Health Highlights: March 3, 2007

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

Automated Procedure to Detect West Nile in Blood, Organ Donors Approved

A system that automatically screens for West Nile virus in human donors' blood tissue and organs has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Called the Procleix WNV Assay on the Procleix TIGRIS system, the procedure is an automated way to detect the presence of West Nile virus in people who are donating an organ or plasma, the FDA says in a news release. However, the TIGRIS system will not be used for cord blood specimens or as an aid in the diagnosis of West Nile virus infection, the agency adds.

"The capability of full automation can reduce the potential for human error while accelerating donor screening and enhancing the safety of blood and tissues," said Dr. Jesse Goodman, the director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "This is the latest step forward in what has been a very successful industry-government effort to keep blood safe from the emerging threat of West Nile virus."

West Nile virus can be fatal to humans. It is spread by mosquitoes and first began appearing in the U.S. human population in 1999. According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Milder symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. According to the FDA, between 1 and 3 million Americans have been infected with West Nile Virus. Since 1999, about 1,100 human fatalities have been reported.

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Illnesses at Oyster Festival Prompt FDA Investigation

An outbreak of flu-like symptoms in 25 people at a Maryland oyster festival in early February has prompted a U.S. government probe into whether the illnesses were caused by contaminated oysters from Texas,.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Friday that it is investigating whether the outbreak, believed to be caused by a norovirus-associated illness linked to eating raw oysters, came from oysters harvested in early February from San Antonio Bay, Tex., about 55 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. The Maryland festival was called the Bull and Oyster Event and was held Feb. 9.

This particular norovirus usually lasts for about 48 hours, and its symptoms include low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a general sense of tiredness. It is not usually associated with more serious illnesses.