U.S. officials began recruiting people this week to test a new swine flu vaccine. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said swine flu deaths had doubled in the last month, to 700. In a study, another vaccine, for typhoid, reduced risk in young children by 80%. Other research found that air pollution exposure during pregnancy may lower kids' IQ and that Medicare Part D has increased drug access. Finally, there's news about a trend -- courts finding parents guilty of neglect if their child is very obese.
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Volunteers Sought To Test Swine Flu Shots
The U.S. government started looking for volunteers this week to test a new swine flu vaccine. This is for the type of flu formally known as H1N1. Tests will occur at 10 medical centers around the country. Meanwhile, the first human tests of swine flu vaccine began this week in Australia, the Associated Press (AP) reported. They will include 300 adults. The U.S. tests will be on a tight timetable, AP said. Healthy adults, including the elderly, will test the vaccine first. These shots will begin by the second week of August. Different doses will be tested. People will get two shots, three weeks apart. If there are no safety problems, such as allergies, tests will begin quickly in babies and children. The government wants to start a vaccination campaign in mid-October. The timing will be "very, very close," an official told AP.

Swine Flu Deaths Double; School Closings Backed
The World Health Organization said this week that total reported deaths from swine flu have doubled in the last month. The new total is 700 deaths around the world. In all, there have been 140,000 cases since the outbreak began, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said. Many more cases may be unreported. School closings may help to slow down the spread of the disease, a study published this week in the journal Lancet concluded. This would be costly. However, it could spread out the burden on health systems and give more time for a vaccine to become available, researchers said. The Associated Press wrote about these developments.

Study Links Pollution Exposure to IQ
In a study, children exposed to more air pollution before birth had lower IQs at age 5, researchers reported this week. This is the first time research has linked air pollution and intelligence, the Associated Press said. The study included 249 pregnant New York City women. None of them smoked. They lived mostly in low-income areas of Manhattan and the South Bronx. The women wore devices to track pollution for two days during the latter part of pregnancy. At age 5, their children were given IQ tests. Those exposed to the most pollution before birth scored 4 to 5 points lower than children exposed to less pollution. The journal Pediatrics published the study online.

Report: Part D Succeeds at Less Than Expected Cost
Medicare Part D has helped the elderly afford medicine, a report released this week concluded. About 9 out of 10 have coverage now. Only 2 out of 3 did before the program started in 2006. The program also costs the government less than expected, the Associated Press reported. The cost was $40 billion in 2007. The projected cost was $66 billion. But there are still problems, the report said. About 4.5 million seniors lack coverage. Average premiums have risen 35%. About 2 million who are eligible for a low-income subsidy don't receive it. And the "donut hole" is a problem for some, the report said. This is a gap in coverage that occurs after expenses hit $2,700 in one year. The plans don't pay any more that year until the person has paid $4,350 out of pocket.

Vaccine Reduces Typhoid 80% in Young Children
A new vaccine against typhoid fever protected children and their neighbors, researchers reported this week. The study included 37,673 people from the slums of Calcutta, India. They were randomly chosen to get either the vaccine or a fake shot. Vaccinated children ages 2 through 5 had 80% lower rates of typhoid than kids who got the fake vaccine. Overall, typhoid was 61% lower for people of all ages who got the vaccine. Even the vaccinated children's neighbors were helped. They did not get shots. But their typhoid rates were reduced 44%. The Associated Press wrote about the study. It appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. .

Courts Weigh Whether Child Obesity Is Child Neglect
In a few cases across the country, parents have been charged with child neglect because of their children's obesity, USA TODAY reported this week. In a South Carolina case, Alexander Draper reached 555 pounds by age 14. His mother, Jerri Gray, said she had done everything she could to help her son lose weight. But she was arrested in June. She was charged with criminal neglect. Her son is now in foster care. Cases also have occurred in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Indiana and California in recent years. That tally comes from a 2008 report by the Child Welfare League of America. No parents were sentenced to jail. In fact, most of the cases did not involve criminal charges. But they led to new interpretations of state law. Except for California, courts ruled that the state's definition of neglect included morbid obesity.

Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.