http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public.html en-us Copyright 2010 American Academy of Family Physicians http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100319haitiorphans.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100319haitiorphans.html The CDC has released interim medical screening recommendations for U.S. physicians evaluating orphans who were evacuated from Haiti. Under normal circumstances, internationally adopted children are required to have a medical examination in their country of origin. However, following the Jan. 12 earthquake, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Haitian orphans entering the United States will be allowed to bypass overseas medical screening. ann@aafp.org Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:00 CDT Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100317clopidogrelwarning.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100317clopidogrelwarning.html The FDA has added a boxed warning to the label for clopidogrel, the anti-blood clotting medication marketed as Plavix, because some patients do not effectively metabolize the drug and may not receive its full benefit. ann@aafp.org Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:45:00 CDT Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100317avertabledeathrates.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100317avertabledeathrates.html The combination of higher income and education levels has a direct bearing on preventable deaths. Thus, consideration of these and other socioeconomic factors are necessary when setting strategy to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the population, according to a new study in the Feb. 18 American Journal of Public Health that was co-authored by staff members at the AAFP's Robert Graham Center. jarvantes@aafp.org Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:50:00 CDT Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100311immunizationresources.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100311immunizationresources.html Parental concerns can make it difficult for family physicians to get their youngest patients immunized. Now, the CDC, in collaboration with the AAFP and the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, has developed new materials to help physicians talk to parents about vaccinating their children. ann@aafp.org Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:35:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100308tahreportvaccines.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100308tahreportvaccines.html According to a new report from the Trust for America's Health, up to 50,000 U.S. adults die each year from vaccine preventable diseases, and the direct health care burden of vaccine preventable diseases in American adults is $10 billion a year. Physicians, however, can help increase uptake levels for adult vaccinations by making the most of office visits with these patients to get them immunized. dmitchell@aafp.org Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:05:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100302e-cig-fda.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100302e-cig-fda.html A U.S. Court of Appeals ruling reinstates the FDA's authority -- at least temporarily -- to stop e-cigarettes from entering the country after a lower court ruled that the agency does not have the authority to regulate electronic cigarettes, even though Congress granted the agency the power to regulate tobacco products in 2009. The FDA filed the appeal after a U.S. District Court judge granted an injunction on Jan. 14 that blocked the FDA from stopping electronic cigarettes from entering the country. ann@aafp.org Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:25:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100225rosiglit-rev.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100225rosiglit-rev.html The FDA is recommending that patients continue taking the diabetes medication rosiglitazone, unless told otherwise by their physicians, as the agency continues to look at the risks and benefits of using rosiglitazone to treat type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Finance and drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, are debating the safety of the drug. ann@aafp.org Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:15:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100223maalox.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100223maalox.html Maalox Total Relief is not interchangeable with other Maalox products, and the FDA is warning physicians and consumers about the potential for serious side effects when consumers pick the wrong product to treat their symptoms. ann@aafp.org Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:40:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100211lets-move.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100211lets-move.html During a Feb. 9 White House event, first lady Michelle Obama unveiled her Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity. The campaign is designed to support parents, provide healthier foods in schools, help kids be more physically active, and make healthy food affordable and available to "get us to our goal of solving childhood obesity in a generation," said Obama. jarvantes@aafp.org Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:00:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100205obesity-conf.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100205obesity-conf.html Family physicians and the patient-centered medical home can play important roles in combating the nation's obesity epidemic, said U.S. Surgeon General and family physician Regina Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., during a Jan. 28 press event at which she and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were joined by first lady Michelle Obama to kick off a campaign to reduce overweight and obesity among U.S. adults and children. The news conference coincided with Benjamin's first release to the nation, "The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010," in which she highlights the growing numbers of overweight and obese Americans; outlines the causes and health consequences of obesity; and offers steps that consumers, parents, schools, communities and physicians can take to reverse this trend. dmitchell@aafp.org Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:20:00 CST Health of the Public http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100208salmonella-montevideo.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20100208salmonella-montevideo.html Family physicians and their patients should be aware that an outbreak of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella serotype Montevideo that has been linked to certain salami products is responsible for more than 200 reported cases in 42 states and the District of Columbia. ann@aafp.org Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:30:00 CST Health of the Public