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Vaccination News
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Letters in support of Vaccination News
**Letters from David Kirby, Dr. Darrel Crain, Dr. Meryl Nass, Professor Philip Rudnick, Barbara Lewis of Red Flags, Dr. F. Edward Yazbak, Dr. Harold Buttram, more letters concerning Vaccination News**
Posted January 6, 2009
* ►January 7, 2009 - Failure
to Report Financial Disclosure Information - journal article (JAMA)
* ►January 7, 2009 - Safer
Therapies for Newborns Probed - journal article (JAMA)
* ►January 6, 2009 -
The Vaccine Hard Sell at Pediatrics A Shot of Reality By Michael Wagnitz,
B.S. - Age of Autism
* ►January 6, 2009 -
What is Paul Offit's Problem? By Anne Dachel - Age of Autism
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Diphtheria - Exploring Vaccines
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Seizure Alone Caused Jett Travolta's Death - Autopsy On Actor's Son Shows No
Sign Of Head Trauma; Grieving Family Prepares For Funeral - AP/CBS via CBS News
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Death of Travolta's son raises medical questions - AP via Yahoo! - "Dr.
Michael Kohrman, a University of Chicago pediatric neurologist, said up to
one-third of children with autism have some sort of seizure disorder. Still,
there are dozens of other causes of seizures. Recurrent seizures are sometimes
called epilepsy and are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
These affect more than 3 million Americans. Mild seizures can be barely
noticeable; severe ones can cause convulsing and loss of consciousness. 'Sudden
death in epilepsy is not an unheard-of phenomenon,' said Dr. Bruce Cohen, a
staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic.'"
* ►January 6, 2009 -
For
Kelly Preston - Barbara Fischkin MyBlog via Spectrum Publications
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Lawsuit alleges Tukwila school officials didn't protect autistic boy from
bullying - A discrimination suit has been filed on behalf of an autistic
former student in the Tukwila School District, alleging district officials
failed to protect him from bullying and tried to declare him a truant when his
parents pulled him from classes. - Seattle Times
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Most
babies with uncomplicated febrile seizures can avoid spinal tap - Largest
review to date questions current recommendations - Children's Hospital Boston
via EurekAlert!
* ►January 6, 2008 -
CNN’s
Sanjay Gupta Is Approached for Surgeon General Job (requires registration) -
The New York Times
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Here We Go: Obama Wants CNN Doctor Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon General -
NaturalNews.com
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Health workers could knock on your door beginning Friday - Daily Comet -
"About 420 residents will be asked to participate in the survey that has steered
American health care for the last 50 years. Terrebonne is one of 15 counties in
the nation that will be surveyed for the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey, a program conducted annually by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Merck reports shortage of hepatitis B vaccine - Philadelphia Inquirer -
"Merck & Co. Inc. said today that equipment upgrades at its West Point plant
would cause shortages of its hepatitis B vaccine for adults. Merck said the
shortages would not affect pediatric versions of the vaccine. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention said Merck competitor GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. was
producing enough hepatitis B vaccine to compensate for shortfalls. Merck
spokeswoman Amy Rose said the firm was not answering questions about what the
upgrade included or whether it was planned."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Hepatitis A vaccine gives long-lasting protection -
Journal of Infectious Diseases via
Reuters - "They say the findings show that protective levels of anti-hepatitis A
antibodies are retained for at least 10 years after vaccination. 'Hepatitis A
booster doses after completion of the primary vaccination series do not appear
to be warranted and are not currently recommended,' the CDC team advises.
Nonetheless, they point out, antibody concentrations do decline over time and
ongoing monitoring is needed 'to assess whether persons vaccinated as children
will be protected throughout adulthood.'"
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Chimerix Completes Phase I Study and Initiates a Phase II Multi-dose Clinical
Trial for CMX001 - CMX001 is an Orally Available Broad Spectrum Antiviral
Being Investigated for the Treatment of dsDNA viruses including smallpox, BK
virus, CMV and adenovirus - press release - Chimerix, Inc. via PRNewswire
* ►January 6, 2009 -
BioReliance Corporation Announces Agreement with Barr Pharmaceuticals to Supply
Bulk Virus for the Manufacture of Adenovirus Vaccine for the U.S. Department of
Defense - press release - BioReliance Corporation via Business Wire
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Dissecting Merck’s “Gardasil for Boys” FDA Application - BNET Pharma Blog -
"One interested party that definitely sees this as cost-effective is Merck. As
BNET noted recently,
Merck’s vaccine divisions are struggling to get product out the door, and
they need extra indications for drugs that are mandated and often funded by
government. That is why you will continue to see a drumbeat of stories featuring
data that show
Gardasil could be effective for boys, and for increasingly yucky diseases."
* ►January 6, 2009 - Bird
Flu, Fire Hazards and a Vaccine for Boys (requires registration) - The New
York Times
* ►January 6, 2009 - Merck
asks FDA to expand Gardasil use - PharmaCompanies.info via farmanux.com -
"Anyone who's been following the vaccine trade knows that Merck is working hard
to expand the use of its human papillomavirus shot. Now approved for marketing
to girls and young women, Gardasil has been tested on boys, young men and on
women as old as 45, with the aim of growing the potential HPV market beyond
preteen, teenage and early-twenties females."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Young
woman told she had flu dies - A teenage mother died three days after an
out-of-hours medical service said she had a bout of flu and should take
paracetamol and drink plenty of fluids. - BBC - "Clare Secker, 19, of Gorleston,
Norfolk, died of bronchial pneumonia."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
AstraZeneca aims to sell nasal flu vaccine in EU - Reuters - "AstraZeneca,
which acquired MedImmune in 2007, believes its needle-free treatment can help
increase vaccination rates -- a common goal for governments around the world."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Poor Vaccine Coverage in Europe Allows Measles to Hang On -
The Lancet via MedPage Today
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Measles could survive attempted eradication due to low vaccination rates -
Doctors said there were "serious doubts" that a target to effectively kill off
measles in Europe by next year will be reached because of low vaccination rates.
- The Telegraph, UK
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Baby in hospital after measles outbreak at nursery - The Surrey Herald, UK
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Woman dies after contracting rabies in African animal sanctuary - A woman
who contracted rabies while working in an African animal sanctuary has become
the first Briton to die from the virus for four years. - The Telegraph, UK
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Mandatory universal blood lead screening begins in Connecticut - Department
of Public Health via NorwalkPlus.com - "The new legislation, which went into
effect on January 1, 2009, requires all primary care providers to perform annual
blood lead screening of all children less than three years of age and screen any
child between the ages of 36 and 72 months who has not been previously
screened."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
New health study focuses on hepatitis spread - Las Vegas clinics among those
failing to follow basic infection control practices - Las Vegas Sun - "In the
past 10 years, more than 60,000 patients across the United States were asked to
go for tests for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus because health care
providers outside hospitals failed to follow basic infection control practices,
says a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
* ►January 6, 2009 - PPD
buys Merck vaccine facility - Contract research organization Pharmaceutical
Product Development Inc (PPD) has moved further into providing central
laboratory services with the purchase of a 130,000 sq. ft. laboratory from Merck
& Co. - Outsourcing-pharma.com
* ►January 6, 2009 - Crucell
Announces STAR(R) Research and Commercial License Agreement with Centocor, Inc.
