Health Buzz: Pneumonic Plague in China and Other Health News

Deadly Pneumonic Plague Hits Northwest China

In a town in northwest China, three people have died and another is near death from pneumonic plague, the Associated Press reports. The infectious lung disease was first detected in late July in Ziketan, a farming town in Qinghai province, the AP says. Twelve infections have been confirmed in Ziketan. The first person infected was a herdsman who got sick after burying his dog, according to the AP. China is among many of the nations worldwide that report cases of plague each year; pneumonic plague is the least common form of the disease. In northwest China, hunters are most often infected from contact with infected animals, the AP reports. (Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. The most well-known form is bubonic plague, which ravaged much of the world starting in the 14th century.)

Read a new report on why one man let 2,000 malaria-infected mosquitoes bite him. And for the latest news on outbreaks, see U.S. News's Infectious Disease page.

Health Reform Demands That Lawmakers Read the Bills

Congress will not pass health reform bills before its August recess as the president wanted. It would have bordered on legislative malpractice for the House to have rushed to pass its bill last week, as its leadership hoped, because most members have not read the 1,017-pager, known as H.R. 3200, U.S. News's health columnist, Bernadine Healy, M.D., writes. Many surprising details that are cloaked in its off-putting legalspeak should stimulate more public discussion before September, when Congress restarts its reform efforts, she writes.

Healy lists 4 details of the health reform bill that promise to radically change some people's health experiences—and everyone's relationship with the government. For one, H.R. 3200 would require that young people pay premiums that are no less than half of what older people would pay. Kids out of school currently can buy health policies for a small fraction of what their parents can, but that won't be allowed. Medicare faces the biggest squeeze of all, providing more than a third of the money needed to make reform pay for itself, Healy writes. Read more.

Healy has written extensively on the subject of health reform. In July she proposed a two-part plan to fix the health insurance system. Earlier she discussed why doctors take issue with Obama's health reform plan and wrote about 7 ways healthcare reform will affect Americans. Read her conversation with prominent health economist Uwe Reinhardt about healthcare costs and efforts to overhaul the system.

Vitamin D and Kids: How Much Sun Should They Get to Stay Healthy?

The fact that increasing numbers of American children are lacking in vitamin D isn't new. A new report, however, is the first nationwide assessment of vitamin D intake among kids, based on federal data, U.S. News contributor Nancy Shute reports. Nine percent of children up to age 21 were found to be seriously deficient in D (defined as less than 15 nanograms per milliliter of blood, a level at which a child might get bone-warping rickets). Another 61 percent, while they had higher blood levels of D (15 to 30 nanograms per milliliter), still had higher blood pressure and lower levels of good cholesterol.

More time spent indoors with video games and computers; reduced consumption of milk, which is fortified with vitamin D; and widespread use of sunscreen may all contribute to kids getting less of the nutrient than they need. Shute asked Michal Melamed, senior author of the study, how kids can get vitamin D safely. Being in the sun is the easiest and safest way to get vitamin D because the skin makes the prohormone in response to sun exposure, Shute writes. If your child is sun sensitive you might try milk, orange juice, and other foods fortified with vitamin D. Read more.

Consider an expert's advice on getting enough sun for vitamin D. Also, here's a list of yogurt products fortified with vitamin D.

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