 
►February 11, 2008 - UCSD research team identifies novel anticancer drug from the sea - University of California - San Diego via www.eurekalert.org
 
►February 11, 2008 - Drug doesn't help prevent migraine after all - American Academy of Neurology via www.eurekalert.org

* ►February 11, 2008 - How Safe Are Childhood Vaccinations? - KXAN.com, Austin - "The vaccines can lead to symptoms that develop within a few hours while other reactions, such as muscle weakness and brain swelling, can develop over a period of time and result in death. Confirmed vaccine-related injuries have resulted in an average of $1 million per claim since the program started."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Update: Hepatitis Scare Could Force Vaccinations for Thousands of Western New Yorkers - WIVB TV, Western New York

* ►February 11, 2008 - WHO to sponsor free distribution of HPV vaccine in India - Pharmabiz

* ►February 11, 2008 - Elemental mercury exposure: an evidence-based consensus guideline for out-of-hospital management. - Clinical Toxicology via www.guideline.gov

* ►February 11, 2008 - MMR Vaccine Not Linked to Autism in Virologic Case Control Study CME/CE (requires registration) - Archives of Diseases in Childhood via Medscape

* ►February 11, 2008 - If It’s Friday Afternoon, Must Be Big FDA News - Pharmalot - "Over the past few years, the FDA has sometimes issued important news - including health advisories - on Friday afternoons. Why does this matter? For one, releasing anything late in the day means the news is more likely to get lost as the media face looming deadlines. This may matter less as more people get their news from the Internet, but the public may also be paying less attention as their day draws to a close. This is especially true on a Friday afternoon, when people are finishing the work week and focusing on other things."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Congress To Probe Vytorin Chatter On CafePharma - Pharmalot - "The drugmakers have repeatedly argued its execs knew nothing of the results until early last month, going so far as to release a chronology, but skepticism remains that the results were rumbling around months ago among untold numbers of people in and out of the drugmakers’ buildings. In fact, all sorts of interesting remarks appeared months ago on Cafe Pharma, the site where detailers love to dish (look here for the examples)."

* ►February 11, 2008 - TV ads oversell drugs, skimp on risks (requires registration or subscription) - As efforts to rein in TV ads for drugs have stumbled, experts worry that too many of them go unchecked. - Los Angeles Times

* ►February 11, 2008 - Merck Whistleblower: ‘I’ll Probably Buy Merck Stock’ - Pharmalot

* ►February 11, 2008 - Guest Column: The Whooping Cough Party - Swampscott Reporter

* ►February 11, 2008 - Smoked: One Man’s Brain While On Chantix - Pharmalot - "For all the puzzling or disturbing stories about the Pfizer smoking-cessation drug, the details have usually been restricted to dry recitation of scientific data and specific, but brief descriptions of strange side effects, predominantly hallucination. However, Derek De Koff, a contributor to New York magazine, writes a lengthy first-person account of what it was like to take the controversial med. And the tale he tells is troubling, especially given that the FDA recently upgraded warnings about suicidal behavior amid reports of 34 suicides. Here are a few excerpts…"

* ►February 11, 2008 - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor poisoning: an evidence-based consensus guideline for out-of-hospital management. - Clinical Toxicology via www.guideline.gov

* ►February 11, 2008 - Atypical antipsychotic medication poisoning: an evidence-based consensus guideline for out-of-hospital management. - Clinical Toxicology via www.guideline.gov

* ►February 11, 2008 - Cognitive Legacy of Early Institutionalization: A Closer Look - Do cognitive abilities differ between children raised in institutions and those raised in foster care? - journal article (Journal Watch Psychiatry)

►February 11, 2008 - Ex-NIEHS director speaks out (requires registration) - The Scientist

►February 11, 2008 - Meet Mike, Your Generic Biologics Lobbyist (includes video) - Pharmalot

►February 11, 2008 - Sloan-Kettering Booted CME To Be ‘Squeaky Clean’ - Pharmalot

►February 11, 2008 - Researchers hunt down fake drug - Unprecedented pursuit of drug counterfeiters nabs distributors of fake malaria drugs. - news (Nature)

►February 11, 2008 - Judge opts against dismissing Wyeth lawsuit - The Journal News

►February 11, 2008 - Some cases of autism may be traced to the immune system of mothers during pregnancy - Science Codex

►February 11, 2008 - Autoimmune Diseases: When the Body's Defenses Become Attackers (includes audio) - Voice of American

►February 11, 2008 - Managing asthma long term in children 0-4 years of age and 5-11 years of age: Expert panel report 3: guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute via www.guideline.gov

►February 11, 2008 - Managing asthma long term in youths >12 years of age and Adults: Expert panel report 3: guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute via www.guideline.gov

►February 11, 2008 - Medications: Expert panel report 3: guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute via www.guideline.gov

►February 11, 2008 - Dextromethorphan poisoning: an evidence-based consensus guideline for out-of-hospital management. - Clinical Toxicology via www.guideline.gov

►February 11, 2008 - Baxter's Multiple-dose Vial Heparin Linked to Severe Allergic Reactions - FDA advises health care practitioners to switch suppliers and limit use of drug until problem identified - FDA

►February 11, 2008 - Scientists, police lift lid on fake malaria drugs - Reuters

►February 11, 2008 - Fast Plaques in a Slow Disease - In the Pipeline

►February 11, 2008 - Drug boosts stamina in mice - Unprecedented pursuit of drug counterfeiters nabs distributors of fake malaria drugs. - news (Nature)

►February 11, 2008 - UCSD Research Team Identifies Novel Anticancer Drug from the Sea - University of California - San Diego via Biocompare

►February 10, 2008 - Study reveals why certain ovarian cancers develop resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy - Mechanism of cisplatin resistance 'unlike any previously identified' - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center via www.eurekalert.org     

* ►February 10, 2008 - Blizzards no match for man on 450K walk for autism - Canwest News Service via Canada.com - "Unplanned, and out of exasperation, Marinoiu left his Toronto home Jan. 31 embarking on a 450 kilometre walk to 'plead with the politicians' that it is time for a national autism strategy. 'Having an autistic child is like having a present and not being able to unwrap it,' Marinoiu said. 'I have been silent for 15 years. All the stress, all the pain, no resources, I said I gotta do something and I just walked out the door.'"

