Health Highlights: June 26, 2008

• New York City Doubts Claims of Some 9/11 Plaintiffs
• Kroger Recalls Ground Beef Possibly Linked to E. Coli Cases
• New England Has Highest Rate of Health Insurance Coverage
• FDA Has Questions About Gardasil Use in Older Women
• $30 Billion a Year Needed to Fight Hunger: U.N. Official
• Cuban Scientists Develop Lung Cancer Vaccine

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

New York City Doubts Claims of Some 9/11 Plaintiffs

Of the 10,800 people who have sued New York City over purported health effects stemming from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many aren't really sick, city lawyers claim in new court filings.

About half of the total claims filed represent city employees, including police and firefighters, the Associated Press reported.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, the city's law firm, Patton Boggs LLP, said nearly one-third of those who want compensation allege "only nominal injuries." The letter contends that these cases mostly include ailments that haven't been diagnosed, representing symptoms such as insomnia or a runny nose, the AP reported.

In fact, more than 300 of the lawsuits "do not claim any past or current physical injury," the lawyers alleged.

Attorney Marc Bern, representing workers who are suing the city, disputes the letter's contention that 30 percent of the plaintiffs don't have serious health problems. He said their cases would be helped when additional medical records are obtained.

"We're continuing to get more records every day, virtually by the minute," he said.

The U.S. government has established a $1 billion insurance fund to cover 9/11 claims. It's overseen by the city, the AP said.

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Kroger Recalls Ground Beef Possibly Linked to E. Coli Cases

The Kroger supermarket chain is recalling an unspecified amount of its ground beef products that may be tied to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses in Ohio and Michigan, the Columbus Dispatch of Ohio reported.

The chain is recalling all varieties of ground beef sold between May 21 and June 8 at its locations in both states for possible contamination with E coli O157:H7.

The recall doesn't end an investigation into which of several Kroger suppliers may be responsible for the outbreak, "nor does it rule out the possibility that meat purchased elsewhere is contaminated," the newspaper said Thursday. The Kroger suppliers also distribute meat to other retailers.

Ohio health officials said they identified a genetic match between 17 illnesses in Ohio and 16 in Michigan to ground beef sold at a Kroger store in Gahanna, Ohio, the newspaper said.

E. coli O157:H7 infection can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration, and in severe cases, kidney failure. Children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible.

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New England Has Highest Rate of Health Insurance Coverage

New England has the highest rate of health insurance coverage in the United States, while the Southwest has the lowest coverage, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

Only 11 percent of non-elderly adults and 4 percent of children in New England are uninsured, compared with 30 percent of adults and 18 percent of children in the Southwest, the Associated Press reported.

Three regions -- the Great Plains, Great Lakes in the upper Midwest, and the Northeast -- had uninsured rates of 14 percent to 15 percent for adults and 6 percent to 7 percent for children. In the Southeast, almost 23 percent of adults were uninsured.

Overall, about 17 percent of people under age 65 were uninsured when the survey of 106,000 families was conducted from 2004 through 2006, the AP reported.

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FDA Has Questions About Gardasil Use in Older Women

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants more information before it considers approving the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil for women ages 27 to 45, drug maker Merck & Co. said Wednesday. The company had expected FDA approval by next month.

Merck spokeswoman Kelley Dougherty wouldn't reveal the nature of the FDA's questions but said the company will respond to the agency next month, Bloomberg news reported.