By Matlin Smith

Current-Argus Staff Writer

CARLSBAD — several cases of a sometimes fatal, highly contagious virus have been cropping up recently in Carlsbad pets, one local veterinarian said Thursday.

Canine Distemper is a viral disease that is spread through the respiratory system and is especially prevalent in puppies, said Carlsbad Animal Care Center veterinarian Dr. Robin Sankey.

Symptoms of the disease usually begin with a fever and can progress from severe cough, runny nose, lack of appetite, diarrhea and dental disease up to seizures and other neurological problems that could last the remainder of the dog’s life.

“In my experience, most dogs that have progressed to seizures have died,” Sankey said.

Distemper can take between two weeks and three months after infection for the dog to make a full recovery or succumb to the virus if they didn’t receive proper vaccination early.

Sankey said the best way to prevent the 50 percent deadly disease is to vaccinate puppies when their maternal antibodies are wearing off, when they are between six and eight weeks old.

however, one initial vaccination will not prevent the disease, and as the protective antibodies wear off, puppies will require a series of vaccinations to ensure they don’t contract the virus.

If a dog has not been vaccinated and develops symptoms, Sankey said testing for the virus is difficult and takes several days to receive results.

“If a dog has distemper, you can’t vaccinate it to prevent the virus from getting worse, you just have to treat the secondary symptoms and let it run its course. some fully recover, but a lot die,” she said.

Older dogs are also highly susceptible to contracting distemper and should also be examined and properly vaccinated.

Sankey said unlike parvovirus and rabies, distemper cannot affect humans who come in contact with an infected dog.

by Tenth Id

CAMP PANACAN, Davao City- The Philippine Army recently held its first set of free anti-cervical cancer vaccination congruent to its program for Gender and Development.

Major Rosa Ma Cristina R Manuel, Executive Officer of 10th CMO Battalion receives the 1st Doze of Cervical Cancer Vaccine from a military nurse, Pvt Ersel Filipinas of the 10th Medical Dispensary. one of the Philippine Army’s program on GAD, is to ensure that its Female Soldiers receives the appropriate health care by providing Cervical Cancer Vaccine among its Female Soldiers who are performing field and garrison duties. this effort is also in line with the upcoming celebration of the International Womens Month on March 2012. A total of 84 female soldiers and 12 female civilian employees from 10th ID and EastMinCom received the 1st doze of the cervical cancer vaccine at the Old Agila Blg, Panacan, Davao City administered by Maj Romel Kho, CO of 10ID Medical Dispensary and Dr. Carol Flavier after a brief orientation.

On Wednesday, a total of 84 female soldiers and 12 female civilian employees were vaccinated in the hope to protect them from possible transmission of human papillomavirus known to many as HPV.In a discussion, Dr. Carol Flavier of Davao Doctors Hospital said that HPV infections are common. however, it is generally unknown due to lack of information and education. “Twelve women die every day with HPV because they are unaware that they have it”, she said. She added that most infections occur without any symptoms and sometimes go away within two years. She clarified though that those who have strong immune system often have higher chance to tolerate the symptoms and eventually get away with it.according to her, there are over 100 types of HPV which are viruses that can infect many parts of the body. Some types are sexually transmitted causing warts and sometimes cancer. Thus, she said, it is important for women to follow the ABCD’s in avoiding and preventing said virus. First, is abstinence since it is sexually transmitted in common; second is being faithful to sexual partner; third are circumcision and the use of condom and lastly is doctor’s call.“We also encourage women who are sexually active to have Pap smear once a year since they are more prone to HPV”, she said.  She added that among the types of cancers, so far only lung and cervix cancer has the vaccine.PA will have another schedule for those who missed the vaccination aiming to fully accommodate 36 female officers, 52 enlisted women and 12 civilian employees coming both from the Eastern Mindanao Command and 10th Infantry Division.for those who received the first doze of the vaccine, the next set will be on March 25 and July 25 comprising the three sets of vaccination which is in line with the upcoming celebration of the International Women’s Month on March. Released by: Maj. Rosa Ma. Cristina R. ManuelBattalion Executive Officer10th CMO Battalion

