Health Highlights: Dec. 14, 2008

Dec. 15 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Salt-Cured Alewives Pose Botulism Risk: FDA

Ungutted salt-cured alewives (also known as gaspereaux fish) produced by a Canadian firm and sent to distributors in Florida shouldn't be eaten because they may contain the bacterium that causes botulism, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

The fish produced by Michel and Charles LeBlanc Fisheries Ltd. of New Brunswick may be tainted with Clostridium botulinum. This toxin can cause botulism, a potentially life-threatening condition that cannot be prevented by cooking or freezing, the FDA said in a news release.

The fish were imported to the following Florida distributors: Quirch Foods Inc., Den-Mar Exports LLC, Dolphin Fisheries Inc., and Labrador and Son Food Products Inc.

The products were distributed in 173 white plastic 30-pound pails with green lids. The fish may have been repackaged for individual sale, the agency said.

There have been no reports of illness associated with this product. But the FDA warned that Florida-bought ungutted alewives produced by this manufacturer, or such fish of undetermined origin, should be thrown away immediately.

Symptoms of botulism can begin six hours to 10 days after consumption, and may include double- or blurred vision, drooped eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. Botulism can also cause deadly paralysis of the breathing muscles. Anyone with these symptoms should be given immediate medical attention.

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Dueling U.S. Agencies at Odds Over Fish Consumption

A proposal to encourage eating of fish to promote a healthier lifestyle is becoming a political issue in the final months of the Bush administration, reports the Associated Press.

A long-standing government recommendation that pregnant women and children limit their intake of fish because of the possibility that they may also consume harmful amounts of mercury is being reconsidered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the wire service reports.