Health Highlights: July 23, 2008

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

Fresh Water, Medical Care Concern Hurricane Victims

About 34 percent of people affected by Hurricane Katrina say they'd be very prepared if a major hurricane struck their community in the next six months, according to a Harvard School of Public Health survey conducted May 27 to June 23.

The survey included 5,055 people in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas in high-risk counties located within 20 miles of the coast.

Among respondents who were threatened or hit by Katrina, major worries in the event of a future hurricane are that they wouldn't have enough fresh drinking water (42 percent) and that they wouldn't be able to get needed medical care (41 percent).

The top concern among respondents who weren't affected by Katrina was that they would have problems getting gasoline for their cars (39 percent). That concern was expressed by 36 percent of respondents affected by Katrina.

Respondents who weren't affected by Katrina were much less likely than those who were affected by the hurricane to be worried about fresh water and getting needed medical care.

"The top concerns of people in high-risk hurricane areas -- having enough fresh water, getting medical care, and obtaining gas to evacuate -- are all things that public officials can plan for before the major storms of this season hit," Robert J. Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis, said in a Harvard School of Public Health news release.

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Gates, Bloomberg Donate Millions to Help Smokers Quit

Billionaire philanthropists Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg want smokers across the globe to quit.

So the Microsoft founder and New York City mayor are donating $375 million to worldwide anti-smoking campaigns that focus on developing nations with the highest smoking rates, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Bloomberg is contributing $250 million, and Gates $125 million to the smoking cessation efforts, most specifically in China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Bangladesh, the wire service said.

Retailers nationwide sold affected vacuums from April 2007 through April 2008 for between $60 and $170. Only tool accessories with date codes J7060 through J7365 with a C-clip connector are included in this recall. The date code is found on the underside of the tool.

The following Dirt Devil models are affected:

Consumers should stop using the tools immediately and call the manufacturer for information about obtaining a free repair kit. Contact TTI Floor Care at 800-245-2296.

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Experts Worried Over Rising HIV Rates Among U.S. Hispanics

Increasing rates of HIV/AIDS among Hispanics in the United States point to a simmering public health crisis, experts tell the Washington Post.

Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, but they accounted for 22 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2006. In major American cities, as many as one in four gay Hispanic men have HIV, a rate similar to that in sub-Saharan Africa, the Post reported.

Hispanics in Washington, D.C. have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the United States, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey.