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

►March 4, 2004 - Researchers retract autism link - AP via The Australian

►March 3, 2004 - Scientists Retract Vaccine-Autism Link - AP via www.wtopnews.com

►March 3, 2004 - Boost for autism sufferers - http://icscotland.icnetwork.co.uk - "Autism sufferers in Glasgow and Lothian are to benefit following a £2m funding boost for improving services...The cash will be spread over three years to develop "one-stop shops" for adults with autism, and for families struggling to cope with the disorder...The Greater Glasgow and Lothian health boards will receive £750,000 each in funding, the Scottish Executive said."

►March 3, 2004 - Tell EPA to cut mercury pollution - opinion - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

►2004 - Work with autism gets £750,000 boost - Evening Times, UK

►March 3, 2004 - Legal aid verdict for parents in MMR fight - http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk - "Parents who believe the MMR vaccine caused their son's autism will find out next week if they will have to abandon legal action against a drugs company...Roy and Sue Pargetter are appealing against a decision made last September which resulted in their legal aid being withdrawn."

►March 3, 2004 - Autism debate goes on - Liverpool Echo via http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk - "Today scientists and parents called for more research into the causes of autism, which has been overshadowed by the debate over MMR...They now want a broad range of issues connected to autism to be examined...Ms Tierney, 37, said: "I welcome anything that looks into autism - and the sooner the better...'And it should be done by a research team that has no ties whatsoever and is totally independent.'"

►March 3, 2004 - Jacksonville Parents File Claim in Vaccine Court (includes video) - First Coast News - "'The cover-up from all this just drives me crazy.'...It's a massive cover-up, says Jacksonville mother Cindy Hartman. She's referring to the potentially damaging effects of a preservative once commonly used in childhood vaccinations. That preservative, thimerosal, is 49.6 percent mercury, one of the most toxic substances on the planet."

►March 4, 2004 - Abandoned HRT study in US is no cause for alarm, local experts say - www.smh.com.au - "Adverse health outcomes might have shut down a major study of hormone replacement therapy this week but Australian experts say the good news relating to the treatment outweighs the bad."

►March 3, 2004 - `Flu' an informative, precise look at the 1918 pandemic - http://metromix.chicagotribune.com - "In recent American history, the experience with flu is mostly one of minor inconvenience and, perhaps, major discomfort...But epidemiologists, insurance companies and an increasing number of citizens understand that the influenza virus, in one form or another, has the potential to do much worse in the not-too-distant future...In 1918, influenza caused the worst pandemic in the world's history, more lethal than the Black Death, killing more people in months than World War I had in four years."

►March 3, 2004 - Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario 121 autism related complaints - Medical News Today - "The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Canada, is receiving a record 121 autism-related complaints by Ontario’s Human Rights Commission...The average number of complaints the commission refers to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario is around 90, and that includes all types of complaints, not just one type...The complaints say the province is cutting funding for the treatment of autism for children over six years of age. People say this is discriminatory."

►October 12, 1999 - Anthrax Vaccine: Safety and Efficacy Issues (Testimony, 10/12/1999, GAO/T-NSIAD-00-48). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►September 20, 2004 - Anthrax Vaccine: GAO's Survey of Guard and Reserve Pilots and Aircrew (20-SEP-02, GAO-02-445). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►July 21, 1999 - Medical Readiness: Issues Concerning the Anthrax Vaccine (Testimony, 07/21/1999, GAO/T-NSIAD-99-226). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►June 30, 1999 - Contract Management: Observations on DOD's Financial Relationship With the Anthrax Vaccine Manufacturer (Testimony, 06/30/99, GAO/T-NSIAD-99-214). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►April 29, 1999 - Medical Readiness: Safety and Efficacy of the Anthrax Vaccine (Testimony, 04/29/99, GAO/T-NSIAD-99-148). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►March 29, 1999 - Gulf War Illnesses: Questions About the Presence of Squalene Antibodies in Veterans Can Be Resolved (Letter Report, 03/29/99, GAO/NSIAD-99-5). - U.S. GAO via www.gpoaccess.gov

►March 2, 2004 - VaxGen reports Phase I clinical trial results of anthrax vaccine candidate - VaxGen, Inc. via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 2, 2004 - Study suggests better use of web could improve infectious disease reporting - Penn State via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 2, 2004 - New Meat Testing Cuts Food-Borne Diseases - US - Reuters via Yahoo! News 

