Health Highlights: March 20, 2017

Edamame Recalled Due to Listeria ThreatBlue Wilderness Dog Food RecalledLoss of NIH Global Disease Center Threatens Americans' Health: Experts

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

Edamame Recalled Due to Listeria Threat

Possible listeria contamination has triggered the recall of Edamame (soybeans) by Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp. of California.

The recalled 8-ounce packages of "Edamame Soybeans in Pods" are dated between 01/03/2017 and 03/17/2017 and labeled UPC 0-23012-00261-9. They were sold at sushi counters in grocery stores, cafeterias and corporate dining centers across much of the United States.

Listeria bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or older adults, pregnant women, and others with weakened immune systems. To date, no illnesses associated with the recalled products have been reported, according to Advanced Fresh Concepts.

Consumers with the recalled Edamame should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information, call the company at 1-866-467-8744.

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Blue Wilderness Dog Food Recalled

Cans of Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs are being recalled because they may elevated levels of naturally-occurring beef thyroid hormones, according to the Blue Buffalo Company of Connecticut.

Dogs who eat high levels of beef thyroid hormones may develop symptoms such as increased thirst and urination, weight loss, increased heart rate and restlessness, and could eventually lead to vomiting, diarrhea and rapid or difficult breathing.

Contact your veterinarian immediately if your dog develops such symptoms, the company said.

The recalled 12.5-ounce cans carry the UPC Code 840243101153 and have a Best Buy date of June 7, 2019, which is located on the bottom of the can.

Consumers should throw away the recalled dog food or return it to the place of purchase for full refund. For more information, call Blue Buffalo at 866-201-9072.

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Loss of NIH Global Disease Center Threatens Americans' Health: Experts

The White House's proposed budget cuts to the National Institutes of Health would put Americans at increased risk from deadly viruses, experts warn.

One of the specific cuts to the NIH budget would be the Fogarty International Center in Bethseda, Md., where American doctors train foreign physicians, The New York Times reported.

Most of those trainees focus on diseases that circulate worldwide, such as flu, mosquito-borne threats such as West Nile and Zika, vaccine-preventable illnesses, and bioterrorism agents.

The proposal to eliminate the Fogarty center "is just atrocious," Dr. Daniel Bausch, a Tulane University virologist and the scientific program director at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, told The Times.

"It would have a severe impact not just on global health but on American health," he warned.

"Even if you don't care about your neighbors, if you see a fire across the street, your best bet to protect your house is not to just stand in your yard with a bucket of water," Bausch noted. "It's to help put it out."

"Cutting the tiny Fogarty ($69 million) budget is penny-wise and pound-foolish," Dr. Sten Vermund, an AIDS expert and dean of the Yale School of Public Health, told The Times.

When tropical diseases emerge, "they know no borders," Dr. Chris Beyrer, former president of the International AIDS Society, warned.

"America is not hived off from the rest of the planet, and it's incredibly important to our biosecurity to have surveillance capability -- which means partners in other countries. That's what Fogarty does," Beyrer told The Times.

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