Health Highlights: Feb. 21, 2008

Mar. 24 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

CDC Investigating First U.S. Cases of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Meningitis

The first known U.S. cases of meningitis bacteria resistant to the front-line antibiotic ciprofloxacin are being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A report in this week's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes one case in Fargo, North Dakota, and two others cases in Moorhead, Minnesota, that occurred between January 2007 and January 2008.

The ciprofloxacin-resistant meningitis bacteria appears to be restricted to thes North Dakota/Minnesota border area, the CDC said, cautioning that ciprofloxacin should not be used as a preventive measure for people in close contact with infected patients in this area. There are a number of alternative medications -- Ceftriaxone, rifampin, and azithromycin.

Ciprofloxacin-resistant meningitis has been reported in other countries, but these are the first such cases to be reported in North America.

Laboratory tests detected the drug resistance. There have been no apparent cases of infection due to failure of preventive antibiotic treatment, Minnesota Health Department spokesman Doug Schulz told the Associated Press.

Meningococcal disease infects about 2,600 people and kills 10 percent to 15 percent of them yearly in the United States. About 10 percent of those who recover suffer long-term nervous system problems, including seizures and hearing loss.

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More Americans Buying Prescription Drugs Through Mail

Between 2000 and 2005, the percentage of Americans who bought their prescription drugs from mail order pharmacies increased from just under 9 percent to just over 13 percent, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

During that same period, the percentage of Americans who bought their prescription medicines from drug stores decreased from 65 percent to 61 percent. Prescription drug purchases from pharmacies in clinics, HMOs, and hospitals decreased from 15 percent to 13 percent, and from 32 percent to 28 percent from pharmacies inside supermarkets and super stores.