Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Wal-Mart Pulls Infant Formula From Stores After Newborn's
Death
A batch of Enfamil Newborn powdered infant formula has been
removed from more than 3,000 Wal-Mart stores in the United States
after a newborn who consumed the formula died.
Health officials have not yet determined if the infant's death
is linked to the formula and there is no recall. But Wal-Mart
decided to remove 12.5-ounce cans of the powdered infant formula
with the lot number ZP1K7G from its shelves "out of an abundance of
caution," company spokeswoman Dianna Gee told the
Associated Press.
The 10-day-old Missouri boy became seriously ill with a
suspected bacterial infection and died after he was taken off life
support. Samples of the formula consumed by the infant were sent to
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food
and Drug Administration for testing. The manufacturer said tests
showed no traces of the bacteria in the batch before it was
shipped, the news service said.
"At this point it has not been determined whether the illness is linked to the formula or an outside source," Gena Terlizzi, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a statement, the AP reported.
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Faulty French-Made Breast Implants Not Sold in U.S.
French-made breast implants that contain substandard silicone
and have unusually high rupture rates were sold in at least a
half-dozen countries other than France, but none appear to have
been sold in the United States.
The situation is causing extreme anxiety for tens of thousands
of women and health officials in countries where the breast
implants were sold are trying to calm fears,
The New York Times reported.
For example, British health officials said Wednesday that there
is no evidence that the implants manufactured by Poly Implant
Prothese had caused cancer. They suggested that women with the
implants talk to their surgeons, but also said there "is currently
no evidence to support routine removal" of the implants.
More than 40,000 British women are believed to have the
implants, which were also sold in Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia and Venezuela.
The French government is considering whether to require as many
as 30,000 women in that country to have their implants removed, the
Times reported.
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Motrin Coated Caplets Recalled
Batches of Motrin coated caplets that were distributed in the
United States and a number of other countries have been recalled,
Johnson & Johnson announced Wednesday.
The company said "testing of product samples showed that some
caplets may not dissolve as quickly as intended when nearing their
expiration date,"
CNN reported.
The pain reliever caplets were distributed in the U.S., Puerto
Rico, Bahamas, Belize, Fiji, Jamaica and St. Lucia.
"This is not a consumer level recall, which means that consumers do not need to dispose of or return the product," according to a news release from J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division, CNN reported.
"There is no safety concern if consumers continue taking the product in accordance with its label; however, it is possible there may be a delay in experiencing relief," the company said.
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Chicken Cull Ordered After Discovery of H5N1 Bird Flu Virus
More than 17,000 chickens are being slaughtered in Hong Kong
after a chicken carcass infected with H5N1 bird flu was discovered
at a poultry market, government officials said Wednesday.
Officials also raised the territory's bird flu alert to
"serious," increased monitoring for influenza at hospitals, close
the market where the carcass was found, and suspended the sale and
import of live poultry for 21 days,
The New York Times reported.
It still hasn't been determined whether the infected carcass
came from a local source or was imported, officials said.
The world's first major outbreak of bird flu among humans
occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. The H5N1 outbreak was linked to
chickens and killed six people, the
Times reported.