10th may 2011, 11:21 am by Olivia D'Orazio

Sanofi-Aventis (EPA:SAN) (NYSE:SNY) said Tuesday that its vaccine division, Sanofi Pasteur, has received a licensing approval from the US FDA for its new flu virus vaccine that is injected with a short, thin needle in through the mid-level layer of the skin, instead of the muscle, of those being vaccinated.

The vaccine, Fluzone Intradermal, will be used for immunization against the influenza virus in adults aged 18 to 64, and represents the first flu vaccine licensed in the US that uses a small needle for a skin injection.

“The microinjection delivery system utilized in Fluzone Intradermal vaccine provides reliable and easy delivery of the vaccine into the dermal layer of the skin, an attractive site for immunization,” said president and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur, Olivier Charmeil.

The influenza virus tends to become prevalent during the fall-winter season, with widespread outbreaks across the globe. Symptoms include fever, cough and general malaise. Complications, such as pneumonia, can occur, especially in older adults or in people who suffer from a chronic disease.

Vaccination, usually by a needle injection into the muscle, often protects against the virus. A typical needle measures about 1.5 inches in length, whereas the Fluzone Intradermal vaccine is administered into the dermal layer of the skin, with a needle that is 0.06 inches long.

This method of vaccine administration, called microinjection, is less intrusive and is easier to administer. The Fluzone Intradermal vaccine includes a pre-filled syringe that deposits influenza antibodies in the mid-level of the skin, an area that contains high levels of dendritic cells, which are strongly involved in fighting off an infection.

Sanofi Pasteur has previously licensed intradermal microinjections in over forty countries, including Canada, Europe and Australia, marketed as Intanza or IDflu.

Fluzone Intradermal is expected to be available to US healthcare providers for the 2011 – 2012 flu season.

Around 50 per cent of the men had human papillomavirus (HPV) which often goes undetected and is easily passed on during unprotected sex.

Of that group, around six per cent of men yearly contract a new HPV 16 infection, the virus most well known for causing cervical cancer in women and also causing cancers in men.

While the majority of the nearly 200 known types of HPV cause no symptoms in most people, some cause warts while others leads to cancers of the genitals and throat.

The study further reinforces calls for a for a male HPV vaccination programme to be rolled out worldwide to nip the infection in the bud.

Girls between 12 and 18 in this country are offered the jab.

The study found men who had more than one lover were more prone to catching the virus.

Professor Anna Giuliano of the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, found 32,000 cases of cancers in men and women in the USA in 2009 were attributable to HPV infection.

It also found anogenital warts were the most common result of HPV, with 205 cases per 100,000 diagnosed every year in the USA.

In addition to the diseases HPV causes directly in men, the virus is readily transmitted from men to women putting them at greater risk.

Professor Giuliano said: “The incidence of genital HPV infection in men was high and relatively constant across age groups in Brazil, Mexico, and the USA.

“The results from this study provide much needed data about the incidence and clearance of HPV infection in men; these data are essential for the development of realistic cost-effectiveness models for male HPV vaccination internationally.”

Dr Joseph Monsonego of the Paris-based Institute of the Cervix added: “The cost-benefit ratio of vaccinating men to protect women from cervical neoplasia has yet to be definitively established.

“However, as more diseases are prevented through male vaccination, notably anal cancer, the greater the cost-effectiveness of routine vaccination of both sexes.

“Although we will continue to encourage protective measures, condom use and safe sex practices are of little value in clinical practice, with prevention of HPV transmission and its consequences still unconfirmed.

“HPV vaccination of men will protect not only them but will also have implications for their sexual partner.”

The study analysed 1159 men aged 18 to 70 years from the USA, Brazil, and Mexico, all of whom were HIV negative and had no history of cancer.

