Health Headlines - February 3

U.S. Approves Vaccine to Protect Young Children From Rotavirus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday the approval of a live, oral vaccine -- called RotaTeq -- to prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants. It's the only vaccine approved in the United States that can help protect against rotavirus, a viral infection that may cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and dehydration.

"This vaccine gives health-care providers an important new tool that can effectively prevent an illness that affects almost all children within the first few years of life," said Dr. Jesse L. Goodman, director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Rotavirus infection is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children in the United States and worldwide. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that rotavirus infection causes about 55,000 U.S. hospitalizations annually of infants and young children. While death from rotavirus is rare in the United States, in developing countries it is believed to cause up to several hundred thousand deaths each year, the FDA said.

In studies, RotaTeq prevented 74 percent of all rotavirus cases and 98 percent of severe cases. In addition, the vaccine prevented approximately 96 percent of hospitalizations due to infection, the FDA said.

In 1998, the FDA approved a different live vaccine against rotavirus that was later withdrawn from the market because it was linked with an increased risk of intussusception, a rare, life-threatening blockage or twisting of the intestine. Studies of RotaTeq, which is manufactured by Merck & Co., was not associated with an increased risk of the condition, the FDA said.

EPA Misled Public About Air Quality After 9/11 Attack: Judge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency misled the public about air-quality safety after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and may have put people's health in danger, a federal judge said Thursday.

Judge Deborah A. Batts of Federal District Court in Manhattan singled out former EPA Administrator Christie Whitman for criticism, saying she made "misleading statements of safety" about air quality, The New York Times reported.

The judge's ruling came in a lawsuit against Whitman and other former and current EPA officials and the agency itself. The lawsuit alleges that they failed to warn people of dangerous materials in the air near the destroyed World Trade Center and then failed to conduct an adequate cleanup.

The plaintiffs, residents and schoolchildren from downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, are seeking monetary damages and a thorough cleaning of the area around the World Trade Center site.

The judge's ruling established that the lawsuit's charges were well documented and serious enough for the lawsuit to proceed, the Times reported.

Access to Care Affects Black Lung Cancer Patients' Survival

Less access to care may explain why black American lung cancer patients have lower survival rates than non-blacks, says a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

It has long been known that black lung cancer patients had worse survival rates but the reasons for this have been unclear. Potential explanations included differences in treatment, a later stage of cancer at diagnosis, and differences in the biologic aggressiveness of the disease.

This study of 995 advanced lung cancer patients at 41 treatment centers found that when black lung cancer patients received equivalent therapy, they had the same outcome as non-black patients.

"From our analysis, we concluded that equal treatment in patients with advanced lung cancer yields equal outcome among patients with the same stage of disease regardless of race or ethnicity," principal investigator Dr. A. William Blackstock said in a prepared statement.

"Although other factors may be important, perhaps the most relevant is access to standard cancer care," Blackstock said.

Mosquito-Borne Disease Spreading at Alarming Rate

There have been about 15,000 new cases of the crippling mosquito-borne disease called chikungunya on the French island of Reunion in the past week, bringing the total to about 50,000, BBC News reported.

Hundreds of troops have been deployed to the Indian Ocean island in an effort to spray the entire island and eradicate mosquitoes. The outbreak began in February 2005 but has only started to spread rapidly since December.

While the disease is not fatal, it causes high fever and severe pain. There is no cure or vaccine for the disease.

Neighboring countries are mobilizing to fight the disease, BBC News reported. The Seychelles has had about 2,000 cases in the past four weeks and officials in Madagascar fear the disease may have reached their island.

Ohio Doctors Perform Rare 'Domino' Transplant

Doctors in Ohio have performed a rare transplant procedure in which they gave a 4-month-old boy a new heart and set of lungs, and gave his healthy heart to a 3-month-old girl.

The boy, Jason Wolfe, had been diagnosed with a rare lung disorder and placed on a lung transplant list. His heart was healthy, but doctors at Columbus Children's Hospital wanted to replace it because the combined heart/lung transplant is safer in young children, the Associated Press reported.

The girl, Kayla Richardson, was born with a rare heart condition. During the Jan. 14 transplants, she was in a nearby operating room and received Wolfe's healthy heart after doctors removed it from his body.

Both children are expected to go home within a week, the AP reported.

This kind of procedure is called a "domino transplant." It was first performed in 1988. Hospital officials said they believe this is the first heart domino transplant performed in the United States since 1996.

Medicare Head Says New Drug Plan Needs to be Simplified

The new Medicare drug program is too complicated for many people and simplifying it is a top priority, a Bush administration official said Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Since it began Jan. 1, the program has been plagued with problems. Hundreds of thousands of seniors and disabled people who enrolled for the benefit have experienced delays or have been unable to get needed medications. At least 20 states have taken emergency action to ensure people can get the medicines they need.

"Simplification is absolutely the next step in this process, now that we've got the benefit in place," Medicare Administrator Mark McClellan said Thursday at a Senate hearing into the troubles with the new drug program.

He also indicated there may be a possible extension of the May 15 deadline for people to sign up for the new plan. The Bush administration has opposed that idea but critics say more time is needed to give people time to decipher the plan's many options.

McClellan's comments may be an indication that the Bush administration is finally recognizing that the program is too complex and confusing for many people and may have to be restructured, the Times reported.

Food Fact:
Smashing!

To get the most from garlic, you may have to rough it up a little. When you cook garlic, cut it, smash it and then let it sit for about 10 minutes. This allows plenty of time for the formation of garlic's mother compound, allicin, the sulfur compound that gives garlic its unique potential benefits, including an ability to inhibit blood clots. Raw and cooked garlic may reduce elevated blood cholesterol and blood pressure. In population studies, people who eat more alliums (garlic family members) have lower rates of stomach and other cancers; indeed, just one clove of garlic a day can lower the risk. Raw garlic and onion kill bacteria and fungi, making them natural antibiotics. When buying garlic, choose firm heavy heads and store in an open container in a cool, dry place.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Speak up.

Chatting on the phone? It's the perfect time to get active! Stand up, switch the phone to speaker, and pace during long conversations and conference calls. While your hands are free, try a little lifting with a dumbbell set.

FAQ of the day:
How can I get heart-healthy omega-3s without fish?

First, make sure you include plant sources of omega-3s every day. It's also important to limit the amount of highly polyunsaturated oils in your diet, because they compete with omega-3s. Olive oil is a safe choice. Plant-based sources of omega-3s such as English walnuts, soy foods, flax seeds and leafy green vegetables.