Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Listeria at Kellogg Plant Spurs FDA Warning
A warning letter about bacteria and substandard production
procedures at a food production plant in Augusta, Ga. was sent to
Kellogg Co. by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA said an inspection conducted in February found listeria
in the plant and also said food made at the plant may be
"contaminated with filth." The letter, posted Tuesday on the FDA's
website, didn't specify the types of food products made at the
plant, the
Wall Street Journal reported.
Kellogg says it is taking a number of "aggressive actions," such
as cleaning the plant and testing the food, in response to the
FDA's concerns.
"The safety of our food is of utmost importance to Kellogg. While the FDA did not identify specific concerns with the food, we take this situation very seriously," a company spokeswoman said in a statement, the Wall Street Journal reported. "We have confidence in the
safety of our food."
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Woman to Receive Mother's Uterus
A 25-year-old Swedish woman plans to become the first in the
world to undergo a mother-to-daughter uterus transplant, and then
to become the first in the world to give birth to a child using the
same womb in which she was carried.
Sara Ottosson lacks reproductive organs due to a rare genetic
disorder and is scheduled to receive her mother's uterus next
spring. Later, her eggs will be fertilized by her boyfriend's sperm
and implanted into the uterus, according to the
Telegraph newspaper,
CBS News reported.
Both the daughter and mother view the transplant in a practical
way.
"I'm a biology teacher, and it's just an organ like any other organ," Sara told the Telegraph,
CBS News reported.
"My daughter and I are both very rational people, and we both think it's just a womb," said 56-year-old Eva Ottosson. "She needs it more than me. I've had two daughters so it's served me well."
The world's first uterus transplant was conducted in Saudi
Arabia in 2000, but problems developed and the transplanted womb
had to be removed from the 26-year-old recipient,
CBS News reported.
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Countries Pledge Billions for Child Vaccinations Worldwide
More than four million lives will be saved over the next four
years after a promise by a number of nations to donate $4.3 billion
to help vaccinate children against preventable diseases such as
pneumonia, according to the Global Alliance on Vaccines and
Immunization.
Donations were pledged by the U.K. ($1.3 billion), Norway ($677
million), the United States ($450 million), Sweden, The
Netherlands, Australia, France, Germany and Italy. Another $1
billion was promised by Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates,
BBC News reported.
GAVI had been seeking a total of $3.7 billion.
Even though there is a vaccine against pneumonia, the disease
kills two million children under age 5 each year worldwide. It's
estimated that pneumonia and diarrhea kill 3 times more children
under age 5 than malaria and HIV/AIDS combined. But many countries
can't afford the vaccines to prevent pneumonia and diarrhea,
BBC News reported.
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