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Dingell says tobacco tax increase might not be good source of funding for SCHIP

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) on Thursday at a forum sponsored by the Center for American Progress said increasing the federal tobacco tax might not be a practical way to fund a reauthorization of SCHIP and indicated that a better funding source would be to reduce Medicare Advantage payments, CQ HealthBeat reports.

2 Apr 2007

ESMO explores collaboration to fight cancer on all fronts

Leading figures in the global fight against lung cancer are meeting in the city of Geneva, Switzerland this week to discuss the latest tools for preventing and treating chest malignancies, which kill more than 1.3 million people each year.

2 Apr 2007

Warning on consumption of raw milk sold by York County dairy

State Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson has advised consumers who purchased raw milk from Stump Acres Dairy of New Salem, York County, after March 19 to consider not consuming the raw milk due to possible health concerns.

2 Apr 2007

Framework for learning lessons for preparing for terrorist events

A multi-disciplinary panel of blast-related injury experts from eight countries that have recently experienced terrorist attacks examined and discussed their emergency medical response to blast events and identified common issues that could be used by others to enhance preparedness.

2 Apr 2007

Blueprint for cell, tissue and organ donation and transplantation

This week, at the second Global Consultation on Transplantation the World Health Organization (WHO) presented countries and other stakeholders with a blueprint for updated global guiding principles on cell, tissue and organ donation and transplantation.

30 Mar 2007

Innovation is what actually drives fashion change

Fashions come and go at a surprisingly steady rate, new research suggests, driven by a small minority of innovators amidst a majority of people copying each other.

30 Mar 2007

Review of the health effects of Swedish Snus released

A Ministry of Health-commissioned review of the health effects of Swedish snus aims to inform the debate about whether snus and similar products have a role in reducing tobacco related harm in New Zealand.

29 Mar 2007

FDA releases final report on 2006 E.coli spinach outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and California's Department of Health Services (CDHS) have released a joint report on an extensive investigation into the causes of an E.coli O157:H7 outbreak last fall that was associated with contaminated Dole brand Baby Spinach and resulted in 205 confirmed illnesses and three deaths.

27 Mar 2007

FDA warning on mineral water containing arsenic

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is re-issuing its warning to consumers not to drink "Jermuk" brand mineral water due to the risk of exposure to arsenic, a toxic substance and a known cause of cancer in humans.

25 Mar 2007

Campaign to help schools prevent chemical accidents

In a national kickoff, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign to help schools prevent chemical accidents.

25 Mar 2007

House Ways and Means committee passes bill to prohibit genetic discrimination

The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday by voice vote unanimously approved a bill (HR 493) that would ban discrimination against U.S. residents based on the results of genetic tests, CongressDaily reports.

22 Mar 2007

Cancer Research UK and Cancerbackup form strategic partnership

Cancer patients seeking facts about their diagnosis and treatment will soon be able to receive information prescriptions thanks to a new partnership between Britain's leading cancer charities, Cancer Research UK and Cancerbackup.

15 Mar 2007

FDA proposes rule to allow use of alternative temperature devices for food processing

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule which, if finalized, would benefit both consumers and the food industry by enabling manufacturers of heat-processed low-acid canned foods to modernize their equipment by using alternative temperature-indicating devices (TIDs).

13 Mar 2007

Native American artists use art and storytelling to bring cancer statistics to life

As an internist and health-care economist, Scott Ramsey, M.D., Ph.D., is used to looking at cancer statistics in black and white. Lately, however, he's been seeing them in shades of vibrant red and deep blue.

12 Mar 2007

Guide to minimize microbial food safety hazards of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published a draft final guidance advising processors of fresh-cut produce how to minimize microbial food safety hazards common to the processing of most fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which are often sold to consumers in a ready-to-eat form.

12 Mar 2007

New guidelines on cultivating Artemisia plant used in anti-malaria medicines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidelines for the cultivation and collection of Artemisia (Artemisia annua L., Asteraceae), known in the United States as sweet Annie or annual wormwood, a Chinese traditional medicinal plant which is the source of artemisinin, used to produce the most effective medicines for malaria.

12 Mar 2007

Throw out peanut butter from 2004!

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of March 7, 2007, 425 people in 44 states have now been infected with the strain of Salmonella Tennessee found in Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter products.

12 Mar 2007

House passes bill that would allow 'paired' kidney donations

The House on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation (HR 710) to specify that "paired" kidney donations do not violate laws prohibiting compensation for organ donations, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

11 Mar 2007

Vanity Fair to partner with product RED to guest edit July edition

Vanity Fair magazine on Tuesday announced that it will sign on as a partner with Product RED -- a project created by Irish musician Bono and DATA co-founder Bobby Shriver that aims to raise money for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by donating a portion of profits from a range of branded products -- the AP/London Free Press reports.

11 Mar 2007

Update on peanut butter recall

As a follow-up to the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing consumers that ConAgra has extended their recall of all Peter Pan peanut butter, and all Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111, including peanut butter toppings, back to October 2004.

11 Mar 2007