►March 3, 2004 - USDA Says Bird Flu in Texas Appears Contained - Reuters via Yahoo! News 

►March 1, 2004 - Toxin combo common in fish appears capable of impairing motor skills - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 2, 2004 - Study examines whether giving good bacteria reduces infections - Medical College of Georgia via www.eurekalert.org 

►March 3, 2004 - Groups Urging No Antibiotics for Earaches - AP via The Herald-Sun - "Parents of cranky children with ear infections be warned: Antibiotics may no longer be what the doctor orders. Two leading medical groups are expected to recommend this spring that doctors stop treating most ear infections in children with antibiotics, federal health officials said Tuesday...The move contradicts years of pediatric practice and is expected to disappoint weary parents of whimpering, infected toddlers...About half of all antibiotics prescribed to preschool children are for treating ear infections. Health officials believe if they can reduce child antibiotic use for such infections, they can stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs created by overuse of the drugs...'It will mark a dramatic change in appropriate antibiotic use,' said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the meningitis and special pathogens branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." 

►Success in Autism: Filling in the Gaps - This conference is designed to educate both parents and professionals in breaking through plateaus and helping individuals with autism reach their optimal potential by "filling in the gaps." Consistency is promoted between the school and the home environments. Valuable information is for individuals at all levels, and information given is functional. - Autism Resources - conference alert - March 20-21, 2004 in Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ 

►February 27,  2004 - Microbiology. We get by with a little help from our (little) friends - journal article (Science) abstract 

►July 2001 - Whole-Cell but Not Acellular Pertussis Vaccines Induce Convulsive Activity in Mice: Evidence of a Role for Toxin-Induced Interleukin-1 in a New Murine Model for Analysis of Neuronal Side Effects of Vaccination - journal article (Infection and Immunity) - "Our findings provide the first direct evidence of an immunological basis for pertussis vaccine reactogenicity and suggest that active bacterial toxins are responsible for the neurologic disturbances observed in children immunized with Pw." 

►March 2, 2004 - How sweet it isn't - San Francisco Chronicle via The Miami Herald

►March 3, 2004 - MMR researchers issue retraction - Ten doctors who co-authored the study which sparked health fears over the MMR jab have said there was insufficient evidence to draw that conclusion. - BBC   - "In a statement, to be published in The Lancet, the doctors say: 'We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism as the data were insufficient...However, the possibility of such a link was raised and consequent events have had major implications for public health...In view of this, we consider now is the appropriate time that we should together formally retract the interpretation placed upon these findings in the paper.'"

Comment:  To read the always fair-minded and insightful Nicholas Regush on this and other breaking news stories,  go to www.redflagsdaily.com

►March 2, 2004 - Thimerosal Concerns for Pets (includes video) - First Coast News - "Lamoureux wants pet owners to know there is a risk out there when getting pets vaccinated. She is not advocating the refusal of vaccinations, she says she just wants pet owners to become educated about their choices...Veterinarian "Dr. Skip Hightman says he's seen cases of animals having bad reactions to vaccines. 'As far as anaphylactic reaction, cellulitis, sarcomas and many other problems and sometimes even death.' Dr. Hightman's own cat died of cancer shortly after receiving a rabies vaccination. He says there is one company that's responded to concerns from veterinarians and taken Thimerosal out of its vaccine."

►March 2, 2004 - Scientists: Device rids air of anthrax, other biological dangers - AP via Newsday

►March 3, 2004 - New therapy for Autism - www.wfsb.com - "You can't get a sense of how incredible sensory learning is until you see a before and after example of it."

►Polio vaccines and the origin of AIDS: some key writings - www.uow.edu.au

►"Recent Advances in the Biology of Autism" - Bassett Healthcare / National Autism Association Teaching Day - conference alert - May 1, 2004 at Clark Medical Education Auditorium in Cooperstown, NY

►March 2, 2004 - MedImmune Looks to Boost FluMist Sales - Company Hopes New Version Will Fix Problems Faced by Nasal Vaccine in Its Debut (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►March 2, 2004 - Crackdown on Prescription Abuse - U.S. Officials Want Better Monitoring, Control of Painkillers (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►March 2, 2004 - MMR research poser - letters - The Scotsman

