Health Highlights: Nov. 4, 2007

Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Another Nationwide Recall of Ground Beef Ordered

Cargill Inc., one of the worlds largest meat producers, has recalled more than 1 million pounds of ground beef because of the possibility it contains E. coli bacteria, the Associated Press reports.

The announcement was made Saturday by John Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef, the wire service reports. The beef was produced between Oct. 8 and Oct. 11 at the company's Wyalusing, Pa. plant and was distributed nationwide to retailers, including Giant, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wegman's and Weis.

No illnesses have been reported, Keating told the A.P., but a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection of an Oct. 8 sample found possible contamination from E. coli O157:H7.

In early October Cargill recalled more than 800,000 pounds of ground beef distributed through Sam's Club. At least four cases of E. coli poisoning were confirmed.

Cargill has established a phone number for people with questions or those who want to report illness: 877-455-1034. The company's meat business is based in Wichita, Kan., and the corporate headquarters is in Mayzata, Minn.

The E. coli bacterium causes diarrhea and abdominal cramping, usually two-to-five days after the tainted food is consumed. Left untreated, it can cause more serious complications, including kidney failure.

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Kidney Disease Cases Predicted to Jump 60 % by 2020

Spurred by the epidemic rise in diabetes rates, end stage renal disease (ESRD) is estimated to increase by 60 per cent in the United States within the next 12 years, new research says.

The study, presented this weekend at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco, predicted that by the year 2020, "The expected number of patients with ESRD... is almost 785,000, which is an increase of over 60 percent compared to 2005."

According to a Society of Nephrology news release, Dr. David T. Gilbertson of the U.S. Renal Data System and the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, was to report that the predicted kidney disease increase, while dramatic, was actually somewhat lower than earlier estimates.