They were assessed every six months for an average of more than two years and it found the incidence of a new genital HPV infection with any HPV type was 38.4 per 1000 person months.

The chances of cancer-causing (oncogenic) HPV infection was 2.4 times higher from men who had had 50 or more female partners compared with no partners or just one partner and 2.6 times higher for men who had at least three male anal sex partners compared with no recent partners.

The average duration of HPV infection was seven and a half months for any HPV and 12 months for the cancer-causing HPV type 16.

There has been a 50 per cent rise in cases of a type of mouth cancer in the last twenty years and the increase appears to be because of HPV, earlier research has shown.

HPV also causes 80 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

The findings are published online in the Journal Lancet.

 Shots mandated for next school year

Friday, March 11, 2011

By Connor Ramey

Health department offering free immunizations at local campuses

next year students entering seven through 12 grades will need to get a new vaccination before they can start school, according to a new state law that goes into effect July 1. Every year after next year, all students entering the seventh grade will need to get the immunization.

The vaccination is a response to a large growth in pertussis, or whooping cough, cases in the past few years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. most recent numbers show that more than 17,000 cases of whooping cough were reported throughout the country in 2009, affecting mostly infants and teens.

In 2010, 10 infant deaths were reported in California, and state authorities declared it an epidemic. the state Assembly approved bill 354 last year to help prevent future deaths.

In San Benito County, eight cases were reported, an increase from one that was reported in 2008, county public nurse Allison Griffin said. two cases to infants have been reported in the county this year.

But the actual number could be much larger because of unreported cases, she said.

“A lot of these type of case are unreported because people don’t see their doctors,” Griffin said. “I’m sure there are more of them.”

Whooping cough symptoms include a runny nose, low-grade fever and rapid deep coughs that are followed by a high-pitched “whoop,” according to the CDC. the disease can lead to death if untreated because of exhaustion and the inability to breathe normally.

The bill makes the “Tdap” shot mandatory for every student entering the seventh grade. For one year only, all students from seventh to twelfth grade will need to take the shot to start school, San Benito County Director of Nursing Jeanne Melius said.

The “Tdap” is a vaccination that protects against whooping cough, tetanus and dipheria. It’s a continuation shot that toddlers are expected to get between ages four to six, Melius said.

To help parents give their children the vaccination, nurses from the county’s health department are making stops at each middle and high school in the county throughout the rest of the year.

Each school will give a release form to every parent to allow students to get their shots at school, Melius said. Students must bring back the release form to get the shots.

The vaccinations are free for low- income families and $17 for others.

From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Wednesday at 439 Fourth St. in Hollister, the health department will hold appointment-only vaccination clinics for families that wish to get the vaccination. Families are encouraged to get the vaccine from their primary care physicians, if it is available, before contacting the health department.

For more information contact the Public Health Division at 637-5367 or visit shotsforschool.org.

Connor Ramey Connor Ramey is a staff reporter. He can be reached at .

Could some vaccines resolve the emergence of autism? the outcry of public concern in recent years this link in question, but studies continue to prove that there is no relationship between the two. Regarding autism, it is important that the basic facts before you understand the various media. We examine the various facets of this common cognitive disorder.

The most common of childhood autism, pervasive developmental disorder, affecting 1 child in 150 Americans, the belief that about 1.5 million Americans have a form of autism have today. there are many symptoms that can be expressed in a child with autism and some of them overlap with other diseases PD (such as Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS), for the entire autism symptoms but also called autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Despite rumors of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine caused autism in children, researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that there is no causal link between vaccination and known disease. In fact, autism has no known cause and science is not able to find any way to prevent it. however, there have been many advances in the recognition of symptoms and early treatments of autism, these special children allowed to meet their functional capabilities were.

