Congress eyes professional vote via AIPC outreach
In an effort to cash in on the community's sentiments over the death of Keralite Chartered Accountant Anna Sebastian, who succumbed to workplace stress in July 2024, the AIPC will launch a campaign. The four-phased programme has been charted by the AIPC to address stress faced by professionals at their workplace.
Those working in IT, banking/financial, health, engineering, legal and academic sectors are included in the category. According to the assessment of AIPC, there are around 15- 20 lakh professionals in the state. 'There are around three lakh IT professionals and four lakh each work in health and banking sectors,' state president of Professional Congress, Ranjith Balan, told TNIE.
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Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Pet dog bites off owner's ear in Bihar amid public uproar over SC's decision to send all strays in Delhi-NCR to shelters
In Gopalganj, Bihar, Sandeep Kumar suffered a shocking incident when his recently acquired pet dog bit off his ear. Kumar, attempting to prevent the dog from jumping off a wall, was unexpectedly attacked. He is currently receiving treatment at Sadar hospital, where doctors are trying to reattach the severed part and prevent infection, highlighting the unforeseen risks of pet ownership. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Gopalganj, The menace of stray dogs may have become serious enough for the Supreme Court to take note of, but in Bihar, a man has discovered, much to his horror, that pet ones posed a threat no less Kumar, a resident of Arar More locality in Gopalganj town, had his ear bitten off by his dog, which seemed in no mood to behave like man's proverbial best friend."The dog had clambered up on the boundary wall of my house. I was worried that it might jump on the other side and tried to pull it back. It got angry and bit my ear," said Kumar, now admitted to the Sadar to Danish, who is heading the team of doctors treating Kumar, "The patient turned up with a profusely bleeding ear. He had carried along the bitten piece wrapped in a piece of paper.""We have treated the wound to ensure that there is no infection. Now we will try to suture the bitten piece. If efforts of surgeons here fail, we may have to refer the patient to a better facility elsewhere," the doctor said.A family member of Kumar said, "The incident has left us stunned. We had purchased the pet only recently and showered it with so much of affection. It attacked Sandeep when all he wanted was to keep it out of harm's way."The Supreme Court directed Delhi-NCR authorities to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters "at the earliest".The top court noted that there was an "extremely grim" situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among to the directive, Gandhi said, "The SC's directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy."These voiceless souls are not "problems" to be erased, the Leader of Opposition said in a post on X."Shelters, sterilisation, vaccination & community care can keep streets safe - without cruelty. Blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion," Gandhi said."We can ensure public safety and animal welfare go hand in hand," the former Congress president dog shelters will have to be augmented over time, the apex court has directed Delhi authorities to start with creating shelters of around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks.A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan passed a slew of directions and warned of strict action against an individual or organisation in case of obstruction, which might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings."If any individual or any organisation comes in the way of such force picking up stray dogs and rounding them up, and if it is reported to us, we shall proceed to take strict action against any such resistance which may be offered," the bench bench further remarked if the animal activists and "so-called lovers" would be able to bring back children who fell prey to rabies."Will they put life back to those children? When the situation demands, you have to act," it top court was hearing a suo motu case initiated on July 28 over stray dog bites leading to rabies in the national top court on Monday directed all the strays to be removed and put in shelters by the Delhi government and civic bodies of Gurugram, Noida and ordered dog shelters to have sufficient personnel to sterilise and immunise the dogs aside from looking after them. The centres would be under CCTV surveillance to ensure the dog remains in the facility.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Commitment to truth, authenticity vital as fighting fake news becomes a daily battle: Nirmala Lakshman
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The Hindu
08-08-2025
- The Hindu
RFK Jr.'s vow to overhaul vaccine injury program echoes grievances of anti-vaccine movement
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is vowing to 'fix' the federal programme for compensating Americans injured by vaccines, opening the door to sweeping changes for a system long targeted by anti-vaccine activists Vaccine Injury Compensation Program history and purpose Health experts and lawyers say updates are needed to help clear a backlog of cases in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, created by Congress in 1986 as a no-fault payment system for presumed vaccine injuries. But they also worry Kennedy's changes will reflect his history as a leader in the anti-vaccine movement, which has alternately called for abolishing the program or expanding it to cover unproven injuries and illnesses that aren't connected to vaccines. Kennedy and other critics believe the programme is 'too miserly in what it considers to be a vaccine injury,' said Jason Schwartz, a public health expert at Yale University. 