Many schools are planning to give swine flu shots this fall. But much of the vaccine will be delayed, the U.S. government said this week. A new report estimates that a typical U.S. baby born in 2007 can expect to live to age 78. The Associated Press (AP) wrote this week about a man who said he received $20,000 illegally to donate a kidney. AP said he really did donate, but the man who received it denies paying money. Researchers said this week that the vaccine Gardasil is safe, that inducing labor does not increase cesarean sections and that people with one version of a gene respond better to hepatitis C treatment.
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Swine Flu Vaccine Delayed; Schools Plan Shots
Most vaccine against H1N1 (swine) flu, will be delayed, a U.S. official said this week. About 120 million doses were expected by mid-October. But manufacturing holdups have occurred, the Associated Press (AP) said. Now 45 million doses are expected by then. Another 20 million doses will be shipped each week after that, said a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. In all, 195 million doses were ordered. Children, pregnant women and health care workers will be given priority for the vaccine. Hundreds of school districts around the country plan to offer swine flu shots, AP reported. The U.S. government will supply the vaccine. Some schools also may offer regular seasonal flu shots. An article this week in the journal Science said that protecting kids may be the best way to reduce any flu outbreak. It recommended focusing on shots for school-age children and their parents. Researchers used mathematical models based on previous outbreaks. They said kids and families spread flu to the rest of the community.

U.S. Life Expectancy Hits Record 78 Years
U.S. life expectancy was higher than ever in 2007, a report released this week says. A baby born in 2007 could expect to live to age 78. It's about three months more than for babies born in 2006, the Associated Press said. The estimate assumes that current mortality trends continue. The new data come from the National Center for Health Statistics. Life expectancy rose because of lower death rates for major diseases. Rates for heart disease, cancer, HIV and diabetes all dropped. But the United States still has lower life expectancy than 30 other countries. Japan's is the highest -- 83 years.

HPV Vaccine Called Safe, Marketing Criticized
Side effects from the vaccine Gardasil are low, a government study released this week found. Gardasil protects against two types of human papilloma virus that cause 70% of cervical cancers. It prevents two other types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. The new study looked at data 12,424 "adverse events" reported to Merck & Co., which makes Gardasil. They were mainly mild, such as fainting and headaches, the Associated Press reported. There were 32 deaths. But the authors could not say if the vaccine caused them. Serious side effects included blood clots, severe allergic reactions and a nerve injury that can cause paralysis. There were 1 or 2 serious effects for each million vaccinations. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Another study criticized Merck's promotion tactics. It said some medical groups promoting the vaccine under Merck grants did not fairly present its risks.

Man Says He Got $20,000 for N.Y. Kidney Donation
Selling organs is against U.S. law. But an Israeli man says in an online video that he was paid $20,000 to donate a kidney to a New York man in 2005. The Associated Press (AP) said this week that much of the man's story checks out. AP said many in the transplant field have long suspected that there's a U.S. black market in paid organ donation. Nick Rosen of Tel Aviv told AP he saw the donation as a good deed. He said the money appeared in a brown envelope on his hospital bed after the operation. He said he did not know who paid him. Brad Gursky, of Long Island, confirmed that he received Rosen's kidney. But he denied making any payment. The operations occurred at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. The hospital refused to discuss the case. A spokeswoman said the screening process carefully assesses each donor's motivations. Donors are told they must not receive money or gifts for giving an organ, she said.

Study: Inducing Labor Doesn't Increase C-Sections
Inducing labor does not increase the rate of cesarean section deliveries, an analysis published this week found. In fact, the C-section rate actually may be lower in some cases, researchers said. Researchers reviewed data from 35 previous studies. Most of them focused on women who were at least one week past their due date. The review found that women who had labor induced were 20% less likely to have a C-section than women who just waited for labor to start naturally. But researchers said that labor does not start immediately after the drugs are given. Doctors have to be willing to send women home and wait for labor to start. Labor is induced in more than 1 out of 5 U.S. deliveries. That's double the rate of 20 years ago. The study appeared in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Gene Affects Treatment Response in Hepatitis C
A single gene helps explain why whites are more likely than blacks to get well with treatment for chronic hepatitis C, research published this week found. Some people have a particular variation of this gene. They respond much better to treatment than others, researchers learned. This variation is much more common in whites than in blacks. The study looked at 1,137 people who had a long-term hepatitis C infection. All received standard drug treatment. The treatment was successful in 8 out of 10 people who had the responsive version of the gene. It worked this well in only 3 out of 10 people with a different version. Some blacks did have the responsive gene. They did better with treatment than whites with another version of the gene. The Associated Press wrote about the study. It was published online in the journal Nature.

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