In children with autism, communication and interaction with other diagnosed, it is very difficult. These children often have difficulty in recognizing and developing the skills of nonverbal communication, including the inability to see the eyes of someone else. In addition, children with autism demonstrate their ability to empathize or understand another person limited perspective. they take words and phrases are very literal and may determine any underlying meaning.

The symptoms of autism in general in the first three years have seen a child born after. to discuss factors such as learning difficulties and to establish contacts in the system to maneuver parents of their child to a pediatrician who is then able to make a diagnosis to determine other factors.

Children with autism symptoms can improve over time through specialized treatment plans, and 33% of adults are able to achieve at least partial independence later in life.

People with autism generally the repetition and routine. For this reason, they require environments behaviors, which may include customized educational plans such as individualized education programs (IEP) specialist. In all, seek treatment for autism in general to improve the functioning of the child, children must attend therapy and behavior training to review their communication skills, and many people with autism are prescribed drugs to symptoms such as anxiety and depression to fight. / P> as a parent or guardian of a child with autism, life can be very difficult and emotionally exhausting. however, one of the largest parts of an individual treatment plan with autism, a large amount of love and support of his family and loved ones. Parents support online communities exist in other forms for family caregivers of autistic children, and get the tools to learn more about the disease and contact with other parents of children with special needs.

For a caregiver, any kind of peace of mind regarding the safety of a loved one is invaluable. unfortunately, a child with autism is cause unpredictable behavior on the consequences of walking. In this real example, a bracelet or a GPS tracking device you with peace of mind you need to ensure the safety of your child. a GPS bracelet is the ideal part of the solutions of autism, because it allows your child to always take place under a watchful eye in spite of all the circumstances or situations.

1. The use of acupuncture and herbal medicine in cases of autism or autistic disorder
2. Divorce attorney phoenix Arizona benefits

I heard on the news that those people who attended
the 10:30 mass and the 12:00pm mass at Our Lady of Lourdes,on DECEMBER 25TH may have been exposed to Hepatitis a virus. Guess who said the 10:30 and the 12:00 PM masses? YUP, none other than the MSGR Lisante, who was reportedly ill for Christmas. you can get your free vaccination , please do not take a chance with this virus. the information I copied is from WebMd:
Below are some questions you may have about hepatitis a and hepatitis B. the answers may surprise you.

Q: can a person have hepatitis a without having symptoms?

A: Yes. In fact, some people with hepatitis a, especially children, may have no symptoms.

Q: can I get hepatitis a virus from someone who is infected but doesn’t have symptoms of the disease?

A: Yes. In fact, someone infected with hepatitis a can transmit the virus to others up to 2 weeks before symptoms appear.

Q: after someone is exposed to hepatitis a virus, how soon may symptoms appear?

A: If symptoms of hepatitis a do appear, they usually appear 2-6 weeks after exposure to the virus.

Q: can hepatitis a virus live outside the body on common household surfaces?

A: Yes. Hepatitis a virus is able to survive for several hours on human hands and several days on environmental surfaces indoors. High temperatures, such as boiling or cooking food or liquids for at least 1 minute at 185°F (85°C), kill the virus, although freezing temperatures do not.

Q: can a person have hepatitis B virus without having symptoms?

A: Yes. In fact, a person can be infected with hepatitis B and spread it to someone else. Symptoms of hepatitis B may not develop for a few weeks to months after the infection occurs. some people are chronically infected and can spread the disease.

Q: can someone spread hepatitis B virus if they don’t have symptoms of the disease?

A: Yes. Most people with chronic (long-term) hepatitis B remain free of symptoms for years, but can still spread the virus during this time.

Q: can hepatitis B virus live outside the body on common household surfaces?

A: Yes. Hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for many days.

Q: can condoms prevent the spread of hepatitis a or hepatitis B?

A: Condoms can help protect against the spread of hepatitis B during sex. Because hepatitis a is spread through infected feces, condoms offer no protection.