* ►February 10, 2008 - Funds ready for Bioniche expansion - Belleville Intelligencer - "Bioniche will be pouring $25 million into its Dundas Street East site over the next two years and hiring another 100 employees to scale up production of its E. coli 0157:H7 vaccine for worldwide markets.  In a cell phone interview returning from Montreal, McRae said the Belleville facility will have the capacity to produce at least 40 million doses of the vaccine each year starting sometime in 2010."

►February 8, 2008 - Canada finds more cases of Tamiflu-resistant viruses - The Canadian Press via CTV

►February 7, 2008 - Researchers Decode Genetics of Rare Photosynthetic Bacterium - Arizona State University - Arizona State University via Biocompare

►February 6, 2008 - Gene Plays 'Jekyll and Hyde' in Brain Cancer - Harvard Medical School via Biocompare

* ►February 6, 2008 - Vaccines & Infant Death (SBS) - Vaccine Awakening

►February 5, 2008 - Chemical Chaperone Could Open Door to Treatment of Neurological Disorder - Washington University School of Medicine via Biocompare

►February 4, 2008 - Baby lotions, powders and shampoos linked to higher levels of phthalates in infants -  Phthalates are widely used chemicals that recent studies suggest may have toxic effects on the developing endocrine and reproductive systems. A new study found evidence that infants may be absorbing these chemicals through commonly used baby products. - www.news-medical.net

►February 2008 - Comparison of oral prednisone and topical fluticasone in the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis: a randomized trial in children. - journal article (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

* ►January 29, 2008 - Get your flu shot – first local cases of influenza reported - LondonTopic.ca - "Comments: I refuse to get another flu shot after I received my first one about four years ago. About 15-20 seconds after getting the shot the room began spinning around at a high rate of speed and I had to sit down for more than 15 minutes and recover. It would seem that I am allergic to 'thimersol' which is an ingredient in the flu shot or at least was back then. Additionally, I was not impressed with the security at the MLHU when I got the shot. The day I received the flu shot the vaccine was located in a small unlocked room with the door open near the lineup of people that were wanting the shot. The general public should never be able to access the vaccine so easily."

* ►January 2008 - Methylmercury activates ASK1/JNK signaling pathways, leading to apoptosis due to both mitochondria- and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-generated processes in myogenic cell lines (full text) - journal article (NeuroToxicology) - "In conclusion, early oxidative stress induced by MeHg exposure plays a central role in MeHg cytotoxicity. Failure to protect cells from early oxidative stress results in the sustained activation of the ASK1/JNK signaling pathways and ER stress, followed by apoptosis. Therefore, combined treatment with inhibitors of oxidative and ER stresses are necessary, especially at the later stage, to protect cells against MeHg cytotoxicity."

* ►January 2008 - How environmental and genetic factors combine to cause autism: A redox/methylation hypothesis (full text) - journal article (NeuroToxicology)

* ►Are We Poisoning Our Kids In The Name Of Protecting Their Health? (pdf) - Generation Rescue

* ►US Troops Refuse Deadly Mandatory Anthrax Vaccine - YouTube

* ►February 18, 2008 - News in brief: Health & Science - TV drama draws public health ire - ALLHAT findings on diuretics - Sedentary lives lead to quicker aging - Most childhood cough, cold medicine overdoses linked to unsupervised use - Severe asthma may need new approach  - www.ama-assn.org - "The premier episode of the new ABC lawyer drama "Eli Stone" aired Jan. 31 despite the concerns of major physician organizations. In separate letters sent before the TV show's debut, the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and other health and physician groups called on ABC to pull the program from its lineup. At issue was a story line in which the title character argued in court that a vaccine containing mercury caused autism. While the show included statements acknowledging that science has refuted any link between autism and vaccines, the groups felt the episode's conclusion delivered a contrary impression. Specifically, a fictional jury awarded $5.2 million to the mother of an autistic child who sued a vaccine maker, leaving audiences with the idea that vaccines do cause autism."

* ►February 18, 2008 - Study focuses on publication bias in journals - Requirements that clinical trials be registered in databases may give physicians a clearer picture of a drug's efficacy, but some argue that more action is needed. - www.ama-assn.org

* ►February 18, 2008 - IOM panel seeks program to evaluate research, guidelines - The report says creating one such reliable source could help physicians choose diagnostic and treatment options and keep pace with vast amounts of medical data. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Doctors take another look at safety of hormone therapy - Data analysis suggests the treatment is safer in the decade after menopause than later on. Also, the FDA acts to rein in bioidentical hormones. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Study questions impact of quality report cards - As hard-to-understand public reports proliferate, there is a danger that patients will experience information overload. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Wellness programs cannot discriminate based on health - Employers offering incentives for healthy living must give alternatives to workers unable to qualify because of a health condition. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Beyond the baby blues: A spectrum of postdelivery conditions - Asking the right questions is central to diagnosing and treating postpartum disorder. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Bush budget cuts hospital funding but silent on Medicare doctor pay - The president is expected soon to unveil a proposal addressing Medicare's long-term fiscal solvency. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Path to better relations between medical staffs and hospitals - AMA principles can help prevent further deterioration between hospital governing bodies and their physician staffs. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Carrying the torch for physicians and patients: What are the key ingredients of leadership? - AMA principles can help prevent further deterioration between hospital governing bodies and their physician staffs. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Health system reform stumbles in California - The setback means the federal government might have to take a larger role on the issue, policy experts said. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - OIG approves hospital plans to share cost savings with doctors - Gainsharing can help improve quality and lower costs, but it still holds legal risks, experts say. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Senate to act on Indian Health Service funding - The bill focuses on physician retention and recruitment, expansion of services, and American Indian enrollment in other federal programs. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - UnitedHealth faces stiff fines in California - State regulators have issued a $3.5 million fine against the company over claims payment and other violations -- and the penalties could get significantly larger. - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Picking the right process: Deciding the best way to submit claims - Getting a claim paid can be a maddening experience. Making it smoother takes the right technology, but also requires monitoring how your practice works with its claims processor and health plans.- www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - Letters to the Editor - Consumer-directed health care just the latest risk-shifting scheme - Set health costs apart by use of dedicated credit card - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - News in brief: Government & Medicine - Senators: Medicare quality reporting program should continue in 2009 - Pa. Medicaid to stop reimbursing for hospital-acquired conditions - www.ama-assn.org

