China set to provide first swine flu vaccines

China has developed a vaccine for swine flu and is set to become the first country in the world to begin mass inoculations, but there are concerns over possible side effects, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told CNN, “We have to be ready for the fact that there might be adverse effects.” “No matter what vaccine you’re looking at, sometimes there are extremely rare side effects.

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FDA warns against body-building products claiming steroids

The Food and Drug Administration warned the public Tuesday not to use body-building products marketed as containing steroids or steroid-like substances. The agency said many of the products are sold as dietary substances, but are actually unapproved and misbranded drugs. “Products marketed for body building and claiming to contain steroids or steroid-like substances are illegal and potentially quite dangerous,” said the agency’s commissioner, Dr.

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Stop using Hydroxycut products, FDA says

Hydroxycut products, popular dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.

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Peanuts on Northwest Airlines prompt protests

The return of peanuts to the snack menu at Northwest Airlines this month has prompted a spasm of protests from travelers with allergies. The change comes four months after Northwest merged with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and in the midst of a national salmonella outbreak involving Peanut Corporation of America.

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Dead rodents, excrement in peanut processor lead to recall

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday ordered the recall of all products ever shipped from the Peanut Corporation of America’s plant in Plainview, Texas, after discovering dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in the plant. The order, which applies to products shipped since the plant opened nearly four years ago, came a day after the discovery of filth in a crawl space above a production area during a health services inspection, Texas Health Department Press Officer Doug McBride told CNN in a telephone interview. The plant’s ventilation system pulled debris “from the infested crawl space into production areas of the plant resulting in the adulteration of exposed food products,” a health department news release said.

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