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

CDC Says Flu Season Still Hasn't Peaked

U.S. health officials don't believe the already harsh flu season has reached its peak.

Forty-two states still report widespread flu activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

"If you look at overall data from nationwide surveillance, it doesn't look like it's peaked yet," CDC flu expert Dr. Scott Harper tells the Associated Press.

This year's season began unusually early, and seems to have hit children particularly hard. The CDC's most current figures show 42 child deaths from flu so far this season -- about half of them under age 5. An average of 92 children die from the virus during a typical season, the CDC says.

As proof that the nationwide outbreak may not be ebbing, a new federal survey of 122 cities shows flu and pneumonia combined for 9 percent of all deaths last week. That's up from 7.8 percent the prior week, the AP reports.

On a positive note, five states are no longer reporting widespread flu activity: Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Washington state, and West Virginia, according to the CDC.

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McDonald's Launches Test of Atkins-Like Suggestions

Some 650 McDonald's restaurants in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have begun displaying posters and brochures advertising how the company's menu can meld with dieters on low-carbohydrate, low-fat regimens, The New York Times reports.

Consumers are advised to remove buns and some condiments to cut the carbs, though the company says the costs of these foods won't change. People on an Atkins-like diet, as another example, are encouraged to eat a double order of scrambled eggs for breakfast, the Times reports.

In other regions of the country, McDonald's outlets in some parts of California are promoting salads and low-fat sandwiches, while Houston-area restaurants are touting low-fat menu items and exercise suggestions, the newspaper says.

The nation's biggest fast-food chain isn't the only one jumping on the healthier diet bandwagon. In late December, Subway restaurants began offering a pair of Atkins-sanctioned, low-carb wraps. And the Times reports that Burger King plans to announce a low-fat, low-carb menu sometime next week.

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Cold Virus May Fight Skin Cancer: Study

The common cold virus appears to stymie a deadly form of skin cancer, according to researchers at Australia's University of Newcastle.

Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world, CNN reports. But a team led by Professor Darren Shafren has found that the common cold virus (medically called the coxsackievirus) appears to destroy malignant melanoma cells. He calls his studies on human and animal cells, reported in the January edition of Clinical Cancer Research, "a significant breakthrough" that he hopes to replicate in human trials.

Shafren says the cold viruses injected into the melanoma cells were not manufactured or genetically altered.

Melanoma kills about 1,000 Australians a year, CNN reports.

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Genetic Testing Confirms Diseased Cow Came From Canada

DNA tests have confirmed that the Washington state Holstein diagnosed with mad cow disease last month came from Canada, U.S. and Canadian officials announced Tuesday.

Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinarian of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Brian Evans, of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, made the announcement at a press conference, CTV.Canada reports.

The finding will allow investigators to step up their search for the source of infection. The most likely culprit: Contaminated feed from the province of Alberta, where the Holstein was born in 1997.

The mad cow diagnosis last month marked the first time the disease had been found in the United States since it first emerged in Great Britain in the 1980s, killing 143 people.

U.S. agriculture officials said earlier this week they planned to destroy 450 calves in a dairy herd in Washington state that includes an offspring of the stricken Holstein.

Health officials insist the U.S. beef supply is safe. Nonetheless, many countries have banned the importation of American beef, costing U.S. ranchers an estimated 90 percent of their export market.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, creates holes in the brains of cattle. Humans can develop a deadly variation of the disease by eating contaminated parts of a cow, primarily the brain and nervous system.

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China Begins Slaughter of Civet Cats

China began Tuesday to slaughter thousands of civet cats in response to its first confirmed human SARS case of the season.

The country plans to kill about 10,000 civet cats and related mammals in the southern province of Guangdong by Saturday, the Associated Press reports.

The weasel-like civet cats, suspected as the source of SARS in humans, are considered a delicacy by many people in southern China. The animals are often sold in markets.

The Chinese government decided on the drastic action following confirmation Monday that a 32-year-old TV producer in Guangdong had SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a sometimes fatal viral infection. The man is now fully recovered and expected to leave the hospital later this week, the AP reports.

In response to the slaughter of the civet cats, the World Health Organization says there's no definitive connection between the animals and SARS in humans. The WHO is concerned the mass slaughter could eradicate important evidence about the origins of SARS and may even spread the virus.

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Cocaine Linked to Death of Righteous Brother: Report

A combination of cocaine and heart disease killed Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield, who was found dead in a Kalamazoo, Mich., hotel room on Nov. 5, according to an autopsy report released Monday.

The report says "acute cocaine toxicity" was the cause of death for the 63-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer. It was initially reported that he died in his sleep of a heart attack.

The autopsy report says one of Hatfield's coronary arteries was blocked as much as 95 percent. The heart disease and cocaine proved a fatal mix, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reports.

The autopsy results were released in response to a Freedom of Information request from a Michigan TV station. The autopsy found 143 nanograms of cocaine per milliliter in Hatfield's blood.

While that amount alone would not have been enough to kill Hatfield, it is consistent with levels found in people who abuse cocaine, The Register reports.

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