50y. anniversary of development of Measles vaccine by Duke Univ. Emeritus Prof S.L. KATZ

Press Release Embargoed until: Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 12:00 noon ET Contact: Media Relations (404) 639-3286 Measles Still Threatens Health Security On 50th Anniversary of Measles Vaccine, Spike in Imported Measles Cases Fifty years after the approval of an extremely effective vaccine against measles, one of the world’s most contagious diseases, the virus still poses a threat to domestic and global health security. On an average day, 430 children – 18 every hour – die of measles worldwide. In 2011, there were an estimated 158,000 measles deaths. In an article published on December 5 by JAMA Pediatrics, CDC’s Mark J. Papania, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues report that United States measles elimination, announced in 2000, has been sustained through 2011. Elimination is defined as absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months. Dr. Papania and colleagues warn, however, that international importation continues, and that American doctors should suspect measles in children with high fever and rash, “especially when associated with international travel or international visitors,” and should report suspected cases to the local health department. Before the U.S. vaccination program started in 1963, measles was a year-round threat in this country. Nearly every child became infected; each year 450 to 500 people died each year, 48,000 were hospitalized, 7,000 had seizures, and about 1,000 suffered permanent brain damage or deafness. People infected abroad continue to spark outbreaks among pockets of unvaccinated people, including infants and young children. It is still a serious illness: 1 in 5 children with measles is hospitalized. Usually there are about 60 cases per year, but 2013 saw a spike in American communities – some 175 cases and counting – virtually all linked to people who brought the infection home after foreign travel. “A measles outbreak anywhere is a risk everywhere,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “The steady arrival of measles in the United States is a constant reminder that deadly diseases are testing our health security every day. Someday, it won’t be only measles at the international arrival gate; so, detecting diseases before they arrive is a wise investment in U.S. health security. Eliminating measles worldwide has benefits beyond the lives saved each year. Actions taken to stop measles can also help us stop other diseases in their tracks. CDC and its partners are building a global health security infrastructure that can be scaled up to deal with multiple emerging health threats. Currently, only 1 in 5 countries can rapidly detect, respond to, or prevent global health threats caused by emerging infections. Improvements overseas, such as strengthening surveillance and lab systems, training disease detectives, and building facilities to investigate disease outbreaks make the world -- and the United States -- more secure. “There may be a misconception that infectious diseases are over in the industrialized world. But in fact, infectious diseases continue to be, and will always be, with us. Global health and protecting our country go hand in hand,” Dr. Frieden said. Today’s health security threats come from at least five sources: The emergence and spread of new microbes The globalization of travel and food supply The rise of drug-resistant pathogens The acceleration of biological science capabilities and the risk that these capabilities may cause the inadvertent or intentional release of pathogens Continued concerns about terrorist acquisition, development, and use of biological agents. “With patterns of global travel and trade, disease can spread nearly anywhere within 24 hours,” Dr. Frieden said. “That’s why the ability to detect, fight, and prevent these diseases must be developed and strengthened overseas, and not just here in the United States.” The threat from measles would be far greater were it not for the vaccine and the man who played a major role in creating it, Samuel L. Katz, M.D., emeritus professor of medicine at Duke University. Today, CDC is honoring Dr. Katz 50 years after his historic achievement. During the ceremony, global leaders in public health are highlighting the domestic importance of global health security, how far we have come in reducing the burden of measles, and the prospects for eliminating the disease worldwide. Measles, like smallpox, can be eliminated. However, measles is so contagious that the vast majority of a population must be vaccinated to prevent sustained outbreaks. Major strides already have been made. Since 2001, a global partnership that includes the CDC has vaccinated 1.1 billion children. Over the last decade, these vaccinations averted 10 million deaths – one fifth of all deaths prevented by modern medicine. “The challenge is not whether we shall see a world without measles, but when,” Dr. Katz said. “No vaccine is the work of a single person, but no single person had more to do with the creation of the measles vaccine than Dr. Katz,” said Alan Hinman, M.D., M.P.H., Director for Programs, Center for Vaccine Equity, Task Force for Global Health. “Although the measles virus had been isolated by others, it was Dr. Katz’s painstaking work passing the virus from one culture to another that finally resulted in a safe form of the virus that could be used as a vaccine.”

