A national salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 430 people in 43 states has now been linked to five deaths; two in both Minnesota and Virginia and one in Idaho. All five were adults who had salmonella when they died, though their causes of death haven’t been determined. The CDC said the salmonella outbreak may have contributed.

PCA issued a recall late Tuesday for 21 lots of peanut butter made since July 1 at its Blakely, Georgia plant because of possible salmonella contamination. PCA says its peanut butter is made for distribution to institutions, food service industries, and private label food companies. None of the recalled peanut butter is sold through retail stores. “We deeply regret that this has happened,” Stewart Parnell, owner and president of PCA, said in a news release. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are voluntarily withdrawing this product and contacting our customers.”

PCA also supply’s peanut paste to Kellogg Co., which on Wednesday asked stores nationwide to pull Austin and Keebler toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers, cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers, and peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers from shelves, although they haven’t found problems or received complaints about the products. “We are taking these voluntary actions out of an abundance of caution,” said Kellogg chief executive David Mackay. Customers are asked not to eat any of the above mentioned peanut butter crackers until an investigation is complete. FDA compliance officer Sandra Williams said Kellogg’s move is known as a stop-sale order and isn’t as serious as a recall.

A more inclusive health care system in America was one of President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign promises, and Congress chose to help achieve that goal only days before Obama takes office. With overwhelming success, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expand health care coverage to 4.1 million more low-income children via the SCHIP program.

SCHIP was created in 1997 as a U.S. taxpayer-funded health insurance program under the Social Security program to aid families with children and tend to the millions of uninsured children in America. The program was aimed at families with incomes that are considered “low” but do not qualify for Medicaid, and it is a state-based program that has grown through the last decade to cover approximately 7 million children. Congress made several attempts in 2007 to expand the program and help states that were facing funding difficulties, but President George W. Bush vetoed those efforts, only to sign a lesser effort later that only addressed the problem through March of 2009.

Obama has spoken out on the bill now pending in the Senate with the hope that the Congressional body will act with a sense of urgency “so that it can be one of the first measures I sign into law when I am president.” He continued, “In this moment of crisis, ensuring that every child in America has access to affordable health care is not just good economic policy, but a moral obligation we hold as parents and citizens.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California noted, “At a time of economic crisis, nothing could be more essential than ensuring that children of hard-working families receive the quality health care that they deserve… This is only the beginning of the change we will achieve with our new president.”

Objections from House Republicans came in the form of concerns about the costs, stating that Medicaid funding is already in a fragile condition. But Democrats focused on the necessity to provide care for uninsured children. Those in the Senate hope to pass the measure with their control of the Senate and growing support for the SCHIP expansion.

The Senate version of the bill, proposed by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana, does not include the immigrant insurance provision, though he said that he supports the addition of it to the bill before it comes up for a vote next week.

The good news is that you can help save lives by joining The National Marrow Donor Program  Registry. This organization strives to offer hope and is committed to delivering a possible cure to all patients in need of help.

For a transplant to be successful it is imperative for the tissue type of a bone marrow donor to match that of a patient as closely as possible. Specialized tests are performed to determine if a patient and bone marrow donor are optimally matched. Consideration of race and ethnicity are very significant in the search for a tissue match because tissue types are inherited. The more donors available within the NMDP Registry who come from various racial and ethnic backgrounds the greater the chance that a patient will find the tissue match they so desperately need. In fact, there are several urgently needed donors from several specific communities including Black and African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian , Hispanic and Latino as well as multiple race individuals.

Although joining the NMDP Registry is a life-giving opportunity, one needs to realize the importance of being committed to this decision. It is highly recommended that you discuss your decision with your family and/or friends as you may find yourself in need of their support if you are ever discovered to be a match. In addition, the commitment should not be taken lightly. A last minute decision not to not donate after having registered as a donor could be life-threatening to a patient in need if you are contacted as a match. Give serious consideration before making a decision to become a donor.

Anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 can potentially join the NMDP Registry. The lower age limit, or course, is based on the legal age of consent and the upper age limit is due to a slight increase in the risk for side effects from anesthesia.

After your donation, the NMDP Registry will first follow up with you until you are able to resume normal activity and then will contact you annually for long-term follow up.

More than 350 patients monthly find a matching donor or cord blood unit and are able to receive a transplant that is made possible through the NMDP Registry.