WASHINGTON, DC— Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) swept across the globe in 2003 with a near 10% mortality rate. VA patients over the age of 65 were particularly vulnerable, and faced a 50% mortality rate.

WASHINGTON, DC—Foodborne illnesses continue to be a problem in the US. According to CDC, about one in six Americans get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses.

Most Hospitals and Doctors Plan to Adopt Electronic Records

Four-fifths of the nation’s hospitals, and 41% of office-based physicians, currently intend to take advantage of federal incentive payments for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology, according to survey data released last month by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.

WASHINGTON, DC—The government of Djibouti recently honored Navy medicine’s efforts to help the country improve its public health system.

WASHINGTON, DC—A holistic approach to care makes the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) unique in how it treats servicemembers with psychological issues.

WASHINGTON, DC—The development of a new strategy is in the works to support Native Americans who find themselves in the hospital emergency department for alcohol related injuries.

WASHINGTON, DC—While the overall negative health effects of smoking have been common knowledge for many years, a newly-released Surgeon General’s report goes into unprecedented detail on how tobacco causes disease at a biological and behavioral level.

WASHINGTON, DC—Smoking cessation treatment that is made part of mental healthcare for veterans with PTSD improves quit rates, according to a VA study published in the December 8 Journal of the American Medical Association.

BETHESDA, MD—NIH is examining the possibility of creating a single institute for substance use, abuse, and addiction research.

Darvon and Darvocet Removed from US Market

Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc, which makes Darvon® and Darvocet®, the brand version of the prescription pain medication propoxyphene, has agreed to withdraw the medication from the US market at FDA’s request.