►February 18, 2008 - News in brief: Professional Issues - New office-based surgery rules take effect in Arizona - Number of New York physicians rises - www.ama-assn.org

►February 12, 2008 - €2bn: Cost of bird flu outbreak - The Irish economy faces a €2 billion productivity loss if the country is hit by a bird flu pandemic, a study reveals. - IrishExaminer.com

* ►February 12, 2008 - Time To End Profit Driven Mandatory Vaccination Racket by Evelyn Pringle via www.scoop.co.nz - "The push to keep adding more vaccines to the mandatory schedules comes directly from a purely profit motivated industry and a recent investor report estimates that the world-wide market will quadruple from about $4.3 billion in 2006 to more than $16 billion in 2016, with the biggest boost coming from kids in the US."

* ►February 12, 2008 - Dr. Andrew Wakefield's Response to Baird G. et al - Age of Autism - "Thank you to Dr. Andrew Wakefield, of Thoughtful House Center for Children for sending us this important piece: Response to Baird G. et al. Measles vaccination and antibody response in autism spectrum disorders. Archives of Disease in Childhood. Published 5th February 2008."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Scandals: The Power of Fear by Sandy Gottstein - www.vaccinationnews.org - "We’re simply exhausted.  That seems to be the name of the game in these crazy, busy times.  We want instant answers, instant solutions, instant everything.  And we just don’t have the time or energy to do it ourselves.  So we pop a pill, take a vaccine, jump on the latest miracle-cure bandwagon and wish for the best.  We’ll do almost anything that doesn’t require hardly anything of us."

* ►February 11, 2008 - CDC = "C-ancer D-oesn't C-ount?" - Age of Autism

* ►February 11, 2008 - Are Childhood Immunizations Safe? (includes video) - KXAN-TV - "The federally funded Vaccine Injury Compensation Program compensates families if their children have a violent reaction to a vaccine. Twelve vaccines are covered under the program, including those for diphtheria, tetanus, influenza and MMR."

* ►February 11, 2008 - BGU head warns about inadequate vaccinations for children - Jerusalem Post - "The two-day conference is slated to include a special session on vaccines against childhood illnesses, including addressing the refusal of a growing number of parents to allow their children to get the shots."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Activists push for mercury free flu shots - AP via The Des Moines Register via KGAN CBS 2

* ►February 11, 2008 - Some cases of autism may be traced to the immune system of mothers during pregnancy - UC-Davis discovery could lead to prenatal identification and prevention - University of California - Davis - Health System via www.eurekalert.org

►February 11, 2008 - Autism Spectrum Disorders: Earlier Screening for Early Intervention - Nurse.com

►February 11, 2008 - Autism families' legal fight continues - `Make or break' moment in court challenge to allow therapists into classrooms to sit with autistic kids (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star

* ►February 11, 2008 - Official: Get flu shots, even though vaccine may not target all strains - The Capital Times via www.madison.com

* ►February 11, 2008 - NIH Funds Vaccine Research for Needle-free and Self-Administered Protection Against Pandemic Influenza - press release - Rocky Mountain Biosystems, Inc. via WebWire - "RMBI’s technology has the potential to improve vaccine effectiveness to protect against a range of agents, including potential bioterror agents, by delivering therapeutics directly through the skin without needles, thus reducing required dosage and extending vaccine supplies....The SAVE device design is a lightweight, wristwatch-size vaccination system that delivers the vaccine in minutes, at pennies per application. 'With RMBI’s SAVE technology, we believe we can deliver vaccine protection to nearly all of the U.S. population within days of an outbreak."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Pandemic flu vaccine provides 100% protection in mice at low doses - Laboratory Products News - "Biotechnology company Medicago says that, in a preclinical study, low doses of its H5N1 avian influenza virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine provided 100% protection in mice against a lethal challenge of live H5N1 viruses. In addition, the study demonstrated that Medicago's vaccine has the ability to recognize and kill an H5N1 strain that is different from the one used to design the vaccine."

* ►February 11, 2008 - This year's flu shot offering good protection - CTV - "Alberta is the one exception, with the province seeing a lot of influenza B activity. About half of the viruses Alberta has submitted so far to the NML lab for testing have been B viruses -- a much higher proportion than elsewhere in the country. But while the predominant circulating influenza B virus isn't in this year's vaccine, it has been a component of the flu shot in the recent past, and may still offer protection to those who regularly get the shot."

►February 11, 2008 - Product Claims to Trap Flu Virus - www.wtok.com

►February 11, 2008 - 13 local companies to manufacture anti H5N1 vaccine in Pakistan - Unique Pakistan - "13 local pharmaceutical companies have shown interest in manufacturing of generic version of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), a drug used to treat infections caused by H5N1 influenza virus."

* ►February 11, 2008 - NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter
 
NJ and MD Parents Take Action on Vaccine Laws by Barbara Loe Fisher

Parents in New Jersey and Maryland are organizing to educate legislators about the need for informed consent and safety protections in state laws.

NEW JERSEY NEWS:

Sue Collins, co-founder of New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination (NJAICV) reports that NJAICV is sponsoring an on-line petition to endorse support for the insertion of a conscientious belief exemption to vaccination in NJ vaccine laws. She encourages New Jersey residents to sign the petition, which lists the signer's name, town, state, comments and date signed, but anyone living in any state can sign the petition. Go to http://www.gopetition.com/online/16754.html.

With the recent addition of 9 doses of 4 new vaccines (pneumococcal, influenza, meningococcal, Tdap) to daycare and school mandates, New Jersey became the state with the most vaccine requirements in the nation: 35 doses of 13 vaccines. The new vaccine mandates were rammed through by state health department employees last year under rule making authority and legislators did not vote on the new vaccine mandates. New Jersey has a religious and medical exemption but both exemptions are almost impossible to obtain due to opposition by state education and public health employees seeking a 100 percent vaccination rate among children.

