THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) HHS Helps Low Income Households Pay Their Heating Bill
2) Drug Use in Teens Drops Dramatically in Two Years
3) Young Adult Fitness Protects Heart Health in Middle Age
4) Who Should Get the Influenza (Flu) Vaccine: Interim Recommendations, December 2003
5) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:
HHS Helps Low Income Households Pay Their Heating Bill
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the release of $598 million to states to help low-income citizens with their heating bills last week. These funds represent grants to states, tribes and territories under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). A total of $272.8 million will be released immediately, completing first quarter allocations; and an additional $325.1 million will be released on January 1, representing the states' full second quarter requests.
"During these cold months, we must keep people warm and safe," Secretary Thompson said. "By releasing these funds, the states can meet their obligations to citizens." With the release of the $598 million, states will have received a total of $1.45 billion in fiscal year 2004 funds.
LIHEAP helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter, and cooling their homes in the summer. More than 4 million low-income households receive assistance each year.
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Drug Use in Teens Drops Dramatically in Two Years
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released results last week of the 2003 Monitoring the Future survey, showing an 11 percent decline in drug use by 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students over the past two years. The finding translates into 400,000 fewer teen drug users over two years.
"This survey offers promising signs that more children and young adults are steering clear of illegal drugs," Secretary Thompson said. "Monitoring the Future confirms that prevention efforts by federal agencies, states, communities and our many partners in the private and volunteer sectors are having the desired effect. We are pleased to have exceeded the President's two-year goal and look forward to a continued and needed reduction in drug use in the coming years. We must now lengthen our stride as we seek to reach the young people who are still putting their health and futures at risk."
When President Bush released his first National Drug Control Strategy in February 2002, he set aggressive national goals to reduce youth drug use by 10 percent in two years and 25 percent in five years. Today's release of the 2003 Monitoring the Future Study confirms that President Bush's two-year goal has been exceeded.
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Science in the News
Young Adult Fitness Protects Heart Health in Middle Age
Cardiorespiratory fitness in early adulthood significantly decreases the chance of developing high blood pressure and diabetes - both major risk factors for heart disease and stroke - in middle age, according to a new study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Fitness also reduces the risk for the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors that includes excess abdominal fat, elevated blood pressure and triglycerides, and low levels of the high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol.
Further, improving fitness in healthy young adults can cut by as much as 50 percent the risk for diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.
The research is the first, large observational study to look at the role of fitness on healthy young adults' development of risk factors for heart disease. Prior studies had examined the relationship between fitness and death from heart disease and stroke.
Its findings appear in the December 17, 2003, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was done by researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago, Nemours Cardiac Center in Wilmington, DE, the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, MN, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death for Americans. Nearly 13 million Americans have heart disease and nearly 5 million have had a stroke.
NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
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Personal Health
Who Should Get the Influenza (Flu) Vaccine: Interim Recommendations, December 2003
An early 2003-04 flu season in the United States has been accompanied by an unusually high and persistent demand for vaccine. This has resulted in a decreasing supply of trivalent inactivated vaccine (the flu shot).
Usual influenza vaccination recommendations are established by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). In light of the current situation, however, on December 11, 2003 , CDC issued interim recommendations for influenza vaccination this season. These recommendations place an emphasis on using remaining supplies of trivalent inactivated vaccine (flu shot) for vaccination of people at high risk for complications from influenza, including healthy children aged 6 to 23 months. Healthy people between the ages of 5 and 49 years old who wish to get vaccine should consider being vaccinated with the intranasally administered live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV, a nasal-spray flu vaccine), a substantial supply of which remains available.
Listed below are interim recommendations to focus use of remaining supplies of trivalent inactivated vaccine.
People in the following groups should not get flu vaccine before talking with their doctor:
Vaccinations and Medications
The single best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each fall (see Who Should Get the Vaccine and Flu Vaccine Q & A). In the absence of vaccine, however, there are other ways to protect against flu.
Antiviral Medications can also be used to prevent the flu. For more information, see Prevention Q & A and Antiviral Drugs.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
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Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's public schedule:
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Last updated: December 22, 2003
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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