What The Poling Autism Case Means

March 13, 2008 | For the past decade, advocacy groups have claimed that vaccines cause autism, a behavior and language disorder, in children. At the center of the debate is a compound called thimerosal,health club a mercury-based preservative that was used in most vaccines until around 2001. Many of the advocates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Salon, have accused doctors, drug companies and the federal government of hiding the truth about thimerosal and its connection to autism.

Despite the charges, multiple studies have demonstrated no connection between thimerosal (or anything else about vaccines) and autism. health club In the past nine months alone, at least three studies have shown that thimerosal has no relationship to autism or any other neurological disorders. One study, published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, looked at autism rates in California after the removal of thimerosal. Not only did the rates not go down, they continued to rise. For these reasons, the government and most doctors stand by the belief that vaccines are effective and safe.

However, last week, the U.S. government awarded compensation to a Georgia family, the Polings, who had sued the government (along with 5,000 other families whose children have autism), claiming vaccines had caused autism in their now 9-year-old daughter, Hannah. As the decision made headlines, health club antivaccine groups claimed victory and vindication, and parents fretted over whether to vaccinate their children.

This is the real danger of this case. As a pediatrician, I hate to see parents pass up the chance to give their kids vaccines, which have saved countless lives, prevented some of the deadliest diseases in human history and remain safe. health club So what should we make of the Poling decision? Let me take it one point at a time.

What did the government decide?

For many years now, the federal government has set aside funds for children who have been injured by vaccines. Doctors and other health professionals can report adverse outcomes to the government, and parents can file claims in federal "vaccine court." The court's judges, known as special masters, review claims. If they find a child was injured by a vaccine, they award compensation to that child.

In this case, "CHILD [Hannah Poling] v. Secretary of Health and Human Services," the court "concluded that the facts of this case meet the statutory criteria for demonstrating that the vaccinations CHILD received on July 19, 2000, significantly aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder, which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, respondent recommends that compensation be awarded to petitioners."

Does that mean vaccines caused Hannah to become autistic?

No. Look again at the court statement: Hannah has "an underlying mitochondrial disorder, which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of autistic spectrum disorder." Throughout the document health club, both Hannah's doctors and lab results support the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorder.

Not a diagnosis of autism?

Right. Mitochondrial disorder does not equal autism. Generally speaking, mitochondria are the parts of our cells that help generate energy. When they fail, the body's cells go awry, which can lead to failures in any number of normal body functions. There are at least 40 known mitochondrial disorders, and probably many more we haven't yet found. But it's clear from the transcript of the court's decision that this was not a case of vaccines causing autism. Rather, this is a case where the court deemed it plausible that vaccines aggravated an underlying disease caused by bad mitochondria, health club and that some of the symptoms Hannah showed were similar to autism. As you'll see below, there are even questions about that conclusion.

Water Tests Ordered After AP Series

The governor of Illinois ordered screening of the state's waterways for pharmaceuticals Wednesday in reaction to an Associated Press investigation into the presence of trace amounts of medicines in U.S. drinking water.

The announcement by Gov. Rod Blagojevich came as the New York City Council scheduled an emergency committee hearing and as water providers across the nation assured residents that their water is safe to drink — even if it hasn't been tested.

Blagojevich said he had ordered the state's environmental agency to begin screening waterways for pharmaceuticals and to promote safer disposal of medicines. The governor also announced that the state will partner with Chicago officials to test that city's drinking water.

The AP series reported that Chicago was one of the largest U.S. cities that does not test its drinking water.

Blagojevich also directed state health officials to further assess the effects of any pharmaceutical contamination on human health.

In New York City, where the AP reported that trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer have been detected in the upstate source of the city's water, the City Council has scheduled an emergency public hearing for April 3. The AP reported that despite the test results in the watershed, the city does not test its downstate drinking water.

"I'm very concerned about the possible effects of even traces of pharmaceuticals in our drinking water," said Councilman James G. Gennaro, a Democrat from Queens who heads the council's environmental protection committee.

Senate hearings have been scheduled by Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and other members of Congress have called for the appointment of a task force and additional research.

"The Associated Press investigation was illuminating and a great service, but it was not an official governmental study, and I doubt your agency will act on an outside group's findings," wrote Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., in a letter sent Wednesday to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "If there are pharmaceuticals in our water, our government should be fully aware of the problem and working to correct it."

The EPA released a statement in response to the AP series. "EPA appreciates any opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the safe disposal of prescription drugs and environmental responsibility," said spokesman Timothy Lyons. "The agency's work to protect the nation's water supply and enhance human health is ongoing, and we are pleased to see the interest Americans have taken in this effort."

