- Email: [email protected]
Academic apartheid by the back door
Correspondence
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Jalan R, Williams R, Bernuau J. Paracetamol: are therapeutic doses entirely safe? Lancet 2006; 368: 2195–96. Moynihan R. FDA fails to reduce accessibility of paracetamol despite 450 deaths a year. BMJ 2002; 325: 678. Nourjah P, Ahmad SR, Karwoski C, Willy M. Estimates of acetaminophen (paracetamol)associated overdoses in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2006; 15: 398–405. Lai MW, Klein-Schwartz W, Rodgers GC, et al. 2005 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ national poisoning and exposure database. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2006; 44: 803–932.
Academic apartheid by the back door There is increasing anecdotal evidence that UK researchers with Muslimsounding names are being denied the opportunity to present their work in the USA. One of our clinical research fellows, who I help supervise, recently had a paper accepted by the American Society of Nephrology as a poster presentation at its annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA. The research fellow applied to the US embassy in London for a visa in September, 2006, with a letter of endorsement from his supervisor. He was interviewed and informed by the US embassy that because of his name his documents would have to be sent to Washington, and he was given verbal reassurance that a decision would be made before the meeting in November. The research fellow was encouraged by this and booked a flight to the USA. However, he was not issued a visa despite repeated requests to the embassy by him and by his supervisor. To date his visa application has not been approved. The individual feels insulted and humiliated by the way he has been treated by the US embassy in London. This was not an isolated incidence. Two other Muslim researchers from www.thelancet.com Vol 369 February 10, 2007
the University of Aberdeen have not been issued with visas for entry to the USA and prevented from presenting their work at international conferences. The scientific community must take serious note of this. I declare that I have no conflict of interest.
Izhar Khan [email protected] Ward 25/26, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
Blood safety and democracy The Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) was established 30 years ago, and since then has focused all of its activities on improving blood safety and patients’ access to blood products. IBTO is currently one of the most successful blood organisations in the Middle East region. As one of its routine efforts to improve the knowledge of Iranian professionals with respect to blood safety and rational use of blood products, IBTO intends to hold an International Conference on Transfusion Medicine in May, 2007, in Tehran. To attract the contribution of international organisations to this scientific activity, IBTO sent out invitation letters to respected international organisations and associations. Some organisations announced their interest, and some were not able to attend for technical reasons. However, we received a concerning response from the Network for Advancement of Transfusion Alternatives (NATA) who declined to contribute to the event, claiming that “Iran is not a democratic country”. IBTO, being a non-political organisation, is not intended to defend the level of democracy in Iran. There are several international organisations involved in the surveillance of human rights and democracy worldwide
and we should leave this business to them. The main mission of scientific association in the field of medicine is to provide the best possible care for patients irrespective of the political climate in which those patients live. Today, health-oriented international organisations do not see race, religion, or border as barriers to the support of patients in need of medical care. Some organisations even jeopardise the lives of their members by sending them to very dangerous spots in order to help. Such individuals are not concerned about the level of democracy in these regions and do not pass judgment on a country’s political status. Attitudes such as that of NATA are humiliating to academics and scholars working hard for the advancement of science, health, and patients’ wellbeing. I declare that I have no conflict of interest.
A Majid Cheraghali [email protected] Iran Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO), Tehran, Iran
Alcohol misuse and traffic accidents In their Review (Dec 23/30, p 2231),1 Marc Moss and Ellen Burnham highlight the effect of alcohol abuse on inpatients who need admission to the intensive care unit. In our opinion, however, they paid little attention to the effect of alcohol intake on trauma caused by traffic accidents. Alcohol-impaired driving is a serious threat to health. In the USA, despite the significant reduction in alcohol-related traffic crashes in the past two decades, 40% of traffic deaths and 9% of traffic injuries are alcohol-related.2 Similarly, in the European Union, 30–50% of traffic accidents are related to alcohol intake.3 A prospective study4 that enrolled 2354 patients admitted to an Italian emergency department
The printed journal includes an image merely for illustration Empics
Division of Drug Risk Evaluation, Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, HFD-430, MS# 3411, WO22 Rm 3464, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
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1
2
3
4
Jalan R, Williams R, Bernuau J. Paracetamol: are therapeutic doses entirely safe? Lancet 2006; 368: 2195–96. Moynihan R. FDA fails to reduce accessibility of paracetamol despite 450 deaths a year. BMJ 2002; 325: 678. Nourjah P, Ahmad SR, Karwoski C, Willy M. Estimates of acetaminophen (paracetamol)associated overdoses in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2006; 15: 398–405. Lai MW, Klein-Schwartz W, Rodgers GC, et al. 2005 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ national poisoning and exposure database. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2006; 44: 803–932.
