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FDA files MedImmune's sBLA for quadrivalent intranasal nasal influenza vaccine, FluMist

MedImmune has received confirmation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that the Agency has filed the Company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for a quadrivalent (four-strain) version of FluMist® (Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal). The company submitted the sBLA early in the second quarter of this year.

18 Jul 2011

FDA warns consumers not to drink raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy

The FDA is working with officials in North Carolina and South Carolina to investigate an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in three people who consumed raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy in York, S.C. The three confirmed cases and another five probable cases are from three different households and each case reports that prior to becoming ill they consumed raw milk that was obtained from Tucker Adkins Dairy on June 14, 2011.

18 Jul 2011

Precautionary safety measures against extreme summer heat

With Minnesota's extreme heat, the Minnesota Chiropractic Association (MCA) would like to remind the public to take extra precautionary measures to ensure a safe and enjoyable summer.

18 Jul 2011

Study recommends short and simple HIV consent forms

An in-depth review of consent forms provided to volunteers for HIV/AIDS research in the United States and abroad about study procedures, risks and benefits has found that the forms were extremely long and used wording that may have been complex enough to hinder full understanding, according to bioethicists at The Johns Hopkins University.

16 Jul 2011

Children with private insurance more likely to receive comprehensive primary care

Children with public insurance are 22 percent less likely to receive comprehensive primary care than those with private insurance, according to new research from the University of Michigan Medical School.

16 Jul 2011

Angst rises over proposed health cuts

News outlets report on efforts by health care players to make clear their concerns about proposed reductions in spending for Medicare, Medicaid and other safety net programs.

16 Jul 2011

WHO says it is better prepared for influenza pandemic

"More than 100 public health experts have wrapped up a three-day meeting in Geneva to review a Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines that was developed in 2006, and to develop a strategic plan of action for the next five years," VOA News reports, noting that the WHO "says the world is better prepared for the next influenza pandemic than it was in the past".

16 Jul 2011

Methods and trends in evaluation of cancer risk

The development of almost all cancer is influenced by environmental factors, argues Dr Günter Obe and co-editors in their new title Cancer Risk Evaluation: Methods and Trends. However, while some environmental factors, such as smoking or ionizing radiation, puts the vast majority of humans at risk regardless of their genetic background, many other risk factors such as hazardous working conditions, increase the cancer risk for smaller groups of the population and are often dependent on additional factors as well as an individual's genetics.

15 Jul 2011

Simple steps can improve malaria prevention

Megan Fotheringham, a public health adviser with the President's Malaria Initiative, describes in a post on USAID's "IMPACTblog" how a program in Kenya worked to improve the successful administration of malaria prevention therapy among pregnant women in the country's Gem District simply by sending to antenatal clinics a memo describing when to administer the treatment.

15 Jul 2011

IOM releases second report on oral health

On July 13, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a second report on oral health, Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations.

15 Jul 2011

Simple dental algorithm can effectively identify patients with unrecognized diabetes

In a study, Identification of unrecognized diabetes and pre-diabetes in a dental setting, published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of Dental Research, researchers at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine found that dental visits represented a chance to intervene in the diabetes epidemic by identifying individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes who are unaware of their condition.

15 Jul 2011

Partially hydrolysed whey formula does not prevent allergies in high-risk infants

Despite the formula being recommended in public health guidelines set out by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the new study, published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found there was no benefit in using hypoallergenic formula to prevent allergies in high-risk infants up to seven years of age, compared to a conventional cow's milk based formula.

15 Jul 2011

Bariatric surgery cost-effective for all obese

Bariatric surgery is not only cost-effective for treating people who are severely obese, but also for those who are mildly obese, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

15 Jul 2011

State roundup: Model insurance brings 'modest' savings

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' alternative quality contract, which Governor Deval Patrick has held up as a potential model for controlling health care costs, produced "modest" savings in its first year while yielding improved quality of care in some areas, according to a new study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Jul 2011

Global health community reacts to CIA's faux vaccine operation in Pakistan

After the Guardian broke the story that the CIA organized a fake vaccination program in Pakistan in an effort to confirm the location of Osama bin Laden and obtain DNA from his family members, several writers and health experts reacted to the situation, noting the possible implications for health.

14 Jul 2011

Study finds structural determinants of adolescent girls' vulnerability to HIV

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that community members correlate an increase in HIV vulnerability among adolescent girls with weak structural support systems.

14 Jul 2011

New paper provides unique review on respiratory disorders in the Middle East

Lung diseases in the Middle East range from the centuries-old pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) to modern manifestations caused by chemical warfare. A new paper now available in Respirology, a journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, provides pulmonologists and patients with the first comprehensive review of respiratory illnesses specific to the Persian Gulf region, and the challenges in treating them.

14 Jul 2011

No single approach might effectively improve Americans' dietary behavior, health

Will people eat healthier foods if fresh fruits and vegetables are available in stores near their homes? Will they eat less fast food if restaurants are not in their neighborhoods? These and other policy interventions may be useful steps toward better public health, but no single approach alone will effectively improve Americans' diets or stem the obesity epidemic, concludes a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

14 Jul 2011

Raising taxes on cigarettes does not motivate all smokers to quit the deadly habit

Raising taxes on cigarettes, a public health measure used by governments to encourage people to quit, doesn't motivate all smokers to stop the deadly habit.

14 Jul 2011

NHS justified in transferring responsibility to local governments

Public health issues will be dealt hereafter by the local government that has a duty to look after the health and wellbeing of its population and there is an obvious synergy between public health challenges such as obesity, smoking and sexually transmitted infections, and local authority services such as housing, environmental health and education.

13 Jul 2011