Insidermedicine in 60 - August 20, 2007

August 20, 2007 (Insidermedicine) From Ottawa - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a warning about Los Angeles Salad Company Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots' as they may be tainted with the bacteria Shigella. The carrots originate from Mexico and are sold in Costco stores. The carrots have been linked to illness in 4 people. Shigella can cause bloody diarrhea and while it goes away in most, some patietns need to be hospitalized for its treatment.

From Maryland - The FDA has issued a warning about the risk of overdose of morphine in breast-fed babies whose mothers take codeine. The warning stems from the death of a 13 day old who overdosed on morphine after the baby's mother took codeine following child birth. The mother had a rare mutation that meant that she metabolized codeine differently than most. The FDA recommends the lowest possible dose in breast feeding women, and to seek medical attention if your baby is unusually lethargic and you are taking codeine.

From Baltimore - Starting 2009 Medicare will no longer pay for medical errors and infections acquired in hospital. Instead, the hospital itself will be forced to pick up the tab. It is believed that hospital infections cause over 100,000 deaths each year in the US and currently cost Medicare over $25 billion.

And finally from San Francisco - Could "cynical" shyness be behind recent high school shootings? Yes- say researchers from Indiana University. Based on the analysis of 8 school shootings from the past decade, the shooters shared the personality profile of "cynical" shyness. Cynical shyness occurs when a person who wants to mix with others is rejected and becomes alienated.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Petra Joller.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• cfia
• carrot
• bacteria
• shigella
• costco
• fda
• morphine
• codeine
• medicare
• hospital
• cynical
• shyness
• school
• shooting
• columbine