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By Andrea Shalal-Esa

MANASSAS, VA (Reuters) – Health officials in northern Virginia said on Tuesday a man was being tested for anthrax, but preliminary results indicated that he very likely did not have the rare disease–following two cases in Florida that sparked fears of biological warfare.

The Virginia anthrax scare and the two cases of the rare disease in Florida increased fears of biological warfare after the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington.

"The [final] results of the anthrax tests will not be available for 24 to 48 hours, but we all feel very confident that they're going to be negative," said Dr. Thomas Ryan, director of emergency medicine at Prince William Hospital in Manassas, Virginia, speaking about the patient.

Dr. Ryan told reporters the man was admitted to the hospital on Monday with flu-like symptoms and that tests conducted so far had proved negative for anthrax. "All of his laboratory tests that we did here were negative. He just had a slight elevation of his white blood cell count," Dr. Ryan said.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Monday he was taking the reported Florida cases of anthrax very seriously but that he could not link them to Islamic extremists. Ashcroft said the investigation of the cases could become a "clear criminal investigation."

Prince William Hospital spokeswoman Donna Ballou said the Virginia man, a computer specialist in his 40s, came in with his wife to the hospital at around 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT) on Monday.

His case rang alarm bells because he told hospital officials he worked in a building in Fairfax, Virginia that he believed was affiliated with American Media Inc., the company where the two other men infected with anthrax worked in Boca Raton, Florida. One of those victims, a photo editor for a supermarket tabloid, died on Friday.

Ballou said the man underwent a spinal tap and the samples were sent to the state's health department in Richmond where preliminary results appeared negative. He was being treated with the anti-microbial drug Cipro.

Dr. Ryan stressed that the public should not panic and that anthrax is exceedingly rare in the United States, with only 13 cases reported in the last 100 years. "It cannot be transmitted person to person. I want to stress that," he said.

Asked whether he anticipated a flood of people at the hospital wanting tests for anthrax, as happened in Florida, Dr. Ryan replied: "I don't think that's going to be a problem. I just want to allay everybody's anxiety about this case because it just doesn't seem to fit the criteria."

A co-worker of the man who died of anthrax last week tested positive for the disease, and the tabloid newspaper building where they worked has been sealed off by health officials investigating the case.

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[RGLT] – Unilever's Becel spread potentially unsafe, Health Canada warns

Last Updated: 2001-10-09 10:37:27 EDT (Reuters Health)

By Juhie Bhatia

TORONTO (Reuters Health) – Just as a new health spread was getting comfortable on grocery-store shelves, the Canadian government is cautioning that it may not be so healthy for everyone after all.

Health Canada issued an advisory last week warning that Becel Pro-activ has not been approved for sale in Canada and may pose health risks to pregnant women, children, people on cholesterol-lowering medications and those predisposed to hemorrhagic strokes. The new variety of Becel margarine is made with added plant sterols (phytosterols), which help reduce blood cholesterol.

"Pro-activ has ten times more plant sterols than similar fat spreads," says Health Canada spokesperson Ryan Baker. "While plant sterols have been acknowledged to lower cholesterol, they may also pose a risk to people in certain groups because they absorb these sterols at higher levels."

Unilever Canada has been selling the product in Canada since mid-July, but Baker says that it does not comply with the Canadian Food and Drug Act. Pro-activ is classified as a drug since it is made for a therapeutic purpose. This means Health Canada must be provided with evidence from the manufacturer that the product is safe and effective before it can be sold.

"Since Unilever Canada did not receive the required approval from Health Canada, the department has been unable to properly assess the effects of exposure to this product," says Baker. "We need scientific information to investigate how strong the potential risks are."

However, Unilever Canada believes that its product poses no safety concerns for anyone in the population.

"We stand behind the safety of the product," says Jan Mollenhauer, Unilever Canada's marketing director. "Its safety has been well researched and documented independently as well as within Unilever Canada. We have provided Health Canada with data as far back as 1998. They reviewed safety data on Becel Pro-activ for two years and we considered the process to be complete."

The product has been approved for sale in Europe and Australia, but it is required to carry warning labels to advise specific groups of potential risks. Pro-activ in Canada doesn't currently carry such a label.

Unilever Canada has, however, decided to label existing stock and all future Pro-activ products to ensure complete consumer confidence and government satisfaction. The label will indicate that the product may not be nutritionally appropriate for people with special dietary needs such as pregnant women and children, and that individuals using cholesterol-lowering drugs should consult their physician before using Pro-activ.

"We don't view this as a warning for the product, but we're acknowledging that this may not be the best product for people with special dietary needs," says Mollenhauer. "We hope to have the stickers on the package by the end of this week."

Health Canada is monitoring the situation closely and considering its next course of action. It is advising anyone who has been using Pro-activ and has concerns to consult their physician.

Unilever's Lipton unit began marketing in May 1999 its Take Control spread, a food product that contains plant sterols from soybeans designed to lower cholesterol levels, after receiving Food and Drug Administration concurrence on a labeling claim. The FDA does not have a functional food category, but the company sought and received concurrence from the FDA on a labeling claim that states that the products contains the plant sterols, which are "…generally recognized as safe."