Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from April 2001

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from April 2001

United States. Food and Drug Administration Updates Safety Information For Miconazole Vaginal Cream And Suppositories.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising women who take the prescription blood-thinner warfarin to consult their doctor or pharmacist for advice before using an over-the-counter...

Tuna Burgers Associated With Food Poisoning Outbreaks In North Carolina.
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tuna burgers, a relatively new menu item in some restaurants, were associated with an increase in histamine - a food poisoning from fish - poisoning cases in North Carolina, according to an article...

Study Finds Vaccinating Healthy Adults Against Flu Could Save The US $1.3 Billions Annually.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Routine annual influenza vaccination of all working adults could save the U.S. as much as $1.3 billion each year, according to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) study published in the...

CDC Reports Levels Of Physical Activity In The 1990s Remained Unchanged.(Centers for Disease Control)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Three out of four U.S. adults were not physically active enough to obtain health benefits, according to a study by researchers at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health...

Short-Course Rifampin and Pyrazinamide Is Effective For Prison Inmates.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A short-course of rifampin and pyrazinamide treatment for tuberculosis was well tolerated and increased the number of jail inmates completing therapy, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease...

Newly-Formulated DTaP Vaccine Approved With Only Trace Amounts Of Thimerosal.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- On March 7, 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a newly formulated version of Tripedia, a diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine without preservatives...

Bad Habits, Non-Cholesterol Risk Factors In Youth Linked To Fatty Plaques.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study links "non-lipid" risk factors - obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes - to the development of early atherosclerosis in youth with recommended cholesterol levels, according...

Boys Abused In Childhood At Higher Risk For Later Involvement in Teen Pregnancy.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Jennifer Webb, staff medical writer - Public health researchers suggest that by identifying and counseling boys who have been exposed to childhood abuse, the incidence of teen pregnancy may be...

More American Children And Teens Are Overweight.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The latest findings from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that more and more children and teens are overweight, continuing the...

Liquid Hybridization Assay Allows for Rapid Typing.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Jennifer Webb, staff medical writer - An innovative technique has been developed that enables rapid molecular typing of Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) and prefatory characterization of human...

Screening Rates Remain Low.(colorectal cancer screening)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Colorectal cancer screening rates in the United States remain low despite evidence that shows that at least a third of deaths due to colorectal cancer could be prevented if people 50 years and older...

Review Of Vitamin E Supplements Finds Some Insufficiencies, Need For Clearer Labeling.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ConsumerLab.com released results of its Product Review of vitamin E products on March 13, 2001. Vitamin E is one of the most popular dietary supplements in the U.S., with one quarter of men and...

New Serotype Identified.(enterovirus)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Jennifer Webb, staff medical writer - Researchers in the United States reported in the Journal of General Virology the identification of a new enterovirus (EV) serotype. Standard...

Disease Severity Primary Risk Factor For Sudden Unexplained Death In Clinical Trials.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Jennifer Webb, staff medical writer - Data from New Drug Applications (NDAs) submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicate that for epilepsy patients participating in clinical...

Neurotoxicity Mechanism Of Methamphetamine Confirmed.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- By Jennifer Webb, staff medical writer - The production of free radicals is responsible for the neurotoxic effect in mammals resulting from the use of methamphetamine (METH), U.S. Food and Drug...

Pediatricians Fall Short In Discussing Vaccine Risks With Parents.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Despite legal mandates in the United States, pediatricians are inconsistent in their communication of vaccination risks to parents, according to survey...

Survival Times Improving For People Diagnosed With AIDS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Survival times after a diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) improved from 1984 to 1997, and the increasing number of people living with AIDS represents a growing public health...

Hospital Use Down But Avoidable Admissions Increase.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospitalizations that might have been avoided if patients had received timely and effective ambulatory care increased by two-thirds from 1980-98, according to results from the U.S. Centers for...

Influenza Vaccine Protects Children From Respiratory Exacerbations.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Influenza vaccine can prevent worsening symptoms in young children with asthma, according to a large population-based study from the U.S. Centers for...

Short-Course, Two-Drug Treatment For Latent TB In High-Risk Inmates Leads To Higher Completion Rates.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new two-month, two-drug treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) led to a marked increase in completion rates for the regimen in a high-risk jail population who had a positive tuberculin...

Treatment for HIV Disease Found Cost-Effective.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Three-drug combination therapy for HIV, despite its great expense, is a very cost-effective use of resources, report researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and their colleagues in the...

