Health Highlights: Dec. 11, 2015

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

Chipotle Executive Apologizes for Food Illness Outbreaks, Promises Improved Safety

After Chipotle restaurants were linked to two food illness outbreaks in recent months, a company executive apologized and said new standards will protect customers from any future health problems.

“The procedures we’re putting in place to eat are so above industry norms that we are going to be the safest place to eat,” Chipotle founder and co-CEO Steve Ells said Thursday on the Today show, NBC News reported.

Recently, 120 Boston College students were sickened by norovirus after eating at a Chipotle restaurant, and Chipotle restaurants were linked to an E. coli outbreak that began in mid-October and sickened more than 50 people in nine states.

“It’s a really tough time,” Ells said, NBC News reported. “I have to say I’m sorry for the people that got sick. They’re having a tough time. I feel terrible about that, and we’re doing a lot to rectify this and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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First Dengue Vaccine Gets Its First Approval, in Mexico

The first vaccine for dengue fever has been approved by Mexico.

Sanofi’s Dengvaxia vaccine was approved by Mexican officials to protect people ages 9-45 who live in regions where dengue is common, The New York Times reported.

Mexico is the first country to approve the vaccine.

There is no treatment for dengue, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It can cause high temperature and intense joint and muscle pain. In severe cases, it can be fatal.

Clinical trials showed the vaccine reduced the risk of developing dengue by about 60 percent, The Times reported.

Estimates about the number of people sickened by dengue each year range from 50 million to 400 million. In recent years, the disease has spread out of its traditional location in developing countries in tropical areas. In 2009, there were cases in the Florida Keys for the first time in decades.

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