Health Highlights: Oct. 19, 2005

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

More Bird Flu Outbreaks Reported in Asia, Europe

New outbreaks of avian flu among birds were reported Wednesday from Eastern Romania to Russia and China, CNN said.

The deadly H5N1 strain that world health officials fear will spark a human pandemic was detected in a second location in Romania''s eastern Danube Delta region, the network reported. The results were confirmed at an international expert laboratory in Britain.

The Russian Agriculture Ministry announced that preliminary tests detected the H5N1 strain in a region south of Moscow, where hundreds of birds appear to have died suddenly.

And the Chinese government said that some 2,600 birds have been found dead of the lethal virus in the country''s northern grasslands, the Associated Press reported.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned in a statement Wednesday that the risk of bird flu spreading to the Middle East and Africa has increased with the recent confirmation of outbreaks in Romania and Turkey.

In an effort to calm international fears over a shortage of antiviral drugs that could be used during a bird flu pandemic, the Swiss drug maker Roche announced Tuesday that it would allow rival firms and governments to produce the antiviral medication Tamiflu under license for emergency use, news reports said.

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday declared the spread of bird flu from Asia into Europe a global threat requiring broad international cooperation to contain.

They also called on the EU Executive Commission to accelerate steps to draft stronger rules against the virus, which has recently been discovered in Greece, Romania and Turkey, leading to bans on poultry from those countries, the Associated Press reported.

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Candy''s More Tempting When the Jar is Clear: Study

It may be no secret to those with a profound sweet tooth that when candy is clearly visible, it''s a lot more tempting than when it''s hidden, new research confirms.

Secretaries given Hershey kisses ate more of them when the jars on their desks were clear than when the chocolates were in containers that weren''t see-through, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York told an obesity conference in Canada on Wednesday.

Study participants ate an average of 7.7 kisses per day when the chocolates were in clear containers on their desks, 4.6 when in opaque jars on their desks, 5.6 when in clear jars 6 feet from their desks, and 3.1 when in opaque jars 6 feet away, according to an account by the Associated Press.

The secretaries said the candies were twice as hard to resist when they could see and reach the chocolates as when the candies weren''t visible or were six feet away, the wire service reported.

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Panel Weighs Possible Risks of Antibacterial Products

The potential long-term risks of antibacterial soaps and cleansers will be the focus of a U.S. government advisory panel meeting on Thursday.

The Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will consider whether there''s any evidence to support critics'' claims that widespread use of antibacterial products may eventually lead to the development of germs that are resistant to antibacterials as well as antibiotics, the Associated Press reported.

Those who oppose the use of antibacterials also contend that such products are no more effective than regular soap in fighting infections and illnesses. Companies that make antibacterial soaps dismiss the critics'' complaints. Both sides say they have studies to support their positions.

In briefing documents posted on the Internet before Thursday''s meeting, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it hasn''t found any medical studies that definitively linked antibacterial products to reduced infection rates, the AP reported.

The advisory panel can make recommendations to the FDA on the sale and labeling of antibacterial products. The FDA has the authority to restrict the availability of antibacterials.

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Sharp Increase in Sleeping Pill Use by U.S. Children and Teens

The use of sleeping pills by children and very young adults in the United States increased by 85 percent between 2000 and 2004, says a study by the managed-care company Medco Health Solutions.

The study also found that about 15 percent of people under age 20 who took sleeping pills were also being prescribed drugs to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), The New York Times reported.

Drugs used to treat attention disorders can cause insomnia.

"It leads you to wonder whether these children are being treated for insomnia caused by hyperactivity or whether the medication itself causes insomnia," Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco''s chief medical officer, told the Times.

Medco researchers analzyed prescription data from 2.4 million of its customers. In 2000, sleeping pills were taken by 554 of 340,124 patients ages 10 to 19. In 2004, sleeping pills were taken by 1,032 of 342,568 patients in that age group.

The study also found that older people were most likely to use sleeping pills. In 2004, nearly 3 percent of people ages 20 to 44 took sleeping pills, compared with more than 5 percent of people ages 45 to 64, and more than 6 percent of individuals 65 years and older, the Times reported.

In all age groups, girls and women were more likely than boys and men to take sleeping pills. Among patients 65 and older, about twice as many women as men took sleeping pills.

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Hepatitis A Vaccine Approved for Children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved expanded use of the Hepatitis A vaccine Havrix in children aged one year and older, the drug''s manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline said Tuesday.

"Immunizing children under age 2 helps protect a very vulnerable population that often does not show symptoms of the [liver] disease but frequently spreads it to other children and family members," Dr. William Hitchcock, a member of the American Board of Pediatrics, said in a statement issued by Glaxo.

The FDA approved the vaccine''s expanded use after a multi-center clinical trial involving more than 1,000 children as young as 11 months, the company said.

Hepatitis A is a virus that''s spread by close personal contact and by consuming contaminated food or drinking water. One in five infected people is hospitalized, and up to 100 people each year die in the United States, Glaxo said. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, jaundice, and dark urine.

Later this month, a U.S. government advisory panel will meet to determine if hepatitis A vaccination should be required of all children 12 months and older, Glaxo said.

Last Updated: Oct. 19, 2005