Health Highlights: April 30, 2008
May 1 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
U.S. Breast-Feeding Rate Hits 20-Year High
More than three-quarters of new mothers (77 percent) are breast-feeding their infants, the highest rate in at least 20 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in report issued Wednesday.
Experts cited by the Associated Press attributed the rise to public education campaigns stressing that breast milk better protects infants against disease and childhood obesity than formula.
The percentage of black infants who are breast-fed rose most, to 65 percent from 36 percent in 1993-1994, the report said. Among whites, the rate rose to 79 percent from 62 percent, and among Mexican-Americans, the figure rose to 80 percent from 67 percent, the wire service said.
Breast-feeding rates were lowest among women who weren't married, were poor, rural, younger than 20, and had no greater than a high school education.
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FDA Warns Merck to Correct Vaccine Plant Issues
Merck & Co. has been warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to clean up problems cited at the drug maker's West Point, Pa., vaccine plant, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.
The agency's warning, posted on its Web site, addressed 45 "areas of concern" at the plant, including unwanted fibers found on the stoppers of vaccine vials. The company has 15 days to inform the FDA of its plans to correct the issues, said the newspaper, which first reported the FDA's inspection findings last week.
The plant produces the popular vaccine, Gardasil, designed to protect against cervical cancer, according to the Associated Press. The facility also makes a number of children's vaccines.
Last year, Merck recalled 1.2 million vaccine doses produced at the plant because of a sterility problem, the wire service said.
A Merck spokeswoman told the Inquirer that the company was working to correct the issues noted in the FDA report. She added that the problems were caught by Merck workers "before contaminated vaccines were released to the public," the newspaper said.
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