Health Experts Issue Guidelines For Antibiotic Use By Adults With Upper Respiratory Infections.(Principles for Appropriate Antibiotic Use)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Increasingly concerned about the health threats from excessive antibiotic use, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a panel of national health experts to develop best...

New CDC Report Provides Data On Chemical Exposure Affecting Human Health.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on March 21, 2001, the first National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, an important new research tool that will...

Sports-Related Injuries Cause 2.6 Million Emergency Room Visits Annually By Young People.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sports-related injuries in children and young adults cause 2.6 million visits to U.S. hospital emergency departments for a cost of about $500 million annually, according to the National Hospital...

Women, Particularly During Menses, More At Risk Than Men For Developing Prescription Drug-Induced Heart Problems.(prolonged QT interval)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women are more at risk than men for developing a dangerous drug-induced heart condition which can lead to a potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia, and this risk may be heightened during menstruation...

FDA Approves Wrist-Worn Device To Monitor Glucose Levels.(GlucoWatch Biographer from Cygnus Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a wristwatch-like device that provides adult diabetics with more information for managing their disease. It is intended for use along with, not as...

CDC Selects Rapid HIV Testing For Treatment Investigational Device Exemption.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, OraQuick HIV-1/2 rapid HIV test from OraSure Technologies, Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc., announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected the OraQuick HIV-1/2 rapid HIV test to be used in the CDC-sponsored Treatment...

Women of Reproductive Age Still Not Consuming Enough Folic Acid.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the March 16, 2001, issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds women of reproductive age that they need to take at least 400...

Immunization Finance Policies and Practices Addressed In Report.(Calling the Shots: Immunization Finance Policies and Practices)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vaccination rates in the United States are at a record high, but the system is starting to show signs of strain. Federal funds dedicated to supporting the immunization network are shrinking. State...

First Year Of Elimination Program Completed In Haiti.(lymphatic filariasis)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Parasitic Diseases (DPD), Notre Dame University, and Ste. Croix Hospital in Leogane, Haiti, have finished the first year of a...

CDC Is Intensifying Prevention Efforts.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lyme disease, a tick-borne bacterial illness, continues to be an important emerging infectious disease in the United States. In 1999, 16,273 cases of Lyme disease were reported by states to the...

Rapid Decline In Coal Miners Lung Function Can Lead To Earlier Death.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Coal miners with clinically significant losses of lung function are at greater risk for developing respiratory tract illnesses and for premature death than miners without such losses, according to a...

High Incidence Of Asymptomatic Infection Highlights Need for Targeted STD Screening.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - The rate of asymptomatic infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis is high enough to warrant the development of targeted screening...

Mass Treatment With Azithromycin Does Not Appear Induce Antibiotic Resistance.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study by researchers with the Respiratory Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases (DBMD) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may help allay concerns...

Financial Incentives More Effective Than Outreach For Completion Of TB Therapy.(tuberculosis)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Rewarding tuberculosis patients with money when they take their medication is more effective than sending outreach workers to observe them, according to a...

Screening For Non-Immigrant Visitors To U.S. Not Feasible.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Requiring proof of tuberculosis screening before entering the United States would be an unwise diversion of TB resources to a population that represents a...

Pregnant Or Recently Pregnant Women More Likely To Die From Homicide Than Any Other Cause.(Statistical Data Included)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Using an enhanced data collection method, researchers have found that women residing in Maryland who are pregnant or recently pregnant are more likely to die from homicide than from any other cause....

Two Fatalities Reported In Colorado, USA.(Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- At least two people have died in Colorado this year from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an illness similar to mad cow disease. The patients, both over 60, died at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital in...

Increased Risk Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease From Measles Vaccine Not Substantiated.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Measles-containing vaccines apparently do not increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and related conditions, say researchers for the Vaccine...

Safety, Efficacy Tests Begin On Controversial Vaccine.(anthrax vaccine)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New tests on the effectiveness and safety of the anthrax vaccine were scheduled to begin at the end of March 2001. The battery of studies, coordinated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Adapted Human Strain Discovered To Induce Strong Immune Response In Mice.(Ebola virus)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A group of scientists from Emory University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has discovered that a mouse strain of Ebola virus, adapted from a human strain, induces a...

Mercury, Diethyl Phtalate Are Surprisingly High In Humans.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Americans' bodies harbor surprisingly high amounts of mercury and a questionable chemical used in soap and cosmetics, federal health officials reported March 21, 2001, in a landmark study on...

