Here you will find links to the latest press releases from US Government
agencies dealing with health and medicine including the Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration and
many more.
Report
Compares Health of U.S., European Teens
U.S. teens suffer more common aches and pains, and have a harder time sleeping
than their European counterparts, according to a new report from the Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Women's Heart Attack Symptoms
Different from Men's
Research by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) indicates that women
often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more
before experiencing heart attacks.
FDA Warns of 'Litargirio'
Traditional Remedy Lead Danger
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public not to use
“LITARGIRIO” for any health-related or personal purposes. Litargirio is a
yellow- or peach-colored powder manufactured by Roldan, Ferreira, and possibly
other laboratories in the Dominican Republic.
House Passes Partial
Birth Abortion Ban
In the ongoing saga of partial-birth abortion, the House of Representatives has
passed by a 281-142 vote a
bill intended to ban the controversial medical procedure. In partial-birth
abortion, the surgeon punctures the skull of the fetus only after it has
partially emerged from the mother’s womb. The Senate is expected to pass the
bill and President Bush has indicated he would sign it into law.
More Americans Now Without
Health Insurance
The number of Americans not covered by health insurance rose by 2.4 million
to 43.6 million between 2001 and 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
22 Million Americans are
Drug-Alcohol Dependant
An estimated 22 million Americans abused or were dependent on drugs, alcohol or
both, in 2002, according to the latest report from the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Some 19.5 million Americans --
8.3 percent of the total population ages 12 and up -- currently use illicit
drugs, 54 million take part in binge drinking and 15.9 million are heavy
drinkers.
Good News for Women Trying to Lose Weight
Moderate physical activity can be as effective as an intense workout for
women trying to lose weight, according to a recent study by the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Four Leading Cancers
Claiming Fewer Lives
Death rates from the “big four” cancers -- lung, breast, prostate, and
colorectal – continued to decline during the late 1990s, according to this
statement by Health and Human Services. The reduction in the rate of lung cancer
deaths is attributed to reductions in cigarette smoking.
Viagra Gets
Competition
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for treating
erectile dysfunction. Produced by the Bayer Corp. in Germany and to be
distributed in the U.S. by GlaxoSmithKline, the new oral drug called Levitra (vardenafil),
will compete with Viagra in the sexual stimulant market.
Can Legislation Prevent Obesity in
America?
Obesity... overweight... fat. No questions, it's one of this nation's worst and
most costly health problems. But, can government, in its finest "we know
what's best for you" tradition, use laws to bring about the thinning of
America?
Tumor-suppressing
Gene in Mice Discovered
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National
Institutes of Health, have identified a gene that plays an important role in
preventing tumors in mice.
National HIV
Prevention Conference Echoes Themes of HHS' New HIV Prevention Initiative
Findings released at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta this
week demonstrate how implementation of the Department of Health and Human
Services’ new HIV initiative, which emphasizes HIV testing as a routine part
of care, greater access to HIV testing, increased attention to prevention among
HIV-positive persons, and reduced mother-to-child transmission, is lending new
momentum to prevention efforts in the United States.
U.S. Highway Death Toll
Hits 10-Year High
Deaths on America's highways in 2002 reached the highest level since 1990.
Alcohol played a part in 41-percent of all traffic deaths, and 59 percent of
those killed were not wearing seat belts.
FDA
Heightens Battle Against Counterfeit Drugs
Commissioner of Food and Drugs Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., today announced a
major new initiative to more aggressively protect American consumers from drugs
that have been counterfeited.
HRSA
Issues New Statistical Guide to Women's Health
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) today released
Women’s Health USA 2003, an updated statistical look at the health of
America’s women that highlights the impact on women of chronic health
conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, asthma and obesity.
More Research
on Heart Disease in Women Needed
Although coronary heart disease (CHD) is the cause of more than 250,000 deaths
in women each year, much of the research in the last 20 years on the diagnosis
and treatment of CHD has either excluded women entirely or included only limited
numbers of women and minorities. As a result, many of the tests and therapies
that are used to treat women for CHD are based on studies conducted
predominantly in men.
CDC Removes
Travel Alert for Hong Kong and Toronto, Canada
As of July 10, 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
removed its travel alert for Hong Kong and Toronto, Canada to reflect the
changing status of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases reported in
these areas.
Alcohol
Increases Hepatitis C Virus in Human Cells
A team of NIH-supported researchers today report that alcohol increases
replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human cells and, by so doing, may
contribute to the rapid course of HCV infection.
CDC
Highlights Summer Health and Safety Tips
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today called on all
Americans to protect their health while they pursue summertime fitness and fun
and provided key summer safety tips.
HHS
Reports On Type I Diabetes Research
Welcoming 200 delegates to the Children's Congress of the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation International, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today
released an HHS progress report on research in type 1 diabetes made possible by
special statutory funding.
FDA
Approves First Biologic for Allergy-Related Asthma
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the first biotechnology
product to treat patients with a type of asthma that is related to allergies.
