CDC: West Nile cases rise 40 percent in 1 week

"FILE - In a Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012 file photo, dead mosquitos are lined up waiting to be sorted at the Dallas County mosquito lab in Dallas. Federal health officials said Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012 that West Nile virus cases are up 40 percent since last week and may rival the record years of 2002 and 2003. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)" title

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CDC: Alarming increase seen in West Nile cases

U.S. health officials say there's been an alarming increase in the number of West Nile cases.

So far there have been more than 1,100 cases reported through the middle of August. That's three times as many as usually seen at this point in the year. About half the cases are in Texas. Most West Nile infections are reported in August and September.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the new numbers Wednesday. They say the mild winter, early spring and very hot summer have fostered breeding of the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes pick up the virus from birds and then spread it to people.

West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999.

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Flu Cases From County Fair Traced to Pigs

HealthDay – 1 hr 11 mins ago THURSDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- Four people attending an Indiana county fair this month came down with flu traced to pigs, U.S. health officials report.

This outbreak of influenza A (H3N2) brings the total number of people infected with this flu to 17 since last August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

This strain of flu, commonly carried by swine, can infect humans who come into contact with infected animals. But transmission to humans has been rare, according to the agency.

"Transmission of the virus happens," said Dr. Michael Jhung, a medical officer in CDC's influenza division. "But if you think about the numbers, if you think about influenza in general, these are uncommon events."

These strains of flu have only a limited ability to be passed from person to person, Jhung said. So far, this strain only passes from one person to one other person, so it is not very contagious.

"What we worry about is this virus or any flu virus getting the ability to transmit efficiently from person to person," Jhung said. "If that happens, you get sustained transmission and we would be worried about that."

Because flu activity is unpredictable, the CDC keeps tabs on new strains and cases as they arise, to guard against widespread contagion, Jhung explained.

A previous case of this flu was seen in March, but these four new cases are the first reported since then, he said.

The report was published in the July 27 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Genetic analysis confirmed that all those infected had the same flu. None of the four infected people needed hospitalization and all recovered, according to Jhung.

The flu's severity was about as bad as regular seasonal flu, he noted.

The four patients were either exhibiting pigs or were family members in close contact with the pigs.

To avoid contracting this flu, the CDC advises people to limit their contact with pigs and avoid contact with sick swine. People who have contact with these animals should take precautions such as washing their hands, not eating or drinking in areas with swine and controlling their cough.

Most flu starts in swine or birds and spreads to people. In 2009, a type of H1N1 flu from swine resulted in a worldwide pandemic.

More information

For more information on flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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1 in 20 Cases of Melanoma Linked to Tanning Beds: Study

HealthDay – 6 mins ago TUESDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Those who bronze themselves in tanning beds face a 20 percent increased risk of skin cancer, and that raised risk reaches 87 percent if they start before they are 35 years old, new research indicates.

The European study also estimates that one in every 20 cases (5.4 percent) of the most lethal form of skin cancer, melanoma, can be attributed to tanning bed use.

"Indoor UV tanning devices are real carcinogenic devices, and people should be advised not to attend indoor tanning parlors or to buy them for private use," said lead researcher Philippe Autier, director of the International Prevention Research Institute in Lyon, France.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a ban on tanning beds for anyone under the age of 18. Bans are already in place in Brazil and New South Wales and the idea is gaining popularity in France, Autier said.

Study co-author Mathieu Boniol, who is also from the International Prevention Research Institute, added that "as the use of these devices produces no positive effect to health, it is now in the hands of policy makers to decide how to manage, minimize or remove this risk."

The report was published online July 24 in the BMJ.

To determine the relationship between tanning beds and skin cancer, the researchers analyzed 27 studies published between 1981 and 2012. In all, they identified more than 11,000 cases of skin cancer.

This process, called a meta-analysis, attempts to find patterns across several studies to uncover connections between unrelated research.

By pooling the data, the researchers found a 20 percent increased risk of developing cancer for people who regularly used tanning beds, compared to people who never used the devices. The risk rose to 87 percent if one started tanning before 35, and increased almost 2 percent for each additional tanning session noted per year.