CDC Says Sheep Pose Disease Risk To Humans Only If Eaten.(United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humans would be at risk from the East Friesian sheep brought to Ames, Iowa, to be tested for mad cow disease only if they ate the animals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

USDA Is Monitoring Cows In Vermont, Minnesota, And Texas.(United States Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. federal officials are monitoring cows in Vermont, Minnesota, and Texas for signs of mad cow disease, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture expert on the illness. Linda Detwiler,...

Manufacturers To Test Drugs In Children, Elderly.(type 2 diabetes drugs)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amid an explosion of U.S. cases of type 2 diabetes, pharmaceutical companies are testing drugs on two groups once excluded from experiments for safety reasons: children and the elderly. ...

Parents, Physicians Need To Discuss Children's Dietary Requirements.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Parents and physicians should routinely discuss the child's nutritional needs and dietary intake to ensure that dietary requirements are being met, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Singapore's TB Rate Is High Compared To That Of Developed Countries.(tuberculosis)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The number of tuberculosis cases is still relatively high in affluent, highly modernized Singapore, health officials said March 23, 2000. Singapore's year 2000 rate of 47 new tuberculosis...

Mandatory Vaccination of Japanese Schoolchildren Demonstrates "Herd Immunity".(influenza mortality rates lower in elderly)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - During a 25-year period when most Japanese children were immunized against influenza, fewer elderly people died from the disease. That lower mortality...

U.S. CDC Says 2000-01 Flu Season Lightest In Four Years.(United States Centers for Disease Control)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- This flu season was the lightest in four years, despite a shortage of vaccine in the fall, the U.S. government reported March 22, 2001. The viral disease peaked in late January, when flu...

Surveillance Data For U.S. Reported.(malaria cases, statistics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In 1996, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of 1,392 cases of malaria with onset of symptoms among persons in the United States or one of its territories....

UN Agencies Launch New Plan To Halve Global Measles Deaths By 2005.(United Nations Children's Fund)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a concerted move against one of the world's deadliest childhood diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on March 29, 2001, a new...

Eclampsia-Related Mortality Risks Seven Times Higher Without Prenatal Care.(research)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women who receive no prenatal care are more than seven times as likely to die from complications of pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure) and eclampsia (seizures linked to high blood pressure) as...

Agencies Report Wild Poliovirus Type 2 Transmission May Already Be Interrupted.(United States Centers for Disease Control)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- There is accumulating evidence, obtained through acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance, that the transmission of wild poliovirus type 2 may have already been interrupted globally, report the...

DOTS Evaluated In Russia.(Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the Russian Federation, the number of tuberculosis cases has nearly tripled, increasing from 45,000 cases in 1991 to 124,000 in 1999. Multidrug resistant strains have also been shown to have...

New Oral Rehydration Solution Is More Effective For Treating Children.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Children who receive a less concentrated (reduced osmolarity) oral rehydration solution for the treatment of dehydration and diarrhea are significantly less likely to need costly intravenous (IV)...

Women Account For Increasing Share Of New Infections.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - HIV infection is become increasingly common among women in the United States, even among what have been considered low-risk populations, government...

Vaccine Shortage Forces VA To Prioritize Patients At Risk.(Department of Veterans Affairs prioritizes tetanus shots)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Following a trend that is affecting U.S. hospitals, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun to prioritize who gets tetanus shots, reserving them for patients most at risk for tetanus...

Pre-1990 Blood Products Most Likely To Infect Hemophiliacs With Hepatitis Viruses.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer - Males with hemophilia are more likely to acquire hepatitis C or B virus (HCV, HBV) infections from blood products made prior to 1990, U.S. Centers for...

U.S. Children Snack More Now Than They Did Two Decades Ago.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Using information from three U.S. national surveys, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have confirmed what a lot of people have suspected: U.S. children snack more now...

Infection Linked To Drug Use In Women.(human herpesvirus 8)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Intravenous drug use and sexually transmitted diseases in women are linked to infection with human herpesvirus-8, the virus responsible for Kaposi's...

Survey Says Doctors, Obese Patients Don't Discuss Weight.(Roper Starch Worldwide Inc.)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Even though obesity is second only to smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., 57% of overweight people have never had a discussion about weight with their doctors, according...

New Infections Reduced By 99% Since 1988, UN Says.(United Nations program reduces polio spread)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A United Nations-led program has reduced the number of new polio infections by 99% since 1988, United Nations officials say, but wiping out the disease will cost $1 billion and send health workers...

Disease Makes Comeback Because Toddlers Don't Drink Enough Milk.(rickets)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The childhood ailment rickets - in which vitamin D and calcium deficiency leads to soft bones and poor growth - is making a surprise comeback, according to a new report published in Pediatrics. ...