The five-month-long project by the AP National Investigative Team, published this week, found that drugs — mostly the residue of medications taken by people, excreted and flushed down the toilet — have gotten into the drinking water supplies of at least 24 major metropolitan areas, from Southern California to northern New Jersey.

The risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals are unknown. While no proof has been found of human health effects, recent studies have detected alarming adverse effects on human cells and wildlife.

Officials in other cities and water agencies also pressed for testing — and others demanded that any test results be disclosed.

The most pervasive response, repeated by officials in communities around the country, was that although their water hasn't been tested for pharmaceuticals, there is no reason to be concerned.

From Cheyenne, Wyo., to Jacksonville, Fla., and in dozens of communities elsewhere, water department officials reminded consumers that the traces of pharmaceuticals being found nationwide are minute and that the quality of their water exceeds all EPA water standards. However, the EPA does not have any standards for pharmaceuticals in water.

Calls for action appeared on newspaper editorial pages.

"Why isn't there a national standard that would ensure more rigorous testing? The Environmental Protection Agency should be taking leadership on this," said a Philadelphia Daily News editorial.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that water studies are underway in its region, but that "more can and must be done, from widespread sampling of area waters and federal standards for pharmaceutical sampling to far more intensive research on ways to remove such residues from drinking water. The public's health demands nothing less."

In some cases, providers who had not disclosed to the AP what they found in their water opted to tell their local news media after the investigative story came out.

For example, the Santa Clara Valley Water Agency — which previously would not specify which pharmaceuticals were detected in its watershed — has since told local reporters those compounds included ibuprofen, anti-convulsants and anti-inflammatories.

Water officials in Des Moines, Iowa, Cape Cod in Massachusetts and in Southern California's Inland Empire region, not part of the AP survey, told reporters about pharmaceuticals that had been detected in their water supplies, as well.

"Just as water utilities need data to make informed decisions, we believe that consumers should have the information they need to make personal health decisions," said Diane VanDe Hei, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, a group representing the largest publicly owned drinking water suppliers in the United States.

In some locales, officials said they were already gathering data or would like information to be compiled.

"It will equip us with the scientifically sound information that is necessary to shape future courses of action to ensure public health and protect the environment," said Kathleen McGinty, the state environmental secretary for Pennsylvania, where 56 different pharmaceuticals or byproducts were detected in Philadelphia's drinking water.

Water managers in Fresno, Calif., held a meeting this week to allay public concerns about the area's drinking water but said the city doesn't plan to change its water treatment process in the wake of the AP investigation.

The city has not tested for pharmaceuticals in and around its wastewater treatment plant because it doesn't have the appropriate testing technology, said city spokeswoman Rhonda Jorn.

"We are very confident that we do have safe drinking water," Jorn said. "Of course, we'd be more than happy to test for pharmaceuticals in the water should the EPA make that technology available to us."

The AP's findings also have made their way to the late-night TV talk show circuit.

"Right here in Los Angeles they found high levels of anti-anxiety medication in the water, but health officials say, 'Oh, don't worry about it,' " said Jay Leno during a monologue Monday night on his NBC-TV program. "Well, we can't worry about it. It's in the water!"

To your health

HEALTH-CARE reform would be center stage in this year's presidential campaign even if one of the leading candidates hadn't unsuccessfully championed the issue during her husband's first term in the White House.

That's because an estimated 47 million Americans lack health insurance, potentially putting them just one serious illness away from financial ruin.

TV ads funded by health and insurance industry lobbyists and featuring the fictitious Harry and Louise, fretting over a supposedly rapacious government bureaucracy, helped stall comprehensive reform back in 1993.

But since then, health-care costs have risen exponentially, putting a huge burden on businesses big and small and swelling the ranks of the uninsured.

This set of facts makes the United States a shameful anomaly among industrialized nations, most of which help see to the medical care of their citizens. It also poses a problem for the Republican candidates, although not one they recognize. On ideological grounds, they are still driven to insist that health care is primarily a personal responsibility, not a government one.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona is fairly representative of the thinking on the right. In a Washington Post summary of issues, he said "the road to [health-care] reform does not lead through Washington and a hugely expensive, bureaucratic, government-controlled system."

Mr. McCain thinks the best way to expand access to health care and control costs is to harness competition to offer more affordable insurance options. He is in favor of low-cost health clinics in retail stores and calls for more emphasis on preventive care. He supports tax-exempt health savings accounts and tax credits to help people pay for insurance, even though many of the people who need help don't pay enough in taxes to take advantage of such benefits.

