Healthwatch
A More Dangerous Ride Than You Might Think
School-bus-related accidents send 17,000 American children to emergency rooms each year, twice the previous estimate, according to a study in the November Pediatrics that examined ER records rather than police reports. Crashes accounted for just 42 percent of the injuries; nearly one quarter of the children were injured climbing aboard or getting off. (According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fewer than nine children on average are killed in school bus accidents each year.) Putting an adult onboard to police behavior might help, suggests lead author Jennifer McGeehan, a researcher at Columbus Children's Hospital's Center for Injury Research in Ohio, as might seat belts. Only five states—California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York—require seat belts on buses. The NHTSA has cautioned against lap-only belts, which can cause internal injuries, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends lap-shoulder belts in all new school buses. —Nancy Shute
Before Swallowing That Pill, Read This
Check the label before you pop a painkiller. The Food and Drug Administration last week announced a recall of 11 million bottles of store-brand acetaminophen because metal bits were found in some 500-milligram capsules. (Brand-name products such as Tylenol are not affected.) The manufacturer, Perrigo Co., recalled the drug voluntarily after discovering the metal, ranging in size from "microdots" to 8 millimeters long; it did not return calls for comment last week. Stores where the contaminated drugs may have been sent and affected batch numbers are posted on the FDA website (www.fda.gov). Expiration dates range from November 2006 to August 2009. Wal-Mart, a big customer, has pulled its Equate Extra Strength Pain Reliever and blocked its sale at registers. CVS has done the same with its CVS Brand Acetaminophen 500-mg Caplets. Customers can return the pills for a full refund at both chains' stores. The FDA is investigating the source of contamination but does not suspect a deliberate act. —Sarah Baldauf
Over-the-Counter Plan B Is Here
Broken condom? No worries. Last week, the over-the-counter emergency contraceptive Plan B began arriving in pharmacies. Approved for OTC use in August, Plan B is up to 89 percent effective at preventing pregnancy if taken within the first 72 hours of unprotected sex. No one under 18 can purchase the drug (though younger girls can still get it by prescription). And it must be dispensed by a pharmacist, so it's not available outside of pharmacy hours. Packaged as two tablets that are taken 12 hours apart, Plan B (which contains the hormone progestin) can cause minor side effects like nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, and breast tenderness. "I think it's a good idea for women to keep it in their house," says Vivian Dickerson, a professor of medicine at the University of California-Irvine who lobbied for FDA approval when she was president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Prices vary but generally fall in the $35 to $45 range. You'll pay out of pocket, though insurance will still cover the identical prescription version. — Deborah Kotz
Preteens, This Shot Is Still a Good Idea
Shortages of the new meningitis vaccine have ended, and federal officials are again calling for 11- and 12-year-olds to get their dose. But parents may now be wondering if that's such a good idea. Both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently noticed a potential link between the vaccine, Menactra, and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that, while treatable, can leave a person paralyzed. Seventeen cases have been counted among Menactra recipients. "If the connection is real, it would mean there is one extra case of GBS for every 1 million vaccines given," says Robert Davis, director of the CDC's Immunization Safety Office. But the link is tenuous, since nobody knows the normal incidence of GBS, and some of the 17 affected people got GBS as much as six weeks after receiving the vaccine. While the CDC and Menactra's manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, study the situation, the feds and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that kids 11 and older be vaccinated unless they have a family history of GBS, because bacterial meningitis can kill. — Adam Voiland
This story appears in the November 20, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.