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Health Highlights: Aug. 25, 2008

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

Alabama to Charge Obese Workers Extra for Insurance

Any of Alabama's more than 35,000 state employees will be charged $25 per month for insurance that's usually free if they're too fat and don't work on losing the extra weight by January 2010, the Associated Press reported Monday.

While other states reward workers who meet criteria for what's considered healthy, Alabama would be the first state to penalize those who qualify as obese. The monthly charge would apply to any state employee with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater who "doesn't make progress" in slimming down, the wire service said. The state has yet to determine how much progress an employee would have to demonstrate.

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A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. A person who is 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 220 pounds would have a BMI of 35.5, the AP said.

The wire service cited statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that Alabama ranks second in the nation behind Mississippi as the state with the biggest weight problem. Nearly one-third of Alabamians are obese.

The director of Alabama's State Employees' Insurance Board said that a person with a BMI of 35 to 39 faces about $1,750 more in medical expenses each year than a person with a BMI of less than 25.

Alabama already charges a premium to state workers who smoke.

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Death, Illness Tolls Rise in Canadian Food Poisoning Outbreak

At least four people have died and 21 have become sick in Canada from an outbreak of listeriosis linked to recalled meat products, the Associated Press said Monday.

Maple Leaf Foods widened its recall Sunday to include 220 products, and the company has shut its manufacturing plant for a thorough cleaning, the wire service reported. Most recalled products have been removed from store shelves nationwide, the company said. There are no reports that the recalled products were sold outside Canada.

Canadian health officials are evaluating whether another 30 cases of illness might be related to the outbreak.