- Crucell via Market Wire via Street Insider
* ►January 6, 2009 - Medtronic
gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - BusinessWeek - "The company said the
decision was consistent with a Supreme Court ruling last year when they won
after being sued because a patient suffered from a burst balloon catheter during
an angioplasty procedure. The court ruled in favor of Medtronic, saying the
plaintiffs claims were pre-empted because the FDA had approved the catheter."
* ►January 6, 2209 - Osteoporosis
Drug Fosamax Linked to Two Serious Side Effects - Health News
* ►January 6, 2009 - Merck
Gets Distribution from UPS - Traffic World Online
* ►January 5, 2009 - Big
Pharma backs CMV vaccine (requires registration) - The Scientist - "The
vaccine candidate, AVX601, was created by scientists at North Carolina-based
AlphaVax and has fared well in a phase I clinical trial on healthy adults.
AVX601 is a single-cycle particle vaccine that carries RNA encoding three
antigens--phosphoprotein 65, immediate early protein I, and glycoprotein B--from
the CMV virus, and the vaccine was shown to raise levels of neutralizing
antibodies and antigen-specific T cells in phase I trial subjects."
* ►January 5, 2009 - Pharma
buying spree could swallow biotechs - Financial Times
* ►January 5, 2009 - Teens'
health care often a missed opportunity - A retooled health care
system that includes a focus on adolescents is needed, as are coordination of
primary and specialty care. -
www.ama-assn.org
* ►January 5, 2009 - Louisiana
pediatricians sue over Medicaid managed care pilots - Fearing
problems with access to care, doctors are seeking public records related to the
plan to shift poor children into managed care. -
www.ama-assn.org
* ►January 5, 2009 - Supreme
Court asked to examine Texas peer review case - A Dallas cardiologist
wants the U.S. high court to decide whether federal law is being interpreted to
give peer reviewers absolute immunity. -
www.ama-assn.org
* ►January 5, 2009 - Nevada
medical board seeks to update discipline, licensing systems - The
goal is to make processes more timely and public, and to allow a voice at
hearings for people filing complaints. -
www.ama-assn.org
* ►January 5, 2009 - Doctor
liable for not providing sign language interpreter -
www.ama-assn.org
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Report
focuses on long-term effects of battlefield brain injuries -
Traumatic brain injury has become the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, yet its effects are often overlooked. -
www.ama-assn.org
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Mothers tailor sons' immune systems to suit environment, study shows -
Cordis News
* ►January 5, 2009 -
NYT: Portrait Emerges of Anthrax Suspect’s Troubled Life - Anthrax Vaccine
-- posts by Meryl Nass, M.D.
* ►January 2009 - PPD
and Merck in Strategic Outsourcing Deal - ClinicalTrialsToday.com
*
Posted January 5, 2009
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Keith Windschuttle admits Quadrant 'hoax' - Quadrant editor Keith
Windschuttle has confessed he was "tricked" into publishing an article about
popular scares on biotechnology issues in the respected journal. - The
Australian
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Vaccinating older people against pneumonia is a 'waste of time' - Daily
Mail, UK
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Small
Dose of Meningitis Vaccine Useful - PLoS
Neglected Tropical Diseases via Ivanhoe - "A smaller amount of the
standard dose of the meningitis vaccine may be just as effective as a full dose.
... The immune responses of one-fifth and one-tenth of the doses were compared
to a full dose. One-fifth of the dose was found to be comparable to a full
dose."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
4.6 lakh JE doses declared ineffective - New stocks of vaccine expected to
arrive from China only after March - Expressindia.com - "'Since the vaccine is
as good as water now, we will keep it outside the deep freezer and use the
storage space for other vaccines,' said an official of the state Health
Department. 'In no case will we destroy the vaccine in the state as it contains
strains of the virus and in a vulnerable state like ours, this can create
further problems,' he added."
* ►January 6, 2009 -
Celebs roped in to boost Pulse Polio - Times of India
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Pneumococcal vaccine does not appear to protect against pneumonia - Canadian
Medical Association Journal, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS via ScienceDaily
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Bayer
Knowingly Sold HIV-Contaminated Vaccines, Say Internal Documents (includes
video link) - NaturalNews.com
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Pharmalot… Pharmanot… So Long, Folks - Pharmalot - "Dear Pharmalot friends,
This is my long goodbye. For two glorious years, I have had the privilege and
good fortune to run this site. Now, though, the time has come to walk away. This
was a difficult decision, but one that is rooted in the turmoil engulfing the
newspaper business."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Psychiatrists Push SSRIs for Childhood Anxiety- NEJM - Alliance for Human
Research Protection via
http://groups.google.com - "The New
England Journal of Medicine has just published an article ... promoting
the expanded use of antidepressants for treating loosely defined 'Childhood
anxiety.' All the psychiatrists who authored the study have financial ties to
drug manufacturers."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
David Kirby: Top Federal Autism Panel Votes For Millions in Vaccine Research
- The Huffington Post - "The Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
has voted to recommend earmarking millions of dollars in research funds from the
Combating Autism Act of 2006 to study the possible role of vaccines in the
causation of autism. The panel also proposed spending an additional $75 million
to study a wide variety of other environmental factors in autism, possibly
including parental age, infections, heavy metals, neurotoxins, occupational
exposures and 'other biological agents.'"
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Olmsted on Autism: Travolta, Kawasaki, Acrodynia By Dan Olmsted - Age of
Autism
* ►January 5, 2009 -
MMR: It’s ALL or NOTHING! Say goodbye to choice. By Allison Chapman - Age of
Autism
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Why Paul Offit Isn't Flexible on Vaccines - On Medicine Blog via U.S. News &
World Report - "He added that he's not blind to the risks posed by vaccines just
because he invented one. 'Vaccines have side effects,' he says. 'The oral polio
vaccine [no longer in use] can cause polio, and the acellular pertussis vaccine
can cause seizures. But it could be that those children who develop severe
reactions would be even more overwhelmed by a natural infection.' Genetic
studies are now being conducted to see if this is indeed the case."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
What is
Kawasaki syndrome? - Actor John Travolta says that his son, who was found
dead last week, suffered from this inflammatory disorder. Did it play a role in
the teen's death? - Scientific America
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Young
Adult Warrior: John - Age of Autism
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Flu Vaccine Mandatory For New Jersey Children - InjuryBoard.com - "Parents
have banded together to protest the mandate.
New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination
Choice held a rally in Trenton, New Jersey insisting that parents be the
ones who decide on their children’s vaccination schedule, not the state.
'There’s a huge trust gap between parents and public health officials right
now,' said Louise Kuo Habakus, who is a parent and spokeswoman for the group.
'These are our kids. We’re stakeholders. You have to give us a say in this
debate.' There is currently not any exemption for parents who feel strongly
their children shouldn’t fall under the mandate. The group supports the passage
of A260/S1071, legislation
that will provide a conscientious belief exemption to mandatory vaccination."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Parents furious over mandatory flu vaccine - MOMformation via BabyCenter -
"Many New Jersey parents are furious over a requirement that children get a flu
shot in order to attend preschools and day-care centers."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
The HPV Vaccine
Controversy - Major uncertainties over efficacy and safety for costly
vaccines that only benefit the drug giants for sure - Prof. Joe Cummins and Dr.