How Hepatitis a Virus can Be Spread
Hepatitis a virus is found in the stool of persons with hepatitis a. it is usually spread through close personal contact. it can sometimes be spread by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with the hepatitis a virus. Hepatitis a virus can easily be passed to other people in the same household.

Here are some examples of how hepatitis a can be spread:

an infected person does not wash his or her hands properly after going to the bathroom, then touches other objects or food
a parent or caregiver does not properly wash his or her hands after changing diapers or cleaning up the stool of an infected person and then touches other objects or food
a person engages in certain sexual activities, such as oral-anal contact, with an infected person

“Watch Itchy”, you better get yourself and any friends you know that attended these masses to get your shots. it was reported on the news at 11 PM,last night, and the video showed Fr Cletus giving communion, but he did not say the 10:30 or the 12 noon mass, he had said the 9AM mass.
While not deadly, this virus can easily be spread,
and precautions should be taken, particularly for those attending school.Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, stomach pain, dark-colored urine and jaundice.

Lord ,protect those attending Our Lady of Lourdes
Massapequa Park Parish.

The vaccine reduces the risk of getting shingles by half and the risk of developing painful complications by two-thirds, according to Gary Euler, study co-author. Since the chance of contracting shingles increases with age and especially is high by age 80, when seniors are frail, he believes the value of the vaccine is incontestable.

Specifically, the vaccine protects against the herpes zoster virus, which causes chicken pox at first infection. The body never rids itself of the virus and it can show up again decades later as shingles. Symptoms include headache, fever and tingling or throbbing accompanied by jabs of stabbing pain called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), followed by a skin rash and blisters.

Up to 10 in every thousand seniors develop shingles every year. without the vaccination, 10 percent to 14 percent of them will suffer from neuralgia.

In the new study appearing online and in the February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that estimated coverage levels were low among all seniors and lowest among minority groups. Surprisingly, 95 percent of younger seniors had missed at least one opportunity to be vaccinated, even though they had seen their physician at least once, been hospitalized or visited an emergency department that year. The people most likely to have received vaccinations were older, white, female seniors who were more highly educated and who had received a flu shot.

From the results of an earlier study, the researchers can see that uptake is growing, but at a snail’s pace. The study authors gave possible reasons: While most insurance and Medicare plans cover the cost of vaccination, other costs might be out-of-pocket and upfront. Physicians could be reluctant to recommend the vaccine because of this cost burden, especially if the patient has no insurance.

A downside exists for the physicians, too. Euler, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that the vaccine must remain frozen until the last minute, which presents an added burden on two counts. first, there is a time lapse if the physician writes a prescription for the patient to buy the vaccine at a pharmacy and bring it back to the office to have it administered. second, if a physician writes a prescription for the patient to receive the vaccine at the pharmacy, patients often do not make that additional trip.

Despite these drawbacks, Euler strongly recommends that seniors receive vaccinations for shingles.

“most patients who know what PHN is like would absolutely agree,” Euler said. “And in terms of cost savings for medical attention and medicine on a population-wide basis, so would most economists.”

The vaccine reduces the risk of getting shingles by half and the risk of developing painful complications by two-thirds, according to Gary Euler, study co-author. since the chance of contracting shingles increases with age and especially is high by age 80, when seniors are frail, he believes the value of the vaccine is incontestable.

Specifically, the vaccine protects against the herpes zoster virus, which causes chicken pox at first infection. The body never rids itself of the virus and it can show up again decades later as shingles. Symptoms include headache, fever and tingling or throbbing accompanied by jabs of stabbing pain called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), followed by a skin rash and blisters.

Up to 10 in every thousand seniors develop shingles every year. without the vaccination, 10 percent to 14 percent of them will suffer from neuralgia.

In the new study appearing online and in the February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that estimated coverage levels were low among all seniors and lowest among minority groups. Surprisingly, 95 percent of younger seniors had missed at least one opportunity to be vaccinated, even though they had seen their physician at least once, been hospitalized or visited an emergency department that year. The people most likely to have received vaccinations were older, white, female seniors who were more highly educated and who had received a flu shot.

