Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Meningitis outbreak rises to 205 cases: CDC
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Seven more people have been diagnosed
with fungal meningitis linked to possibly tainted vials of a
steroid medication, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases
to 205 in 14 states. The death toll from the unprecedented
outbreak was unchanged at 15, the CDC said. It put the number
of people sickened at 205 and said new cases were confirmed in
New Hampshire, Florida, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Girls may not have riskier sex after HPV vaccination
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Girls who had been vaccinated
against human papillomavirus (HPV) weren’t more likely to get
other sexually transmitted infections or to become pregnant, in
a new study from Georgia. That goes against worries on the part
of some that getting the vaccine – which is supposed to
ultimately help prevent cervical cancer – would encourage girls
to become sexually active or engage in riskier sex than they
otherwise would.
Study: can a few cherries a day keep gout away?
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Folic acid doesn’t cut risk of colon polyps: study
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Children with ADHD say stimulant drugs help them
LONDON (Reuters) – Children with attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who take stimulants such as
Ritalin tend to feel the drugs help them control their behavior
and do not turn them into “robots” as many skeptics assume, a
study found on Monday. The research, which for the first time
asked children taking ADHD drugs what they felt about their
treatment and its effects, found that many said medication
helped them manage their impulsivity and make better decisions.
Exclusive: Nestle to cut sugar and salt in breakfast
cereals
ORBE, Switzerland (Reuters) – Nestle SA and
General Mills Inc will cut sugar and salt in the
children’s breakfast cereals they jointly market outside North
America, the latest attempt by major food companies to respond
to health concerns. The two have been in a joint venture since
1990 to sell Nestle-brand cereals such as Cheerios in more than
140 countries outside the United States and Canada, markets
which account for about half total global cereal sales of some
$25 billion.
At center of meningitis scare, Nashville hospital battles
to save lives
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – At the epicenter of one of
the worst U.S. health scares in recent history, staff at St.
Thomas Hospital have battled around the clock for more than two
weeks to the save the lives of patients stricken with
meningitis. The sprawling complex better known as a hospital
for heart patients, which sits atop a hill overlooking a
wealthy area of Nashville, has treated more than 15 percent of
all victims in the nation of a rare form of fungal meningitis.
U.S. states raise heat on company linked to deadly
meningitis outbreak
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – U.S. states are stepping up
scrutiny of the company at the center of a deadly meningitis
scare, with two states accusing it of violating licensing rules
and several others starting investigations of its activities,
according to a Reuters survey of states affected. Michigan,
with the second largest number of meningitis cases, and
Massachusetts, where the New England Compounding Center is
located, have been the most aggressive, saying they believe
NECC violated their regulations.
Peanut company linked to salmonella outbreak expands recall
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CDC says one new death from meningitis; number of cases at
197
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