PHILADELPHIA:WILLS EYE INSTITUTE FREE CMEs

Wills Eye Knowledge Portal www.willseyeonline.org Wills Eye Knowledge Portal Free Registration. Free CME. Sign Up Here! Experience Wills Eye education online at www.willseyeonline.org Learn from top doctors at Wills Eye Institute. Experience web-based medical education. Earn CME credits from world-renowned experts. ---------------------------------- CME Courses Strabismus Disorders 0.5 AMA PRA Credit Strabismus is a common condition in children, occurring in about 4% of children in the United States. If untreated, strabismus can lead to untreatable visual compromise once the child is grown. The treatments for strabismus have evolved with scientific studies. Given the potential to minimize a lifetime of sub-optimal vision, physicians should be aware and up-to-date on this topic as significant practice gaps exist in awareness of strabismus disorders. ------------------------------------ ALL CME COURSES ON THE WILLS EYE KNOWLEDGE PORTAL ARE FREE! ------------------------------------ Wills Eye 39th Annual Ophthalmology Review Course March 1-5, 2014 A comprehensive review of the basic principles and recent advances in ophthalmology for Residents and Fellows. Information: (215) 440-3169 Wills Eye 65th Annual Conference March 6-8, 2014 Philadelphia, PA willsconference.org This is a three day conference designed for comprehensive ophthalmologists, specialists, and allied health personnel. The conference will review clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to eye problems related to all ophthalmic sub-specialties. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook View our videos on YouTube December 2013 Corneal Trauma, Abrasions, Chemical Burns, Perforating Trauma Presenter: Kristin Hammersmith, MD Dr. Hammersmith is an assistant surgeon on the Cornea Service and Director of the Cornea Fellowship Program at Wills Eye Hospital. She is also an instructor at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Hammersmith interests include severe ocular surface diseases such as dry eye, blepharitis, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, chemical burns, and the potential of limbal cell transplantation to help patients with these conditions. Central Retinal Venous Obstruction Presenter: Joseph I. Maguire, MD Dr. Maguire is an attending surgeon on the Retina Service at Wills Eye Hospital and an associate professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University. He is a past Retina Service President and Scientific Director of the Eye Reseach Institute (ERI). He is currently a principal investigator in the VEGF-trap clinical trial and the National Institutes of Health sponsored AREDS 2, and has been clinical co-investigator in several completed and ongoing clinical trials evaluating novel treatments for diabetic retinopathy and AMD. Low Vision 101: Custom Refractions, Prisms, and Optics; and Low Vision 201: Rehabilitation Presenter: Scott Edmonds, OD Dr. Edmonds is Co-Director of the Low Vision and Contact Lens Service at Wills Eye Hospital. He has written and lectured extensively on clinical topics of post operative care, low vision, contact lenses, and ocular diseases as well as management topics of managed care and medicare. Dr. Edmonds has been recognized as Optometrist of the year by the Philadelphia Optometric Society, the Chester-Delaware Optometric Society, and Pennsylvania Optometric Association. IOP Variation: Should It Affect Our Management of Glaucoma? Presenter: L. Jay Katz, MD, FACS Dr. Katz is the director of the glaucoma service at the Wills Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University. He has published more than 160 articles in peer reviewed journals and has authored, coauthored, or edited more than 30 books and book chapters. He has received numerous awards including the Physicians Recognition Award from the American Medical Association and an Honor award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Katz has been an investigator in several landmark multicenter trials. Additional Highlights: Importance of Adherence and Quality of Life in People Under Glaucoma Treatment George L. Spaeth, MD Introduction to Ocular Pathology Ralph C. Eagle, MD Biopsy Techniques Edward H. Bedrossian, MD Contemporary Management of Retinal Detachment Repair Gaurav K. Shah, MD Herpetic Disease of the Anterior Segment Brad Feldman, MD Visiting Professor Lectures and Cases Joshua R. Ehrlich, MD; Timothy V. Johnson, MD; Jared D. Peterson, MD Chiefs' Rounds Anthony W. Farah, MD; Nina Ni, MD; Michael S. Ehrlich, MD; Kristin M. DiDomenico, MD; Blair K. Armstrong, MD

OMA Toronto Sheraton Centre Hotel 4 hour course by GLENN TECKER of TECKER INT.LLC.

www.tecker.com Approx 300 OMA members recorded opinions on responsibilities of OMA Board; Council; CEO; Assemblies - Diagnostic, Medical,Primary practice, Surgical; Sections; Districts and Branch societies. Electronic voting was by table, not individual. ONTARIO 2013 (Stats Can.) Primary physicians: 12,933 Specialists: 10,475

TORONTO: North York (community) hospital anaesthetist guilty of 21 sexual acts..

CBC News A Toronto court has found Indo-Scot Anaesthetist Dr.George Doodnaught, MBChB (Glasgow 1974)FRCPC(anaes.1981), guilty of sexually assaulting 21 women while they were under conscious sedation in a hospital.

ONTARIO HEALTH INNOVATION COUNCIL -14 members

ontario.ca/innovation-news 9-male;5-female. Technical experts include: Pres & CEO MaRS INNOVATION Dr. R.HOFSTEIN BSc(Phys/Chem. Hebrew Univ.) MSc & PhD(Chem.Weizmann Instit.) Pres.,MEDTRONIC(Can.)N.FRASER.B.Applied Sc.(Chem engineering U.B.C.)P.Eng., MBA(Ivey) Pres & CEO Boehringer Ingelheim(Can.)Prof.Dr.T.WITEK MPH(Yale) Doctor Public Health(Columbia) MBA (Henley,UK)

OMA ad in TORONTO STAR: $34,000

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LANCET: Antibiotic resistance

http://www.reactgroup.org/uploads/news/Comments-on-The-Lancet-Infectious-Diseases-Commission-on-Antibiotic-Resistance-Nov2013.pdf COMMENT: OMA could force CPSO to reject time-wasting, expensive complaints against MDs for NOT prescribing antibiotics on demand by patients.