►March 3, 2004 - Estrogen Linked to Stroke, Dementia Risk (requries registration or subscription) - AP via The New York Times

►March 2, 2004 - Second Thoughts on a Chemical: In Water, How Much Is Too Much? (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 2, 2004 - Researchers Rewrite First Chapter for the History of Medicine (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 2, 2004 - Nutrition: For Babies, Going With the Grain (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►March 3, 2004 - Shortage of Meningitis Drug Continues (requires registration) - The Washington Post

►March 3, 2004 - MMR has always been safe - Doctors - 'OUR policy has been that MMR is and has always been safe.' - Isle of Man Online - "'In other words Dr Wakefield had been paid by the Legal Aid Board to investigate if there was a case linking MMR and autism and he did not disclose this to the editors of the journal, as is required,' said Dr Kishore...'It is hoped that this new revelation will help to dispel any lingering doubts which members of the public have about the safety of MMR and that parents would ensure that their children are vaccinated with MMR. It is also worth recalling that in the past there had been serious problems resulting from use of single vaccines.'"

Comment:  The failure to disclose the possible conflict of interest does not in and of itself mean that there was anything wrong with Wakefield's research.  The research may or may not have been influenced by the alleged conflict.  If there was as much attention being paid to those with clear conflict of interest re: the vaccine manufacturers as re: someone investigating the issue for a legal aid board, the furor over this might seem fair and reasonable.  As it is, the furor appears to be more political than anything.

►March 3, 2004 - Changes in immune system cause diseases: expert - The Navhind Times - "The former vice-chancellor of Manipal University and noted cardiologist, Prof B M Hegde, delivering the third Dr Emidio Afonso memorial lecture, said that diseases are created by changing the immune system of a living body and only human mind can prove to be the most powerful immune-booster...Prof Hegde, speaking before a gathering on the topic ‘Human immune system (A new look)’, at a special function organised by Dr Emidio Afonso Memorial Trust, in the city today, said that fruits, vegetables, proteins, hyperimmune sera, vaccinations, Ayurveda, exercise and social support can also supplement the human mind as the immune-boosters. “The trace minerals can also play a vital role in immune system,” he maintained...Any medicine, any tablet can provide relief to a person for a restricted time-span; however the same turns out to be a poison after its constant and uninterrupted use, he observed."

►March 2, 2004 - Study examines whether giving good bacteria reduces infections - Medical College of Georgia via www.eurekalert.org - "Whether giving good bacteria that normally helps keep the intestinal tract and immune system healthy can reduce infections in intensive-care patients is the focus of a new clinical study at the Medical College of Georgia...'When people are admitted to intensive care on broad-spectrum antibiotics, we know that 25 to 40 percent of them will get an infection with a resistant bacteria during their stay,' says Dr. Robert G. Martindale, gastrointestinal surgeon, nutritionist and principal investigator on the new study...As the name indicates, these antibiotics are designed to protect patients from infection by a broad range of agents. However, they also can wipe out the natural bacterial flora in the intestinal tract, a disruption with widespread consequences including making the intestinal lining more susceptible to bacterial invasion, impacting the health of colon cells and disarming the immune system."

Comment:  And if it is true that antibiotics also impair the immune system, this could well be a recipe of disaster.  (See Overuse: More Harm Than Good - Antibiotics May Lower Immune System.)

►March 2, 2004 - Pneumococcal Vaccine in Short Supply - Prevnar Shortage Prompts Change in Vaccination Recommendations - WebMD

►March 3, 2004 - A Shortage of Meningitis Vaccine (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "Because of a severe shortage of a new vaccine to prevent meningitis and ear infections in young children, doctors should postpone giving the last two doses in a four-dose regimen, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday...The shortage was caused by production problems at Wyeth Vaccines, the world's sole manufacturer of the vaccine, known as Prevnar, the disease centers said. The agency said the problems were not expected to be corrected until fall at the earliest...But Douglas Petkus, a spokesman for Wyeth, said he expected supply levels to return to normal by the summer, adding that the shortfall was a result of the company's efforts to keep up with the demand."

Comment:  Should the vaccine be used for ear infections?  Not if you believe "whistle blower" Dr. Erdem Cantekin.  (Also see, News 8 Investigates: Prevnar-Part 1 and News 8 Investigates: Vaccine Safety Part 2.)