FDA
Approves Prilosec OTC to Treat Frequent Heartburn
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the approval of Prilosec
OTC (omeprazole), the first over-the-counter treatment for frequent heartburn.
HHS Bans
Trade in African Rodents, Domestic Prairie Dogs
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced an immediate embargo on the
importation of all rodents from Africa due to the potential that these rodents
can spread monkeypox virus infection to other animal species and to humans.
Transcript of
joint Canada-U.S. press briefing on mad cow disease
Women Benefit
More from Quitting Smoking than Men
New findings from the Lung Health Study (LHS) indicate that, in general, women's
lung function improves significantly more than men's after sustained smoking
cessation.
Donor Immune
Cells Attack Metastatic Breast Cancer
In patients with metastatic breast cancer, immune cells from a genetically
matched donor can attack and shrink tumors, researchers from the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) announced today at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of
Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
FDA Issues
Mad Cow Warning on Pet Food from Canadian Maker
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned from the government of
Canada that rendered material from a Canadian cow that last week tested positive
for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as "mad cow
disease") may have been used to manufacture pet food, specifically dry dog
food, some of which was reported to have been shipped to the United States.
Study
on Estrogen/Progestin
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that the results of a Women’s
Health Initiative (WHI) study on the effects of combined estrogen with progestin
therapy on the incidence of dementia and memory impairment do not at this time
dictate any changes to the FDA-approved uses of these drug therapies.
Care of the Dying Focus of NIH
Study
Identifying four different 'pathways to death,' a new NIH study calls for
greater flexibility in healthcare and hospice services when meeting the needs of
terminally ill patients.
NIH Releases
Genetics Home Reference
When you hear "gene map," do you think it's a guide to finding the
nearest Gap store? Are you the kind of person who thinks that "genetic
markers" are sold at office supply stores?
DOT Reports US Walking, Biking
Habits
Nearly 80 percent of adult Americans take at least one walk of five minutes or
longer during the summer months, while fewer than 30 percent ride a bike,
according to a nationwide DOT survey.
Bed Sharing with
Siblings, Soft Bedding, Increase SIDS Risk
Infants who share a bed with other children are at a higher risk of sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS) than are other infants, according to the most
recent analysis of a study of predominantly African American SIDS deaths in
Chicago.
CDC Reports Costs of
Violence Against Women
The health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide
against women by their intimate partners exceeds $5.8 billion annually,
according to a report just released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
HHS
Announces National Oral Health Strategy
The Department of Health and Human Services today released a National Call to
Action to Promote Oral Health aimed at improving oral health and preventing
disease for all Americans.
FDA
Approves First Treatment for Fabry Disease
FDA today approved the first treatment for patients with Fabry Disease, a
serious metabolic genetic disorder affecting approximately one in 40,000 males.
Heart
Benefit Associated With Cholesterol Drug Zocor
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced changes to the labeling
for Zocor (simvastatin), based on the results of The Heart Protection Study (HPS).
The new labeling will reflect research showing that simvastatin is effective in
reducing risks of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks, strokes, and in reducing
the need for bypass surgery and angioplasty.
Key to
Hepatitis Virus Persistence Found
Scientists at two Texas universities have discovered how hepatitis C virus
thwarts immune system efforts to eliminate it.
Sequences
genome of virus believed responsible for SARS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that it has
sequenced the genome for the coronavirus believed to be responsible for the
global epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS.
Hospital
Stays Much Shorter Now than 30 Years Ago
The 32.7 million patients in the nation's hospitals in 2001 had a much shorter
stay on average (4.9 days) than patients hospitalized in 1970 (7.8 days). Over
the past three decades, the average length of a hospital stay dropped for all
patients, except children.
Study
Estimates More Than 2 Million Women Could Benefit From Tamoxifen
More than 10 million women in the United States have a high enough risk of
developing breast cancer that they could consider taking the breast cancer
chemoprevention drug tamoxifen.
New Therapy for
Sickle Cell Anemia Reduces Deaths
Sickle cell anemia patients who took the drug hydroxyurea over a 9-year period
experienced a 40 percent reduction in deaths.
Accident in
Animal Lab Raises Questions About a Chemical Used in Some Plastics
A sudden increase in chromosome abnormalities in a mouse colony has
raised questions about the safe level of exposure for bisphenol A, a chemical
used to make some common plastics and resins.
HHS Issues
National Plan to Reduce Impact of Diabetes on Women
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today introduced a national plan to address the
growing health epidemic of diabetes in women. Diabetes is the sixth leading
cause of death in the United States and is a major contributor to heart disease,
the number one killer of women.
HHS Studies
Effectiveness of St. John's Wort in Treating Minor Depression
In a new approach to research on minor depression, the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) has launched a four-year study to determine the safety and
effectiveness of St. John's wort, a common herbal supplement.
Few
Treatments for Allergies, But Suffering Can be Eased
While no studies have found effective treatments for allergic rhinitis, common
allergies that affect more than 19 million U.S. workers each year, a review of
the scientific literature confirms that some patients can take steps to relieve
symptoms.
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