Mae-Wan Ho - Institute for Science in Society
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Merck Seeks FDA Approval for Gardasil in Boys - Wall Street Journal Health
Blog - "The vaccine is a key product for Merck, which estimates sales this year
of as much as $1.6 billion. But sales have slowed, down 4% in the third quarter
compared to a year earlier."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Boys might get vaccine for sexually transmitted virus (blog) - TCPalm
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Alaska develops
vaccine database - Fort Mills Times - "The state has launched a new database
designed to help health care officials track Alaska residents' vaccine history.
The data base is called VacTrAK."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Sanofi-Aventis spent $1.8M lobbying in 3Q - AP via Forbes - "Meanwhile, the
vaccine division lobbied on a host of issues, including vaccine safety funding,
vaccines for children, influenza vaccine shortage issues, pandemic concerns,
bioterrorism countermeasures and vaccine injury compensation programs."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
CureVac Receives IND Approval from the FDA to start its Phase I/IIa mRNA Vaccine
Clinical Trial in Prostate Cancer - press release - CureVac GmbH via
Marketwire
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Ohio State Studies Alzheimer's Vaccine Effectiveness - HealthNewsDigest.com
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Health risks halted
use of jet injectors - Mayo Clinic via Denver Post
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Low flu vaccination uptake amongst health staff - Irish Medical News - "Only
one-fifth of the annual flu vaccination supply designated for HSE staff around
the country has been taken up, according to new figures."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Virus' Devastation
Compels Mother To Action (includes video) - KETV Omaha - "Her
foundation is working to raise awareness of CMV in an effort to reduce its
effects on newborns."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Norfolk meningitis death an 'isolated' case - EDP24, UK - "The death of a
toddler from meningitis at a Norfolk hospital just after Christmas was an
isolated case and is not being treated as a public health alert, it has
emerged."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Johns
Hopkins-led Team Solves Mystery of Failed Kids Vaccine - Johns Hopkins
Gazette - "Research led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center scientists has
figured out why a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine used in 1966 to inoculate
children against the infection instead caused severe respiratory disease and
effectively stopped efforts to make a better one."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Dutch study
sheds light on virus that causes SARS - Reuters - "The model, created using
hepatitis coronavirus from mice, will help scientists understand severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS), which appeared in China in 2002 and killed some 800
people globally before being brought under control."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
FDA Approves New Test to Screen for HIV in Donated Blood - MPX test detects
nucleic acid from HIV-1 Group O and HIV-2 - HealthDay via Modern Medicine -
"'With the MPX test, blood donor testing laboratories will be able to use
nucleic acid technology to screen for additional HIV strains, further assuring
that donated blood and tissue are free from infection and providing better
protection for patients,' Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., director of the FDA's Center
for Biologics Evaluation and Research, stated in the release."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
Old-fashioned medicine in Madison - Exhibit at museum displays instruments
used by physicians - Daily Record - "One section of the exhibit details the
method used to inoculate Gen. George Washington's soldiers with smallpox while
they were stationed in Morristown in 1777. Medics would run a needle and thread
through a pustule of an infected person and then through the skin of a healthy
person to expose them to the disease in hopes the newly exposed person could
fight the disease and develop an immunity. Washington lost many of his troops to
smallpox while stationed in Morristown. 'Our present Situation compells me to
order you and Major Hay to march with all the Battalion that have got over the
small Pox and are equipped,' George Washington wrote in a May 16, 1777, letter
to Lt. Col. David Green, which also is on display in 'Crafting Cures.'"
* ►January 4, 2009 -
No Mugs, but
What About Those Fees? - editorial (requires registration) - The New York
Times
* ►January 4, 2009 -
John Travolta's brother Joey thought Jett had autism - The Dish Rage via Los
Angeles Times
*
Posted January 4, 2009
* ►January 5, 2009 -
10 yrs after side effects of polio drop kills infant, court orders govt to pay
Rs 2 lakh to family - Expressindia.com - "In a decision aimed at making
public authorities more accountable, a city court has directed the Delhi
government to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the parents of an infant who died
after being administered with Pulse Polio drops in 1999. The court held that the
government was obligated to not only run public health programmes like Pulse
Polio, but was also duty bound to protect people from the probable side-effects
of the vaccine."
* ►January 5, 2009 -
‘EPI vaccinators
have not been paid for six months’ - The News International, Pakistan
* ►January 5, 2009 -
AGP report for 2007-08: Ex-minister kept 3 cars in excess of entitlement *
Audit report says Naseer Khan used four official vehicles, three illegally,
between July 2005 and June 2007 * Says departments concerned bore their repair,
maintenance and fuel expenditures - Daily Times, Pakistan - "The AGP report says
during scrutiny, the record of National Institute of Health (NIH), Expanded
Programme of Immunisation (EPI), Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI)
and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) showed four vehicles – Toyota
Land Cruiser IDE-4684, Luxury Land Cruiser-Prado 5 door X-91-38, Double Cabinet
4x4 GF-922 and Suzuki Car IDB-8773 – in the custody of Naseer Khan from July
2005 to June 2007."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Medical team probes death of five kids in Bihar - IANS via Thaindian.com -
"A medical team is investigating the death of five Dalit children in Bihar’s
Darbhanga district where media reports said several kids are suffering from
measles and chicken-pox. A health official said here the five children in Varahi
village of Darbhanga district died of cold Dec 31-Jan 1."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Vaccines Are ‘Exonerated’ from Causing Autism? The Monkeys Know Better - The
Baby Dust Diaries Blog
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Silencing Autism
By Sara DiFucci - Age of Autism
* ►January 4, 2009 -
John Travolta's Son: Meds Ultimately Did Harm - TMZ.com - "TMZ has learned
more about the medical condition of John Travolta's son, Jett, and the
medication that ultimately didn't work. We're now told the grand mal seizures
Jett suffered were 'frequent and extremely serious.' Travolta's lawyers, Michael
Ossi and Michael McDermott, tell us 'each seizure was like a death,' with Jett
losing consciousness and convulsing. We now know Jett was taking a drug called
Depokate, a strong anti-seizure medication. There have been reports Travolta
refused to give his son anti-seizure meds because of Scientology but those
stories are not true."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
John Travolta, EMT struggled to save 16-year-old Jett - New York Daily News
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Parents of autistic
children join forces to battle costs and confusion - Marin
Independent-Journal
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Autism's financial toll grips parents - Press-Enterprise
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Third Hand Smoke: Dangerous! By Kim Stagliano - Age of Autism
* ►January 4, 2009 -
New flu
strain not yet found in Greenville - Delta Democrat Times - "The Mississippi
State Department of Health (MSDH) reports that the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) has identified a strain of influenza A (H1N1) that is
resistant to the treatment of the antiviral medication Tamiflu. The CDC has
tested the current strains circulating the United States. Of the 78 samples
tested, 50 of those samples were influenza A. Of those 50 samples, 98 percent
were Tamiflu resistant."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
UAMS to begin testing breast
cancer vaccine - Arkansas Democrat Gazette - "The vaccine was developed
through a decade of studying how the immune system responds to disease, said
Thomas Kieber-Emmons, director of basic breast cancer research at the UAMS
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Health fears grow as fake drugs flood into Britain - Counterfeiting gangs
based in China are producing sophisticated copies of the world's bestselling
pharmaceuticals. In 2008 an estimated 8m of these potentially deadly pills found
their way to NHS patients. The health of millions of people is at risk - The
Guardian, UK
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Some antibiotics overprescribed, effects not widely known (requires
registration or subscription) - Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "When Dr. J.T.