Tonight, Monday, Feb. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m., NJ Govenor Corzine is holding a Financial Restructuring and Debit Reduction Town Hall Meeting in Glassboro, NJ. The meeting will be held at Gloucester, Glassboro Rowan University, Evon Ballroom, Student Center, 201 Mollica Hill Rd., Glassboro, NJ, 08028-1701. NJ citizens, who would like to ask Gov. Corzine a question at the Town Hall Meeting, must register to attend. To RSVP, call 609-777-2509 or go to http://www.nj.gov/townhallmeetings/rsvp/index.html

MARYLAND NEWS:

After four years of hard work, parents in Maryland are educating MD legislators about the need to pass the "Lead and Mercury Reduction Act" (HB586 and SB304) supported by Maryland Delegates Sue Kullen and Nic Kipke and Maryland Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton and others. Activist father, Mike Dow, who has been coordinating the effort, urges all Maryland residents to contact their own legislators as well as contact members of the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee and the Maryland Senate Education, Health and Environmental Matters Committee.

For a list of legislators and Committees in the Maryland General Assembly and status of bills, go to http://mlis.state.md.us/

Mike reports that a Feb. 19, 2008 hearing has been scheduled at 1 p.m. and testimony is needed from experts and parents. For more information, contact Mike at mikewdow@msn.com

The "Lead and Mercury Reduction Act" would prohibit "certain persons from administering vaccines that contain more than a certain amount of mercury per dose; prohibiting the sale, offer for sale, or distribution in the State of certain drugs that contain mercury; prohibiting the sale, offer for sale, or distribution in the State of cosmetics that contain lead or mercury; providing for a delayed effective date; and generally relating to prohibitions against the administering of vaccines with specified levels of mercury and the sale of cosmetics and specified drugs that contain mercury."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Therapeutic vaccine approach for Parkinson's disease (includes video) - NTV - "Scientists at UNMC and Columbia University Medical Center in New York have discovered a new vaccine approach that successfully prevents the death of brain cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Vaccination programme improves children’s health - The expanded programme of immunisation (EPI), which has covered up to 95 percent of the nation’s under-five children, has contributed greatly to reducing by half the infant and under-five mortality rates. - VietNamNet Bridge

* ►February 11, 2008 - IAC Express Issue 711 - Immunization Action Coalition - "The American Council on Science and Health has developed a new resource about celebrity-touted health myths and science. Their publication, 'Celebrities Vs. Science,' includes a section where Paul Offit, MD, responds to claims about vaccination by Jenny McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. This 8-page document can be printed by going to http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.1668/pub_detail.asp and following the instructions for downloading."

►February 11, 2008 - HPV Vaccine Bill in Frankfort - www.wbko.com

►February 11, 2008 - Senate panel keeps HPV requirement in place - Capital News Service via Fairfax County Times

* ►February 11, 2008 - Texas Governor Views HPV Vaccine As 'Pro-Life' Issue - CNSNews.com

* ►February 11, 2008 - Sexual History Shouldn’t Guide HPV Vaccination - University of Michigan Health System via Newswise - "A new study from U-M C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital finds that using risk factors – including a woman’s sexual history - to target specific populations for HPV vaccination is not effective, and would exclude as many as 80 percent of women who could benefit the most from the vaccine."

►February 11, 2008 - Meningitis epidemic threatens 1 million people in the Central African Republic - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs via ReliefWeb

►February 11, 2008 - Emergency Response to mass immunization of Hepatitis A is successful (includes video) - WKBW Buffalo

►February 11, 2008 - ‘No room for complacency in fight against polio’ - The Hindu

* ►February 11, 2008 - Plague Confirmed Cause in Arizona Death - Nurse.com

►February 11, 2008 - Passengers on Merritt-Calgary bus trip exposed to TB - Vancouver Province via Canada.com

►February 11, 2008 - New Studies Give Parents Something Else to Worry About - GNIF Brain Blogger

►February 11, 2008 - Scientists Find New Receptor for HIV (requires registration) - The New York Times

►February 11, 2008 - Merck's ISENTRESS® Tablets In Combination With Other Anti HIV Medicines Maintained Reductions In HIV 1 Viral Load And Increased CD4 Cell Counts - Medical News Today

►February 11, 2008 - Pixantrone Shows Activity in a Preclinical Study of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis (EAMG) - Results reported in The Journal of Immunology - press release - Cell Therapeutics, Inc. via PRNewswire-FirstCall

* ►February 11, 2008 - Support Michaud's call for hearings on Provenge FDA's denial of prostate cancer treatment under cloud of conflict-of-interest allegations - Morning Sentinel via MaineToday.com - "Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District, and two House colleagues, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., and Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, have called for congressional hearings on the drug Provenge, a prospective prostate cancer treatment. They are calling for an investigation of two members of the Food and Drug Administration who voted against the drug's approval, saying the academic medical oncologists may have conflicts of interest that interfered with their ability to make an unbiased decision on Provenge."

►February 11, 2008 - Capitol Hill Watch | Lawmakers Launch Probe Into Whether CDC Withheld Information About Long-Term Cancer Risks of FEMA Trailers - www.kaisernetwork.org

►February 11, 2008 - Baxter halts Heparin production after reports of allergic reactions - Federal government warns health facilities of potential shortages of the blood thinner (requires registration or subscription) - Chicago Tribune

* ►February 11, 2008 - Vytoringate Redux: Congress Fires Off More Letters - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►February 11, 2008 - National Pharma Audioconference: Lessons from Merck's $671 Million Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement - PharmaLive via MedAdNews

►February 11, 2008 - Cops: Merck scientist ingested chemicals before death - The Star-Ledger via www.nj.com

►February 11, 2008 - Where Does Your Doctor Go Online? Psst, Merck - Wall Street Journal Health Blog

►February 11, 2008 - Saccharine Making Us Fat? Aw, Rats! - Rodent Study May Not Be the Last Word on Artificial Sweeteners - ABC News

* ►February 11, 2008 - New syringe packaging leads to faulty inoculation at Givatayim school - Haaretz, Israel News - "The children's unusual reaction, along with the substance being unfamiliar and of an abnormal color, should have set off warning bells," the report said. "The nurses indeed noticed that something was not right, and sought consultation, but did not provide the information regarding the vaccine's different color. A reasonable registered nurse is expected to exercise judgment and act more carefully." APHS has suspended the nurses from administering vaccinations until they have taken a course and test on the subject. As for the packaging, it was different from the previous packages familiar to nurses who deal with vaccination. APHS and the nurses were not notified in advance of the change, as required. The vaccine was not accompanied by a pamphlet in Hebrew and Arabic, and the shipment did not comply with the regulations of the Pharmacists Law."

