Health Highlights: Feb. 28, 2019

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

Man Who Helped Expose Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Dies

Bill Jenkins, who played a major role in revealing the Tuskegee syphilis experiment to the public and halting it, has died at age 73.

The epidemiologist died Feb. 17 in Charleston, S.C., and his death was confirmed by the Morehouse School of Medicine, where he worked for many years, CNN reported.

In the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, hundreds of black men with syphilis were intentionally left untreated without their knowledge. Many of them passed the sexually transmitted disease on to their wives, who then passed it on to their children.

The study began in 1931 and was halted in 1972 after Jenkins and others exposed it.

Jenkins began his career in 1967 as one of the first black Americans in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He learned about the Tuskegee syphilis experiment in 1968 and was one of the people who brought the study to public attention to try to stop it, CNN reported.

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Texas Politician Behind Anti-Vaxx Bill Thinks Measles Can Be Treated With Antibiotics

Legislation to allow Texans to opt out of childhood vaccinations is being proposed by state representative Bill Zedler, who mistakenly believes measles can be treated with antibiotics.

“They want to say people are dying of measles. Yeah, in Third World countries they’re dying of measles,” Zedler (R-Arlington) said in the Texas Observer, according to CNN.

“Today, with antibiotics and that kind of stuff, they’re not dying in America,” Zedler said.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be deadly. There is no treatment. Antibiotics fight bacterial infections and can’t kill viruses, CNN reported.

Six measles outbreaks in the United States, including one in Texas, are now being monitored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Bachman Pretzels Recalled Due to Undeclared Milk

One lot of Bachman pretzels is being recalled because it contains undeclared milk, which could trigger a serious or life-threatening reaction in people with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk.

The recall by Utz Quality Foods is for 10-ounce Twist Pretzel packages with UPC code 0-77817-10580-8 and an expiration date of JUL 22 199 ED. The packages were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.

No illnesses linked with the recalled pretzels have been reported, according to Utz.

Consumers with the recalled pretzels should throw them away or return them to the store for a refund or exchange. For more information, call Utz at 1-800-367-7629.

Posted: February 2019

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