Cooper hobbles around his Marietta medical office, the boot brace on his right
foot is a reminder of a danger posed by some of the most popular — and
misprescribed — antibiotics on the market. Like thousands of others who have
taken Levaquin, Cipro and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cooper suffered a
near-rupture of his Achilles tendon. Tendon side effects have been reported for
at least 20 years, but drug makers only began sending letters to doctors warning
them of the problem in recent months."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
'Tsunami' of autism cases
crippling to Marin parents, schools - Marin Independent-Journal
* ►January 3, 2009 -
UW researcher
finds link between age, birth order and autism - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- "The risk of a firstborn with an autism spectrum disorder triples after a
mother turns 35 and a father reaches 40. Although the study was not designed to
uncover the cause of the disorder, the findings suggest avenues of research to
explore, including the role of environmental toxins."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Vaccinations: Reasonable Doubt - The Baby Dust Diaries Blog
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Superflu strikes in the Midlands - Sunday Mercury - "Seven Midlanders have
been struck by a potentially lethal strain of superflu which is resistant to
drugs over the last six months. The Health Protection Agency said the patients
survived the H1N1 virus which cannot be treated with the Tamiflu – the usual
drug prescribed to treat the illness. Tamiflu has been stockpiled by the British
Government as the first line of defence against a feared global flu outbreak."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Flu
resistance causes concern - Augusta Chronicle - "In its last national flu
report for the week ending Dec. 20, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention noted that 64 of 65 samples of the influenza A H1N1 strain were
resistant to oseltamivir, marketed as Tamiflu."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Cuba prevents annual
epidemic among 5m people using homeopathy - Irish Homeopaths
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Cameroon doubles
Vaccination figures to get more aid - MyNews.in
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Russia: Bloggers Debate Immunization of Children - Global Voices
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Sanofi Gets the Tax Breaks It Wanted in Vaccine HQ Deal - BNET Pharma Blog
*
Posted January 3, 2009
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Chickenpox jab may be added to MMR - The Times, UK - "All children and
pregnant women could be routinely vaccinated against chickenpox under a shake-up
of immunisation policy."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Vaccine horror - letter - Washington Times - "I witnessed the transformation
of a normal 4-year-old into a seizure-stricken, neurologically impaired child
with no ability to walk, talk or feed herself. The culprit? The
measles-mumps-rubella vaccine."
* ►January 4, 2009 -
Sympathy for the devils: cubs are hope for species - Sydney Morning Herald -
"With facial tumour disease (FTD) wiping out 50 per cent of the wild Tasmanian
devil population since 1996, the world is increasingly turning to captive
breeding programs to save the marsupial from extinction. The task has taken on
even greater importance after a crucial immunisation trial failed last month.
For two years scientists had pinned their hopes for the survival of the devils
on a young male named Cedric, which they had tried to vaccinate using dead FTD
cells."
* ►January 3, 2009 - Court
rules in favor of family in MMR vaccine case (video) - South Florida Sun
Sentinel
* ►January 3, 2009 -
David Kirby: Change.org v Change.gov and Autism Recovery - The Huffington
Post
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Change.gov v.
Change.org and Autism Recovery - Age of Autism
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Defining the Autism Debate - Autism Blog via
http://autism.about.com
* ►January 3, 2009 -
What is Turning our Servicemen Violent at Home? - Age of Autism
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Riddle of John Travolta's son - could he have been saved? - Claims that
Jett, 16, suffered from condition he was never treated for is denied by his
devastated father. - Mirror, UK
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Did Carpet Cleaning Kill John Travolta's Son? - As the star and celebrity
wife Kelly Preston mourn their loss, they raise questions about Kawasaki Disease
and toxic exposure. Others want to blame Scientology. - The Daily Green
* ►January 3, 2009 -
John Travolta's son to have autopsy amid autism allegations - An autopsy
will be conducted on Jett Travolta, teenage son of the Hollywood star John, who
died in the family's Bahamas home on Friday after an apparent seizure. - The
Telegraph, UK
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Scientists on Staten Island at forefront of war on autism - Staten Island
Advance via SILive.com - "How early can autism be detected? It's a question the
world's leading scientists are seeking to answer -- and many of those scientists
can be found on Staten Island in the labs of the New York State Institute for
Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBR) in Willowbrook."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Merck mired in mayhem
- Renew America - "An action alert from
Children of God for Life arrived in my 'in box' moments ago. When you read
the headline, please note that the word "monovalent"
is defined as an entity "having specific immunologic activity against a single
antigen, microorganism, or disease," such as a monovalent vaccine. Following is
the action alert: Manufacturer Stops Sales of Monovalents for Measles, Mumps,
Rubella Vaccines"
* ►January 3, 2009 -
What’s Race Got to Do With It? -
Nine clinical trials around the world are studying treatments in groups defined
by race, gender or both. - Newsweek - "A recent study in
The Pharmacogenomics Journal counted up
nine clinical trials around the world studying diseases or treatments in groups
defined by race or gender or both, including chronic hepatitis B in blacks and
Hispanics and respiratory syncytial virus in Native American infants."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
CKHA
issues flu vaccine warning - Chatham Daily News - "Staff and patients at
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance who received a vaccine at Sydenham campus between
Oct. 29 and Nov. 30 are being advised that it may not be effective. CKHA said 80
staff and 46 patients have been warned that the effectiveness of the vaccine may
have been compromised due to unexpected fluctuations in the temperature of the
refrigerator in which the specific vaccines were stored."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
New bird flu cases revive fears of human pandemic - Hong Kong, believed to
have been free of H5N1, is forced to cull thousands of poultry after an
outbreak. Two avian flu deaths are reported in Egypt and Indonesia. (requires
registration) - Los Angeles Times - "Mainland China is using a newer poultry
vaccine developed specifically for H5N1. But vaccination programs there and in
Vietnam have not eliminated outbreaks. The vaccine itself could be the problem,
said Robert Webster, a virologist and avian flu expert at St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Vaccines should be used only in areas where
the virus is out of control, and then only temporarily, he said. That is because
routinely administering the vaccine encourages the evolution to resistant
strains."
* ►January 3, 2009 - ESTEVE
And IRSICAIXA Sign Partnership Agreement For The Development Of A Vaccine Aimed
To Eradicate AIDS In The Next 10 Years -
www.inforpress.es - via Medical News Today - "The more than 40 researchers
that work at HIVACAT are to carry out a series of clinical trials aimed at
developing the vaccine treatment that stops the progression of the virus in
those already infected, and a preventive vaccine to prevent the infection in
case of possible exposure to HIV. The challenge is huge, although the vaccine
will be only partially active, it could help to considerably reduce numbers of
infections linked to HIV."