* ►February 11, 2008 - Mercury compound makes for safer jabs (requires subscription) - New Scientist

* ►February 11, 2008 - Whooping cough cases rise despite vaccinations - El Paso Times

* ►February 11, 2008 - Measles warning issued in Sydney - The West Australian

* ►February 11, 2008 - School Pesticide Poisonings Spur State to Consider Legislation - Beyond Pesticides

* ►February 11, 2008 - Bill to force fluoridation spurs debate - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

* ►February 11, 2008 - Saccharin may lead to weight gain (requires registration or subscription) - Researchers think the sweetener blunted lab rats' ability to burn off calories from their regular food portions. - The Los Angeles Times

►February 11, 2008 - Drug-resistant E. Coli And Klebsiella Bacteria Found In Hospital Samples And Elsewhere In US - A research team from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, examining bacterial isolates obtained in hospital and non-hospital clinical settings between 2000 and 2006, has identified drug-resistant strains of E. coli and Klebsiella bacteria in more than 50 blood, urine and respiratory samples. These resistant strains, which resemble bacteria reported in Latin America, Asia and Europe, were thought to be rare in the U.S. - Newswise  via ScienceDaily

►February 11, 2008 - E. Coli Found In County's Drinking Water - WKMG Orlando

►February 11, 2008 - Hospital hit by super bug outbreak - An antibiotic-resistant super bug is keeping vital beds at Queensland's largest hospital closed. - Herald Sun, AU

►February 11, 2008 - Lasker winner Frank Dixon dies - The Scientist - "Dixon was best known for his work showing that immunologic responses can cause harm, including kidney and cardiovascular diseases, among others. That research earned him the 1975 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research."

►February 11, 2008 - Guidance for Industry Validation of Growth-Based Rapid Microbiological Methods for Sterility Testing of Cellular and Gene Therapy Products - FDA/CBER

►February 11, 2008 - Discovery may help AIDS fight - The New York Times via The Seattle Times

* ►February 10, 2008 - A New Beginning, or the Beginning of the End - Progressive U - "Our medications now are only proving to hurt our children. Vaccinations and immunizations that are being given to our children are greatly helpful, whiping some diseases off the face of the earth. But now, so many of our children who could've been raised completely healthy are growing up with autism because of being overly medicated. 1 in 66 children is now diagnosed with autism. In our search to take of the world, to make things easier, more convenient for mankind, we're destroying anything and everything that gets in our way."

* ►February 10, 2008 - Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: What really happened with Provenge?? - by Chuck Bennett, M.D., CDR, USN (Ret) - OpEdNews - "Provenge is not a “me- too” drug for which numerous alternatives exist such as for cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension. These men are dying with very little hope, many refusing chemotherapy because of the severe side effects coupled with a poor survival benefit. Why did the FDA not extend the same compassion to dying patients as they extend to patients living with chronic diseases?"

* ►February 10, 2008 - Making Sense of the Great Suicide Debate (requires registration) - The New York Times - "After a years-long debate about whether antidepressant drugs like Prozac and Paxil increase the risk of suicide in some people, the Food and Drug Administration in recent days reported that other drugs, including medications used to treat epilepsy, also appear to increase the remote risk of suicide. The agency has been evaluating suicide risk in a variety of medicines, and more such reports — and more headlines — are expected."

* ►February 10, 2008 - Just How Smart is Your Body? - The Huffington Post - "Despite well-documented and official reports," Saine argued, "the results obtained by homeopathy have been almost completely ignored... as if they had occurred in a void of time and space." "When scientists ignore or reject healing successes outside of their paradigm, the spirit of scientific inquiry is undermined," claims a leader in the Connecticut debate, Professor Rustum Roy, who among his credentials is Professor of the Solid State Emeritus at the Pennsylvania State University as well as Visiting Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona."

* ►February 10, 2008 - New Evidence on Infection as Chronic Disease Trigger Published, Debated by World-Class Scientists - Nanobac Pharmaceuticals

►February 10, 2008 - Hot jobs are found in drugstores, classrooms - The Record via NorthJersey.com - "It's not just your local drugstore pharmacist, there are pharmacists involved in hospital practice, they are employed within the pharmaceutical industry, they are in regulatory positions," Hermes-DeSantis said. One of the reasons more pharmacists will be needed is that aging baby boomers are taking increasing numbers of medications."

►February 10, 2008 - Injection drug users carrying superbug: report - The Canadian Press via CTV

►February 10, 2008 - Doctor leading fight against infectious diseases - Quincy Herald Whig

►February 10, 2008 - A precious child's different journey - Bloomfield Enterprise

* ►February 10, 2008 - For this year, flu vaccine experts guessed wrong (requires registration or subscription) - Washington Post via Chicago Tribune - "At the same time, a strain of influenza B called 'Yamagata,' which is significantly different from the "Victoria" B strain in the vaccine, was taking off. About 16 percent of all flu samples this winter are influenza B, and of them 93 percent are Yamagata. Together, the Brisbane and Yamagata trains are accounting for 48 percent of all flu samples this winter -- and neither is in the vaccine."

* ►February 10, 2008 - BMJ Advertising Watch : 09 February 2008 (a difficult balance) - Scientific Misconduct Blog

►February 10, 2008 - China Vaccine 2008 Provides an in Depth Analysis of the Human Use Vaccine Industry and Market in China. - press release - Research and Markets via Business Wire

►February 10, 2008 - Manipur on verge of polio eradication with no fresh cases - The Imphal Free Press via KanglaOnline

►February 10, 2008 - Letter: Needle exchange programs - The Lufkin Daily News

* ►February 9, 2008 - Numbers of controversy - State imposes fewer pesticide penalties for area growers after removing inspector who critics say was too strict - The Wenatchee World Online

* ►February 9, 2008 - New drug rules pose grave risks: critics - The Globe And Mail - "A new regulatory system, outlined in a broad package of changes to consumer product and food regulations announced last December, would allow certain drugs to be quickly approved for sale without the safety evidence that is normally required."