►March 3, 2004 - Estrogen Study Stopped Early Because of Slight Stroke Risk (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "A large federal study of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women has been stopped a year ahead of schedule because the estrogen increased the risk of stroke and offered no protection against heart disease, the government announced yesterday...The study included only women taking estrogen alone, not those who take combined hormones. An earlier study, halted abruptly in 2002 after the researchers found an increased risk of breast cancer, involved only women taking the combined hormones estrogen and progestin...But health officials also noted that the increased risk was small, estimated at about eight extra strokes per year for every 10,000 women taking estrogen."

Comment:  Contrast this situation with what is happening re: vaccine-associated adverse reactions. Why, given the far greater number of vaccine-associated deaths and injuries, hasn't vaccination been halted?  There have been over 125,000, probably representing between 1 and 12 million, adverse vaccine-associated reactions.  When it comes to vaccinations, enough never seems to be enough.  For more on this go to Scandals: Infant Vaccine Deaths - But Who's Counting? (No news is NOT good news.),  Scandals: Vaccine-related infant deaths - When is enough, enough?, and Scandals: Avoidance Of Vaccine Truth But Not Consequences -  Are We "Knee Deep in the Big Muddy"?

►March 2, 2004 - Bacteria Run Wild, Defying Antibiotics (requires registration or subscription) - "A new chapter in the continuing story of antibiotic resistance is being written in doctors' offices across the country, as a group of common bacteria rapidly becomes resistant to the antibiotics that have been used to treat them for decades...The bacteria are called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph for short. Staph are the most common cause of skin infections like boils and can also cause lung infections, bloodstream infections and abscesses in the body's internal organs...In hospitalized patients, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant staph have been common for years. Among healthy people, though, antibiotic resistance in staph has not been a big problem. Since the 1970's, doctors have routinely, and successfully, treated staph infections in healthy patients with penicillin-like drugs...Not anymore. Office doctors who follow this practice now may find their patients getting sicker instead of better."

Comment:  It's not easy to fool Mother Nature.  Are we creating the same problem with overuse of vaccines that we have with overuse of antibiotics?  For more on this, click here.

►March 2, 2004 - U.S. flu season is over - UPI via The Washington Times

►March 2, 2004 - Multiple sclerosis: Catherine's crusade - UPI - "Stunned by a report ranking MS as the most disabling -- by a complex measure incorporating the age of those affected and degree of impairment -- yet least funded of 11 diseases studied, Akay gave up her flourishing psychotherapy practice in 1999 to try to even those financial odds...She began by founding a non-profit research fund whose name dictates its sole aim: Cure MS Now!"

►March 2, 2004 - Targeted Antiviral Prophylaxis Of Flu Case Contacts Could Successfully Contain Pandemic Influenza - Emory University Health Sciences Center via Science Daily - "In a future outbreak of pandemic influenza, such as the three pandemics that sickened millions and killed hundreds of thousands of people during the 20th century, supplies of flu vaccine might not be available quickly enough to contain the spread of disease. However, according to research by biostatisticians in Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, many thousands of deaths could be prevented if antiviral agents were given to the close contacts of those with suspected cases of flu until adequate supplies of vaccine could be manufactured and distributed."

►March 2, 2004 - Soldiers demand anthrax vaccine inquiry - www.abc.net.au

►March 2, 2004 - Avian Influenza - A 'moving target' for diagnosticians - Ag News, Texas A&M University Agriculture Program

►March 2, 2004 - Last ditch fight to end polio - Focus turns to post-polio era as eradication leader plans a final assault on the virus - The Scientist via www.biomedcentral.com

►March 2, 2004 - New Acambis CEO Announces Four-Fold Increase in Profits - press release - Acambis plc via PRNewswire-FirstCall via Yahoo! - "In developing new vaccines against infectious diseases, Acambis is aiming to maximise the value of its products by retaining rights to those vaccines for as long as possible. This means not only developing, clinically testing and licensing the vaccines but also, where possible, manufacturing, selling and distributing the product ourselves...The first of these primarily involves the development of our two key franchises: the smallpox vaccine franchise; and the travel vaccines franchise."