Mitt Romney, when he was governor of Massachusetts, helped put in place a ground-breaking health care plan that mandated coverage but utilized private insurers (with subsidies for the needy). But now styling himself as a true conservative, he does not promote his state's plan as a model health club; he just wants to give states incentives to deregulate and reform their health insurance industry so that market forces can work.

Mr. Romney also favors improving health savings accounts and making qualified medical expenses fully deductible. More controversially health club, he would stop the "free riders" in emergency rooms, using some of the money currently spent on providing expensive care for the uninsured to help the needy to buy private insurance.

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, health club was once obese and now is thin - and so it is no surprise that he puts great emphasis on personal responsibility for health, calling on Americans to quit smoking, lose weight, and exercise. He believes people who live healthy lives should be rewarded with lower health-insurance costs.

That's a good idea, but beyond this he can only offer conservative nostrums that would be a Band-Aid on the chronic national problem.

To paraphrase Senator McCain, what we have is a hugely expensive, bureaucratic, privately controlled system that is not going to get seriously better without the attention of candidates who take it seriously - and the Democrats do.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has learned something from her 1993 defeat. She favors health insurance for all Americans health club, while allowing people to keep their own plans if they like. Those who want to change plans or who are not covered could choose from the same plan available to members of Congress - a nice populist touch - or opt into a public plan like Medicare.

Senator Clinton would create a level playing field of insurance rules across states and markets to ensure that no American is denied coverage, refused renewal, or forced to pay excessive premiums health club. The senator from New York would provide working families with a refundable tax credit. Although her plan foresees cost savings in stressing prevention, modernization, and efficiency, her own cost estimate is at least $110 billion.

Sen. Barack Obama has a price tag on his plan of $50 billion to $65 billion, but it has been criticized because it would not mandate coverage for everyone as Mrs. Clinton's does health club. The senator from Illinois would create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The exchange would act as a watchdog and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards to make coverage more affordable and accessible.

As with the Clinton plan, no American would be turned away because of a pre-existing condition. Mr. Obama also proposes a benefits package like the federal plan that covers Congress.

During President Bush's eight-year tenure, the number of Americans without health coverage has increased greatly, and Mr. Bush has done little about it. Now even business wants a government-aided solution because companies that cover their own workers are saddled with ever-rising costs, yet they know how vital such coverage is to their loyal employees.

The next president of the United States must work with Congress to deliver a plan that tames the costs, delivers the care, and extends peace of mind to every American, regardless of income.

Ix Infected By Bird Flu In Pakistan Anthem Health

Pakistan has recorded its first human death from bird flu and six other people have been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus over the last two months, a senior Health Ministry official said yesterday.

"Seven in total. One died and six other people were infected with the H5N1 virus,'' Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari told Reuters. "It was confirmed by blood tests."

A World Health Organisation (WHO) team will arrive in Pakistan in the next few days.Some 340 people worldwide are known to have contracted the disease which has killed more than 200 since 2003, WHO says.Indonesia has the heaviest toll, with 115 human cases including 92 deaths, followed by Vietnam with 100 cases and 46 deaths.

Indonesia rules out bird flu cluster

Indonesia has cleared six members of a family hospitalised with bird flu symptoms, a health official said, in a case that has raised concerns over potential human-to-human spread of the disease.

It also comes as the World Health Organisation investigates a suspected case of limited human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Pakistan.

The six Indonesians from a small village in Banten province, just hours from the capital Jakarta, had been suffering from high fever after more than a dozen sick ducks died in their backyard.

Two sets of laboratory tests showed the six admitted to a hospital in Jakarta did not have the H5N1 virus, said Nyoman Kandun, director-general of communicable disease control at Indonesia's health ministry.

Respected doctor to head Anthem Health watchdog

A professor of medicine has been appointed to head Queensland's independent Anthem Health watchdog.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said Cabinet had approved Professor Michael Ward as the Health Quality and Complaints Commission's new commissioner, Anthem Health replacing its inaugural head Dr John Youngman.

"He also brings a reputation for excellence in his work to improve patient safety and the quality of health services through evidence-based clinical best practice in the health system."

Prof Ward also was one of the inaugural commissioners on the Australian Commission on Safety in Healthcare and chaired its information strategy committee Anthem Health.

Prof Clark will join the board as an assistant commissioner in the field of allied health. The HQCC is responsible for overseeing quality activities Anthem Health in all public and private health services and for addressing complaints associated with health service delivery.