* ►January 3, 2009 - If
you must be sick, don't be a sucker as well - People with colds these days
would rather dose themselves with overpriced ‘cures' than simply retire to bed -
The London Times - "No wonder the take-up of the flu vaccine has extended beyond
the oldest and most vulnerable. Perhaps we are heading towards the American
model. In many states children aged between 2 and 18 are only allowed to attend
school if they've received the jab. (Just imagine the hoo-hah among the MMR =
autism brigade.) Certainly employers are offering it now as a winter ritual.
Once this looked laughably Stakhanovite: “Yes boss, please stick a needle in me,
anything to help me serve you more ably.” It seemed pitifully corporate to
entrust your immune system to your employer and forgo the God-given duvet days
that help us through to spring."
* ►January 3, 2009 - Rumor
has it that we're gullible, yet helpful - From bottle-cap cancer fighters to
presidential politics, hoaxes and other falsehoods are on the rise - AP via The
Charleston Gazette - "More worrisome are the roughly 131 cases of measles among
U.S. children reported this year, the highest number in over a decade. Nearly
half the cases involve parents who rejected vaccines, partly due to rumors they
may cause autism, despite abundant scientific evidence to the contrary. "Once
these large institutions are not trusted, then rumors have much more power,"
says Nicholas DiFonzo, a professor of psychology at the Rochester Institute of
Technology and the author of "The Water Cooler Effect." "As people trust the
press less and less, the public will be influenced by rumors more and more," he
said."
* ►January 3, 2009 - Retired
druggist fears biological attack, urges stockpiling antibiotic -
News-Journal
* ►January 3, 2009 - Parents'
voice stifled in China milk issue (requires registration) - Police detain
five for a day, forestalling a news conference about their children who are ill
from tainted formula. - Los Angeles Times
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Bangladesh
vaccinates millions in anti-polio drive - Reuters - "Field workers from the
health and family welfare ministry, along with some 600,000 volunteers,
administered oral polio vaccines to some 22 million children, and vitamin A
capsule to 21 million children at 140,000 sites, officials at the health
directorate said. Health officials will follow a four-day door-to-door visit so
that every child is vaccinated."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Portrait Emerges
of Anthrax Suspect’s Troubled Life (requires registration) - The New York
Times - "Still, doubts persist. The case will be reviewed this year by the
National Academy of Sciences and by Congress. If the F.B.I. is wrong, then a
troubled man was hounded to death and the anthrax perpetrator is still at large,
as many of Dr. Ivins’s colleagues at Fort Detrick believe. When institute
scientists began their own review of the evidence, nervous Army officials
ordered the inquiry dropped."
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Will Fosamax be Vioxx all over again? - OpEdNews
* ►January 2, 2009 - Law
on Flu Vaccinations May Be Tested (requires registration) - The New York
Times - "This fall, the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice held a rally
in Trenton that drew hundreds of parents who said they should be the ones to
decide if their children need flu shots, not the state. “There’s a huge trust
gap between parents and public health officials right now,” said Louise Kuo
Habakus, who is a parent and spokeswoman for the New Jersey Coalition for
Vaccination Choice. “These are our kids. We’re stakeholders. You have to give us
a say in this debate.”
* ►January 2, 2009 - Notice:
Notice of Availability of Evaluations of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Subtype H5N1 Status of Germany and Poland - Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA via
www.pharmcast.com
* ►January 2, 2009 - Brian
and Leighanne Littrell Urge Parents to Follow Their Instincts - Celebrity
Baby Blog - "In late November and throughout December, Backstreet Boy singer
Brian Littrell and his wife Leighanne were living a nightmare as they watched
their 6-year-old son Baylee Thomas Wylee succumb to a mysterious illness. While
he was ultimately diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki Disease, the diagnosis did
not come without significant pressure from his parents. The couple have spoken
out about their ordeal to OK!, and their message is simple. “If you feel like
something is wrong, follow your instinct,” Leighanne says. “Doctors don’t know
everything.”
* ►January 2, 2009 - Friday
Free-for-All: Sound Off on TV, Vaccinations, Vicious Relatives - About.com
Special Needs Children
* ►January 2, 2009 - 'Environmental
Justice,' insurance coverage for autism, Hospice services are subject of new
laws effective Jan. 1, 2009 - One of the newly enacted laws requires health
insurance companies in the state to cover physical, speech and occupational
therapies for autism spectrum disorders if their policies cover the same
treatment for other conditions. - Mansfield Today
* ►January 2, 2009 - US
parents want answers after China milk scare - AP via Tampa Bay Online
* ►January 2, 2009 - Parents
of kids in China milk scandal released - AP via St. Louis Today
* ►January 2, 2009 - China
dairies offer text apology - Chinese dairy companies involved in the
tainted milk scandal have apologised in a New Year text message sent to millions
of mobile phone subscribers. - BBC
* ►January 2, 2009 - Widow:
Charles City man didn't die of 'mad cow disease' - The Gazette - "The widow
of a man who died of a rare brain disease wants Iowans to know there is no "mad
cow disease" outbreak in the state. Paula Squier, 55, of Charles City, said her
husband, Tom Squier, 60, died Wednesday of what doctors at University of Iowa
Hospitals and Clinics diagnosed as sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease."..."Only
those cases in people under age 55 are investigated, to ensure that it's not the
human variant of mad cow disease, Quinlisk said."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
State
deadline for child flu vaccines extended to Jan. 14 - Press of Atlantic City
- "'Since this is the first year that the vaccination is being required, we are
giving parents a little more time to comply,' said Dawn Thomas, a spokeswoman
for the DHSS."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Letters give vaccination rate a
booster shot - Torstar Network via Mississauga.com - "After years of
struggling to get the children of new Canadians to realize that their children
could be suspended from school for missed vaccination shots, the Peel District
School Board has resolved much of the problem — by talking to parents in their
own language."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
American Medical Student
Association Applauds Pharmaceutical Industry For Voluntary Ban; Continues to
Call for Federal Regulation - press release - American Medical Student
Association (AMSA) - "Home to the next generation of physicians, AMSA also calls
for federal regulations to govern the pharmaceutical industry’s interactions
with medical institutions. Specifically, AMSA supports passage of the Physician
Payment Sunshine Act of 2008 (S.2029), which would require disclosure of
payments to physicians by the pharmaceutical industry. 'Given that
pharmaceutical companies have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders,
and given that they are a business that must take profits into consideration,
the pharmaceutical industry cannot be expected to self-regulate,' continues
Hurley. 'Congress must fight to ensure the quality of medical education, which
necessitates non-biased, evidence-based information about medications and
medical devices. This is the only way to produce a medical system that can
provide quality, affordable patient care for everyone.'"
