Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Violence Begets Disease in Iraq
An outbreak of hepatitis E, a virulent form of the liver-damaging virus that is particularly harmful to pregnant women, is striking poor areas of Iraq, and officials are blaming violence that has damaged water and sewage systems.
The New York Times reports that 150 cases have been counted so far in Sadr City, a slum in northwest Baghdad, and another 60 in the poverty- and violence-marred town of Mahmudiya, which is 35 miles south of the Iraqi capital. However, the equipment to test for the disease is crude, and officials fear that the count could be much higher. Officially, five deaths have been reported.
Officials told the Times that the water supplies in those areas have deteriorated since the U.S. invasion. Attempts to rebuild those systems have been beaten back because both areas have been hotspots of violence, and engineers fear to venture out because they fear for their safety.
Residents of the areas have made crude taps into the main water lines, but the virus can seep into the water supply because of the failed sewage systems, the paper reported.
-----
U.S. Health Funds for Children Go Unspent
During the Republican National Convention, President Bush promised a $1 billion initiative to enroll millions of children in two health programs. But the Washington Post reports that the administration's actions don't square with its words because it intends to return $1.1 billion in unspent funds back to the U.S. Treasury.
The loss of that federal money means that six states taking part in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) face budget shortfalls next year, or enough money to provide health coverage for 750,000 uninsured youngsters nationwide, according to the Post account.
The move prompted child advocacy groups to criticize the president.
"If the Bush administration really cared about covering uninsured children, one of the things it could do immediately is make sure this $1 billion is used for SCHIP," Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, told the newspaper. "The irony is this president talks constantly about not leaving any child behind and how he is going to cover so many kids. In truth, that ended up being false. He's just moving money around."
-----
Vitamin E Can Rebuild Hearing
Vitamin E can help restore hearing in people who suddenly go deaf for unexplained reasons, a small new study suggests.
The BBC reports that researchers in Israel gave the antioxidant to half of a small group of 66 patients who lost their hearing in the previous eight days. Those on vitamin E fared the best.
These patients showed an improvement in their hearing of 75 percent or better by the time they were discharged from the hospital, and had even better improvement at later follow-up, according to the BBC account.
In as many as 15 percent of cases of what is called idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss, no obvious cause can be cited. Some scientists say they've found evidence of oxygen damage in the inner ear of animals exposed to noise, or to drugs known to harm hearing, according to the news service.
-----
NIH Scientists Face Ban on Work with Drug Firms
In response to concerns about conflict of interest, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) unveiled a proposal to forbid its scientists from doing consulting work with drug companies for a year.
The move, outlined in a memo sent to employees on Friday, comes as the NIH investigates dealings between about 120 of its scientists and pharmaceutical companies.
The ban would give the NIH time to develop tighter regulations on work done by NIH scientists for these companies, and how that work would be monitored, the Associated Press reported.
It's been revealed that some NIH scientists have arranged secret consulting deals with drug companies.
The proposed one-year ban will take effect only if it's approved by Health and Humans Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.
-----
Pfizer Executive Blasts Industry's Stand Against Imported Drugs
The U.S. drug industry was criticized from within for its attempts to fight legislation to permit imports of low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.
Dr. Peter Rost is an executive with Pfizer, Inc., the world's largest drugmaker. At a news conference Thursday on Capitol Hill, he chided U.S. drug companies for their efforts to block drug imports, the New York Times reported.
"Holding up a vote on importation, stopping good importation bills has a high, high cost not just in money, but in American lives. Every day we delay, Americans die because they cannot afford lifesaving drugs," Rost said at the news conference.
He said these were his personal views and that we wasn't speaking for his employer.
Rost said that the U.S. government could regulate imported drugs in order to ensure their safety. The drug industry says it opposes imported drugs because there's no way to guarantee their safety.
In a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday, Chuck Hardwick, senior vice president of Pfizer, wrote: "Dr. Rost has no qualifications to speak on importation, no responsibilities in this area at Pfizer, no knowledge of the information and analysis Pfizer has provided to the government on this issue, and no substantive grasp of how importation may impact the safety of this nation's drug supply."
At Pfizer, Rost is a vice president involved in the marketing of growth hormone products.
-----
Online Flu Shot Locator Launched
The American Lung Association has launched an expanded online flu shot locator to help people across the nation find and get flu vaccinations in their neighborhoods.
The locator includes more than 20,000 flu-shot locations. Users enter their ZIP code and the locator provides them with flu-shot locations within a 50-mile radius. The locator can also provide consumers with reminders about when flu vaccinations are available in their area.
Here's where you can find the flu shot locator.
Last year, millions of people used the flu shot locator.
"Approximately 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths are due to influenza-associated illness each year, so it is imperative for people to receive the flu shot annually, and October and November is the time to do it," John Kirkwood, president of the American Lung Association, said in prepared statement. |
