New Jersey now mandates flu shots for preschoolers

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http://www.douglassreport.com/dailydose/dd200901/dd20090128a.htmlNew Jersey mandates flu shots for preschoolersI've described the struggle against vaccinations as a one-step-forward, two-steps-back kind of affair. For every hard-fought gain in the anti-vaccination camp, there always seems to be a set back right around the corner. Unfortunately, I have a two-steps-back story to tell you: this month a New Jersey state law went into effect that requires mandatory flu vaccinations for children who attend licensed pre-school and child care centers.The logic of this horrible new law is, according to New Jersey's state epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan, "Stopping flu transmission among kids will stop flu transmission in the community at large."Yeah right. Seems that Dr. Tan hasn't been reading the same reports that I have, most of which indicate that in recent years the track record of effectiveness for flu shots has been dubious at best. But what the hell - let's shoot live viruses into little kids.Once again, the government is going to act as the hired goon for Big Pharma. Kids who don't get the flu shot will be banned from attending class unless parents can show proof that they're intending to subject their kids to a flu shot within two weeks of the law's deadline.It's sickening.I find it particularly interesting that New Jersey is testing the waters with this new law in state licensed private schools, not public schools. I'm sure they want to see how big of a political hot potato this could be before they impose this law in public schools. After all, a CDC advisory panel recommends that ALL children from six months to 18-years old should get flu shots.Of course, the pro-vaccination docs are quick to tout that this law is really about good old-fashioned common sense. After all, they say, kids are little germ machines that infect one another at school, and then bring those germs home with them.This may be true, but the fact remains that FLU SHOTS DON'T WORK! Last year's flu season was the worst in three years - and reports said that this was due to the fact that the virus that so many people had injected into their systems was completely ineffective against the flu.New Jersey is the first state in the country to require compulsory flu shots for children. But with the power of Big Pharma and the pro vaccination lobbies, I'm sure it won't be the last. In fact, New Jersey has the ultimate goal of requiring FOUR additional immunizations for pre-school-age kids.Naturally, there's no little degree of outrage, and parents groups and anti-vaccination groups have loudly protested the law. Last fall, the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice held a rally saying that immunization is a parent's prerogative - the state should back off.Louise Kuo Habakus, spokeswoman for the Coalition says more and more, parents don't trust public health officials. "These are our kids," Habakus says. "We're stakeholders. You have to give us say in this debate."But whether or not flu shots work hasn't come up once in this debate - it's all philosophical. And for Dr. Tan, philosophy just doesn't cut it. "The New Jersey Department of health opposes philosophical exemptions only because influenza can cause destructive and serious illness among children," Tan says.Unfortunately, I doubt flu vaccines will do a damn thing to prevent flu.Cough med ingredient could battle prostate cancerThe latest prostate cancer treatment could be in your medicine cabinet. Researchers have found that Noscapine, a substance found in cough medicines is effective in reducing advanced prostate tumor growth in mice by as much as 60 percent.Noscapine is an opium derivative that's non-addictive. It's already been studied as a treatment for other cancers, but this is the first time it's seen to be effective for prostate cancer. The study also found that it limited the spread of tumors by as much as 65 percent - with no harmful side effects.This is good news, since prostate cancer treatments often involved invasive surgeries that can have devastating physical side effects, not the least of which is sexual dysfunction. According to the researchers, there's a chance that noscapine could ultimately become a safe and effective treatment for humans.Noscapine may be "a desirable alternative to currently used therapeutic agents have serious side effects," the researchers said.Since prostate cancer is by far the most common cancer among American men, this is big news. I'm always telling you about how important it is to find a more accurate test for prostate cancer than the highly inaccurate PSA test. But it's encouraging to know that the researchers are making some progress in the fight against the disease. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.