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• Illness Strikes During Carnival Cruise From Mobile

  Gerry McGill | January 30, 2008 1:07 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  The Mobile Press Register reported on Tuesday, January 29, 2008, that 121 passengers and 22 crew members aboard the Carnival cruise ship Holiday contracted a stomach virus while on a trip to Mexico from Mobile. Carnival Cruise Lines believes that the norovirus is to blame. The norovirus is a common and highly contagious sickness that causes vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Vance Gulliksen, the...

• Drug Manufacturers Sued Over Marketing of Cholesterol Drugs Vytorin and Zetia

  Gerry McGill | January 29, 2008 1:22 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  The Associated Press has reported that drug manufacturers Merck & Company and Schering-Plough Corporation, the makers of the popular cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia, are being sued in states across the country, including Mississippi, over allegations that the two companies misled consumers into thinking the drugs were more effective than generic cholesterol drugs.

• Bad Steering, Inadequate Training Caused Cruise Ship Passenger Injuries

  Gerry McGill | January 11, 2008 4:16 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined Thursday that improper training and bad steering by the ship's Second Officer caused a Princess Cruises ship to tilt suddenly in 2006, injuring almost 300 people, some seriously.The NTSB said the Crown Princess's captain and crew failed to realize how fast they were going in shallow water leaving Port Canaveral, Florida. As a result,...

• Merck Recalls Unsterilized Vaccine; 1.2 million Doses Pulled

  Courtney Mills | December 13, 2007 9:30 AM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. recalled some 1.2 million doses of Hib vaccine, after it was revealed through quality control that the vaccines had not undergone proper sterilization techniques. Production equipment used to manufacture the vaccines had not been properly sterilized, so these lots had to be recalled.The vaccine, known as Haemophilus influenza type b, prevents the spread of...

• Bayer Halts Sales of Trasylol Globally

  Gerry McGill | November 06, 2007 3:27 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Bayer AG halted worldwide sales Monday of its anti-bleeding drug Trasylol at the request of U. S. and foreign health officials pending further analysis of a Canadian study that suggests it's linked to a 50 percent higher risk of death than the other drugs in the clinical trial. The Food and Drug Administration asked the company to stop selling the drug, used to prevent excessive bleeding during...

• Jury Awards $7 Million in Accutane Trial

  Gerry McGill | October 12, 2007 2:00 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  A Pensacola, Florida jury yesterday awarded $7 million to a Pensacola man who said that the manufacturer of Accutane failed to warn him that the use of the controversial acne drug could cause a gastrointestinal disease. The Pensacola jury deliberated for two days before finding that Swiss drug-maker Hoffman-La Roche failed to warn that use of Accutane could potentially lead to a condition known...

• Children's Jewelry Recalled for Lead Exposure Risk

  Chrissie Cole | September 26, 2007 11:23 PM | 0 CommentsTupelo, MS

  In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), TOBY N.Y.C. announced a voluntary recall of 23,500 jewelry sets due to high levels of lead. Lead can be toxic if ingested by small children and can lead to serious adverse health affects.Consumers are advised to discard any recalled jewelry sets they may have in the house and contact TOBY N.Y.C for a full refund or...

• 16-Year-Old Drivers Have Worse Crash Rate

  Gerry McGill | September 18, 2007 2:31 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  A 2001 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 16-year-old drivers have a crash rate three times higher than that of 17-year-olds, five times greater than 18-year-olds, and almost 10 times greater than drivers aged 30 to 59.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia ban the use of wireless communication devices for some teenage drivers, particularly those 16 and...

• California Bans Cell Phone Use By 16- and 17-Year-Old Drivers

  Gerry McGill | September 14, 2007 11:50 AM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed a law on Thursday which bars the use of cell phones by drivers under 18. The law will take effect July 1, 2008. California joins 15 states and the District of Columbia in banning the use of wireless communication devices for teenage drivers. Nearly a dozen other states are considering similar action, according to the American Automobile...

• Truck Accident Causes Highway Spill

  Chrissie Cole | September 10, 2007 11:58 PM | 0 CommentsTupelo, MS

  A truck accident early this morning on the I-20 east bridge over Gallatin Street, in Jackson, Mississippi, caused a highway spill and injured the truck driver.The driver, of Yazoo City, was driving a Party Time ice truck when he struck a Waste Management Truck, causing anti-freeze to spill out and over the highway, according to authorities.The Waste Management truck driver, of Jackson, was...