“We recognize that preparedness is shared responsibility between federal, tribal, state, local governments, private organizations and individuals. We are doing our part to be as prepared as possible for the impact that this infectious disease could have on our country,” Secretary Sebelius said. “Vaccines may serve an important role in that preparedness. The action we are taking today will provide flexibility in a future immunization program, if a program is recommended.”

The funds will be used to place additional orders for bulk H1N1 antigen and adjuvant on existing contracts with Sanofi Pasteur, MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis. The vaccine ingredients will become a part of the pandemic stockpile, for use if a vaccination campaign is necessary.

Antigen is the active ingredient in a vaccine that causes the human body’s immune system to develop antibodies that help fight an invading virus. Depending on the results of clinical studies, adjuvant could be added to a vaccine to boost the immune system’s response and potentially reduce the amount of antigen necessary for the body to recognize and fight a virus.

In May, Secretary Sebelius directed approximately $1 billion to be used for the development of a vaccine and for clinical studies to determine dose level and assess the safety and effectiveness of potential vaccines.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response established the existing contracts with these companies in 2004 as part of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza.

A study released Oct. 2 by Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that only 40% of adults were “absolutely certain” they would get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves and 51% of parents were “absolutely certain” they would get the vaccine for their children. Children are among the designated priority groups to receive the vaccine.

But if the flu outbreak is severe in their own communities, those queried told researchers they might be more inclined to get the vaccine for themselves and their children. The survey was conducted Sept. 14-20 by telephone with a sample of 1,042 adults.

Those who were not “absolutely certain” they would get the H1N1 vaccine said they were concerned about possible side effects, did not think they were at risk of getting seriously ill from the virus or thought they could get medication to treat H1N1 if they got sick.

By late September, widespread H1N1 activity had been reported in 27 states, and the virus’ spread showed no signs of slowing, according to the CDC. If the increasing reach of the illness prompts more people to get the vaccine, tracking systems will help determine if anything unusual occurs.

VAERS, which is jointly managed by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, is ready to receive reports of events from physicians and others, said Claudia Vellozzi, MD, MPH, deputy director of the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office. Staff is being increased for the upcoming flu season to process reports more rapidly, she said.

But there are limitations to VAERS, Dr. Vellozzi said. The quality of the data varies, and there is no unvaccinated comparison group. There also is a great deal of underreporting, she said.

Some other tracking efforts include the Vaccine Safety Datalink project, a joint effort involving the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office and eight large managed care organizations.

A new tracking system, the Real Time Immunization Monitoring System, will use a Web-based system developed at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to follow people for up to six weeks postvaccination.

The CDC and six academic medical centers with vaccine safety experts will provide clinical expertise in the evaluation of serious adverse events. The Dept. of Defense is monitoring 1.5 million active duty personnel. Another tracking component is Post-Licensure Rapid Immunization Safety Monitoring, a collaboration involving the National Vaccine Program Office, the FDA and the CDC.

About 600,000 doses of the nasal-spray H1N1 vaccine have been shipped and scheduled to arrive in early October in 25 states and cities, Dr. Schuchat said. Injectable vaccine was expected to be shipped soon after that.

People with the flu, particularly children and adolescents, may be at an increased risk of self injury and confusion shortly after taking TAMIFLU and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behavior. A healthcare professional should be contacted immediately if the patient taking TAMIFLU shows any signs of unusual behavior.

The most common side effects of TAMIFLU are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. TAMIFLU is generally well tolerated.

In addition, take the following precautions when using TAMIFLU:

• You should not take TAMIFLU if you are allergic to oseltamivir phosphate or any other ingredients of TAMIFLU.
• TAMIFLU is normally not recommended for use during pregnancy or nursing, as the effects on the unborn child or nursing infant are unknown. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding while taking TAMIFLU, talk to your doctor before taking TAMIFLU.
• If you have any type of kidney disease, talk to your doctor before starting TAMIFLU therapy.
• The use of TAMIFLU along with an intranasal flu vaccine like FluMist®* has not been evaluated. However, due to the possibility for interference between these products, an intranasal flu vaccine should not be given within 2 weeks before or 48 hours after taking TAMIFLU, unless it is deemed appropriate by your doctor. The type of flu vaccine administered as a shot through the skin can be given at any time relative to use of TAMIFLU.

