Doctors say more and more children are being treated for a deadly illness previously thought to take years to develop. Officials say the number of teenagers diagnosed with melanoma is growing and the ages are getting younger. Researchers say pediatric melanoma is still rare, but it affects more the twice as many kids as it did two decades ago. In 1982, the illness affected about 3 children per million, increasing to 7 per million by 2002. Increases are also being seen in other countries as well, including Australia, England, and Sweden. Doctors say physicians who notice moles on children they would have paid no attention to years ago, are now watching much closer. Experts say no definitive cause is known yet, but increased exposure to the sun's harsh ultraviolet rays could be to blame for the damage being done to children's skin. The American Cancer Society says adults are also being stricken with more cases of melanoma over the past 30 years. Currently about 60,000 cases are diagnosed annually resulting in about 7,700 deaths. Melanoma is much more invasive and likely to spread to other parts of the body than other skin cancers. It develops in skin cells called melanocytes that produce the pigment that colors the skin's surface and protects it from sun damage. Doctors say kids, unlike adults, have no family history of the melanoma and also show no other risk factors including moles present since birth. Research indicates melanoma in children often looks different than it does with adults and can be diagnosed incorrectly

For years, the U.S. government has said the best way to avoid mosquitoes carrying the potentially dangerous West Nile virus is using insect repellents with DEET, now that message is changing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are adding repellents containing the chemical picaridin or the oil of lemon eucalyptus, which they say offer "long-lasting protection against mosquito bites." Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC's division of vector-borne infectious diseases, says "Since West Nile virus is present across the entire country at this point and it's here to stay, we constantly need to be vigilant. It gives consumers a better option to protect themselves." Repellent makers have tried for years to market products with the two added chemicals, but to no avail. Other countries have used both chemicals since the 1980's. DEET has long been described as the most effective weapon against West Nile by federal, state, and local health agencies. The CDC are changing their recommendations based on new research saying, picaridin is "often comparable with DEET products of similar concentration" and oil of lemon eucalyptus provides protection time "similar to low-concentration DEET products in two recent studies." Officials say consumers prefer both chemicals because they don't have the strong odor many DEET products have. The CDC hopes more people will use insect repellents to protect themselves against potential exposure to West Nile. About 40 percent of people use insect repellents nationwide. In 2004, California had the highest number of reported cases (771 with 23 fatalities). Officials say, however, just 23-percent use insect repellent. A spokeswoman says, "That's a lot of people who are going out there unprotected." Registered with the Environmental Protection Agency in 1957, The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed DEET in 1946. Many users say DEET is unpleasant to the skin and smells bad. Some people also say DEET repellents damage fake fingernails and other plastics. There are also unconfirmed claims DEET might cause brain damage, but the EPA says proper use will prevent any harm. The first case of West Nile virus was in New York in 1999. In 2004, there were 2,470 cases and 88 deaths, but the highest number of cases in the United States was in 2003, when 9,682 people were infected with 264 fatalities

Two independent British studies have come to the same conclusion, that taking supplements of vitamin D and calcium, alone or together, to prevent broken bones is inneffective and likely a waste of time and money. The news is discouraging to senior citizens who struggle to fend off the devastating side effects of osteoporosis and debilitating fractures. In the first study, whose results are published in The Lancet April 27, split 5,292 subjects aged 70+, who had suffered a fracture in the previous 10 years, into groups that were given daily doses of vitamin D3, calcium, a combination of both or placebos. The test subjects were followed over two to five years to see if people getting the supplements had fewer new bone fractures. But the study concluded that there was no real difference in rate of new fractures between the groups. The study did not consider those who take calcium in combination with bisphosphonates. The second trial results, which are published in the British Medical Journal, examined 3,314 UK women aged 70+ with one or more risk factors for potential hip fractures. The women were followed for 18 to 42 months to see if one group had higher incidence of news hip fractures. The researchers found no statistically significant difference between the two groups

After studying 150 fishermen, researchers discovered that exposure to certain pollutants that are a bi-product of industrial and agricultural processes increased the Y chromosome sperm. However, lead researcher, from Lund University in Sweden, Professor Aleksander Giwercman said a larger population sample would be needed to confirm if the effect would lead to more boys being born. The researchers analyzed the effect of exposure to two persistent organochlorine pollutants - DDE and CB-153 - which is most likely to come from eating fatty fish such as salmon. According to the Human Reproduction journal, 20% of men with the highest exposure to DDE compared with the 20% with the lowest exposure had 1.6% more sperm with the Y chromosome. For CB-153 there was a 0.8% increase. Dr. Allan Pacey, a specialist in male fertility at the University of Sheffield and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said, "It is the first time I have heard of pollutants having this effect...if this is so it is possible others could have a similar impact and that could have huge consequences

New research indicates 7-percent of middle school girls and 5-percent of high school girls say they have used steroids at least once. The annual government-sponsored study says most girls who try performance-enhancing drugs want to get bigger and stronger, while some would like to lose weight and develop a more muscular physique. The report also indicates the same girls who have eating disorders are often the same ones who try steroids. Charles Yesalis, a professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University, says "There's been a substantial increase for girls during the 1990s, and it's at an all-time high right now." He says some girls start experimenting as early as age nine. Analysts say side effects from using male sex hormones can include smaller breasts, a deeper voice, irregular periods, severe acne, excess body hair and facial hair, "roid rage" (fits of anger), depression, and paranoia. Scientists say steroids also carry higher risks of some forms of cancer, stroke, and heart attack