Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–April 23, 2011.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Menactra in children as young as 9 months for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135. Menactra already is approved for use in people ages 2 through[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–April 22, 2011.  The following statement is attributed to Secretary of the Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Originally founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in, the first official Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. Forty-one years later, Earth Day is now celebrated in[Read More…]

San Francisco, CA–(ENEWSPF)–April 21, 2011.  The patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) issued a report card today giving President Obama a failing grade for his record on medical marijuana. The report card highlights broken promises, half-measures, and a general failure by the Obama Administration to address medical marijuana[Read More…]

Atlanda, GA–(ENEWSPF)–April 21, 2011.  By 2020 or sooner, the entire nation could have laws banning smoking in all indoor areas of private sector worksites, restaurants and bars, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found. These places are major sources of secondhand smoke exposure. The projection[Read More…]

Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–April 20, 2011.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued four warning letters to companies that manufacture and market over-the-counter (OTC) drug products, including hand sanitizers, that claim to prevent infection from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA). Labeling and marketing materials for the affected products also claim that[Read More…]

Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–April 20, 2011.  Thousands of Medicare beneficiaries will receive an invitation in May to be part of a special study looking at the impact of age-related changes on functional ability. The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) will be seeking some 9,000 people aged 65 and older to[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–April 19 – Over the past two months, the Sierra Club has conducted tests in more than 30 cities across the United States to help concerned moms and others find out how much toxic mercury is in their bodies.  The Sierra Club’s nationwide hair testing program aims to raise awareness[Read More…]

Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–April 19, 2011.  For the first time in 27 years, clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease dementia have been revised, and research guidelines for earlier stages of the disease have been characterized to reflect a deeper understanding of the disorder. The National Institute on Aging/Alzheimer’s Association Diagnostic Guidelines for[Read More…]

Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–April 18, 2011.  The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced today the launch of its Addiction Performance Project (http://www.drugabuse.gov/nidamed/APP/), an innovative continued medical education program designed to help primary care providers break down the stigma associated with addiction. The program includes dramatic interpretation of a family’s struggle with[Read More…]

NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–17 April 2011 – A United Nations-backed agreement reached this weekend will help ensure that influenza virus samples will be shared during a pandemic with partners who need the information to take steps to protect public health. The framework includes binding legal regimes for the UN World Health Organization[Read More…]