'That's created great concern that he could expand what's included.' Anti-vaccine groups have long suggested a link between vaccines and autism, despite scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don't cause the condition. Adding autism to the list of injuries covered by the plan 'would dramatically increase the number of compensable cases, potentially bankrupting it," Schwartz said. Signed into law under President Ronald Reagan, the compensation programme is designed to provide quick, efficient compensation to Americans who report known injuries associated with vaccines, such as rare allergic reactions. At the time of its creation, a number of vaccine-makers were exiting the business due to risks of class action lawsuits. In a recent social media post, Kennedy called the programme 'broken' and accused federal lawyers and adjudicators who run it of 'inefficiency, favoritism and outright corruption.' Kennedy didn't specify the changes he's seeking. But some of the people he's enlisted to help have a history of bringing vaccine injury cases. In June, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $150,000 contract to an Arizona law firm for 'expertise' in the programme. The firm's Andrew Downing, an attorney specialising in vaccine injury cases, was listed in the HHS staff directory for a time. 'We just brought a guy in this week who is going to be revolutionizing the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program,' Kennedy told Tucker Carlson shortly after the award. Revamping the program would be the latest in a string of decisions that have upended U.S. vaccine policy, including this week's cancellation of research funding for vaccines using mRNA technology. Potential impacts of Kennedy's proposed changes Downing has had a leading role in lawsuits against Merck alleging injuries from its HPV vaccine, Gardasil, including a rare movement disorder. In a podcast last year for people with the condition, Downing lamented that the injury compensation programme 'has taken a hard line' against such cases, leading lawyers to file injury lawsuits in civil court. Approximately 70% of the Gardasil cases against Merck started as claims filed by Downing in the federal injury program, according to court records. A judge dismissed more than 120 of those cases, citing 'a paucity of evidence" that Gardasil caused patients' problems. A spokesman for Kennedy declined to comment on Downing's hiring. Kennedy himself has been involved in the Gardasil litigation, as both an attorney and consultant. Before joining the government, Kennedy received payments for referring potential Gardasil clients to Wisner Baum, one of the law firms suing Merck. Following questions about the agreement during his confirmation hearings, Kennedy agreed to give up his stake in the deal and transfer any future fees to 'a nondependent, adult son," according to his financial disclosures. One of Kennedy's sons is an attorney at Wisner Baum. Experts who study vaccine compensation say real changes are needed to modernise the 40-year-old programme. Existing gaps and proposed updates to the system The cap on compensation remains $250,000 for injury or death, the same as in 1986. Similarly, the program still has eight adjudicators, known as special masters, to review all cases before the government. On average, the process takes two to three years. The fund has paid out $5.4 billion, compensating about 40% of all people who filed claims. The U.S. has an 'ethical obligation' to promptly pay those harmed by government-recommended vaccines, says Dorit Reiss, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law.'Plus, I think it increases trust in the vaccination program if you have quick, generous compensation,' Reiss said. As health secretary, Kennedy has broad powers to reshape the programme. One approach could be adding new diseases and illnesses to the government table of payable injuries. In the early 2000s, the program ruled against more than 5,000 claims from families who said vaccines led to their children's autism, citing hundreds of scientific studies discrediting the link. Critics of Kennedy say he could claim that he has new evidence of harm — perhaps from a large autism study he's commissioned — and add the condition to the program. In response, the federal government might have to increase taxes on vaccines to replenish the compensation fund, which would make the shots more expensive and less accessible. 'Then you will start to watch the vaccine programme infrastructure in this country disintegrate until someone steps in,' Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine researcher at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who has clashed with Kennedy for years. A recent Senate hearing titled 'Voice of the Vaccine Injured' appeared to make the case for expanding the programme. Witnesses included two representatives from Children's Health Defense, the nonprofit group that Kennedy previously chaired and has repeatedly sued the government over vaccines. The group's chief science officer, Brian Hooker, told lawmakers he tried unsuccessfully for 16 years trying to get compensation for his son's autism, which he attributes to the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Another approach would involve removing certain vaccines from the program, making it easier to bring lawsuits against vaccine-makers. Under current law, people claiming injuries from vaccines covered by the program must first pursue a compensation claim before they can sue. In cases where the science doesn't support a connection to vaccines, lawyers might be more successful before a jury. 'Jury trials take advantage of the fact that most jurors don't know anything about science or medicine,' Offit said. 'They are not going to be as easily moved by the data.' Still, attorneys who bring cases before the compensation program say the process has become more burdensome and adversarial over the years. Even small changes could improve things. For instance, the statute of limitations for claims could be extended beyond the current three years, which lawyers say cuts off many potential clients. 'I'm hoping there will be changes put in place that make the programme easier for petitioners to navigate' said Leah Durant, a vaccine injury attorney.
