Health & Safety Alerts

U.S. Childbirth Deaths on the Rise

Excerpts from an article written by Mike Stobbe
Associated Press
Saturday, August 25, 2007

Although death from childbirth remains fairly rare in the U.S., the National Center for Health Statistics reports that the U.S. mortality rate rose to 13 deaths per 100,000 live births in the year 2004. Experts state that obesity and the increase in Caesarean sections may be partly to blame.

Washington Post

Whooping Cough Cases Misdiagnosed

Excerpts from an article written by Mike Stobbe
Associated Press
Thursday, August 23, 2007

Researchers at the Center for Disease Control reported testing errors that led thousands of people to take antibiotics unnecessarily and even caused a New Hampshire hospital to limit the number of patients admitted since hospital workers were thought to be infected. The increase is now being questioned after health officials investigated a regularly used lab test misdiagnosed case in suspected outbreaks in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Tennessee.

The Washington Post

Codeine Risk to Nursing Mothers

Excerpts from an article written by David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 18, 2007; Page A02

Last year, a baby died of a morphine overdose that was traceable to the mother’s ultra-rapid metabolism of codeine. Ultra-rapid metabolism occurs when a person has a particular variant of the gene for a liver enzyme called CYP2D6. “Anyone can be an ultra-rapid metabolizer without knowing it,” said Sandra Kweder, a physician and deputy director in the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Washington Post