Academic apartheid by the back door There is increasing anecdotal evidence that UK researchers with Muslimsounding names are being denied the opportunity to present their work in the USA. One of our clinical research fellows, who I help supervise, recently had a paper accepted by the American Society of Nephrology as a poster presentation at its annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA. The research fellow applied to the US embassy in London for a visa in September, 2006, with a letter of endorsement from his supervisor. He was interviewed and informed by the US embassy that because of his name his documents would have to be sent to Washington, and he was given verbal reassurance that a decision would be made before the meeting in November. The research fellow was encouraged by this and booked a flight to the USA. However, he was not issued a visa despite repeated requests to the embassy by him and by his supervisor. To date his visa application has not been approved. The individual feels insulted and humiliated by the way he has been treated by the US embassy in London. This was not an isolated incidence. Two other Muslim researchers from www.thelancet.com Vol 369 February 10, 2007
the University of Aberdeen have not been issued with visas for entry to the USA and prevented from presenting their work at international conferences. The scientific community must take serious note of this. I declare that I have no conflict of interest.
Izhar Khan [email protected] Ward 25/26, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
Blood safety and democracy The Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) was established 30 years ago, and since then has focused all of its activities on improving blood safety and patients’ access to blood products. IBTO is currently one of the most successful blood organisations in the Middle East region. As one of its routine efforts to improve the knowledge of Iranian professionals with respect to blood safety and rational use of blood products, IBTO intends to hold an International Conference on Transfusion Medicine in May, 2007, in Tehran. To attract the contribution of international organisations to this scientific activity, IBTO sent out invitation letters to respected international organisations and associations. Some organisations announced their interest, and some were not able to attend for technical reasons. However, we received a concerning response from the Network for Advancement of Transfusion Alternatives (NATA) who declined to contribute to the event, claiming that “Iran is not a democratic country”. IBTO, being a non-political organisation, is not intended to defend the level of democracy in Iran. There are several international organisations involved in the surveillance of human rights and democracy worldwide
and we should leave this business to them. The main mission of scientific association in the field of medicine is to provide the best possible care for patients irrespective of the political climate in which those patients live. Today, health-oriented international organisations do not see race, religion, or border as barriers to the support of patients in need of medical care. Some organisations even jeopardise the lives of their members by sending them to very dangerous spots in order to help. Such individuals are not concerned about the level of democracy in these regions and do not pass judgment on a country’s political status. Attitudes such as that of NATA are humiliating to academics and scholars working hard for the advancement of science, health, and patients’ wellbeing. I declare that I have no conflict of interest.
A Majid Cheraghali [email protected] Iran Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO), Tehran, Iran
Alcohol misuse and traffic accidents In their Review (Dec 23/30, p 2231),1 Marc Moss and Ellen Burnham highlight the effect of alcohol abuse on inpatients who need admission to the intensive care unit. In our opinion, however, they paid little attention to the effect of alcohol intake on trauma caused by traffic accidents. Alcohol-impaired driving is a serious threat to health. In the USA, despite the significant reduction in alcohol-related traffic crashes in the past two decades, 40% of traffic deaths and 9% of traffic injuries are alcohol-related.2 Similarly, in the European Union, 30–50% of traffic accidents are related to alcohol intake.3 A prospective study4 that enrolled 2354 patients admitted to an Italian emergency department
The printed journal includes an image merely for illustration Empics
Division of Drug Risk Evaluation, Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, HFD-430, MS# 3411, WO22 Rm 3464, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
463