Lockdown, hackers, warnings, and more…

FSM News and Articles

Should Australia be enforcing a UK-style lockdown? FSM co-founder Professor John Dwyer said so far Australians had been slow to implement social distancing – such as continuing to go to the beach in some places – when “a whole of community effort not seen since World War II was required”. He said he was relieved to hear the government was broadening the testing for COVID-19. “If in two weeks we find there is still sloppiness and dangerous behaviour I think we will be doing exactly what they are doing in the UK and Italy.” In the meantime, Professor Dwyer believed there were still some loopholes that needed to be closed. He said the number of people in supermarkets at any one time should be restricted, so people could practice social distancing. “We don’t want old people given special times to shop, we don’t want old people in supermarkets at all,” he said.

General

CV19 – Meet the volunteer COVID-19 cyber heroes helping healthcare fight the hackers: “As the outbreak escalates, we are witnessing a significant uptick in cyberattacks exploiting the fear of coronavirus to compromise victims. Most sectors have been targeted, including government, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations. It only takes one successful ransomware attack to have a life and death impact on patient care potentially.”

“Interestingly, two of the most active ransomware groups operating at present, Maze and Doppelpaymer, have pledged to avoid targeting healthcare organisations during the coronavirus pandemic. This tactic is likely intended for self preservation, rather than any genuine sense of altruism. Further, it still leaves numerous other operators, … who have not made such claims. Thankfully, several cybersecurity companies have offered free ransomware support services for healthcare providers.”

[Combined quotes from article and the CV19 public report https://www.cyjax.com/download/covid-19-cyber-situation-report-23-march-2020/]

What to know before making your own DIY sanitizer“If you can make a sanitizer with the appropriate content of isopropyl alcohol or ethanol—60 percent or more—it is likely to work well,” says Fichtenbaum.

How to stay fit and active at home during the coronavirus self-isolation: “While self-isolation measures are necessary, our bodies and minds still need exercise to function well, prevent weight gain and keep the spirits up during these challenging times”. “Exercise can help keep our immune system become strong, less susceptible to infections and their most severe consequences, and better able to recover from them”.

New blood test can detect fifty types of cancer: New research into cancer detection has merged the analysis of tumour DNA in blood with artificial intelligence (AI), also known as machine learning. This is the process of automating tumour DNA detection by training AI with blood samples from both cancer patients and and people without cancer. This is an easier method of detecting cancers than the different scanning modalities used presently that in turn could lead to better and earlier detection of cancers. It is early days for this technology but it presents exciting possibilities.

FDA finds problems at 52% of supplement manufacturing sites in U.S. and 42% abroad: “ConsumerLab.com has obtained results of the FDA’s inspections in Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2019) of 598 dietary supplement manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and abroad, showing that most — 51% — received letters indicating noncompliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs).”

Great Moments in Health and Science 

The development of universal health coverage (UHC): “UHC means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship.” The current health climate highlights how incredibly important universal health coverage is not only for those who are less fortunate, but also for society as a whole.

Today’s Abused Health concept

Chiropractic boosting the immune system. Chiropractors told to remove posts claiming their methods boost immune system and prevent COVID-19: “As soon as there is public fear to exploit, these practitioners are really quick to get on message and promote this type of misinformation for their own profit”. If it is not acceptable to promote ‘immune boost’ claims to take advantage COVID19 fear, why are these claims allowed (or overlooked) AT ANY TIME? Are ethics less important at other times? Governing bodies including chiropractic organisations are issuing warnings not to make inappropriate claims related to COVID19, often … “within hours of receiving information about potential inappropriate claims…”

However this type of claim seems to be normal in the industry. Warnings do not seem to have any negative effect on the business or practises of these quack operators. A google for “chiropractic boost immune system” returns ~700,000 results, and it is clear that industry does not effectively police itself. Unscientific claims need to be combated with effective policies, deterrents and penalties or chiropractic (and alt med in general) will continue to be a hotbed for false claims and unethical behaviour.