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2007-8-31 18:39:23 |
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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: 132 Million Flu Vaccine Doses for U.S. Next Season A record 132 million doses of flu vaccine are expected to be ready for the 2007-08 flu season in the United States, according to estimates announced Wednesday at a meeting in Atlanta of flu vaccine makers, public health officials, and health professionals. Sanofi Pasteur Inc. said it will have 50 million doses ready, Novartis Vaccines plans to have 40 million doses, and GlaxoSmithKline expects to have 30 million to 35 million doses. All those doses are in the form of flu shots, the Associated Press reported. In addition, MedImmune Vaccines says it will produce about seven million doses of FluMist. This nasal spray product, which contains a live flu virus and therefore carries a slight risk of causing flu symptoms, is recommended only for healthy people ages 5 to 49. But even this large number of flu doses falls short of U.S. guidelines that call for 218 million Americans to get flu vaccinations, noted Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease. The number of flu doses available for the next flu season may increase if another company, CSL Biotherapies, receives federal approval to sell its vaccine in the United States this fall, the AP reported. The company has asked for expedited FDA approval. Nearly 121 million flu vaccine doses -- the most ever -- were produced for the United States during the 2006-07 flu season, but more than 18 million doses weren't used and are to be destroyed after their June 30 expiration date. ----- Flu Can Increase Heart Attack Risk: Study Having the flu can increase the risk of heart attack, and doctors need to make sure that people at high risk of heart disease get annual flu shots, says a study by U.S. researchers who examined 1993-2000 autopsy reports from St. Petersburg, Russia. The researchers found that people 50 and older were one-third more likely to die of a heart attack during peak flu season than in non-flu weeks, CBC News reported. Few people in St. Petersburg receive flu shots or take anti-cholesterol drugs, the study authors noted. Their findings appear in this week's online issue of the European Heart Journal. "My public health message is that flu is an important killer in cardiac patients," study leader Mohammad Madjid, a professor at the University of Texas, said in a prepared statement. "If people can recognize that the flu vaccine has specific cardio-protective effects, then high-risk people will be more likely to make sure they receive the influenza vaccine every year." The researchers noted that flu-related inflammation in the body can destabilize arterial plaque, which can then block arteries in the heart and cause a heart attack, CBC News reported. ----- Many Playgrounds, Athletic Facilities Locked on Weekends: Study School playgrounds and athletic facilities could play a major role in reducing U.S. childhood obesity rates, but many of them are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends, says a RAND Corporation study released Thursday. In 2003, researchers looked at schools and parks within a half mile of the homes of 1,556 sixth-grade girls in six communities: Washington D.C./Baltimore; Columbia, S.C.; Minneapolis; New Orleans; Tucson, Ariz.; and San Diego. The 407 schools in the girls' neighborhoods represented 44 percent of potential nearby sites for physical activity. On average, 66 percent of the schools were unlocked on weekends. But the study also found that only 57 percent of schools were both unlocked on weekends and had accessible facilities such as playgrounds, athletic fields, basketball courts and paved playing surfaces. The percentage of unlocked schools with accessible facilities were: Minneapolis, 93 percent; Columbia, 77 percent; San Diego, 74 percent; Washington/Baltimore, 54 percent; Tucson, 50 percent; New Orleans, 23 percent. "Girls who lived near locked schools tended to be heavier, and neighborhoods with locked schools were disproportionately poor and had larger minority populations," lead author Molly M. Scott, a RAND research analyst, said in a prepared statement. "These neighborhoods, where risk of obesity is high and public parks and playgrounds are often lacking, could benefit from convenient and safe places for physical activity. And making schools accessible doesn't require construction. It's a policy change," Scott said. |
