Weekly Health Quiz: Vaccines, Vitamins and Bones

1 Which former CDC director was hired to oversee Merck’s vaccine division and has made millions of dollars after leaving the CDC?

• Julie Gerberding
  

  A perfect example of the “revolving door” between government and industry is former CDC director Julie Gerberding, who left the agency in 2009 where she had overseen vaccine decisions to head Merck’s vaccines division. In 2015, she sold 38,368 shares of her Merck stock valued at $2 million. Learn more.

• Tom Frieden
• Jeffrey Koplan
• Thomas Insel

2 The safety of popular drugs is misunderstood because of:

• Lack of funding of government agencies
• The public’s inability to understand science
• Other news stories supplant health stories
• Conflicts of interest at media companies
  

  Mainstream media is essentially owned by the drug industry, so positive messages about new drugs are unfiltered Pharma messages. Learn more.

3 Which of the following statements is true about direct-to-consumer advertising?

• Provides educational information to the public
• Does not mislead because risks are cited
• “Sells” diseases and increases use of dangerous drugs
  

  Thanks to DTC advertising, patients receive the message: “You probably are sick and should see your doctor.” Learn more.

• Helps doctors by preparing patients for visits

4 Which drug company makes the controversial vaccine Gardasil?

• AbbVie
• Gilead
• Pfizer
• Merck
  

  Increasingly, Big Pharma produces, tests and sells its vaccines in poorer, undeveloped countries — sometimes with disastrous results. This is what happened with Gardasil, a Merck vaccine. Learn more.

5 Which vitamin, already linked to strong bones, may help in breast cancer survival?

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
  

  Vitamin D made such a difference in a 2014 breast cancer survival study, an investigator said, “There is no compelling reason to wait for further studies to incorporate vitamin D supplements into standard care regimens.” Learn more.

6 Which governor sought to have all girls in his state vaccinated for HPV?

• Rick Perry
  

  Texas governor Rick Perry tried to mandate vaccination for HPV for all girls in the state. Learn more.

• Jerry Brown
• Rick Scott
• Scott Walker