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Tag Archives: public health
Betrayals of Trust
I wish I’d been wrong about polio eradication. Really, I do. Against the ever-extending deadlines, outbreaks of vaccine-associated poliomyelitis, and deadly violence, there’s no comfort in having anticipated failure. Way back in 1997, when Vincent Racaniello and I penned the … Continue reading
Polio vs. bin Laden
Like most Americans, I felt a visceral surge of patriotic pride when I heard that we’d killed Osama bin Laden: pride in the President who ordered and orchestrated the bold raid, pride in the military that carried it out, and … Continue reading
One of the two H5N1 influenza papers that fueled this brouhaha has finally seen the light of day. Rather than rehash what others have already said so well, I refer readers to the excellent summaries by Vincent Racaniello and Ed … Continue reading
2012.05.02
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The Other Superbugs: Pesticide Resistant Insects
In 1955, the World Health Organization launched an ambitious campaign to eradicate malaria. The effort relied on new, synthetic antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine and a miraculous new insecticide called DDT. Initially, it went pretty well: several countries’ malaria rates … Continue reading
So Does The Flu Vaccine Work Or Not?
A paper that came out Wednesday on influenza vaccine efficacy has generated a new round of speculation about what is probably the hardest sell in the vaccine business. There’s a lot to complain about with our current flu vaccines: everyone … Continue reading
Shocking: Popular Music Mentions Booze, Sex
In a surprising new development, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report that the modern “rock” and “rap” music popular with adolescents makes repeated references to alcohol, sex, and drugs. As this important new paper concludes: One in five songs … Continue reading
Betty the Bat
I was out in the yard a few days ago, and noticed an object stuck to one of our second-story windows. Thinking it was a wasp nest, I made a mental note to look at it from inside. When I … Continue reading
Leapfrogging Microfluidics?
“Microfluidics” is one of the hottest buzzwords in biotechnology and diagnostics research these days, with good reason: these lab-on-a-chip devices are about the coolest technology to come along since monoclonal antibodies. The designs vary widely, but the basic principle is … Continue reading
From Designer Drugs to … Bath Salts?
The ever-enlightening Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports has a new paper on the latest recreational drug craze: bath salts. Yes, bath salts. As MMWR explains: From November 2010 to January 2011, the Marquette County [Michigan] ED treated seven patients who … Continue reading
The Epidemic That Still Isn’t: Autism Rates and Case Definitions
A paper that came out yesterday in the American Journal of Psychiatry has generated a lot of press coverage of the “autism epidemic,” as it purportedly shows that one in every 38 South Korean children is autistic. That’s more than … Continue reading