by JULIA HARR
Intern Lifestyles Reporter

Last year offered salmonella, vaccination improvements and concerns, potentially poisonous plastic, and an increase in HIV/AIDS.

Salmonella Outbreak

The worst case of food-borne outbreak in the past decade caused nearly 1,500 people to become sick with salmonella. The disease originated in tomatoes and then spread to raw jalapeno and serrano peppers. Everyone from the Food and Drug Administration to farmers raced to contain the outbreak, according to WebMD.

Childhood Vaccinations

Childhood vaccinations were questioned last year when a group of people became concerned that the vaccinations were contributing to autism. The Center for Disease Control maintains vaccinations are safe and do not a cause of autism.

The Food and Drug Administration approved a five in one vaccination.

“The FDA approved a single vaccine (Pantacel) for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b. The vaccine combo means children get fewer shots and parents spend less money on vaccinations,” according to foxnews.

U.S. Completes First Face Transplant

Doctors in Cleveland completed the first face transplant in the U.S. and the fourth in the world. They replaced 80 percent of the woman’s face; her age, name and reason for the transplant are all being kept classified. The only details released were the woman had trauma that led to the loss of the right eye, the nose and upper jaw, according to NPR.

Chemical Bisphenol A Raises Concern

“Bisphenol A, a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic used to make some baby and water bottles (typically Nalgene-type bottles), hit the big-time in 2008, with controversy about its health effects hotly debated by two government agencies, academics, and industry,” according to WebMD.

More Cases of HIV/AIDS Than Expected

The CDC says that the number of people living with HIV in the U.S. is up 11percent since 2003. This means that people with the disease are living longer. The rate of new infections has remained stable at 56,000 a year. It is estimated one in five people living with HIV don’t know they have the AIDS virus.

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