Health Headlines - August 6

Fruits and Vegetables Added to Food Subsidy Program

A U.S. government federal food subsidy program for poor mothers and children is adding fruits, vegetables and whole grains to its list, the first time in more than 30 years that any foods have been added.

But this doesn't mean that the government is going to pay more to qualifying families under the Women, Infants and Children program, the Associated Press reports. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, now pays $35 a month for items such as juice, cheese, and eggs. The addition of fruits and vegetables simply means that the amount allotted for the original items will be reduced so that fruits and vegetables can be included.

The program would pay for $6 worth of fruits and vegetables for children and $8 for women, according to the wire service. The changes were proposed by the federally chartered Institute of Medicine, which had been advocating dietary changes to reflect scientific research that found fruits and vegetables to be essential in a daily diet.

From 'Mud Mania' to Red Rash in One Week

Your mother's admonition that playing in the mud is unhealthy may have reached a new level of veracity.

The Associated Press reports that more than 300 people in the greater St. Louis area have called county health officials complaining about a rash that apparently comes from infected hair follicles.

What did all of these people have in common? They all attended a St. Louis County-sponsored event in late July known as the Mighty Mud Mania, in which thousands of people -- many of them children -- ran through a mud-filled obstacle course. Many of the children were totally covered in mud, the wire service reports.

The county health department told the A.P. that it started receiving calls early last week about a rash breaking out on the bodies of those who had taken part in the mud event. The health department identified at least 23 cases as folliculitis, an inflammation of hair follicles caused by contact with bacteria found in the soil, the wire service reports.

The condition isn't considered to be life-threatening, but one parent, Jason Crump, the father of two boys who had to take antibiotics to fight the rash, is quoted as saying, "I'll make my own mud pit in the backyard."

Second Test Confirms High Testosterone Levels in Cycling Champion

The bad news anticipated by many people in the cycling world became a reality today, when the results of a second test confirmed that Tour de France champion Floyd Landis's testosterone level was three times beyond acceptable levels and that part of the hormone found in his urine was synthetic.

As a result, the New York Times reports, Landis may lose his title and be banned from competitive cycling. Shortly after the results of the second test were announced, Landis's team, Phonak, fired him, the newspaper reported.

Results from the first test -- a routine urine analysis announced about a week after Landis won the Tour de France -- had shown abnormally high levels of the male hormone testosterone. Landis had responded that he always tested with high testosterone levels; it was part of his natural body chemistry, he said.

But the results also found that some of the hormone was synthetic, and Landis has not commented on that aspect, other than to say he never took any drugs.

The International Cycling Union announced Saturday that results from the second tests confirmed the result of an "adverse analytical finding" on July 26, following the analysis of sample A, the Times reports. The organization has recommended a disciplinary procedure against Landis.

Group Sues EPA Over Beach Pollution

An environmental group has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, charging that it failed to protect beaches around the country from pollution and exposed swimmers to potential illnesses.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council in U.S. District Court, the Associated Press reported.

Under a law passed by Congress in 2000, the EPA was supposed to update its beach water quality health standards by 2005. The lawsuit says the agency missed that deadline and its current standards are two decades old.

The Natural Resources Defense Council wants the court to order the EPA to complete the water quality studies and issue revised standards, the AP reported.

An EPA spokesman did not comment on the lawsuit but said the state of the nation's beach health "remains high," the AP reported.

Blood Test Detects Early Breast Cancer

A blood test that measures concentrations of proteins can detect the earliest stages of breast cancer, says research published in the Journal of Proteome Research.

The study of 345 women found that the test detected 95 percent of breast cancers, BBC News reported.

The blood test developed by American and British researchers detects minor changes in the concentrations of certain proteins in the blood. Some of these proteins are specific for breast tissue, while others indicate tumor-related inflammation and new blood vessel growth.

The researchers said that by changing the combination of proteins the test detects, it could be used to spot other kinds of cancers, BBC News reported.

"Our pilot studies show that using blood samples, breast cancer and several other types of epithelial cancers can be detected with much better sensitivity and specificity," said Professor Jasminka Godovac-Zimmermann of University College London.

The researchers are studying different protein marker combinations in an effort to identify ones that can be used to screen for several cancers in a single blood test, BBC News reported.

Rabies Outbreak Prompts Dog Slaughter in China

As many as half a million dogs in eastern China could be killed as officials move to control a rabies outbreak that's caused 16 human deaths in the past eight months.

The state news agency Xinhua said the deaths occurred in a number of villages in Shandong province. Authorities have ordered the slaughter of all dogs within a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) radius of each affected village.

It's expected that dogs outside the village kill zones will be vaccinated against rabies, Xinhua said. If the rabies outbreak continues to spread, more dogs will be killed.

Last week, officials in Muding county in the southwest province of Yunnan ordered the slaughter of more than 50,000 dogs in an effort to contain a rabies outbreak that killed three people, Agence France Presse reported.