* ►January 2, 2009 -
A bitter pill
- President of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Joseph Mahady talks to Arabian Business
about the challenges facing global pharmaceutical firms and his plans for
weathering the economic storm. - ArabianBusiness.com - "Prevnar, the first
immunisation for infants against pneumococcal bacteria, a common cause of
pneumonia and ear infections, is now mandatory in countries including Kuwait and
Qatar, and in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Largely on the back of these national
immunisation programmes, third quarter sales of Prevnar rose 13 percent to
$717m."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Child Health
Days brings vital treatments to rural Somalia - UNICEF
* ►December 30, 2008 - Notice:
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management
and Budget Review; Comment Request; Experimental Evaluation of the Impact of
Distraction on Consumer Understanding of Risk and Benefit Information in
Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Broadcast Advertisements - Food and
Drug Administration, HHS via
www.pharmcast.com
* ►December 30, 2008 - Seven
trends to watch in kids' health - Vitamin D intake, SIDS prevention, health
coverage top 2008 developments. For children and adolescents, 2008 offered a
mixed bag of health trends and developments that are poised to carry over into
next year. Many of the changes focused on preventing serious diseases and
disability later in life. - MarketWatch
* ►December 16, 2008 - Title:
Methods and compositions for determining risk of treatment toxicity
(patent) - The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Palo
Alto, CA) via www.pharmcast.com
* ►December 2008 - How
do trials pay? (requires registration) - The Scientist
* ►December 2008 -
Vitamin
A Toxicity - The Vitamin D Newsletter via Vitamin D Council
Posted January 2, 2009
* ►January 22, 2009 - Vaccine-induced
enhancement of viral infections - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 22, 2009 - Immunoproteomic
analysis of Bordetella pertussis and identification of new immunogenic proteins
- journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 22, 2009 - Does
yellow fever 17D vaccine protect against melanoma? - journal article
(Vaccine)
* ►January 22, 2009 - Herpes
zoster burden of illness and health care resource utilisation in the Australian
population aged 50 years and older - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Immunogenicity
and safety of measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine followed by one
dose of varicella vaccine in children aged 15 months–2 years or 2–6 years primed
with measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Eczema
vaccinatum resulting from the transmission of vaccinia virus from a smallpox
vaccinee: An investigation of potential fomites in the home environment
- journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - WHO
meeting on the standardization of HPV assays and the role of the WHO HPV
Laboratory Network in supporting vaccine introduction held on 24–25 January
2008, Geneva, Switzerland - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Safety
and efficacy of a novel microneedle device for dose sparing intradermal
influenza vaccination in healthy adults - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Risk
factors for nosocomial rotavirus infection in a paediatric hospital: The
potential role for rotavirus vaccine use - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Efficient
and robust method for comparing the immunogenicity of candidate vaccines in
randomized clinical trials - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Redesigned
immunization card and center-based education to reduce childhood immunization
dropouts in urban Pakistan: A randomized controlled trial - journal
article (Vaccine)
* ►January 14, 2009 - Forecasting
demand for Hib-containing vaccine in the world's poorest countries: A 4-year
prospective experience - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 7, 2009 - Adverse
events after anthrax vaccination reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting
System (VAERS), 1990–2007 - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 7, 2009 - Potential
impacts of schedule changes, waning immunity and vaccine uptake on measles
elimination in Australia - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 7, 2009 - Determinants
of non-compliance with herpes zoster vaccination in the community-dwelling
elderly - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 7, 2009 -
In vitro evidence that commercial influenza vaccines are not similar in their
ability to activate human T cell responses - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 7, 2009 - Flu
vaccination policy in old adults: Need for harmonization of national public
health recommendations throughout Europe - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 7, 2009 - Identification
of Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccine candidates using human CD4+ T-cells
expression cloning - journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 3, 2009 -
Chickenpox jab for all children and pregnant women - Daily Mail, UK -
"Professor Finn, a paediatrician at Bristol University's medical school,
predicted that mass immunisation could be introduced within five years. There
are concerns that vaccinating children could lead to a surge of shingles among
adults. Shingles, which causes ongoing pain, develops when a chickenpox germ
which has lain in the body for many years reactivates. Cases of chickenpox among
children are thought to boost adults' immune systems and prevent shingles from
developing. Vaccinating against shingles could sidestep the problem. But London
GP Richard Halvorsen, author of The Truth
About Vaccines, said: 'Shingles is much more of a health issue than
chickenpox. So we are potentially making a very small problem a little bit less
and making a big problem that much bigger.'"
* ►January 2, 2009 -
David Kirby: "Recovery from autism is neither
possible, nor desirable" - The Huffington Post
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Stem Cells for Brain Injury Recovery? By Kent Heckenlively, Esq. - Age of
Autism
* ►January 2, 2009 -
MSG and Autism By John Erb - Age of Autism
* ►January 2, 2009 -
US Court Rules In Baby Ben's Favour - MMR Vaccine - The One Click Group
* ►January 2, 2009 -
A Sister Copes With Her Brother’s Autism - New York Times Blogs - "For a
painfully honest take on how a special needs child affects other members of the
family, listen to this excellent report from National Public Radio,
Coping
With an Autistic Brother: A Teenager’s Take. The piece focuses on
15-year-old Marissa Skillings, whose 11-year-old brother Andrew has Asperger’s
syndrome, a form of autism. Marissa talks about the challenges of living with a
brother on the autism spectrum."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Rising autism rates
challenge schools - Districts must provide training so staff members can
deliver proper services - The State - "The number of students diagnosed with
autism in South Carolina’s public schools has more than doubled in the past five
years, creating more challenges in programming and staffing for education
officials. The state Department of Education counted 2,685 students in 2007, up
from 1,283 students in 2003, with autism as their leading disorder. Official
data for 2008 was not completed by mid-December, when school districts are
required to update their totals."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
A Closer Look at What Ailed Jett Travolta - E! Online - "Kelly Preston has
said that she believes toxic cleaning products in her family's home caused her
son's health problems early in life. Jett, her 16-year-old son with husband John
Travolta, died suddenly Friday morning after suffering a seizure while on
vacation with his familiy in the Bahamas. He was hospitalized when he was 15
months old with Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that mainly affects young
children. ... In 2002, Preston described to Montel Williams what the family went
through when Jett got sick. 'Jett's whole immune system shut down, and he got
really sick with high fevers, 104 and 105,' she said. 'I kept taking him into
the doctor and they didn't know what was wrong with him. He developed a rash on
his body, swollen lymph glands—it was horrible.' Doctors at Children's Hospital
Los Angeles ultimately diagnosed Jett with Kawasaki disease."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
John Travolta
and Kelly Preston's Son, Jett, Dies at 16 - TV Guide via Seattle
Post-Intelligencer - "In the past there have been reports that Jett was
autistic, but Travolta always denied it, saying instead that his son suffered
from Kawasaki Syndrome, a disease characterized by high fever, skin rash and
swelling of the lymph nodes. Travolta follows Scientology, which does not
recognize autism."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Jett Travolta's death swirls up old rumors of autism - Examiner.com
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Change Has Come! Autism One Conference, Chicago 2009 - The One Click Group -
"May 20-24, 2009 ... www.autismone.org"
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Award Winning Lina Moreco Launches Vaccine Film - We are proud to announce a
new film from award-winning senior documentary filmmaker Lina Moreco of Canada.
Lina's work includes Medicine Under the
Influence, 2007 Winner of the Gemeaux Award for Best Documentary: Nature
& Sciences. - The One Click Group
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Missed shots spur kids'
suspension - Students lacking required vaccinations may be kept out of
school (requires registration or subscription) - Toronto Star - "In Ontario,
families who wish to opt out for religious, philosophical or medical reasons are
required to submit notarized letters to Toronto Public Health for the exemption
to be valid, Dubey said. Despite reports of an anti-vaccine movement, that
number has remained at about 2 per cent for several years."