* ►February 9, 2008 - Waxman Subpoenas EPA on Calif Waiver - AP

►February 9, 2008 - Frigid weather boosts infectious disease - Anchorage Daily News

►February 9, 2008 - French GM ban infuriates farmers, delights environmentalists - AFP via Terra Daily

* ►February 8, 2008 - Depression in Young Doctors Tied to Medication Errors - HealthDay News via The Washington Post

* ►February 8, 2008 - Vaccination Debate 1: Shelly Walker... An Inspiration - http://blog.spokanetogo.com - "Shelly Walker doesn't have to imagine it. She lived through it. She found her four month old son Vance unconscious in his crib last September. Vance died of SIDS two days after getting his four month vaccinations. While the government says the vaccinations did not kill Vance, Shelly is fighting to make sure parents know about the downside of vaccines."

►February 8, 2008 - Inmate dies in jail flu outbreak - Doctors are trying to work out if a flu outbreak, which has affected more than 90 inmates at a jail, played a part in a prisoner's death. - BBC

* ►February 7, 2008 - EPA Awards Grants For Environmental Health Education - US EPA NewsRoom via Beyond Pesticides

* ►February 7, 2008 - EPA Calls for Cancellation of Deadly Insecticide - Beyond Pesticides

►February 4, 2008 - Nigeria: Measles Outbreak Kills 7 in Sokoto - This Day (Lagos) via http://allafrica.com

►February 4, 2008 - Virus in rodents: Hope for common cold cure in humans - PTI via The Hindu

►February 2008 - Hospital-based study of viridans streptococcal bacteraemia in children and adults - journal article (Journal of Infection)

►February 2008 - Inflammasome activator - The Scientist

►February 2008 - Separate and Unequal -  Successful immunity requires an array of cell fates, which lymphocytes accomplish through asymmetric cell division. - The Scientist

* ►January 31, 2008 - Hazardous Pesticides Found in Children Who Eat Chemically-Treated Foods - Environmental Health Perspectives via Beyond Pesticides

* ►January 31, 2008 - Impact of low-level exposure to organophosphates on human reproduction and survival. - journal article (Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)

* ►January 5, 2008 - Risperidone, haloperidol, and placebo in the treatment of aggressive challenging behaviour in patients with intellectual disability: a randomised controlled trial. - journal article (The Lancet) - "INTERPRETATION: Antipsychotic drugs should no longer be regarded as an acceptable routine treatment for aggressive challenging behaviour in people with intellectual disability."

* ►January 2008 - Celebrities Vs. Science - American Council on Science and Health - "THIS PUBLICATION CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE -- AT THE RIGHT MARGIN."

* ►February 11, 2008 - New packaging led to faulty inoculation at Givatayim school - Ha'aretz

►February 11, 2008 - Biota Holdings Limited (ASX:BTA) Announce Completion of Enrolment In Phase II Clinical Study For Antiviral Influenza Treatment In Japan - press release - Biota Holdings Limited via ABN Newswire

►February 11, 2008 - ‘We need to engineer the immunity system’ - Financial Express

* ►February 10, 2008 - Vaccine Bill Proposed - KSFY.com - "Currently in South Dakota, flu shots are free. But representative Dan Ahlers says with the amount of mercury they hold, they could come with a cost you don't know about....Representative Dan Ahlers has introduced a bill that if passed, would bring the mercury levels in vaccinations for children and pregnant women down to the FDA recommended level. The FDA recommendation for mercury in vaccinations is .5 micrograms per.5 milliliter dose. Alhers says the state's influenza vaccination is five times that. 'Every group says more studies need to be done. So if we're in doubt about the effects of mercury in these vaccinations, then we need to keep it out,' stated Ahlers. Despite his conviction, Ahlers believes the bill won't the pass in the legislature because of the cost. Mercury reduced shots would cost $3.10 more a piece."

* ►February 10, 2008 - Autism foes want mercury out of flu shots - Des Moines Register - "Anti-autism activists, who successfully pushed Iowa to ban a mercury-based preservative from most childhood vaccines in 2004, now want the state to order the ingredient removed from flu shots....Ban proponents plan to present researchers who side with them, but they know they face an uphill battle in the Legislature. "The health department is fighting this tooth and nail, and we don't know why," said Meg Oberreuter, an anti-mercury activist from Cedar Rapids whose son has autism. The Iowa Department of Public Health's top expert, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, agrees with Oberreuter that there will be a fight. That's about all they agree on."

* ►February 10, 2008 - Anti-smoking drug is linked to 37 suicides - Daily Mail, UK - "But updated figures now suggest that 11 people taking Champix in the UK have died. And reports of suspected adverse reactions to the drug to the Government's medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, have risen by 35 per cent to 1,811 in just the past seven weeks. The FDA began investigating Champix in November after a number of patients reported possible side-effects ranging from depression and agitation to headaches and nausea. On top of the 37 suicides, it has recorded more than 400 cases of suicidal behaviour."

►February 10, 2008 - It’s Time to Reform the FDA - letters (requires registration) - The New York Times

* ►February 10, 2008 - Actually Dr. Orr, Parents Have Big Worries by Anne Dachel - Age of Autism

* ►February 10, 2008 - Superbowl Sunday Winners by Kent Heckenlively, Esq. - Age of Autism

* ►February 10, 2008 - Words Win Wars - by Ed Arranga - Age of Autism

* ►February 10, 2008 - Ont. families hope for autism therapies in public schools before Appeal Court - Canadian Press via Google - "Parents fighting to have their autistic children receive specialized therapies within the public education system go before Ontario's highest court on Monday in an emotionally fraught case that has huge financial stakes for both the families and taxpayers."

►February 10, 2008 - Court to decide on lawsuit on behalf of autistic children seeking treatment - Canwest News Service via National Post via Canada.com - "The Ontario Court of Appeal is being asked to decide if a class-action lawsuit can go ahead on behalf of autistic children seeking treatment within the public school system in the province."

