Health Highlights: Sept. 28, 2016

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

Americas Declared Free of Endemic Measles

North, Central and South America are free of endemic measles, a global health organization declared Tuesday.

The Americas are the first region in the world to be free of endemic measles, which refers to cases of measles not brought in from other parts of the world. The last known case of endemic measles in the Americas was in 2002, according to the Pan American Health Organization, United Press International reported.

It took 14 years to declare the Americas free of endemic measles due to factors such as poor communication between health departments in various countries and unvaccinated migrant populations on the move, the health group said.

Measles can lead to pneumonia, blindness and in some cases can be fatal, UPI reported.

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Tyson Chicken Nuggets Recalled

More than 132,000 pounds of chicken nugget products are being recalled by Tyson Foods because they may contain pieces of hard plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says.

The recall covers: 5-lb. bags of Tyson fully cooked panko chicken nuggets with a “Best If Used By” date of July 18, 2017 and case code 2006SDL03 and 2006SDL33 that were distributed nationwide; and 20-lb. bulk packages of “Spare Time Fully Cooked, Panko Chicken nuggets, Nugget Shaped Chicken Breast Pattie Fritters With Rib Meat” with a production date of July 18, 2016 and case code 2006SDL03 that were shipped for institutional use in Pennsylvania.

The recall was triggered by customer complaints about plastic pieces in the products. The pieces ranged in size from 0.8 inches in length and 0.25 inches in diameter and may have come from a plastic rod used to connect a plastic transfer belt, according to Tyson.