Posted by Believer Again [Erie] on April 01, 1999 at 09:33:48 {feW1wc1uNQsVBaJLukIQqoHxpYU4zY}:
In Reply to: Blood and Medicine posted by ros on March 31, 1999 at 12:31:50:
Ros, here is an example of things that concern physicians far more than JWs not taking blood products when needed:
Yahoo! News AP Headlines
Wednesday March 31 6:08 PM ET
NIH To Unveil Vaccine List
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP
Medical Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - A new list of ``best buys'' in vaccine research highlights vaccines for some little-publicized but devastating diseases in newborns and better nationwide flu immunization.
The National Institutes of Health sought advice on priorities for funding vaccines against diseases that do not get as much attention as, for example, AIDS.
So the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences that advises the government, analyzed which potential vaccines would offer society the greatest benefits, both by preventing deaths and general suffering as well as by saving on health-care costs.
The report, which is due out soon but was previewed at a vaccine meeting this week, is not a list of vaccines that doctors most want. Instead, it advises NIH and private companies how to determine which potential vaccines would bring the most bang for the investment buck - offering examples of ``best buys'' that could save both money and suffering.
``These are the ones we really want society to invest in ... sort of a no-brainer,'' said panel chairman Dr. Robert Lawrence of Johns Hopkins University.
They include:
-A cytomegalovirus vaccine. CMV is so common that almost everyone is exposed at some point. But about 5,000 infected newborns a year suffer serious complications, including death or retardation, Lawrence said. A vaccine could be developed within seven years with an investment of $360 million.
-Group B streptococcus is a widespread bacterium that sometimes causes serious disease in adults, but the biggest risk is in pregnant women who pass it to their newborns. Childbirth infects one in 500 newborns each year. Ten percent die, and up to half suffers some neurologic damage. Antibiotics can help at-risk pregnant women, but a vaccine could be completed within seven years with a $400 million investment.
-Many elderly Americans now are vaccinated against strep pneumonia. But the vaccine does not protect against strains of the bacteria-caused pneumonia found in all regions, and expanding its use to newborns significantly could cut meningitis and even ear infections that the germ also can cause, Lawrence said. Better vaccines could be developed within three years with $240 million.
-Investing $450 million to expand flu vaccinations to more Americans significantly could cut the 30 million annual influenza cases each year. Flu kills about 20,000 Americans a year, hospitalizes 50,000 to 300,000 and costs billions in medical care and lost workdays.
Less cost-effective but still promising vaccines included ones to fight ulcer-causing H. pylori bacteria, liver-destroying hepatitis C, and cervical cancer-causing human papillomavirus.