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The following was published in a local media on September 15, 2009:
"...the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has launched a "trip tracker" system
to identify and arrest taxi drivers who commit crimes or connive with crime groups.
"Passengers simply need to text the plate number and name of the taxi cab as soon as
they are on board the taxi. This way, cab drivers will have second thoughts" before committing
a crime, MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando said.
The MMDA said passengers can contact its Metrocall 136 hotline or call or send text messages
to 09175618709 (Globe) or 0920-9472116."

FDA CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION UPDATES
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm182023.htm

--Lowering Salt in Your Diet
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm181577.htm
Nearly all Americans consume more salt than they need, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Here's advice for lowering salt intake, along with information on the FDA's regulatory role.

--2009-2010 Seasonal Influenza Vaccines
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm100139.htm
The influenza vaccine for the 2009-2010 influenza season is set. Now it's up to you to make sure that you and your loved ones are protected.

--A Parent's Guide to Kids' Vaccines
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048750.htm
This updated guide offers useful information about the benefits and risks of vaccines, along with steps to take when children are vaccinated.

--Update to FDA Alert About Stolen Insulin
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm180320.htm
The FDA is reminding the public that stolen vials of the long-acting insulin Levemir made by Novo Nordisk, Inc., still may be on the market. FDA first alerted the public to the theft in June 2009.

Updates may be published elsewhere without permission. Please credit “FDA Consumer Health Information" (http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/default.htm) as the source. The FDA values feedback on its consumer Web page. Send questions, comments, or story ideas to: consumerinfo@fda.hhs.gov.

The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Giving Medication to Children

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm164427.htm

Q & A with Dianne Murphy, M.D.

Dianne Murphy, M.D., is director of FDA’s Office of Pediatric Therapeutics. Dr. Murphy graduated from the Medical College of Virginia and completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She has been with FDA since 1998.

Q: How does FDA define “children”?

A: For drugs, a child is defined as a person up to 17 years of age. For devices, 21 years of age is the upper limit.



Q: Are medications that are intended for children clinically tested on children?

A: If the product is to be used only for children, then it must be studied in the pediatric population. However, many therapies are developed for adults and then used in children without having been studied in children. Therefore, most marketed products that are mostly used in adults have not been studied in children—even though they may be used by doctors to treat children.

There has been improvement in this area in regard to prescription drugs. As of 2008, an estimated 50 to 60 percent of prescription drugs used to treat children have been studied in some part of the pediatric population. Still, the likelihood that a medicine has actually been studied in neonates—children less than a month old—is close to zero.

So nearly a decade into the 21st Century, most medicines intended for children, including many over-the-counter (OTC) products, haven’t been clinically studied in children—and certainly not in all age populations that comprise the branch of medicine known as “pediatrics.”



Q: How can parents find out if a medication has been tested for its effects on children?

A: With prescription medications, there is a “Pediatric” section in the labeling that states whether the medication has been studied for its effects on children. The label will also tell you what ages have been studied.

Most OTC products other than those for fever or pain have not actually been studied in children for effectiveness, safety, or dosing. They were approved for marketing many decades ago under a process where an expert panel looked at the evidence, including literature, and decided if a product should continue to be sold OTC.

Most of the time, these panels did not have pediatric studies and were mostly using information collected in adults to determine if the product could be used in children.



Q: What are the challenges with testing medications in children?

A: There have been numerous challenges to studying drugs in children involving ethical, scientific, and commercial considerations.

There are extra protections for children enrolled in clinical trials because they cannot give consent and there must be compelling reasons why a trial should be conducted in the pediatric population.

Pediatric trials are in general more difficult to carry out because you must have special facilities, laboratory and radiological services, and staff who know how to work with children and their families.

Also, the market for pediatric products is small compared to the adult market because children are generally healthy and are a smaller part of the population. The high cost and difficulties associated with these trials are not attractive to sponsors who make these products.



Q: Should OTC medications be given to a child?

A: Parents need to weigh the benefit of treating the child’s symptoms against the risk of any adverse affects of the drugs. For the common cold, for example, the symptoms will run their course. Remember, OTC cough and cold products do not treat the underlying cause of the problem. They treat the symptoms.

Read the labels to make sure the product is appropriate for your child’s age. Just because a product’s box says that it is intended for children does not mean it is intended for children of all ages.

Also, be sure that you understand the possible side effects so you can be aware that it may not be the disease that is causing a symptom.



Q: What should parents keep in mind when giving medication to children?

A: Know that children can have different adverse reactions to a drug than adults. So for a product that has not been studied in children, it is possible for an adverse effect to occur that may not be listed on the drug’s label.

Children are more sensitive than adults to many drugs. For example, antihistamines and alcohol—common ingredients in cold medications—can have adverse effects at lower doses on young patients, causing excitability or excessive drowsiness. Some drugs, like aspirin, can cause serious illness or even death in children with chickenpox or flu symptoms.

Also, realize that some diseases may be expressed differently in children than in adults, and some drugs don’t work for kids even though they have been proven to work in adults.

All of these factors underscore the importance of speaking to your health care professionals, and asking questions about the medicines that you are buying OTC or that are being prescribed for your child.



Q: What are active ingredients, and why should parents be familiar with them?

A: A product is made up of many components. Some of these are “inactive” and just help make it taste better or dissolve better. Unless it is a combination product, usually there is only one “active” ingredient in a medication that makes it pharmaceutically active—that is, it is what causes the medicine to be effective against the disease or condition.