Of the almost 64,000 new cases of melanoma in Western Europe each year, more than 3,400 can be blamed on tanning bed use, the researchers calculated. Tanning bed use is also estimated to cause 800 deaths from this deadly cancer annually, the team added.

Since the use of tanning beds is relatively new and there is need for more research, the risk might be even greater, the researchers noted.

Dr. Jeffrey C. Salomon, an assistant clinical professor of plastic surgery at Yale University School of Medicine, said that "this study validates the previous studies and adds new risks to the ever growing knowledge of the downside of tanning beds."

Parents should not only be concerned about their children using tanning beds, they should avoid using these devices themselves, he said.

"Tanning beds are worse than the sun for risk of melanoma based on these results," Salomon said. "The risks from tanning beds are real, the untoward results can be dire, and the ultimate solution may require total prohibition."

Not everyone agrees, however. John Overstreet, executive director of the industry group the Indoor Tanning Association, took exception to the findings.

One cannot compare tanning in Europe to the United States, he said. "Commercial tanning salons in the United States are a different matter altogether," he said.

"The United States Food and Drug Administration has conducted tests to determine the amount of ultraviolet radiation required to burn persons with a variety of different skin types, and requires that all tanning equipment used in the United States carry labels specifying the recommended exposure times for each skin type, which have been calculated to prevent burning," Overstreet explained.

Enforcement of the FDA recommendations is left to the individual states, he noted.

"Most states have strict enforcement, requiring on-site records to be kept of each customer session listing name, date of session, skin type, type of equipment used, and length of exposure, so that state inspectors can assure compliance with regulations. Burning of customers in these states is virtually nonexistent," Overstreet said.

More information

For more information on melanoma, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

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Puerto Rico sees sharp spike in dengue cases

The number of detected dengue cases is running at above-average levels as Puerto Rico enters the peak season for the painful disease.

The territory's Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez says 111 cases were reported the first week of June and 117 cases the previous week. Eight cases of the more-severe hemorrhagic form have been confirmed, though no one has died.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control report shows new infections running at a pace that has marked past epidemics. Dengue cases usually peak in early October.

Gonzalez said late Tuesday that detected cases may be rising because of new courses to help doctors identify symptoms.

The mosquito-borne virus causes fever, severe headaches and extreme joint and muscle pain.

Dengue claimed a record 31 lives in Puerto Rico during a 2010 epidemic.

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In China, 1 in 10 TB cases are drug-resistant

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More suspected cases in UK Legionnaires' outbreak

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Suspected Edinburgh Legionnaires' cases up to 51

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As Obesity Rates Rise, Cases of Kidney Stones Double: Study

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WHO: Dementia cases worldwide will triple by 2050

are set to soar in the coming decades as life expectancy and medical care improve in poorer countries, the World Health Organization says.

Some 35.6 million people were living with dementia in 2010, but that figure is set to double to 65.7 million by 2030, the U.N. health agency said Wednesday. In 2050, it expects dementia cases to triple to 115.4 million.

"The numbers are already large and are increasing rather rapidly," said Dr. Shekhar Saxena, the head of WHO's mental health division.

Most dementia patients are cared for by relatives who shoulder the bulk of the current estimated annual cost of $604 billion. And the financial burden is expected to rise even faster than the number of cases, WHO said in its first substantial report on the issue.

"The catastrophic cost drives millions of households below the poverty line," warned the agency's director-general, Margaret Chan.

Dementia, a brain illness that affects memory, behavior and the ability to perform even common tasks, affects mostly older people. About 70 percent of cases are believed to be caused by Alzheimer's.

In the last few decades, dementia has become a major public health issue in rich countries. But with populations in poor and middle-income countries projected to grow and age rapidly over the coming decades, WHO appealed for greater public awareness and better support programs everywhere.

The share of cases in poor and middle-income countries is expected to rise from just under 60 percent today, to over 70 percent by 2050.

So far, only eight countries

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Dementia cases 'to double by 2030': WHO

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