►March 2, 2004 - 2 drugs open a new front in cancer war - Avastin, Erbitux herald revolution that targets cells (requires registration) - The Chicago Tribune

►March 2, 2004 - Senate Passes 2 New Bills On Vaccinations - Colleges Could Be Required To Give Info On Meningitis - www.theiowachannel.com

►March 3, 2004 - Moment of truth nears on bird flu - Asia Times

►March 2, 2004 - Vietnam's National Assembly Standing Committee told bird flu contained - Xinhuanet via China View

►March 2, 2004 - Officials see big threat from avian influenza - USA Today via The Desert Sun

►March 2, 2004 - Women found twice as susceptible to lung cancer - www.newsday.com

►March 2, 2004 - Mercury: Enough! - White House shouldn't delay controls on toxic pollutant (requires registration) - The Charlotte Observer

►March 2, 2004 - Health experts laud the old-fashioned quarantine (requires registration) - Knight Ridder via The Charlotte Observer - "The best hope for stopping epidemics of infectious diseases, public health experts said Monday, may be a long-neglected tool: quarantining people...When modern medicine couldn't come up with antibiotics, vaccines and effective treatments against the contagious respiratory disease SARS last year, Canada and Asia dusted off quarantine laws and isolated more than 200,000 people. That stopped the disease."

►March 15, 2004 - Looking Back at Smallpox - journal article (Clinical Infectious Diseases) - "Examination of clinical variants suggests that severity of illness was usually determined by host responses during the incubation period. Control of viral replication was aided by early postexposure vaccination and might be strengthened by additional immunological interventions.^"

►February 29, 2004 - CDC Says Ads Getting Kids to Play Outside - AP via Yahoo!

►February 29, 2004 - Too Much Weight Tugs at Kids Hearts - HealthDay via Yahoo!

►February 27, 2004 - UW study: Baby's face lights up emotional center of new mom's brain - University of Wisconsin-Madison via www.eurekalert.org

►February 28, 2004 - Action Urged on Diseases With Dangers for Women - New York Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►February 28, 2004 - Kids to Get Early Booster in TB Scare - Glasgow Evening Times via www.immunizationinfo.org (abstract)

►February 28, 2004 - Rampant virus caused 2002 stomach bug - New norovirus variant to blame for outbreak. - journal article (Nature)

►February 27, 2004 - Diabetes may be linked to early hearing loss - Studies point to danger of deafness and mental decline in old age - journal article (Nature)

►February 26, 2004 - Vitamin B2 may help treat sepsis - Vitamin's anti-bacterial effect fights blood poisoning in mice - journal article (Nature)

►February 13, 2004 - Fraud spurs Cell paper retraction - Postdoc fabricated data, leaving his career in tatters and embarrassing his boss - The Scientist via BioMed Central

►February 12, 2004 - Human embryos cloned - South Korean team demonstrates cloning efficiency for humans similar to pigs, cattle - The Scientist via BioMed Central

►March 8, 2004 - Tort reform for obstetricians fails in the Senate - A similar bill targeting help to emergency physicians is likely to be offered next. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Doctors protest 400% price hike in HIV medication - An AIDS group has filed a lawsuit alleging antitrust violations. Two state attorneys general are investigating, but Abbott says all complaints are without merit. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - New Jersey squelches lawsuit for advertising fraud - In the Courts -  www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Hospitals hang on to money-losing medical practices - Many hospitals and systems derive benefits, such as referrals and stable physician networks, that outweigh practice losses. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Safety reporting now in Senate's hands (opinion) - Congress should finish what it started and pass medical error reporting legislation this year. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Letters to the Editor (opinion) - Many younger physicians less willing to get out of bed at 2 a.m. - Superhero-style dedication not the only way to practice good medicine - Work force planning requires looking at both the number and distribution of physicians - Primary care doctors need to ask patients about restless leg syndrome - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Alzheimer's deaths on rise - Mortality related to this disease increased more than for any other of the top 10 killers, prompting concern about the ever-increasing burden on caregivers. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - Physician looks at what keeps people slim - With a grant to study thin people, an endocrinologist seeks an answer to why most Americans are overweight. - www.ama-assn.org

►March 8, 2004 - FDA boosts efforts to find fake drugs - Electronic "track and trace" methods are examined as a way to halt the growing problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. - www.ama-assn.org

►November 2003 - Video Now Available - Autism & The Environment: Exploring a Connection - Video captures highlights from an educational forum hosted by The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, a Massachusetts' coalition working for a safer environment - www.autismandenvironmentvideo.org  

►American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting - www.aan.com - meeting alert - April 24 to May 1, 2004 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.