Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Childen's Benadryl, Motrin Recalled by Company
About four million packages of grape- and cherry-flavored
Children's Benadryl allergy Fastmelt tablets and about 800,000
bottles of junior-strength Motrin caplets, 24-count, have been
recalled by Johnson & Johnson.
The recalls at the wholesale and retail level are due to
"insufficiencies in the development of the manufacturing process,"
company spokeswoman Bonnie Jacobs told
Bloomberg news.
She said the recalls are not associated with adverse events or
safety issues.
"Consumers can continue to use the product(s), they don't have to take any action," Jacobs told Bloomberg.
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HIV Infections, AIDS Deaths Declining: UNAIDS
The worldwide number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related
deaths are falling, show new data released by UNAIDS.
The number of new HIV infections in 2009 was 2.6 million, a
nearly 20 percent decrease from the peak of the AIDS epidemic in
1999. There were 1.8 million AIDS-related deaths in 2009, down from
2.1 million in 2004,
BBC News reported.
Among the other findings:
- The number of people using antiretroviral drugs increased from
700,000 in 2004 to more than five million in 2009.
- While infection rates are falling in places such as Ethiopia,
South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, there have been sharp rises in
new infections and AIDS-related deaths in eastern Europe and
central Asia.
- Currently, an estimated 33 million people worldwide are living
with HIV.
"We are breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic with bold actions and smart choices," said Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS executive director, BBC News reported. "Investments in the AIDS response are
paying off, but gains are fragile -- the challenge now is how we
can all work to accelerate progress."
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Insurers Ordered to Spend More on Health Care
New federal rules released this week will require many health
insurance companies to spend more on medical care and less on
profits, marketing, overhead expenses and executive
compensation.
The consumer-friendly regulations greatly increase federal
authority to stipulate the use of premiums. Some states already
have such laws, but this is the first such mandate by the federal
government,
The New York Times reported.
The rules will protect nearly 75 million people, including 40
million covered by large employers, 24.2 million with small-group
coverage, and 10.6 million with individual policies, according to
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Insurers who don't meet the standards will have to pay rebates
to customers,
The Times reported.
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Staging of Localized Prostate Cancer Often Incorrect: Study
Many cases of localized prostate cancer are incorrectly staged
but this type of error doesn't seem to matter, according to a new
study.
Localized prostate cancer means the disease has not spread
beyond the site of the original cancer. The stage, which refers to
the size of the tumor and other characteristics that influence the
risk of cancer recurrence, is often used to make decisions about
treatment following surgery.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco
analyzed the medical records of 3,875 men who had surgery for
localized prostate cancer and found that the stage was incorrectly
assessed in 35.4 percent of cases, the
Los Angeles Times reported.
The stage was too low in 55.1 percent of those cases and too
high in 44.9 percent.
However, the researchers found that incorrect staging had no
impact on predictions of disease recurrence. They said their
findings question the value of the current staging system for
localized prostate cancer, the
Times reported.
The study appears online in the journal
Cancer.
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Bladder Cancer Survivor Humiliated by Airport Pat-Down
A Michigan bladder cancer survivor ended up covered in urine
after an aggressive pat-down by a security agent at a Detroit
airport.
Tom Sawyer, 61, wears a bag that collects his urine. The
pat-down on Nov. 7 was so rough that it caused the bag to leak onto
Sawyer's clothing. He didn't have time to changes his clothes
before he boarded his flight, the
Associated Press reported.
"I was embarrassed to death," Sawyer told the
Detroit Free Press.
"TSA agents need to be trained to listen when someone tells them they have a health issue, because the one thing that Tom in his account talked about was he tried to explain and they just weren't even interested in listening," Claire Saxton, executive director of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, told the AP.
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