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Democrats
Debate Methods to End Stem Cell Ban (requires registration) - The New York
Times
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Pillars Of Psychiatry Flogged To Pharma 2008 - Alliance for Human Research
Protection via The One Click Group
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Evelyn Pringle: SSRI
Pushers under Fire - Scoop.co.nz
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Bioethics Professor Seeks to Drug College Students with Ritalin Before Exams
- NaturalNews.com
* ►January 2, 2009 -
Pfizer Project Looks at Side Effects - Boston Hospitals to Use Electronic
Records to Encourage Doctor Reporting (free preview) - The Wall Street Journal
* ►January 2, 2009 - Baby
Bonus and Maternity Immunisation Allowance reforms make system fairer and
simpler - Web Newswire - "The Maternity Immunisation Allowance will be
split, and two separate payments will be made. Payment will be made when a child
is appropriately immunised between the ages of 18 months and two years, and
again between the ages of four and five years. The changes to the Maternity
Immunisation Allowance will encourage parents to have their children fully
immunised before beginning school and brings the payment more closely into line
with the National Immunisation Program."
* ►January 2, 2009 - Study
Shows Correlation In New Mexico Between Childhood Immunization Rates And
Medicaid Enrollment - PLoS One
via Medical News Today
* ►January 2, 2009 - GeneThera
Will Test Milk And Dairy Products Due To Evidence Linking Johne's Disease To IBS
And Crohn's Disease - Genethera, Inc via Medical News Today - "According to
GeneThera Chairman, Dr. Tony Milici, MD, PhD, "GeneThera specializes in
diagnostic assays and vaccines for what we call 'Crossover Diseases.' These are
diseases that are typically found in cattle, but create a significant risk to
humans that consume them. Some other examples would be E. coli, and Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy, otherwise known as Mad Cow Disease. We feel that not
enough is being done by the USDA to properly protect the American consumer from
these harmful pathogens."
* ►January 2, 2009 - FDA
Prevents Two Dairies from Adulterating Animal Drugs and Food - FDA
* ►January 2, 2009 -
US Army, Thai
Researchers Close in on Vaccine for Dengue Fever - Voice of America
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Let students take drugs to boost brainpower, says leading academic - The
Times, UK - "John Harris, professor of bioethics and director of the Institute
for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, said the
government and medical profession should 'seriously consider' making
cognition-enhancing drugs available to students without prescription, or
allowing them to be prescribed for non-therapeutic purposes, such as studying."
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Diamyd Medical:
New Study Application To Vaccinate Against Juvenile Diabetes With Diamyd® -
Medical News Today - "The Diamyd® vaccine is already being tested in Europe and
the US in the Company's own Phase III studies of children and adolescents with
recent-onset type 1 diabetes."
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Coping
With An Autistic Brother: A Teenager's Take - (includes audio) - All Things
Considered via NPR
* ►January 1, 2009 - Grand
Junction attorney joins state autism panel - Grand Junction Free Press - "Beckner
and others believe the syndrome’s cause is tied to heavy metals that are
injected into the children from vaccinations they receive before their second
birthday. Children often get vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough,
mumps, rubella, chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, flu, pneumonia, and others. The
vaccines had been preserved in solutions containing mercury, Beckner said, and
now those vaccines are suspected in helping cause autism. Flu shots also were
preserved in a mercury solution, and when expectant mothers were given the
shots, that exposed the babies to the metal, Beckner said."
* ►January 1, 2009 - A
recombinant replication-defective human adenovirus type 3: A vaccine candidate
- journal article (Vaccine)
* ►January 1, 2009 - Herbal
chemical helps combat HIV - University of California via UPI
* ►January 2009 - Effectiveness
of Maternal Influenza Immunization in Mothers and Infants - journal article
(AAP Grand Rounds)
* ►January 2009 - Sudden
Unexpected Infant Death Associated With Bassinet Use - journal article (AAP
Grand Rounds)
* ►December 31, 2008 - Demographic
and Clinical Factors Associated with Response to Smallpox Vaccine in
Preimmunized Volunteers - journal article (PLoS
One) - "Previously vaccinated volunteers can be successfully revaccinated
with the Lister strain."
* ►December 31, 2008 - Concurrent
Generation of Effector and Central Memory CD8 T Cells during Vaccinia Virus
Infection - journal article (PLoS
One)
* ►December 30, 2008 - In
Vitro and In Vivo Human Herpesvirus 8 Infection of Placenta - journal
article (PLoS One)
* ►December 29, 2008 - Safety,
Humoral and Cell Mediated Immune Responses to Two Formulations of an
Inactivated, Split-Virion Influenza A/H5N1 Vaccine in Children -
journal article (PLoS One)
* ►December 29, 2008 - Sex-Differential
Effect on Infant Mortality of Oral Polio Vaccine Administered with BCG at Birth
in Guinea-Bissau. A Natural Experiment - journal article (PLoS
One)
* ►December 24, 2008 - The
Impact of Changing Medicaid Enrollments on New Mexico's Immunization Program
- journal article (PLoS One)
* ►December 23, 2008 - A
Small Community Model for the Transmission of Infectious Diseases: Comparison of
School Closure as an Intervention in Individual-Based Models of an Influenza
Pandemic - journal article (PLoS
One)
* ►December 11, 2008 - Reference
Intervals in Healthy Adult Ugandan Blood Donors and Their Impact on Conducting
International Vaccine Trials - journal article (PLoS
One)
Posted January 1, 2009
* ►January 15, 2009 - Drug
Companies & Doctors: A Story of Corruption (book review) - Side Effects: A
Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial - The New
York Review of Books
* ►January 1, 2009 - Dr.
Offit Vs. Dr. Sears - A Copy/Paste Blow By Blow - Skepticdad Blog - "The
doctors who worked with Merck and GSK and were part of the research that
recommended Hep B vaccination in infants could be the most honorable, dedicated,
unbiased doctors in the world. I’ve never met them. But in medical school we are
taught to at least briefly raise an eyebrow at research funded by a
pharmaceutical company, instead of simply taking it for granted. I will
emphasize that while I did that, I didn’t do so based on their pharmaceutical
ties. I simply wondered about the findings in the research. While some people
might question the motives of and advice given by any doctor with financial ties
to the vaccine industry, I refrain from doing so in my book."
* ►January 1, 2009 - Dow
Chemical in talks for Michigan dioxin cleanup - Chicago Tribune - "The
Tribune reported in May that a regional administrator with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency was ousted after she cut off similar
negotiations with Dow, saying they were going nowhere. "In my experience, Dow
only enters into negotiations if they can cut a better deal for themselves, not
the environment," said Mary Gade, who was the Bush administration's top
environmental official in Chicago before tangling with Dow on the dioxin issue.
Meanwhile, advocates say, thousands of people remain at risk from highly toxic
and persistent chemicals that are linked to cancer and other health problems."
* ►January 1, 2009 - Phthalate
ban in children's products now in force in California (includes video) -
Contra Costa Times
* ►January 1, 2009 -
A pediatrician's cautious plan for vaccinating kids - Arizona Republic -
"Although he knows well the controversies that swirl around them, pediatrician
Robert Sears is not opposed to flu shots and other immunizations to protect kids
from disease. But he hopes his approach to the traditional immunization schedule
will alleviate the fears of parents who are."
