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

New Food and Drug Safety Measures Proposed

New fees for drug and food companies and increased Food and Drug Administration oversight of food and drug plants are among the proposals included in draft legislation designed to improve food and drug safety in the United States.

The first hearing on the draft legislation, created in response to a number of recent food and drug scares, is scheduled for April 24, USA Today reported.

Among the proposals:

  • U.S. food production facilities and those exporting food to the United States would have to pay $2,000 per facility per year to register with the FDA. That would generate about $600 million a year, more than doubling the agency's current food safety budget.
  • The FDA would be required to inspect food plants -- and the plants' food safety plans -- every four years. Currently, food plants are inspected about once every 10 years, according to lawmakers.
  • Drug and medical device makers, as well as companies that import those products, would also have to pay registration fees to the FDA.
  • The FDA would have to inspect domestic and foreign drug manufacturing facilities every two years.
  • Food and drug makers would have to list on drug labels where active ingredients are made.
  • The FDA would have the power to order food and drug recalls.

-----

New Bird Flu Vaccine Shows Promise

U.S. researchers say they're developing a new bird flu vaccine that could be longer-lasting, provide broader protection, and be easier to produce than existing vaccines.

Currently, the only vaccine approved by U.S. health officials requires a very high dose, is only effective in about 60 percent of people who receive it, and doesn't protect against new strains of the H5N1 bird flu virus, Agence France-Presse reported.

The new vaccine, which uses a mutated version of a common cold virus to deliver genes from two types of the H5N1 virus, protected mice from bird flu infection for more than a year and was broad enough to protect against some mutations of the virus. The findings were published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. The vaccine hasn't been tested in humans.

"We want to have a vaccine that can be stored in advance and have the potential to provide protection for a period of time until we can change the vaccine to match the latest form of avian influenza," said study author Suresh Mittal of Purdue University, AFP reported. "The combination of flu genes that we've used to produce the vaccine, I think, will provide that capability."

-----

Key Chains With High Lead Levels Recalled by Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is recalling about 12,000 Chinese-made "Hip Charm" key chains that contain high levels of lead, which can cause serious health problems in children.

On April 16, the Illinois Attorney General informed Wal-Mart and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that a key chain was found in the home of a 9-month-old-child with high blood levels of lead. The child had been seen mouthing the key chain.

The recalled key chains have several charms including a button, clover, leaf, heart, and a sand dollar. The charms hang from a silver-colored chain. The words "Hip Charm" and UPC (#31568 11017) are printed on the packaging of the product, which was sold at Wal-Mart stores nationwide from April 2005 through April 2008 for about $6.

Consumers should not allow children to handle the key chains and should return them to any Wal-Mart store for a full refund, the CPSC said. For more information, phone Wal-Mart at 800-925-6278.

-----

Good Use of Rotavirus Vaccine in U.S.: Report

Since the new rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq was recommended in February 2006 by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), it has been widely used, and health providers have adhered to age recommendations, says a report in the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ACIP said that routine rotavirus vaccination of U.S. infants should follow a three-dose schedule and be administered at two, four and six months of age.

CDC researchers examined vaccination coverage among infants from February 2006 until May 2007 and found that, by May 15, 2007, almost half of three-month-old infants had received one dose of rotavirus vaccine. The researchers also found most of the doses were administered according to ACIP recommendations.

Rotavirus vaccination is believed to be the most effective way to protect children against rotavirus, the CDC researchers said. Worldwide, rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children younger than age five. Each year, rotavirus causes more than 200,000 emergency room visits and 55,000 to 70,000 hospitalizations in the United States alone.

-----

States Get Grants to Improve Medicaid Primary Care

Twenty states will receive grants totaling $50 million to improve access to primary medical care so that Medicaid beneficiaries can avoid improper use of costly hospital emergency rooms, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Thursday.

"These grants provide new programs and services to help people get the non-emergency care they need in the most appropriate setting," CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems said in a prepared statement.

The first $37.5 million in grants is now available to fund 29 programs in the 20 states. The remaining $12.5 million will be made available in 2009. The grant money will be used to establish new community health centers; extend the hours of operation at existing clinics; educate Medicaid beneficiaries about new services; and provide for electronic health information exchange between facilities for better coordination of care.

The states receiving the grant funds are: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington.

-----

U.S. Troops Suffer Mental Health Problems, Brain Injuries: Study

About 18.5 percent (300,000) of American troops who've served in the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan are suffering from major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and about 19 percent (320,000) may have suffered brain injuries, says a RAND Corporation study released Thursday. Many of them haven't received treatment.

The study, completed in January, included a survey of 1,965 active and former members from all branches of the armed forces, the Associated Press reported.

Among the other findings:

  • Only 43 percent of those who suffered head injuries reported ever being evaluated by a doctor for those injuries.
  • Only 53 percent of those with depression or PTSD sought help over the past year. Worries about medication side effects, the belief that family and friends could help, and the fear that seeking care may damage their careers were among the reasons given for not seeking help.
  • Women and reservists had the highest rates of PTSD and major depression.

"There is a major health crisis facing those men and women who have served our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan," Terri Tanielian, the project's co-leader and a researcher at the nonprofit RAND Corporation, told the AP. "Unless they receive effective care for these mental health conditions, there will be long-term associated consequences for them and for the nation."