As with any medication, be sure to discuss with your doctor any over–the–counter or prescription medicines you are currently taking before beginning TAMIFLU therapy or tamiflu side effect.

The blood vessels affected include those supplying the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and central nervous system. This can result in bowel ischemia (mesenteric ischemia or ischemic colitis), chronic skin lesions, ocular lesions, strokes, spinal lesions, mononeuritis multiplex, epilepsy, headaches or cognitive disorders. Pleural or pericardial effusions are also reported.

The outcome of this disease can be fatal with a median survival of 2 to 3 years, although some appear to have a benign form (Degos acanthoma) which affects only the skin. There are fewer than fifty living patients at present known worldwide, and fewer than 200[1] reported in the medical literature. Treatment options are limited, consist mainly of Antiplatelet drugs or anticoagulants or immunosuppressants, and effect of treatment is limited to case reports.

It has been suggested that this is not a separate disorder, but the final result of several vascular systemic disorders.

The disease is named for Robert Degos who recognised it as a clinical entity in 1942, after it was first described by Kohlmeier in 1941.

Segenap kru dari biofirenergi.com mengucapkan selamat idul fitri 1430H  di tahun 2009 ini semoga lebaran 2009 aman dan nyaman bagi keluarga anda. Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin

Sheila Marcia Joseph

Sheila Marcia Joseph hamil di luar nikah. Walau begitu ia mendapat dukungan untuk mempertahankan calon bayinya tersebut. Sang ibunda, Maria Joseph juga bangga kepadanya.

“Tante bangga sama dia. Di umurnya yang masih 19 tahun dia punya dedikasi tinggi atas janinnya. Siapa coba yang berani seperti itu?,” ujar Maria ditemui di Rutan Pondok Bambu, Jakarta Timur.

Maria menolak untuk mengungkapkan identitas ayah janin yang dikandung putri tercintanya. Sheila dan keluarga telah mengambil keputusan untuk melahirkan anak tersebut dan membesarkannya walaupun tanpa ayah. Sepertinya Sheila pernah ditawari untuk menggugurkan kandungannya saat baru ketahuan. Namun Sheila menolaknya.

“Dia menerima anugerah Tuhan. Padahal waktu itu masih berbentuk darah, tapi dia nggak mau keluarkan. Dia ingin memeliharanya,” jelas Maria.

Kosmetik ilegal yang tak punya izin edar itu disita dari toko Fiorenza di Jalan Samratulangi dan El Rapha di IT Center dipimpin Sukriadi Darma Kepala seksi pemeriksaan BBPOM di Manado.

“Kosmetik ilegal yang kami sita tersebut berupa parfum, pemutih wajah, deodoran, sampai hand body lotion, kami sita dan akan dimusnahkan,” kata Kepala Seksi Pemeriksaan BBPOM Manado Sukriadi Darma di Manado, Senin.

Saat melakukan sidak tersebut, pihak BBPOM langsung memberikan penjelasan aturannya di mana kosmetik ilegal tersebut tak bisa beredar sebab tak punya izin dari BBPOM.

Bahkan Sukriadi Darma mengatakan, para pemilik langsung diberikan teguran keras dan diminta untuk tak mengulangi perbuatan. Jika melakukannya lagi, akan berurusan dengan hukum.

Pemilik toko parfum Fiorenza, Abdul Rahman, yang mulanya agak keberatan terpaksa merelakan ratusan botol parfum mereka disita dan diamankan Balai POM setelah diberikan penjelasan mengenai aturannya.

“Kami tak berniat menjual sesuatu berbahaya, tetapi karena ternyata tak punya registrasi jadi kami patuh saja pada aturan,” kata Abdul Ramhan, pemilik Fiorenza.

Kosmetik ilegal yang disita itu antara lain parfum merek Bulgari, Hugos, dan Escada yang harganya diperkirakan mencapai Rp 50 juta.

Pengelola El Rapha, dokter Nana, yang mulanya agak keberatan akhirnya menerimanya saat dijelaskan aturannya oleh BBPOM, dan menandatangani berita acara penyitaan, sambil berjanji tak akan mengulangi perbuatannya.