Feds Crack Down on Bogus SARS Products
click to enlarge
Source: Associated Press
Date: 2003-05-09
The government ordered 48 Web sites on Friday to quit promoting bogus ways
to prevent and treat SARS, as health officials urged Americans to beware of
quacks preying on their fears.
Internet sites are illegally claiming that dietary supplements from vitamin
C and oregano oil to colloidal silver and belladonna can treat or cure the
new respiratory illness, regulators charged. Others promise SARS "protection
kits" that include personal air purifiers, gloves, masks and alcohol wipes.
"Scam artists follow the headlines, trying to make a fast buck with products
that play off the news," said Howard Beales of the Federal Trade Commission,
which conducted the crackdown along with the Food and Drug Administration.
Many of the products also were advertised as anthrax defenses during the
2001 bioterrorist attack, and the government cracked down then, too.
Consumers don't stand just to waste money because some of the bogus
treatments could cause side effects. Belladonna, for instance, is a
poisonous plant; small amounts of its alkaloids are used to make certain
prescription medications. Colloidal silver can turn the skin blue.
Scammers frequently claim certain dietary supplements treat serious diseases
by boosting the immune system, claims that are bunk, said FDA Commissioner
Mark McClellan.
Among companies targeted was Texas-based Young Again Nutrients, whose Web
site still claimed on Friday that its beta glucan "strengthens the immune
system defenses against all infectious viral diseases, and possible SARS."
FDA earlier this year seized $500,000 of different Young Again products on
another charge. The company did not return a call seeking comment.
Companies that don't cease illegal marketing could have their products
seized and be subject to prosecution and thousands of dollars in fines, the
government said.
Scientists have found no effective treatment for SARS, the severe acute
respiratory syndrome that has infected more than 7,000 people worldwide and
killed 515 since erupting in China.
The United States so far has escaped much illness, with just 63 probable
cases of the new disease and no deaths. All but two have been among
travelers to China or other countries hit hard by SARS; the remaining two
were a health worker and relative infected by a traveler.
Specialists recommend masks and other protective gear only for people in
close contact with suspected patients.
"Commonsense actions" protect the average person, McClellan said: If you've
had contact with a traveler to a SARS-hit area and develop symptoms, consult
a doctor. Avoid travel to SARS hot spots. Wash hands frequently, as colds
and other viruses can be transmitted by touching something in the path of a
sneeze and then touching your own face.
And be savvy, health officials advised: If scientists were to discover a
SARS treatment, would you really hear about it through an Internet sales
pitch instead of the news?
---
On the Net: SARS scam info: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/05/sars.htm
Latest SARS updates: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars
Sincerely Yours, Hank.
Very Interesting Sites
http://www.babelmagazine.com
http://hdka.stormpages.com/indexf.html
http://www.babelmagazine.com/wing.html
http://members.myecom.net/hdka/ct/ct.html
http://www.idownline.com/sites/hdka/911.html
http://www.idownline.com/sites/hdka/investigation77.html
Now MyECom FreeMail gives you what you've been asking for.
More storage space (10MB), large attachments that get delivered,
WEB, IMAP, POP3 and SMTP access at no extra charge,
Calendar, spell checker, mail filtering and auto-responders.
http://freemail.myecom.net
--
The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver.
Instructions for unsubscribing may be found at: http://silverlist.org
To post, address your message to: [email protected]
Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html
List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