From the results of an earlier study, the researchers can see that uptake is growing, but at a snail’s pace. The study authors gave possible reasons: while most insurance and Medicare plans cover the cost of vaccination, other costs might be out-of-pocket and upfront. Physicians could be reluctant to recommend the vaccine because of this cost burden, especially if the patient has no insurance.

A downside exists for the physicians, too. Euler, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that the vaccine must remain frozen until the last minute, which presents an added burden on two counts. first, there is a time lapse if the physician writes a prescription for the patient to buy the vaccine at a pharmacy and bring it back to the office to have it administered. Second, if a physician writes a prescription for the patient to receive the vaccine at the pharmacy, patients often do not make that additional trip.

Despite these drawbacks, Euler strongly recommends that seniors receive vaccinations for shingles.

“most patients who know what PHN is like would absolutely agree,” Euler said. “And in terms of cost savings for medical attention and medicine on a population-wide basis, so would most economists.”

Dr. Andrew Wakefield arrives in London on July 16, 2007 to face a disciplinary panel investigating allegations of misconduct. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

(CBS/AP) Dr. Andrew Wakefield is either the victim of  “a ruthless, pragmatic attempt to crush any attempt to investigate valid vaccine safety concerns” as he describes it or a huckster paid by lawyers in 1998 to falsify an autism study to make it appear vaccines were to blame for the disorder. the lawyers later sued the vaccine makers.

The huckster version of events is described in a British Medical Journal piece released this month which rips apart Wakefield’s study and his motivation for writing it.

“Such clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare,” said BMJ’s editor-in-chief Dr. Fiona Godlee in a statement.

The 1998 study, which appeared in the prestigious British journal the Lancet, was groundbreaking when it came out. Wakefield examined 12 children with regressive autism – they were developing normally and then went awry. Wakefield said their symptoms appeared soon after receiving a vaccination for measles mumps and rubella called an MMR. In rich nations, almost all children receive the shot.

Wakefield, a gastroenterologist, hypothesized that the vaccine caused both the autism symptoms and gut problems.

Parents with autistic children, desperate to find it’s cause and a cure, quickly rallied around Wakefield’s study. Vaccination rates dropped in Britain as well as the United States. New cases of measles rose.

And so did the cases of autism or at least its diagnosis.

Later studies tried to replicate Wakefield’s findings, but could not. Debate raged about the root causes of autism.

But the BMJ investigation by journalist Brian Deer found that five of the 12 children in Wakefield’s paper had symptoms before the MMR shots. one girl turned out to have a heart disorder. her symptoms disappeared after it was treated. the report claims three of the children turned out to not have autism at all and only one was eventually diagnosed with the regressive form of it described in Wakefield’s paper.

The report also alleges that Wakefield falsified timeliness and when investigators showed Wakefield’s study to parents of the children involved, some claimed he misrepresented their stories.

Perhaps most damagingly, the report claims Wakefield developed his autism vaccine theory only after he was hired by lawyers planning to sue vaccine makers. BMJ claims he was paid more than half-a-million dollars for his efforts.

On Wednesday, Wakefield fired back. Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, he claimed the report’s author was “a hit man who has been brought in to take me down” by big pharma.

According to the network, Deer signed a disclosure form claiming he has no financial interest in the matter, but freely admits he was paid by BMJ for his reporting.

“That’s what journalists do,” he told CNN.

Last year, the Lancet formally retracted Wakefield’s study. ten of the 13 authors had earlier done the same.  Wakefield has since been stripped of his medical license in Britain.

But for Wakefield’s supports, the battle drags on.

“I cannot imagine for a second that Dr. Wakefield would have any reason to falsify data,” Wendy Fournier, president of the National Autism Association, told CNN. “He’s a man of integrity and honesty and truly wants to find the answers for millions of children who have been affected by autism.”