Recall: Ground beef

Two deaths have been linked to the recall of 545,699 pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The beef was produced by Fairbank Farms in western New York, which recalled the meat on Saturday. The meat was packaged between September 14 and 16 and may have been labeled with a sell-by date from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28. Because those dates have passed, the meat is no longer on store shelves but health officials fear it may still be in people's freezers. Each package bears the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the nutrition label.

Learn the states where the meat was distributed to retailers, the stores that received the meat, and what to do, in the full post on our Safety blog.

Baby & child health news roundup

Is the swine flu vaccine safe? The 2009 H1N1 vaccine isn’t really a new drug, any more than the regular (seasonal) flu vaccine is. That vaccine is made from scratch each year using the strains of influenza virus most likely to circulate in the coming season, and decades of evidence show that it’s quite safe and moderately effective (some years are better than others) at preventing cases of the flu. The H1N1 vaccine is just like the regular vaccine, except it contains the new virus that causes the swine flu. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Swine flu: Who should get the vaccine? The swine flu is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women. While pregnant women make up only 1 percent of the population, they’ve accounted for 6 percent of deaths due to swine flu this year. Children, too, appear to be at a greater risk: Since May of this year, swine flu has killed at least 76 children, according to the CDC, and flu season probably hasn’t even peaked yet. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Mercury and flu vaccines. Some formulations of the swine (H1N1) and seasonal flu vaccines contain thimerosal. Numerous studies have found no association between the mercury-containing preservative and autism or other health problems. But if you want to reduce your or your children’s overall exposure to mercury, manufacturers do offer H1N1and seasonal flu vaccines that contain no thimerosal. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Green spaces are beneficial to children. Having few green areas nearby may increase the risk of depression and other health problems, a new study reports. Children (and some adult groups) in the study were especially likely to benefit from living near green spaces because they tend to spend more time close to home. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Gardasil approved for preventing genital warts in males. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Gardasil vaccine for preventing genital warts in boys and men, from ages 9 through 26. Gardasil was previously approved for the prevention of cervical cancer and genital warts in girls and women ages 9 through 26. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Baby & child health and safety news roundup

Swine flu vaccines approved. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved swine (H1N1) flu vaccines, and says they'll be distributed nationally within the next few weeks. We recommend it for all children 6 months to 18 years, pregnant women, and people who live with or care for infants under 6 months old. Anyone who has severe or life-threatening allergies to chicken eggs should not be vaccinated, according to the FDA. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Infant car seats can restrict babies oxygen levels (CNN.com). Infant car safety seats can—and do—save newborns' lives in traffic accidents. However, these seats, which require infants to be placed in an upright position, can also cause breathing problems when babies sleep in them.

More states require booster seats. More children under the age of one are placed in child safety seats than ever. And booster seats, which are designed to protect older children, are now required in 47 states (not including Arizona, Florida and South Dakota) and the District of Columbia. While all 50 states require car seats for those under age one year, laws governing booster seats vary from state to state. With the child seated in the car against the seat back: Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat? Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm? Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip? If any of the answers are no, the child should be riding in a booster seat. Learn more in the full Safety blog post.

Recall: 2,000 pairs of Clarks children’s shoes (sold under the “crawlers” and “hazy daze” style names). Molded rubber pieces on the sole of the recalled shoes can detach, posing a choking hazard to infants and young children. Learn more in the full Safety blog post.