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Drug-resistant 'superflu' in Britain - A potentially deadly, drug-resistant
strain of "superflu" is circulating in Britain, scientists have warned. - The
Telegraph, UK - "The potent virus, which is more likely to trigger serious
complications in patients, is a strain of the previously known H1N1 influenza
virus, but cannot be treated with the most common flu drug, Tamiflu."
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Researchers ponder future of bird flu - Canadian Press via CTV
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Baby bonus lump sums make way for monthly instalments - Parents of babies
born from today will miss out on the lump-sum baby bonus and, instead, will be
paid in fortnightly instalments. - Melbourne Herald Sun via News.com.au - "The
Maternity Immunisation Allowance also will be split into two separate payments.
Ms Macklin said payments would be made when a child was immunised from 18 months
to two years, and again from four to five. She said the changes would encourage
parents to have their children immunised before starting school and brought the
payment more into line with the National Immunisation Program."
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Death of an
AIDS Skeptic - Friends Say Christine Maggiore Endured Media Stress; Doctors
Say She Caused Misery - ABC News
* ►January 1, 2009 -
Widespread off-label drug prescription raises safety concerns - Canwest News
Service via Ottawa Citizen
* ►December 31, 2008 - Biotech/Pharma
Lobbying Scoreboard - Third Quarter Update - Part II - Patent Docs - "Eli
Lilly and Co. spent more than $3.3 million on third quarter lobbying - Pfizer
Inc. spent almost $3.1 million on third quarter lobbying - GlaxoSmithKline spent
nearly $2 million on third quarter lobbying - Abbott Laboratories spent almost
$1.8 million on third quarter lobbying - Johnson & Johnson spent $1.5 million on
third quarter lobbying - Novartis AG spent nearly $1.4 million on third quarter
lobbying - Merck & Co. Inc. spent $1.11 million on third quarter lobbying -
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. spent $840,000 on third quarter lobbying - Wyeth spent
$756,650 on third quarter lobbying - Emergent BioSolutions Inc. spent $575,000
on third quarter lobbying - Allergan Inc. spent $460,000 on third quarter
lobbying - Covidien Ltd. spent $450,000 on third quarter lobbying - Gilead
Sciences Inc. spent $240,000 on third quarter lobbying"
* ►December 31, 2008 - Leave
the Sinking Ship: An Open Invitation to the Wall Street Journal to Get on Board
for Integrative Health Reform - beliefnet.com
* ►December 31, 2008 - Resolving
to Care: Integrative Health Care Reform - The Huffington Post - "The Obama
Administration will improve quality and lower costs by accessing a wide range of
integrative health care modalities. Why is that a problem? Because when
integrative methods are adopted for wellness maintenance, for disease
prevention, and/or for treatment of chronic diseases and anti-aging, it will
signal one thing: An end to the long gravy train ride for pharmaceutical
companies, insurance companies, and conventional practices based more on the
profit motive than on caring."
* ►December 31, 2008 - More
Gulf War cases may be coming - Marshall County Tribune - "Approximately one
in every four of nearly 700,000 men and women who served in the first Gulf War
suffer loss of memory, body aches, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and eczema,
according to Internet-based reports read by Hill who says it's "because we had
so much exposure to oil fires and the medication to protect against anthrax."
* ►December 31, 2008 - WA
lawmaker wants drug cos to take back medicine - A state lawmaker wants to
make drug companies responsible for disposing of unused medicine that could end
up in the environment or be abused by teens. - AP via The Seattle Times
* ►December 31, 2008 - Error
Seen in E.P.A. Report on Contaminant (requires registration) - The New York
Times
* ►December 31, 2008 - Former
Head of Chinese Dairy Pleads Guilty (requires registration) - The New York
Times
* ►December 31, 2008 - Vitamin
C reduces blood pressure - A new study has found that high levels of
ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the blood are linked with lower blood pressure in
young women. - Press TV
* ►December 31, 2008 - Grape
extract kills cancer cells - An extract from grape seeds can destroy cancer
cells, US research suggests. - BBC
* ►December 31, 2008 - Child's
ADHD Diagnosis Linked to Mother's Use of Health Services (requires
registration) - Medical Care via
Medscape Medical News
* ►December 31, 2008 -
Taiwan achieves initial breakthrough in development of poultry vaccine -
Central News Agency via eTaiwanNews
* ►December 31, 2008 -
The death of 23-year-old Jordan Traylor has people asking one question. Can
a young, healthy person die from the flu? - Gaston Gazette
* ►December 31, 2008 -
Is A Flu Pandemic
Imminent? By Greg Ciola -
www.newswithviews.com
* ►December 29, 2008 - Federal
Emergency Management Agency does not enjoy immunity from suit by plaintiffs
seeking to recover from exposure to formaldehyde in trailers, yesterday dealt
plaintiffs a setback by holding that they are not entitled to present their
claims against various trailer manufacturers through a class action. (pdf) -
www.laed.uscourts.gov
* ►December 29, 2008 - Common
food additive found to increase risk and speed spread of lung cancer -
American Thoracic Society via EurekAlert!
* ►December 28, 2008 - Are
You Sure You're Not Psychotic Asks Shameless Drug Company? - OpEdNews
* ►December 23, 2008 - Tobacco
firm used extensive strategy to undermine secondhand smoke policy in China -
Public Library of Science via
EurekAlert!
* ►December 23, 2008 - Tobacco
company scientist gained access to WHO collaborating center -
Public Library of Science via
EurekAlert!
* ►December 17, 2008 - J&J
and Risperdal: New Claims of Kickbacks and Fraudulent Marketing - BNET
Pharma
* ►December 16, 2008 - The
New Human Papillomavirus (HPV) for Pediatric and Adolescent Health
(requires registration) (full text) -
Pediatric Nursing via Medscape
* ►December 16, 2008 - United
States death map revealed - BioMed Central via EurekAlert!
* ►December 2008 -
NVIC president calls
for repeal of VICA as Big Pharma convinces courts to deny damages in product
liability cases - Idaho Observer - "As Vaccination Liberation Director Ingri
Cassel observed, 'The damage from passage of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Act
has been done, giving the pharmaceutical industry $billions in profits without
any real liability until the Vioxx scandal and a few Prozac/Zoloft cases where
the plaintiffs were pressured to settle out of court. Now, with these recent
Supreme Court cases, it is naďve for parents to think they will be able to
civilly sue vaccine manufacturers for damages and have any chance of winning
once VICA is repealed."
* ►December 2008 - Amalgam
dental fillings and hearing loss. - journal article (International
Journal of Audiology) - "The strongest association (r=0.587, n=39,
p<.001, r(2)=0.345) was at 14 kHz, where each additional amalgam filling was
associated with a 2.4 dB decline in hearing threshold (95% confidence interval
[CI], 1.3-3.5 dB). The results suggest an association between more amalgam
fillings and poorer thresholds at higher frequencies, which could contribute to
presbyacusis in developed countries. This provides further argument for the use
of amalgams to be phased out where suitable alternatives exist."
*
Posted December 31, 2008
* ►January 15, 2009 - Using
Surveillance to Evaluate Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (free full text) -
journal article (The Journal of Infectious
Diseases)
* ►January 15, 2009 - Effectiveness
of Inactivated Influenza Vaccines Varied Substantially w