Synopsis for August 28, 2006

The MMWR is embargoed until Thursday, 12 PM EST.

1. Four Cases of Tick Paralysis – Colorado, 2006
2. Ciguatera Fish Poisoning – Texas, 1998 and South Carolina, 2004
3. Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Radio – United States, June-July 2004

Four Cases of Tick Paralysis – Colorado, 2006

Persons living in or visiting tick endemic areas, such as the western regions of the United States and Canada, should perform routine tick-checks after outdoor exposure to help protect themselves from tick paralysis. Tick paralysis is a rare but serious disease that can occur with prolonged exposure to a biting tick. Persons living in or visiting tick endemic areas, such as the western regions of the United States and Canada, should perform routine tick-checks after outdoor exposure. Health-care providers should consider the diagnosis in persons with an ascending paralysis and exposure to an endemic area.

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning – Texas, 1998, and South Carolina, 2004

No Summary Available 

Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Radio – United States, June – July 2004

1) Most youth exposure to radio alcohol advertising resulted from ads that aired during programs with a youth-oriented audience, and approximately one-third of advertising exposure resulted from advertising that was placed in programs that exceeded the industry standard for advertising on programs with youth-oriented audiences. 2) Alcohol companies should take steps to comply with their codes of conduct regarding advertising to youth-oriented audiences, and further measures to reduce youth exposure to alcohol advertising are warranted from a public health perspective. These might include reductions in youth-related thresholds to a proportionate 15 percent standard as suggested by the Institute of Medicine, reductions in total permissible marketing exposure to youth, or both. 3) Ongoing, independent monitoring of alcohol marketing to youth should be conducted to ensure that underage youth are not overexposed to alcohol advertising. Excessive alcohol consumption kills approximately 4,500 persons under 21 annually in the U.S. and results in a variety of adverse health and social outcomes. 1) Recent longitudinal studies have emphasized the link between youth exposure to alcohol advertising and the subsequent risk of drinking and binge drinking (greater than 5 drinks on one occasion). 2) Our study shows that from June through August 2004, alcohol advertising for the leading alcohol brands was common on radio programs where the audience was disproportionately comprised of youth aged 12-20 years (i.e., where the audience was youth-oriented), and that these ads accounted for most alcohol advertising among youth. 3) Across all the 104 media markets studied, approximately half of the alcohol advertising on radio aired on programs with youth-oriented audiences, and these ads resulted in approximately 70 percent of the total youth exposure to radio advertising for the leading alcohol brands. 4) In these same markets, 14 percent of alcohol advertising on radio aired on programs in which more than 30 percent of listeners were age 12–20 years, and these ads accounted for nearly a third of total youth exposure to radio advertising. This 30 percent threshold is the voluntary standard above which major alcohol companies have agreed not to advertise alcohol on radio and other media.

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