►February 10, 2008 - Professor, author to speak at conference on autism - Chicago Daily Herald - "Temple Grandin will be featured as keynote speaker at a full-day workshop, 'The Dynamic Child,' March 1 at Kaneland High School in Maple Park. "

►February 10, 2008 - Autism research makes slow and steady progress - Foster's Daily Democrat

►February 10, 2008 - California University steps up autism focus with two programs - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

►February 10, 2008 - Lake program nominated by Indiana Autism Center as model site - Munster Times

►February 10, 2008 - The types of autism - Daily Press

►February 10, 2008 - What you should know about autism - Daily Press

* ►February 10, 2008 - How can we have confidence in drugs giants? - This is Money, UK - "Along with millions of other parents of teenage girls, I have been thrown into doubt by the spat over claims for cervical cancer vaccinations between GlaxoSmithKline and Merck." 

►February 10, 2008 - Man dies at Merck plant in Rahway - The Star-Ledger via www.nj.com

* ►February 10, 2008 - Health officials want more women to get Gardasil - Few asking to get shots that protect against cervical cancer - Salt Lake Tribune

►February 10, 2008 - Camden County 12-Year-Old Dies From Meningitis - CBS 3

* ►February 10, 2008 - Student dies from meningitis - A 12-year-old Camden County girl's life was stolen away by meningitis. (includes video) - WPVI ABC 6

►February 10, 2008 - Hepatitis-A Vaccine Clinic Extended - WBEN 930

►February 10, 2008 - Flu shot might not help - Strains not targeted by vaccine emerge - Augusta Chronicle

* ►February 10, 2008 - This Season's Flu Strains Are Not a Good Match for Vaccine (requires registration) - Washington Post

►February 10, 2008 - Rs.700-crore package for bird flu-hit families - The Hindu

►February 10, 2008 - Bird flu spreads to another Bangladesh district - Reuters

►February 10, 2008 - Despite flu stories, doctors say there's little to worry about - Courier News Online

►February 10, 2008 - Influenza virus can be serious illness - www.kpcnews.com

►February 10, 2008 - Respiratory virus hits Helena kids - Independent Record

►February 10, 2008 - Virus hits Ridge Meadows Hospital - The Vancouver Province via Canada.com

►February 10, 2008 - Escaping frigid weather leads more to influenza - Viruses: Staying indoors exposes people to each other's germs. (requires registration) - AP via Anchorage Daily News

►February 10, 2008 - UAE Red Crescent Society to provide polio vaccines for Gaza children - Al-Bawaba

►February 10, 2008 - Another round of pulse polio - The Hindu

►February 10, 2008 - 2nd Phase Pulse Polio Immunization Campaign launched by Himachal - myHimachal

►February 10, 2008 - 2nd phase of pulse polio campaign launched in T. Nadu - PTI via The Hindu

►February 10, 2008 - States failing on immunisation targets report polio cases - As per WHO guidelines, the polio virus will be considered eradicated only if no case is reported for three years after achieving the status of zero level. Thus no polio case should be reported till 2011 after achieving the zero level status for India. - RxPG NEWS

►February 10, 2008 - CRI Kasauli not a lost cause - HimVani

* ►February 10, 2008 - OHSU spinoff awarded grant to develop tests for smallpox, monkeypox - AP via KTVZ.com - "Najít Technologies, an Oregon Health & Science University spinoff company, has been awarded a $1.65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health."

►February 10, 2008 - The call for a cure - Lilly's MS drug partnership boosts its pipeline, could lead to new treatment for debilitating disease - Indianapolis Star

►February 10, 2008 - Lead in toys a peril to pets - And unlike in toys for children, it's a situation that no agency regulates. - St. Petersburg Times

►February 10, 2008 - Dar gets mercury contamination warning - The East African

►February 10, 2008 - Bacteria found in yoghurt can fight HIV - Sify News

►February 10, 2008 - NIAID scientists identify new cellular receptor for HIV - NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via www.eurekalert.org

►February 10, 2008 - LASG to distribute sterilizing units to battle HIV - Nigerian Tribune

►February 10, 2008 - Dr. Frank Dixon, 87; molecular biology pioneer founded Scripps Research Institute - obituary (requires registration or subscription) - Los Angeles Times

* ►February 10, 2008 - Cloned meat could soon be for dinner, if you're not paying attention - Products don't require labels, facing backlash - Dallas Morning News

►February 10, 2008 - Dogs adopted at Puppy Bowl come down with virus - Indianapolis Star

* ►February 9, 2008 - ’Chicken pox’ girl dies of pneumonia - Liverpool Echo, UK - "A four-year-old girl died of pneumonia two days after Alder Hey doctors allegedly said she had chicken pox."

* ►February 9, 2008 - A very real increase in autism - letter - Berkshire Eagle

►February 9, 2008 - Man walks from Toronto to Ottawa for autism awareness - Ottawa Sun - "It’s not exactly like Mr. Smith’s journey to Washington, but it’s close. On the afternoon of Jan. 31, Stefan Marinoiu left his family home in Scarborough and started walking. His destination: The capital of Canada. His goal: To raise awareness of the struggles faced by families living with autism."

* ►February 9, 2008 - Dentists filtering out mercury - But nearly one-fifth miss MMSD deadline - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - "Dentists throughout Wisconsin are being told they must end routine flushing of mercury to sewage treatment plants, where the toxic metal is released to the environment....Feb. 1 was the final day for dental offices in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's four-county service area and in the Racine sewerage district to comply with local separator mandates. Though they were notified of the deadline four years ago, nearly one-fifth of 313 dental offices handling mercury amalgam in MMSD's service area had not complied by Friday, Nowicki said."

* ►February 9, 2008 - Merck to Pay $650 Million in Medicaid Settlement --- Big Deal - Alliance for Human Research Protection - "News reports announced that Merck agreed to pay more than $650 million to settle charges of overbilling the government. So what else is new? Cheating Medicaid / Medicare is the "norm and practice" among Big Pharma companies."

* ►February 9, 2008 - 54 Mysterious Deaths Halt Diabetes Experiment - Alliance for Human Research Protection

* ►February 9, 2008 - FDA links anti-wrinkle drugs to deaths - Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex via CNNMoney - "The popular anti-wrinkle drug Botox and a competitor have been linked to dangerous botulism symptoms in some users, cases so bad that a few children given the drugs for muscle spasms have died, the government warned Friday."

