High court will hear parents’ vaccine case
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether drugmakers can be sued by parents who say their children suffered serious health problems from vaccines.
The justices yesterday agreed to hear an appeal from parents in Pittsburgh who want to sue Wyeth over the serious side effects their daughter, 6 months old at the time, allegedly suffered as a result of the company’s diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia ruled against Robalee and Russell Bruesewitz, saying a 1986 federal law barred their claims.
That law set up a special vaccine court to handle disputes as part of its aim of ensuring a stable vaccine supply by shielding companies from most lawsuits.
Although Wyeth, now owned by Pfizer Inc., prevailed at the appeals court, it joined in asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, saying it presented an important and recurring legal issue that should be resolved.
Pfizer said in a brief statement yesterday that it was pleased the court would hear Bruesewitz v. Wyeth.
The Obama administration joined the parties in calling for Supreme Court review, although the government takes the side of the manufacturers.
Only one state appeals court, the Georgia Supreme Court, has ruled that families can sue in a vaccine case. The vaccine industry has fiercely opposed the Georgia ruling in the case of Marcelo and Carolyn Ferrari. They say their son suffered neurological damage after receiving vaccine booster shots made by Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline that contained the preservative thimerosal.
The family has since withdrawn its lawsuit, possibly in an effort to avoid an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling, although the Georgia court’s opinion allowing similar lawsuits remains in force.
The court did not act yesterday on the Glaxo/Wyeth appeal, but the eventual decision in the other Wyeth case almost certainly will apply to the Georgia case.
According to the lawsuit, Hannah Bruesewitz was a healthy infant until she received the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine in April 1992. Within hours of getting the shot, the third in a series of five, the baby suffered a series of debilitating seizures. Now a teenager, Hannah suffers from residual seizure disorder, the suit says.
The vaccine court earlier rejected the family’s claims.
Source/Full Story: Philadelphia Inquirer
Another Melamine-Tainted Milk Scandal in China
A new milk safety scandal has broken out in China.
Authorities in Shanghai have closed a dairy company and arrested three executives, after milk products were found to contain high levels of the toxic industrial chemical melamine.
According to the state-run Shanghai Daily, melamine was found in milk powder and condensed milk made by the Shanghai Panda Dairy Co. Ltd.
Melamine is a toxic chemical used for making plastic. When added to food it can make the protein content appear higher, but it’s highly detrimental to human health.
Last year, more than 300,000 children were poisoned and at least six died after drinking the tainted milk, according to Chinese state-run media.
In a similar incident last month, Chinese authorities also arrested three employees of the Shaanxi Jinqiao Diary Company for producing melamine-tainted milk.
Source/Full Story: New Tang Dynasty Television
Bishop bars Patrick Kennedy from Communion over abortion
Rhode Island’s top Roman Catholic leader has asked Rep. Patrick Kennedy to stop taking Communion over his support for abortion rights, the diocese said Sunday.
In a statement issued Sunday, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin said he told Kennedy in February 2007 that it would be “inappropriate” for him to continue receiving the fundamental Catholic sacrament, “and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so.”
Kennedy, a Democrat, is the son of the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and a scion of the most prominent Catholic family in modern U.S. politics.
In an interview published Sunday, Patrick Kennedy told the Providence Journal that Tobin had barred him from receiving communion and instructed priests in the diocese not to administer the sacrament “because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public official.”
Tobin, in a statement issued in response to the Kennedy interview, said his advice to the congressman was “pastoral and confidential,” and he was surprised that Kennedy chose to discuss it publicly.
“I am disappointed that the congressman would make public my request of nearly three years ago that sought to provide solely for his spiritual well-being,” he said.
Source/Full Story: CNN.com
Two executed in China over tainted milk
Two people were executed Tuesday in China for their part in a tainted milk scandal that killed at least six babies and sickened about 300,000 others, state-run media reported.
Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety and Geng Jinping was executed for producing and selling toxic food, the Xinhua news agency said.
The tainted formula came to light in September 2008, after several babies fell ill from drinking formula that contained melamine. Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Some Chinese dairy plants added the chemical to milk products so they would appear to have a higher protein level.
The tainted milk caused kidney stones and urinary tract problems in hundreds of thousands of children.
Source/Full Story: CNN.com
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Australia: ban TV for under-twos
An observant parent can easily see the effect that television watching has on their children, and it should scare the heck out of them. Get rid of the television and video games today. Our television has been sitting in the garage for at least 5 years now, and we cannot imagine how we ever had time to even watch it before.
The guidelines warn that exposure to television at such an early age can delay language development, affect the ability of a child to concentrate and lead to obesity.The recommendations also suggest that children aged two to five should watch no more than one hour of television a day.
The recommended viewing limits vary wildly from the actual amount of television and DVDs viewed by Australian children.
Australian statistics show that four-month-old infants watch an of average 44 minutes of television each day and that children under the age of four with pay television at home spend at least three hours a day in front of the screen.
Source/Full Story: Telegraph
