• Salmonella Outbreak Traced to Mexican Mangoes

    Added On : 4th September 2012

    mexican mangoesDaniella Brand Mangoes Recalled in U.S.; 105 Sickened in 16 States

    An ongoing salmonella outbreak traced to mangoes has sickened at least 105 people in 16 states across the U.S.

    There have been 25 hospitalizations but no deaths. People who fell ill after Aug. 6 may not have been reported. In Canada, where health authorities first identified the outbreak, there have also been several cases.

    Splendid Products has recalled the mangoes, sold under the Daniella brand name. The recall applies only to mangoes with stickers bearing PLU numbers 3114, 4051, 4311, 4584, or 4959. These mangoes, and mangoes without stickers, should be thrown out.

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  • Spermicides May Ease HPV Transmission

    Added On : 18th September 2012

    Animal Study Shows Ingredient in Spermicides May Boost Transmission of Human Papillomavirus

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  • Government Issues Guidelines to Prevent...

    Added On : 24th September 2012

    coronavirusGovernment Issues Guidelines to Prevent Coronavirus Attack

    A senior official from the Ministry of Health said yesterday that people should take extra precautions against a new form of the coronavirus, which was recently found in the Kingdom among some patients.

    The virus was diagnosed in three people causing the death of two of them; the third is still undergoing treatment.

    "There is no cause for alarm about the coronavirus. However, people should be aware of its presence and they should take preventive measures to keep the disease away from them," Undersecretary to the Ministry of Health for Public Health Ziad Al-Memish told Arab News yesterday.

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  • New 'Sars-like' Not Easily Transmitted says WHO

    Added On : 29th September 2012

    coronavirusA new respiratory illness - from the same family as the Sars virus - appears not to spread easily, experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) say.

    A Qatari man, 49, with the virus is being treated in the UK. The first person known to have had it, in Saudi Arabia, died.

    The WHO said on Friday that it appeared the new virus "cannot be easily transmitted from person to person."

    The Sars virus, which emerged in China in 2002, killed hundreds of people.

    Both Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and the new, un-named, virus - as well as the common cold virus - belong to the coronavirus family.

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  • Salmonella in Netherlands and US...

    Added On : 3rd October 2012

    salmonellaSalmonella in Netherlands and US from Dutch Smoked Fish

    Scores of people in the Netherlands and the US have caught salmonella after eating Dutch smoked salmon, say Dutch health authorities.

    About 200 people have fallen ill in the Netherlands along with about 100 people in the US, said the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM).

    An RIVM official told the BBC that this could be the "tip of the iceberg".

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  • Death Count Rising in Meningitis Outbreak

    Added On : 5th October 2012

    meningitis vaccine2Patients in 23 states are being warned that the spinal steroid shots they received may have given them a rare and deadly fungal meningitis.

    So far, there have been 35 cases and "at least five deaths," according to the CDC, which expects the case count to rise. There have been 25 cases and three deaths in Tennessee, four cases and one death in Virginia, two cases and one death in Maryland, two cases in Florida, one case in North Carolina, and one case in Indiana.

    All cases are linked to spinal shots with three specific lots of a steroid called methylprednisolone acetate. The drug, without preservatives, was made and placed in syringes by a single firm, New England Compounding Center (NECC) of Framingham, Mass.

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  • Meningitis Crisis Expands; More Infections...

    Added On : 13th October 2012

    meningitisMeningitis Crisis Expands; More Infections, Deaths

    The crisis surrounding the multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to tainted steroid shots deepened Thursday, as federal officials reported that more people had received the shots than previously believed. Doctors also reported the first case of a joint infection outside the spine.

    The CDC says close to 14,000 people may have gotten the shots, not 13,000 as was first estimated.

    Fourteen people have died since the outbreak was first reported last month.

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  • US Fungal Meningitis Toll Rises to 15

    Added On : 15th October 2012

    fungal meningitisThe US health authorities say 15 people have now died from an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to steroid injections to treat back pain.

    The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the latest death occurred in Indiana - the second in the state.

    In all, nearly 200 people in 13 US states have been affected.

    A company in Massachusetts earlier recalled more than 17,000 vials of steroid it had sent to more than 70 clinics across America.

    Thirteen states have been affected: Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho and Texas.

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  • Concern Raised About Finance Scheme...

    Added On : 24th October 2012

    malaria drugConcern Raised About Finance Scheme for Malaria Drugs

    The charity Oxfam has cast doubt on an international scheme that aims to boost the provision of the most effective treatment for malaria.

    The UK government has contributed £70m to the Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria (AMFm).

    Oxfam says there is no evidence the programme has saved the lives of the most vulnerable people.

    The body behind the AMFm says an independent study shows it has improved access and reduced drug prices.

    The scheme was introduced three years ago by the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria.

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  • Tenth Baby Dies in Biggest Whooping Cough Outbreak...

    Added On : 27th October 2012

    baby whoopingvacTenth Baby Dies in Biggest Whooping Cough Outbreak for 20 Years

    A tenth baby has died in the biggest outbreak of whooping cough for 20 years, health officials said today.

    There were 1,322 confirmed cases in England and Wales in September alone, 300 more than the total figure for 2011 when there were 1,118 cases, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said.

    They added that there were 6,121 confirmed cases between January and September this year.

    In total, 10 infants aged under three months have died in England as a result of the infectious disease.

    Last month the Government said it will offer the whooping cough vaccine to all pregnant women for the first time in the hope they will pass on protection to the foetus in the womb.

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