Vaccine Evaluation Subcommittee Investigates Safety of the Anthrax Vaccine http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/gulf_war_vets 020124.html Analysis By Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D. Special to ABCNEWS.com Jan. 24, 2002 Researchers today testify in Washington on what is being learned about the health problems of soldiers who served in Desert Storm. One topic that is sure to come up is the experience that vets had with the anthrax vaccine. That experience has renewed importance in light of the recent anthrax scare and general worries about bioterrorism. Around 150,000 men and women received anthrax vaccinations during the Gulf War. There was evidence that Saddam Hussein had "weaponized" anthrax and other biological and chemical agents. Associated Side Effects Unfortunately, many investigators believe that some of the health problems that have been associated with Gulf War Illness ­ fatigue, pain and nausea among them ­ may be associated with the anthrax vaccine and other treatments. The laboratory that manufactures the vaccine for the Pentagon has been alleged to have had quality control problems. Vets have complained that their health risks were not taken seriously enough. Then in 1998, the Pentagon decided that the entire armed forces should be vaccinated for anthrax, an ambitious program aimed at 2.4 million people. But many complained that they were sickened by the vaccine. Sensitized by the experience of Gulf War vets, hundreds of soldiers refused to take it and were disciplined, many others who accepted vaccination were deeply worried about it. Unlike civilians, members of the armed forces are obligated to accept medical interventions that their superiors judge to be needed to keep them ready to accomplish their duties.... **** Tuesday January 29 5:21 PM ET Survey: Many in U.S. Not Reading OTC Drug Labels (AKA. the new blame game!) http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020129/hl/drugs_1.html NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A survey reveals that Americans are not paying enough attention to labels on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as pain relievers or cold, flu and sinus medications. While three in five Americans reported taking an over-the-counter medication within the past 6 months, 66% of those surveyed could not identify the active ingredient of their brand of pain reliever. For example, Advil takers should have answered ibuprofen, while those who take Tylenol should have known that acetaminophen is the active ingredient. What's more, one out of three Americans takes more than the recommended dose of a nonprescription medication because they incorrectly believe that doing so will increase the effectiveness, according to the survey commissioned by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE). ``Over-the-counter drugs are real medicines that must be taken responsibly,'' said Linda Golodner, president of the National Consumers League and NCPIE's chair. ``For this reason, consumers need to read OTC drug labels, compare ingredients in different products and understand how to take (them) correctly,'' she said in statement issued by NCPIE.... **** Sources: Reuters | AP | ABCNEWS.com | HealthSCOUT Wednesday January 30 1:43 PM ET Crowded ERs May be Sign of Sick US Healthcare System http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20020130/hl/er_3.html By Todd Zwillich WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Severe overcrowding in America's emergency rooms may be a warning sign that the nation's primary care and hospital systems are failing, analysts said Tuesday. Healthcare experts are becoming increasingly alarmed over crowded conditions in hospital emergency departments and the fact that these departments are increasingly being forced to send patients to other hospitals. The problem is so bad that some hospitals have even resorted to advertisements asking patients to avoid their emergency rooms for all but the most urgent care. Most say that the problem is not with the emergency departments themselves, but with the ability of the rest of the healthcare system--hospital inpatient wards, psychiatric hospitals and primary care offices--to handle patient demand. They say the austerity measures brought by managed care companies and federal budget cuts in the 1990s have left hospitals unable to admit enough new patients. The result is that hospitals are forced to use beds in emergency areas, causing backups for new patients who come through the ER door. ``While hospitals claim that they are at 60% to 65% capacity, they are actually full,'' Bradford Koles, a researcher with the Advisory Board Company, told an audience at a forum sponsored by the Council on Healthcare Economics and Policy. Surveys show that emergency department visits rose across the US from around 90 million in 1994 to nearly 100 million in 1999, including a 5% rise between 1998 and 1999 alone. ``All of the anecdotal information we have is that it's still going up,'' said David Schactman, a member of the council who is also a professor at Brandeis University. Meanwhile, the number of beds available for patients at hospitals dropped from 820,000 to 745,000 over the same period.... **** U.S. Hysterectomy Rates Still High Thu Jan 31, 7:00 AM ET http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=97&u=/hsn/20 020131/hl_hsn/u_s__hysterectomy_rates_still_high By Colette Bouchez HealthScoutNews Reporter THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthScoutNews) -- U.S. hysterectomy rates still soar above those of other countries, and unnecessary operations are still the reason, a group of New Zealand doctors claims. As part of a continuing effort to stem the tide of needless hysterectomies, women all over the world have been urged to "just say no," or at least question the reason for an operation that removes the entire uterus, and sometimes the ovaries. However, the new findings, based on eight years of data, show the voices of American women have apparently not been heard. "I had thought there might be a 10 percent or so drop over eight years," says the study's author, Dr. Cynthia Farquhar, an associate professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Auckland. The findings appear in today's Journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. What she found instead was the rate in the United States had gone up: from 5.5 operations per 1,000 women in 1990, to 5.6 in 1997. That means that more than 600,000 American women have hysterectomies each year, which is three to four times the rate of other countries, including New Zealand, Australia and most European nations, the researchers say. The study also found up to 40 percent of all U.S. hysterectomies were for fibroid tumors -- typically benign tumors that grow in and around the uterus, frequently causing severe bleeding. The surgery was performed, researchers say, even when less drastic solutions were available..... *** Scant evidence that store-bought cough syrup works http://www.reutershealth.com/cgi- bin/frame2?top=/tops/eline.html&left=/elinel.html&right=/archive/ 2002/02/08/eline/links/20020208elin009.html By John Griffiths LONDON, Feb 08 (Reuters Health) - There is little evidence for or against the effectiveness of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines, British researchers said on Friday. "Although cough medicines are generally well tolerated, they may be an unnecessary expense," conclude Drs. Knut Schroeder and Tom Fahey from the University of Bristol. The researchers came to the conclusion after reviewing 15 clinical trials, involving nearly 2,200 patients, in which OTC cough medicines were compared with an inactive placebo. In nine of the trials, treatment with OTC medicine "was no better than placebo," the UK researchers note. "The positive results in the other six studies were of questionable clinical relevance," they report in the February 1st issue of the British Medical Journal. British doctors are encouraged to recommend OTC medicines for coughs, and the UK's telephone-based health advice service, NHS Direct, also recommends simple cough medicines for dry coughs, Schroeder and Fahey point out. "The advice given by NHS Direct to use over-the-counter cough medicines should be re-evaluated until more evidence becomes available on their effectiveness," Fahey told Reuters Health. He urged caution in interpreting the results of his analysis. "Previous studies have been poorly designed, and several of the studies have been supported by pharmaceutical companies. In other cases, sources of funding were not made clear so there could have been conflicts of interest. "To get results we can really trust, proper trials of OTC cough medicines should be carried out independently," he said. "If the patient wants to take a cough medicine, it's entirely up to them. There is little evidence that they do any harm, but they may also not have any benefits. In fact, they probably act as a placebo," he said. NHS Direct's National Clinical Advisor, Jill Stringer, said the service uses advice validated by experts and based on best available evidence. "This advice is under rigorous constant review to ensure it reflects current best practice," she said. A spokeswoman for Boots the Chemist said all their OTC medicines are licensed by the Medicines Control Agency and comply with standards of safety, quality and efficacy. "We know that our customers find our cough and cold remedies effective in soothing many of the symptoms such as high temperature and inability to sleep, and they aid the recovery process," she said. SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2002;324:329-331.