Govt 'must come clean' on hospital delay Anthem Health

Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner has demanded NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher "come clean" on what health services will be guaranteed in the Northern Sydney/Central Coast Area Health region Anthem Health.

"How can Reba Meagher expect anyone to believe she ever intended on delivering the hospital on time when she hasn't even developed a clinical service plan for hospitals in the northern Sydney region?" Anthem Health Mrs Skinner said in a statement.

Mrs Skinner said the budget for the hospital project has blown out to over $400 million and the deadline for completion of the planning stage pushed back another year to the end of 2008.

"Reba Meagher must guarantee that health services in the northern region will not be compromised by the government's inability to deliver the new hospital on time," Anthem Health Mrs Skinner said.

Don't Overindulge Over Xmas Anthem Health

The Australia Medical Association said many Australians associated heavy drinking with the festive season, but urged people to have a good time without putting their health at risk.

"Alcohol abuse is the cause of many chronic health problems including cardiovascular disease, obesity, liver disease, and brain damage, and can lead to serious health risks such as acute alcohol poisoning.

Hunter New England oral health clinical director Dr Lanny Chor said people not only ate more sugar but ate it more frequently during the Christmas period."One of the problems with the Christmas cake, chocolate-coated peanuts, candy canes, glace cherries and champagne is that there is often a continual period of eating between Christmas and New Year, exposing teeth to continuous acid attacks."

Recent World Health Organisation data showed Australians eat an average 63 kilograms of sugar each year - more than a kilogram a week.

Anthem Health professionals strike in Victoria

Striking health professionals say Victoria's public hospitals and community centres will come to a standstill by Thursday, with vital services such as X-rays being cancelled in non-life-threatening cases.


Health Services Union (HSU) state secretary Kathy Jackson said about 4,000 radiographers, physiotherapists, radiation therapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and social workers walked off the job on Monday.

Public hospitals, community health centres, mental health centres and community care services will all be affected.She urged the government to put some of last week's announced $500 million state surplus blow-out into health.

Pas Just What The Doctor Ordered Anthem Health

should have assistants who can order tests, dispense medicines and even make diagnoses, says a new health think tank.

The Australian Health Workforce Institute has called for the introduction of US-style physicians assistants (PAs) to help reduce reliance on overseas-trained doctors.The university has teamed up with Queensland Health to create jobs for the graduates. The South Australian Government is considering trialling PAs.

But Peter Brooks, faculty of health sciences dean at the University of Queensland and interim director of the Australian Health Workforce Institute, said PAs take about half the time of a medical student to train and can perform the less complex tasks that take up so much of a doctor's time.Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the issue of physicans' assistants was "not high on my list of priorities".

Playing Contract Anthem Health

The Player hereby consents to undergo any assessment necessary to establish the above capability by a qualified doctor appointed by the Franchisee for this purpose and agrees to the release to the Franchisee of an. use his best endeavours to maintain his form and health so as to be available for selection for Matches and attend all training sessions and meetings arranged by the Franchisee.

submit promptly to such medical and dental examinations as the Franchisee may reasonably require and will undergo such treatment as may be prescribed by the medical or dental advisers of the Franchisee or the Franchisee's insurers.
engage in any sport, activity or practice that might endanger his fitness, health or ability to comply with his obligations to the Franchisee or IPL under this Agreement.

The Player shall, subject to the terms of this Agreement and the Regulations, be entitled to exploit the Player Identification so long as the Player notifies the Franchisee not less than 30 days in advance of any intended promotional activities and does not seek to do so in any way during Matches and/or any pre-Match or post Match activities.

Health insurance and medical insurance

Health insurance and medical insurance for individuals, families & employers. Find Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield health and medical insurance information for visitors, members, individuals & families, employers, brokers & producers. Learn about Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield individual health insurance, family health insurance & group health insurance options, health insurance savings accounts, obtain an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance quote.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name for the following: In Connecticut: Anthem Health Plans, Inc. In Colorado, Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service, Inc. In Indiana: Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. In Kentucky: Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky. In Maine: Anthem Health Plans of Maine, Inc. In Missouri: RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc. (RIT), Healthy Alliance Life Insurance Company (HALIC) and HMO Missouri, Inc. In Nevada: Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service, Inc. In New Hampshire: Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire, Inc. In Ohio: Community Insurance Company.

In Virginia: Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. In Wisconsin: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin (BCBSWi) and Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation (Compcare). Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Serving residents and businesses in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado, Nevada, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Virginia (excluding the city of Fairfax, the town of Vienna and the area east of State Route 123). Use of the Anthem Web sites constitutes your agreement with our Terms of Use.