FDA Warns Mammographers About Records, Training.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Almost 34% of the warning letters issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January and February 2001 involved serious regulatory compliance problems with mammography standards,...

Hospital Testing Could Help Avoid Multi-Drug Resistance.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Testing hospital patients for tuberculosis - even those not suspected of having the disease - could help reduce the spread of TB in developing countries,...

Professional Societies Endorse TB-Control Legislation; Bill Would Authorize $528 Million for CDC.(American Lung Association and American Thoracic Society)(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and its partner, the American Lung Association (ALA), have announced their strong support for legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to...

Infant Hepatitis B Vaccination Rate Still Down Two Years After Thimerosal Policy Statement.(thimerosal is a preservative that contains a form of mercury, but it is no longer contained in the vaccines)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer - Public health officials in Wisconsin report infant vaccination rates for hepatitis B fell after a major policy statement on vaccine preservatives was...

Novel DNA Vaccine Protects Horses And Mice.(West Nile fever)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A DNA vaccine offers protection against West Nile (WN) virus and also yields a non-infectious antigen that may ultimately be used in surveillance efforts....

Rates Of Vaccination Against Influenza And Pneumococcus Remain Suboptimal In Elderly.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Elderly people with chronic diseases have the most to gain from pneumococcal and influenza vaccines, but rates of vaccination remain low in this...

Poor Handwashing Techniques Cause Serratia marcescens Outbreak In Pediatric CICU.(cardiac intensive care unit)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Suboptimal handwashing among health care workers (HCWs) in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) may have caused an outbreak of bacterial...

Scientists In Mississippi Are Testing For Virus' Spread.(West Nile fever)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists in Mississippi are trapping and counting a large number of mosquitoes this spring as part of a U.S. nationwide search for the West Nile and other varieties of mosquito-borne viruses. ...

Fruits, Vegetables Require Kitchen Care To Prevent Problems.(food handling)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ask Purdue University food microbiologist Richard Linton what foods he won't eat, and the answer might surprise you. He doesn't mention exotic seafood or fast-food fare. The food that...

American Veterinarians Arrive In England To Help.(foot and mouth disease)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fifteen American veterinarians arrived in Britain on April 5, 2001, ready to help in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease and eager for a first look at an illness that has not been seen in the...

Science Paper Calls For Rapid, Pre-Emptive Slaughter Called 'Ring Culling' To Combat Outbreak.(scientists at London's Imperial College School of Medicine )(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research published in the April 13, 2001, issue of the journal Science endorses the rapid, pre-emptive slaughtering of livestock that may be infected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as the best...

Women, African-Americans, And People With Low-Income Comprise Most Affected Population.(frailty)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unexplained weight loss, exhaustion, a weak grip, slow walking speed, and low energy - the hallmarks of frailty - are most likely to strike women, African Americans, the less educated and the poor,...

Mexican and U.S. Health Authorities Investigating Outbreak Among Travellers To Acapulco.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Mexico Ministry of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating an outbreak of acute respiratory illness among U.S. travelers returning from Acapulco,...

Two-Dose Hepatitis B Vaccine Regimen Effective And Safe In Adolescents.(Lousiana State University Health Science Center report)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer - Adolescents can be safely and effectively vaccinated with two doses of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine instead of three, authors of a multi-center trial...

UNICEF Launches Worldwide Childhood Vaccination Program.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Three-month-old Esperanca let out a sharp, high-pitched scream as she became the first baby to be vaccinated in an international drive launched April 6, 2001, to immunize thousands of the world's...

U.S. Initiative Hopes To Raise Public Awareness.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, along with several other organizations announced on April 10, 2001, a public health initiative to...

NewsRx Announces Launch of Stem Cell Week as Part of Healthcare Database and Information Offerings.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NewsRx, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, announced April 11, 2001, the launch of Stem Cell Week, a new database product. Stem Cell Week is...

Intervention Program Can Reduce Drug Abuse in Inner-City Minority Youth.
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A large, randomized study involving more than 3,600 New York City schoolchildren (most of them black or Hispanic) has found that an intervention program that teaches drug refusal skills, antidrug...

Antibody Drop Over Time Emphasizes Need To Keep Vaccines Current.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A new study highlights the need to keep vaccinations current, particularly in developing countries, where adequate immunization can be a challenge. ...

TB Protein Reactivates Waning Immunity Of Current Vaccine.(University of Colorado report on tuberculosis vaccine)(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from Colorado State University have developed a strategy for bolstering the waning effectiveness of the current tuberculosis vaccine in adults. They reported their findings in the...