Health Headlines - March 16

Chiron Recalls Nearly 5.5 Million Vaccine Doses

California-based biotechnology company Chiron Corp. announced Thursday that it's recalling and withdrawing almost 5.5 million doses of a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine distributed to developing countries and in Italy.

The move was made because the vaccine caused a higher rate of such adverse effects such as fever, allergic reactions and glandular swelling than other similar vaccines, the Associated Press reported.

The reactions occurred just after inoculation and do not indicate any long-term risk, according to Chiron, which described the recall and withdrawal as a precaution. About five million doses of the vaccine were distributed to developing countries and about 450,000 doses were distributed in Italy.

Other Chiron vaccines are not affected by the recall, the AP reported.

In 2004, Chiron failure to deliver half the United States' expected 100 million flu shots triggered widespread public health concern. The company couldn't fill the order because contaminated vaccine was discovered at its plant in Liverpool, England.

Last fall, Chiron said problems at the same plant meant the company wouldn't ship out as many flu shots as initially planned, the AP reported.

Doctors May See Fewer Medicare Patients if Reimbursement Rates are Cut

A proposed U.S. government cut to doctors' Medicare reimbursement rates may mean that some doctors will stop accepting new Medicare patients or see fewer of them, the American Medical Association (AMA) warned Thursday.

The AMA wants the government to change the formula used to reimburse doctors for more than 7,000 healthcare services covered by Medicare. The formula calls for a cut of about 4.6 percent in 2007, the Associated Press reported.

In an online AMA survey, about 29 percent of doctors said they would reduce the number of Medicare patients they treat and 16 percent said they'd stop accepting new Medicare patients if the reimbursement rate cut goes ahead next year.

Last year, the AMA successfully lobbied Congress to cancel a cut in reimbursement rates, the AP reported.

A report released last year by the nonpartisan research group, the Center for Studying Health System Change, said that doctors continued to treat comparable numbers of Medicare patients after reimbursement rates were cut by 5.4 percent in 2002.

Report Highlights Youth Inhalant Abuse

Over three years, about 1.8 million American youth, ages 12 to 17, started abusing inhalants such as glue, gasoline and aerosol sprays, says a new U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report released to mark National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week.

The report, based on data from 2002 to 2004, found that 30 percent of those who began inhalant abuse were ages 12 or 13, while 39.2 percent were ages 14 or 15, and 30.8 percent were ages 16 or 17. The majority of the youth were white and from homes with incomes well above the poverty line.

The most popular inhalants for these youth are: glue, shoe polish or toluene (30.3 percent); gasoline or lighter fluid (24.9 percent); nitrous oxide or "Whippets" (24.9 percent); spray paints (23.4 percent); correction fluid, degreaser or cleaning fluid (18.4 percent); other aerosol sprays (18 percent); amyl nitrite, "poppers," locker room deodorizers or "rush" (14.7 percent); and lacquer thinner or other paint solvents (11.7 percent).

These inhalants can damage the brain, liver, heart, kidneys, and lungs.

Many Older People Able to Cope with Spouse's Death

The death of a spouse may not affect older people as severely as previously thought, says a U.S. study that tracked 1,500 couples over the age of 65.

The study found that 46 percent of widows or widowers said they had satisfying marriages but had been able to cope with the loss of their spouse without much grieving, BBC News reported.

"They believed life is fair and they accepted that death is part of life," said researcher Deborah Carr, a sociologist at Rutgers University. She began the study when she was at the University of Michigan.

She noted that many of the surviving spouses took great comfort in their memories of their partners, BBC News reported.

The findings contradict the belief that widows or widowers who show minimal grief are in denial or lacked close attachment to their spouse.

The study also found that 10 percent of the widows and widowers said the death of their spouse was a relief because they'd been trapped in a bad marriage or had been burdened by difficult caregiving duties.

Sixteen percent of the widows and widowers suffered chronic grief lasting more than 18 months after the death of their spouse.

Bush Nominates von Eschenbach to Head FDA

Andrew C. von Eschenbach, director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, has been nominated by President George Bush to be the new permanent commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the Washington Post reported.

Von Eschenbach, a Bush family friend, has served as acting FDA commissioner since September, when Lester M. Crawford abruptly vacated the position after less than three months in the job.

For much of the Bush administration, the FDA has been without a permanent commissioner, a situation that many feel has harmed the agency's reputation and effectiveness, the Post reported.

Despite the need for a permanent FDA commissioner, it's possible that von Eschenbach's nomination could be stalled for months or even years.

Shortly after von Eschenbach's nomination was announced, Democratic Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Patty Murray of Washington state said they'd block a vote on von Eschenbach's nomination until the FDA makes the "morning-after" emergency contraception pill available without a prescription, the Post reported.

The application has been pending for two years and has been held up by opposition from social and religious conservatives, even though FDA staffers have endorsed making the morning-after pill more readily available, the newspaper said.

Von Eschenbach's nomination was criticized by the advocacy group Public Citizen.

In a statement, Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, described von Eschenbach as "yet another Bush appointee whose main reason for being selected is that he is a family friend, someone who has been warmly embraced by the regulated industries -- especially the pharmaceutical industry -- and someone who has been and will continue to be loyal to the White House agenda."

"He is a very poor choice to head this critical agency, and his nomination must be defeated. Otherwise, the FDA will be further weakened and the public health further damaged by someone who is so unqualified," Wolfe said.

Food Fact:
Take a veg pledge.

Put just a few more veggies on your plate, and you can reduce your disease risk. People who live in regions where vegetable consumption is greatest live the longest. How can you eat more veggies? Toss a bag of baby carrots into your bag or briefcase, and nibble on them throughout the day. Add frozen vegetables to canned soup. Add crunch and brilliant green color to salads with snow peas and sugar snap peas -- first cook them briefly, then refresh them under cold running water.

Fitness Tip of the day:
When to say "when?"

Exercise is great, but learn to recognize signs your body needs a break. While exercise promotes a healthy heart, strong bones, reduction in body fat and more, rest is an important part of the equation, too. In order to prevent injury and avoid "burnout," it is best to take scheduled breaks from exercise. Typically, a week of rest is a good idea after a couple of months of steady training; it allows your body to heal.

FAQ of the day:
Does eating more soy cut my risk of cancer?

It's the shock of the new: Your family may be reacting to the unfamiliar sight and texture of those little white squares, or feeling they're being denied the meat they enjoyed. So maybe you should try something a little less jarring. One idea: Make shakes in the blender with silken tofu, which is softer and creamier than regular tofu. Blend 1/2 cup of silken tofu, one cup of frozen raspberries, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 cup of low-fat milk or soy milk in a blender until smooth. Of course, you can use different fruits and fruit combinations, such as blueberries, strawberries, peaches and bananas. If you don't tell them it's a soy shake, they'd probably never even suspect it.