Health Highlights: Feb. 9, 2009

February 9, 2009 RSS Feed Print

1st U.S. Case of Marburg Fever Confirmed: CDC
Bad Economy Having Little Impact on Americans' Sex Lives: Survey
FDA OKs 1st Drug From Genetically Altered Animals

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

1st U.S. Case of Marburg Fever Confirmed: CDC

The first confirmed case of deadly Marburg hemorrhagic fever in the United States occurred last year and the patient has since recovered, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The Colorado patient contracted the dangerous, rare illness while traveling in Uganda and was treated at Lutheran Medical Center in January 2008 and had follow-up care in July, the Associated Press reported.

None of the doctors and staffers who cared for the patient developed symptoms of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, said medical center spokeswoman Kim Kobel. The CDC is testing hospital staff to determine if any cases of illness weren't detected at the time.

Marburg fever spreads through contact with infected animals or the bodily fluids of infected humans. The disease has an incubation period of five to 10 days. Initial symptoms include fever, chills and headaches, but symptoms become much worse after the fifth day of illness, the AP said.

Fewer than 500 cases of the disease, which has an 80 percent death rate, have been reported since it was first recognized in 1967, according to the CDC. The Marburg virus is indigenous to Africa.

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Economy Having Little Impact on Americans' Sex Lives: Survey

The economic turmoil hasn't caused a major downturn in Americans' sex lives, suggests a new survey of 1,000 adults, ages 18 to 75, conducted in January.

The survey found that 79 percent of sexually active respondents said the nation's financial problems haven't spilled into the bedroom, United Press International reported.

Among the other findings from the Consumer Reports National Research Center survey:

Nearly 60 percent of men, but only 19 percent of women, said they thought about sex at least once a day. While 64 percent of men said sex was very important to them, that was true for only 47 percent of women.
Taking care of children was given by 34 percent of women and 27 percent of men as an excuse for not having sex, while 30 percent of men and 28 percent of women said work got in the way of sex.
Nearly half of the respondents said they schedule sex, including 7 percent who said they do so using a calendar, smart phone or personal digital assistant.

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FDA OKs 1st Drug From Genetically Altered Animals

The first drug made with materials from genetically engineered animals gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval Friday, potentially paving the way for a new class of medical therapies.

GTC Biotherapeutics said federal regulators approved its drug, ATryn, which includes milk from goats that have been genetically altered to produce an extra protein that acts as a natural blood thinner, the Associated Press reported.

The drug will be used to treat the estimated one in 5,000 people with a rare hereditary disorder -- hereditary antithrombin deficiency -- that leads to a lack of the protein, leaving them vulnerable to potentially deadly blood clots, the news service said.

Patients with hereditary antithrombin deficiency are currently treated with conventional blood thinners, such as Plavix. That approach won't change with the approval of ATryn. The new drug is only approved for intravenous use when patients are undergoing surgery or having a baby, when the risk of blood clots is particularly high, the AP said.

European regulators approved the drug in 2006.