* ►February 9, 2008 - Genetic modification turns plant virus into delivery vehicle for insecticide - www.kpcnews.com - "A plant-destroying virus farmers call one of their worst enemies may soon be an ally in the fight against crop pests and mosquitoes, according to this article from Tom Nordlie. University of Florida scientists genetically modified tobacco mosaic virus so that it produces a natural, environmentally friendly insecticide, turning the pathogen into a microscopic chemical factory, said Dov Borovsky, an entomologist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The modified virus is almost completely harmless to plants and simply produces the insecticide."

* ►February 9, 2008 - Bee Virus Could Wipe Out Mankind, Warn Scientists - Glasgow Daily Record - "Ian Craig, of the Scottish Beekeepers Association, warned: 'If bees disappear, mankind will not have much time left.'"

►February 9, 2008 - The FDA needs help - opinion - The Register-Guard

►February 9, 2008 - First Nation, U.S. National Park Service to battle Great Lakes virus that’s deadly to fish - Chronicle-Journal

►February 9, 2008 - Thailand rules out suspected bird-flu case - Xinhua via China View

►February 9, 2008 - Flu vaccine match sub-optimal in US but better so far in Canada - The Canadian Press via Google

►February 9, 2008 - Flu bug creeps into county - BlueRidgeNow.com

►February 9, 2008 - Flu season hits - The Daily Citizen

►February 9, 2008 - Residents of Azerbaijani Village Demand Compensation for Annihilation of Pigs - Trend Capital

* ►February 9, 2008 - Cancer vaccine to be given free - The vaccine, yet to be introduced, to provide 99.9% protection against disease - The Hindu - "A new vaccine that protects against the infection caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), stated to be chiefly responsible for cervical cancer, is likely to be supplied free of cost in the country by the World Health Organisation shortly."

* ►February 8, 2008 - No Link Between Autism and Vaccines? Readers Aren't Convinced - Parental Guidance Blog via The Star-Ledger via www.nj.com - "Posted by md1stnoharm on 02/08/08 at 4:25PM - I propose a challenge. Let's invite all the un-vaccinated, autistic children to one stadium and all the vaccinated, autistic children to another stadium. Which will look more like superbowl Sunday??? I, personally, do not know any autistic children who have never been vaccinated. All the autistic children I know, and there are too many of them--have all been vaccinated. You do the math!! Maureen Drummond Founder/Spokeswoman Network Organization for Vaccine Awareness and Choice"

►February 8, 2008 - Melatonin well-tolerated sleep aid in children with autism - Vanderbilt University News

* ►February 8, 2008 - Washington County warns parents about student vaccination rules - Washington County health officials have told hundreds of families across the region that their children could be excluded from school in late February without proper vaccinations. - Sherwood Gazette

►February 8, 2008 - GlaxoSmithKline: sales drop increases shareholder concern - GlaxoSmithKline has reported a 2.2% decline in full year revenues. Europe's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has reported that its full year total revenues have declined 2.2% year-on-year to stand at $45,473m. A downturn in sales of Avandia, the company's diabetes therapy, heavily underscored this trend. GSK's performance in the next few months will be crucial if it is to turn around its revenue crunch and boost shareholder confidence. - Pharmaceutical Business Review

►February 8, 2008 - Flu hospitalizes 22 here in January - Colorado Springs Gazette

►February 8, 2008 - Central African Republic: Meningitis in Kaga Bandoro - The International Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross and Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation's disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters. - International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies via ReliefWeb

►February 8, 2008 - UN secretary-general meets with Rotary leaders - Rotary International News

►February 8, 2008 - CDC to open Hawaii office - Pacific Business News

►February 7, 2008 - Chickenpox vaccine to be given at school - Inoculations offered Friday at Charleston Catholic - Charleston Gazette - "Gateley said the department's preliminary investigation found that many Charleston Catholic students may not have received a second "booster" shot. Some vaccinated children lose their protective immunity in as little as five to eight years."

* ►February 7, 2008 - Senate inquiry rebukes FDA: 'scientific process ... compromised' - AP via International Herald Tribune - "The Food and Drug Administration revealed flaws in its scientific objectivity when it reassigned an agency veterinarian over unfounded accusations by a drug company, a senator charged in a report on his committee's investigation into the case....Dr. Victoria Hampshire, the veterinarian who was accused, said Thursday that the agency was 'so gullible, and they bent so far ... to appease this company.' Although she has now been vindicated, she said other agency staff, having seen how she was treated, may still hesitate to challenge a powerful drug company, wondering, 'What would happen to me?'"

►February 7, 2008 - FDA releases warning letter on ciguatera - The Galveston County Daily News

►February 7, 2008 - Bioniche Receives $5 Million Capital Financing Support to Scale-up E. coli O157:H7 Vaccine Production - Farms.com

►February 7, 2008 - Backyard Bacteria Has Vets Talking Dog Vaccination - cbs4denver.com

►February 6, 2008 - Researchers Blame Seasonal Migration for Measles in Niger - Researchers say measles, which has been successfully controlled in most countries thanks to vaccination, remains a killer disease in Niger, in part because of migration triggered by the rainy season.  VOA's Jessica Berman reports from Washington health workers are calling for better surveillance and cooperation between public health workers and the government to control measles outbreaks. - Voice of America

►February 4, 2008 - Abu Dhabi to vaccinate girls against cancer - Gulf News

►February 4, 2008 - Mansoor Ahmed: healing with herbs - The News - International - Pakistan

* ►Jan-Feb 2005 - Genetic influences on the retention of inorganic mercury. - journal article (Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health)

*  ►Larry King Live - CNN.com - "Thursday: Autism Show - The heartbreak ...and hope of autism. Jason 'J-Mac' McElwain inspired the world with his incredible shot-making at a high school basketball game. Larry talks to the teen and others about the disorder. Holly Robinson Peete, Doug Flutie and Toni Braxton join the discussion to bust myths and present breakthroughs. It's an uplifting hour with those who know!"

►March 2008 - Can persistent organic pollutants explain the association between serum γ-glutamyltransferase and type 2 diabetes? - journal article (Diabetologia)

►February 17, 2008 - Central Research Institute at Kasauli - Prey to Conspiracy? - Organiser - "One more thing, sources said, very interesting has come to surface tha