Posted 12:07 am Sunday, August 19, 2012
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Staff Reports
West Nile virus cases in Northeast Texas. There has been an influx of human West Nile cases in Texas this year because of the warm winter and recent rains, particularly in the North Texas region, health officials have said.
West Nile virus cases in Northeast Texas. There has been an influx of human West Nile cases in Texas this year because of the warm winter and recent rains, particularly in the North Texas region, health officials have said.
A horse in Smith County tested positive for the West Nile virus, officials announced Thursday. Meanwhile, Dallas area officials began aerial spraying to tackle an outbreak there. The Northeast Texas Public Health District is urging East Texans to take precautions to reduce the risk of contracting the mosquito borne illness by using insect DEET-containing repellent when outdoors and avoid going outside at dusk and dawn.
They also advise regularly draining standing water, including water collected in empty cans, tires, buckets, clogged rain gutters and saucers under potted plants, as mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Other recommendations include wearing long sleeves and pants at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and using air conditioning or make sure there are screens on all doors and windows to keep mosquitoes from entering the home.
New recommendations for baby boomers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends all U.S. baby boomers get a one-time test for the hepatitis C virus. Data shows that baby boomers are five times more likely than other adult Americans to become infected with the virus.
According to the CDC, one in 30 baby boomers has been infected with hepatitis C and more than 15,000 Americans die of hepatitis C-related illness annually.
A backlash against Splenda. A nutrition consumer group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, filed class-action lawsuit against Splenda Essentials, alleging that the makers of the artificial sweetener are misleading consumers.
Three different types of the line of sweetener have either added B vitamins, fiber or antioxidants. In a news release, CSPI states, “Those additions are designed to give the impression that Splenda Essentials will help one lose weight, avoid disease, or confer other health benefits. But that impression is false according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court, which alleges that Splenda Essentials provides no health benefits whatsoever and short-changes consumers.”
New recommendations for baby boomers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends all U.S. baby boomers get a one-time test for the hepatitis C virus. Data shows that baby boomers are five times more likely than other adult Americans to become infected with the virus.
According to the CDC, one in 30 baby boomers has been infected with hepatitis C and more than 15,000 Americans die of hepatitis C-related illness annually.
A backlash against Splenda. A nutrition consumer group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, filed class-action lawsuit against Splenda Essentials, alleging that the makers of the artificial sweetener are misleading consumers.
Three different types of the line of sweetener have either added B vitamins, fiber or antioxidants. In a news release, CSPI states, “Those additions are designed to give the impression that Splenda Essentials will help one lose weight, avoid disease, or confer other health benefits. But that impression is false according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court, which alleges that Splenda Essentials provides no health benefits whatsoever and short-changes consumers.”
