Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Chickenpox Stymied by Sunlight: Study
Sunlight may help prevent the spread of chickenpox, a new study
says.
U.K. researchers compared the findings of 25 previous studies
conducted worldwide with climate data and determined that
chickenpox is less common in areas with high ultraviolet light
levels,
BBC News reported.
This suggests that sunlight may inactivate the chickenpox
(varicella-zoster) virus on the skin, making transmission between
people more difficult.
The University of London researchers noted that the finding may
explain why chickenpox is less common in and less easily passed
from person to person in tropical countries,
BBC News reported.
The study appears in the journal
Virology.
-----
Organic Celery Seed Recalled
The threat of potential salmonella contamination has led to the
recall of organic celery seed distributed by Swanson Health
Products.
The company was told about the potential contamination by its
supplier, B&M Inc. of Mount Vernon, Mo., the
Associated Press reported.
The recall involves Swanson Organic Celery Seed (Whole) packaged
in plastic bottles with a net weight of 1.4 ounces. They were sold
between June 16 and Dec. 16.
The celery seed was sold at Swanson Health Products' retail
store in Fargo, N.D., held for pickup at the company's
headquarters, or shipped directly to online or mail-order
customers, the
AP reported.
-----
Sperm Donor Warned by FDA
A California man who has been donating his sperm to women who
want children has been told to stop by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
Trent Arsenault, 36, told the
San Francisco Chronicle that he's been donating cups of his
sperm for five years to women he meets on the Internet, the
Associated Press reported.
He said he decided against donating to sperm banks, which offer
money and donor anonymity, because he wanted to meet the future
parents. So far, he's fathered 14 children.
The FDA told Arsenault he faces a $100,000 fine or up to a year
in prison for violating federal laws that require screening for
communicable diseases, the
AP reported.
-----
Tyson Fresh Meats Recalls Ground Beef
A positive test for E. coli has led to the recall of more than
40,000 pounds of ground beef products distributed by Tyson Fresh
Meats Inc. of Dakota City, Neb.
The recall involves 10-pound chubs of chuck fine ground beef
80/20 packed in cases containing eight chubs. The meat was shipped
to distributors and institutions in Alabama, California, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New
York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, West
Virginia, and Wisconsin, the
Associated Press reported.
The E. coli was discovered through routine monitoring, according
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection
Service. There have not been any reported cases of illness.
The USDA said consumers can call Tyson Fresh Meats at
866-328-3156, the
AP reported.
-----
States Allowed to Determine Essential Health Insurance
Benefits
The new U.S. health care law will allow states to specify which
health benefits within broad categories must be provided by
insurers, the Obama administration said Friday.
The surprise announcement that the federal government will not
define a single uniform set of "essential health benefits" means
there could be significant variations in benefits from state to
state,
The New York Times reported.
That would make it similar to the current differences in state
Medicaid programs and the Child Health Insurance Program.
The Obama administration's decision was questioned by an expert
on health law at Washington and Lee University.
"The new bulletin perpetuates uncertainty about what benefits an insurer will be required to cover under the Affordable Care Act," Prof. Timothy S. Jost told The Times.
For the sake of consumers, he added, "I wish the Department of
Health and Human Services had signaled that there would be more
uniformity and less flexibility."
-----
Two People Die After Using Tap Water in Neti Pot
Tap water should not be used in Neti pots, Louisiana officials
warned after investigating two deadly infections.
A 20-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman died from
Naegleria fowleri infections after using Neti pots containing
tap water to flush their sinuses,
ABC News reported.
Naegleria fowleri, a parasite sometimes called the brain-eating amoeba, causes a brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Without treatment, the infection can cause death within one to 12 days.
"If you are irrigating, flushing or rinsing your sinuses, for example, by using a Neti pot, use distilled, sterile or previously boiled water to make up the irrigation solution," Louisiana State epidemiologist Dr. Raoult Ratard said in a statement, ABC News reported. "Tap water is safe for drinking but not
for irrigating your nose."
-----
FDA Approves Heart Assist Device for Children
A new mechanical cardiac assist device for children with heart
failure has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
The EXCOR Pediatric System is meant to keep children with heart
failure alive until they can undergo a heart transplant. The device
comes in different sizes to fit children from newborns to
teens.
The FDA approved the new device under a Humanitarian Device
Exemption. Under this application, a device doesn't have to show a
reasonable assurance of effectiveness. Rather, a company has to
show that the probable benefit from the device outweighs the
problem risk of illness or injury.
"This is a step forward, it is the first FDA-approved pulsatile mechanical circulatory support device specifically designed for children," Dr. Susan Cummins, chief pediatric medical officer in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an agency news release. "Previous adult heart assist devices were too large to be used in critically ill children to keep them alive while they wait to get a new heart."
The heart device is made by Berlin Heart of Germany.