Green Options » National Institutes of Health

Swine Flu Vax Makers Already Legally Immunized

Cate Nelson — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:31:15 +0000

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has signed a document to provide legal immunity for the manufacturers of the new swine flu vaccine, the Associated Press reports.

As you may remember, the National Institutes of Health has begun recruiting volunteers, some as young as 6 months, to test the new vaccines.

The first time the government had a major round of swine flu vaccines, many complained of adverse side effects and filed claims against the companies. But this time, the government has nipped it in the bud. We’re protecting the companies before we even know what those side effects might be.

That’s because vaccines aren’t as profitable for manufacturers as other drugs, so the makers took a stance that worried government officials, thus leading to the legal immunity. The attitude of the companies was,

Do we really need this?

I don’t know about you, but I’m asking the same thing.

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NIH Looks For Swine Flu Vaccine Volunteers

Cate Nelson — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:19:24 +0000

Last Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health began recruiting volunteers to test the swine flu vaccine. Manufacturers are rushing to make it to market before the swine flu rebounds in the fall.

The first wave of shots is to be tested on healthy adults, but once safety is assured, they’ll look to try them new vax on babies as young as 6 months.

However, it seems that the government is simultaneously rushing the vaccine while protecting the pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits.

Childhood Obesity, Smoking, and Sexual Activity Linked to Media Exposure

Derek Markham — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:45:33 +0000

A new study by Yale University School of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, and California Pacific Medical Center finds that exposure to media damages children’s long-term health.

80% of the studies reviewed link greater exposure to media with negative health effects for kids and adolescents.

Common Sense Media published the report, Media and Child and Adolescent Health: A Systematic Review, which reviewed 173 of the best studies from the last 30 years which examine the connection between media exposure and negative health effects on children.

The average modern child spends nearly 45 hours a week with television, movies, magazines, music, the Internet, cellphones and video games, the study reported. By comparison, children spend 17 hours a week with their parents on average and 30 hours a week in school, the study said.