Brazil's three largest meat processors, JBS, Bertin and Marfrig, agreed to stop buying cattle raised on recently cleared rainforest land. The deal followed a Greenpeace report linking Nike, Timberland and other brands to Amazon deforestation.
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Health News
Drugs, disease, healthcare, government and lifestyle: health news beyond the plate.
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Disease
Heart attack kills nearly half million Americans each year
Former US Rep and Green Bay news anchor Jay Johnson died at 66 at his home near Washington, apparently of a heart attack. The article uses his death to review heart attacks, which strike about 1.1 million Americans a year and kill about 460,000, and lists the main risk factors.
Drug
HPV vaccine approved for boys and men
The FDA approved Gardasil for boys and men to prevent genital warts, which HPV types 6 and 11 cause in 90 percent of cases. The writer questions the payoff, noting no more than 1 percent of sexually active US males get warts, and that a CDC panel has yet to weigh in.
Drug
2009 H1N1 flu vaccine: what you need to know
A primer on 2009 H1N1 flu and its vaccine: how the virus spreads, what symptoms to expect, and how it differs from seasonal flu by hitting younger people harder. FDA approved four vaccines, three injectable ones containing no active virus and a nasal spray using live attenuated virus.
Government
FDA warns about buying H1N1 drugs via the Internet
The FDA bought purported H1N1 treatments online and received unmarked tablets postmarked from India that contained talc and acetaminophen but none of the approved antiviral ingredients. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg warns of counterfeit and contaminated drugs.
Government
WHO urges prompt antiviral treatment for suspected H1N1 flu*
WHO urged doctors to treat suspected H1N1 cases promptly with antivirals, warning of severe complications including viral pneumonia. The piece notes a report on 36 pediatric deaths in which more of those who died had received antiviral treatment than had not.
Miscellaneous
Virginia player wins $200 million lottery jackpot
One ticket sold in Shenandoah, Virginia won the $200 million Mega Millions jackpot in the October 16 drawing, with no details released about the winner. A Chicago player matched five of five numbers for $250,000. Jackpot odds are 1 in 175,711,536.
Miscellaneous
Young boy overdosed with cancer-causing CT scan*
The New York Times reported that a technologist at a California hospital activated a CT scanner 151 times on the same spot of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy's head, running more than an hour where two or three minutes is normal. The family has hired a lawyer to sue.
Government
CDC H1N1 Flu Website Situation Update, October 17, 2009
A CDC status update on 2009 H1N1 vaccine distribution as of October 14: 11,422,900 doses allocated, 7,971,800 ordered and 5,885,900 shipped, followed by a state-by-state breakdown of doses shipped.
Government
Washington Health Department Suspends Mercury Restrictions for Swine Flu Vaccine
Washington state temporarily suspended its limit on the mercury preservative thimerosal in vaccines for pregnant women and children under 3, because multi-dose swine flu vials will contain it. Mercola notes five companies hold contracts for 195 million doses.
Drug
Tylenol may raise infection risk in babies after vaccination
A Czech trial reported in the Lancet found infants given acetaminophen to head off fever around their vaccinations were 42 percent less likely to run a temperature, but mounted a weaker immune response after both the initial shots and the boosters. Further work must show whether it matters.
Government
What are some resources for employers on workplace substance abuse?
A resource list on workplace substance abuse: the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service on 1-800-662-HELP, DEA and NIDA drug information pages, SAMHSA's treatment facility locator, and FDA guidance on using pain medicine safely.
Government
H1N1 flu update: 2009-2010 Influenza Season Week 40 ending October 10, 2009
CDC's report for October 4-10, 2009: 29.4 percent of specimens tested positive for influenza, every subtyped influenza A was 2009 H1N1, pneumonia and influenza deaths ran above the epidemic threshold, and 11 pediatric deaths were reported. Forty-one states saw widespread activity.
Miscellaneous
Was Drug Advertising Really Better Before Direct-to-Consumer?
Martha Rosenberg revisits 1970 Journal of the American Medical Association ads for Triavil and Valium that mocked middle-aged women as anxious floozies and office grouches, arguing drug advertising aimed at doctors pathologized ordinary behaviour.
Disease
Early H1N1 infection may prevent worse strain*
UC Davis researchers found more than a dozen immune targets shared by the 2009 H1N1 virus and seasonal flu strains, which they say may explain why many people over 60 carry antibodies and why symptoms were generally mild. They suggest cell-mediated immunity does the work.
Government
Where can I get help for a victim of domestic violence?
Resources for domestic violence victims, starting with the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. The National Library of Medicine calls domestic violence the most common cause of injury to women aged 15 to 44, and the piece notes many cases go unreported.
Government
Think twice before buying swine flu drugs via the Internet: FDA
The FDA bought products online that claimed to treat H1N1 and received unmarked tablets postmarked from India containing only talc and acetaminophen. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg warns of counterfeit and contaminated drugs; only Tamiflu and Relenza are approved for the virus.
Drug
People Who Get a Seasonal Flu Shot Are Twice as Likely to Catch Swine Flu
Unpublished Canadian data, still in peer review, suggests people who got last year's seasonal flu shot were about twice as likely to catch swine flu. The post also lists the five companies awarded U.S. contracts for more than 195 million doses of swine flu vaccine.
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