Many products, including products that treat different conditions, use the same active ingredients or the same class of active ingredients. For example, products to treat allergies may have the same active ingredient as some cough and cold products. So it is possible to overdose with a certain active ingredient if you are not careful.

You should not decide what OTC medications to take or to give a child based merely on what the large print on a product’s box says. You must look for the active ingredient.

If parents or caretakers really want to know if a product has been studied in the age population that their child belongs to, they really should become familiar with the pediatric section of the label for that product, and learn to compare active ingredients for OTC products.

Also, don’t rely just on advertisements for information when it comes to giving medication to children. Remember, many products have not been studied in children or not in all pediatric populations. Don’t hesitate to ask questions of health care professionals, including the pharmacist.



Q: How can parents make sure they give proper dosages of a medication to a child?

A: The main rule is: Use only as directed.

Use the measuring devices that come with the products, and use these devices as instructed. Never use home utensils such as spoons or other devices that have not been designed to measure medicine, and never have a child drink directly from a medicine bottle.

With measuring devices, pay attention to the small details. It can be easy to misread a measurement or a marking. You don’t want to give your child a tablespoon when you’re supposed to give him a teaspoon, or give her 5 milliliters (mls) when you’re supposed to give her 0.5 mls. Mistakes like this can be deadly.



Q: What has FDA recommended regarding OTC cough and cold medicines and young children?

A: FDA recommends that OTC cough and cold medicines not be used to treat infants and children less than 2 years of age. Giving these products to these children can cause serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.

The serious adverse events reported with cough and cold products include death, convulsions, rapid heart rates, and decreased levels of consciousness.

Many drug manufacturers have preemptively and voluntarily withdrawn cough and cold medicines that were being sold for use in this age group. That action was strongly supported by FDA.

If you are concerned about making your child feel more comfortable, talk with your doctor about what approaches to take. If your child’s cold symptoms do not improve or get worse, contact your doctor. A persistent cough may signal a more serious condition such as bronchitis or asthma.



Q: Can parents give OTC cough and cold products to older children?

A: FDA knows of reports of serious side effects from OTC cough and cold medicines in children 2 to 11 years of age, but we haven’t completed our review of information about the safety of these products in children of this age.

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

Date Posted: June 9, 2009


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Playing it Safe With Eggs

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm077342.htm

What Consumers Need to Know

To avoid the possibility of foodborne illness, fresh eggs must be handled carefully. Even eggs with clean, uncracked shells may occasionally contain bacteria called Salmonella that can cause an intestinal infection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working to prevent this problem in eggs by requiring that egg producers obtain chicks that are certified Salmonella free, that the hens are kept in houses that are free from rodents and other Salmonella carrying sources, that the houses are continually tested for Salmonella, and that the eggs are stored at temperatures that retard Salmonella growth. Consumers play a large role in this prevention strategy. In fact, the most effective way to prevent egg-related illness is by knowing how to buy, store, handle and cook eggs—or foods that contain them—safely. That is why FDA requires all cartons of shell eggs that have not been treated to destroy Salmonella must carry the following safe handling statement:

Safe Handling Instructions: To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.†

Following these instructions is important for everyone but especially for those most vulnerable to foodborne disease—children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems due to steroid use, conditions such as AIDS, cancer or diabetes, or such treatments as chemotherapy for cancer or immune suppression because of organ transplants.

Eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella—by in-shell pasteurization, for example—are not required to carry safe handling instructions.

Buy Right

* Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case.‡
* Open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and the shells are not cracked.
* Refrigerate promptly.
* Store eggs in their original carton and use them within 3 weeks for best quality.

Keep Everything Clean

Before preparing any food, remember that cleanliness is key!

* Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods

Cook Thoroughly

Thorough cooking is perhaps the most important step in making sure eggs are safe.

* Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny.
* Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160°F (72°C). Use a food thermometer to be sure.
* For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served—Caesar salad dressing and homemade ice cream are two examples—use either shell eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella, by pasteurization or another approved method, or pasteurized egg products. Treated shell eggs are available from a growing number of retailers and are clearly labeled, while pasteurized egg products are widely available.

Serve Safely

Bacteria can multiply in temperatures from 40°F (5°C) to 140°F (60°C), so it's very important to serve foods safely.

* Serve cooked eggs and egg-containing foods immediately after cooking.
* For buffet-style serving, hot egg dishes should be kept hot, and cold egg dishes kept cold.
* Eggs and egg dishes, such as quiches or soufflés, may be refrigerated for serving later but should be thoroughly reheated to 165°F (74°C) before serving.

Chill Properly

* Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods should not sit out for more than 2 hours. Within 2 hours either reheat or refrigerate.
* Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking
* Use frozen eggs within one year. Eggs should not be frozen in their shells. To freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. Egg whites can also be frozen by themselves.
* Refrigerate leftover cooked egg dishes and use within 3-4 days. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing leftover, divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.

On the Road

* Cooked eggs for a picnic should be packed in an insulated cooler with enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep them cold.
* Don't put the cooler in the trunk—carry it in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of the car.
* If taking cooked eggs to work or school, pack them with a small frozen gel pack or a frozen juice box.



† The Safe Handling Statement must appear on all cartons of untreated shell eggs by September 2001.

‡ FDA also requires that, by June 2001, untreated shell eggs sold at stores, roadside stands, etc., must be stored and displayed under refrigeration at 45°F (7°C).



Page Last Updated: 07/08/2009