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The CPSC, in cooperation with and Sportcraft Ltd. of Mt. Olive, New Jersey, has announced the recall of 12,000 Tredex 6.0, TX 440 and TX 550 Treadmills manufactured in China and Taiwan.  Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately.

The treadmill can unexpectedly accelerate and cause users to fall and sustain injuries.
Sportcraft has received 110 reports of unexpected acceleration, 14 of which resulted in minor injuries, including sprains and bruises.

This recall includes Sportcraft Tredex 6.0, TX 440 and TX 550 treadmills. These 155- to 170-pound motorized treadmills are gray in color and can be folded upright for storage.

The name “Sportcraft” and product identification of “Tredex 6.0”, “TX 440” or “TX 550” are printed on the control console of the treadmill.

The treadmills were sold at discount department and other retail stores nationwide from December 2002 through April 2005 for between $350 and $600.

Consumers should stop using the recalled treadmills immediately and contact Sportcraft to receive a free repair kit.

For additional information, contact Sportcraft at (800) 526-0244 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.sportcraft.com.

Only three days ago the first news came out of China that a mysterious flu-like illness had stricken some 58 farmers and killed 17 in the southwestern part of the country. The symptoms exhibited b the victims included high fever, fatigue, nausea, hemorrhaging, and vomiting followed by coma and bruises under the skin.

Only 2 of the original 58 affected had recovered while 12 remained in critical and 27 in stable condition. Medical experts had not seen any evidence that the illness was spreading or signs of an epidemic.

The cause of the illness was a mystery although it seemed clear that all of the cases were associated with the butchering of sick pigs or sheep. Because of this factor, health officials suspected some type of bacterial infection is involved. One possibility being considered was that the illness may be caused by streptococcus suis (S suis), a bacteria typically spread by pigs.

Soon, however, the number of deaths jumped to 24 and then to 31, while the number of confirmed cases of the illness climbed to 152. There are now 27 people in critical condition. Only seven patients have been released.

While it still appears that the disease is confined to those who handled or touched sick or dead pigs, and may very well be S suis as originally suspected, health officials and infectious disease experts are puzzled by the size of the outbreak.

In the past, S suis outbreaks in humans have been very small. In addition, only people who had contact with infected animals and had open wounds seemed to have been affected. People who ate the pork have not gotten sick.

The size of the outbreak may mean that the S suis bacterium may have mutated into a more virulent form. The number of victims, however, may indicate that another cause is involved.  Between 1968, when the first recorded cases occurred in Denmark, and now, only about 200 cases of S suis had been reported.

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture is reporting that a vaccine should be available and rushed to the affected area within a week.  At present, China’s Health Minister has told the media that the “epidemic is…under control.” No human-to-human transmissions have been reported.

The CPSC, in cooperation with The Holmes Group of Milford, Massachusetts, has announced the recall of approximately 2.6 million Rival® Slow Cookers manufactured in China. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately.

The handles on the base of the slow cookers can break, posing a risk of burns from hot contents spilling onto consumers. These Rival® Slow Cookers, sold from January 1999 through May 2002, were previously recalled for the same hazard. The recall has now been expanded to include all units manufactured before September 2004.
CPSC has received a total of 126 reports of handles breaking, including 33 reports of consumers who reported burn injuries from the hot contents of these slow cookers.

The recall includes Rival® Crock-Pot® slow cookers with model numbers 3040, 3735, 5025, 5070, and 5445. The model number is printed on the UL label located on the bottom of the base.

The recalled Rival® slow cooker has a removable ceramic bowl that sits inside of a metal base. The Rival® logo is printed on the front of the unit above the control knob. The bases are round or oval shaped and were sold in various colors and designs.

A date code is stamped on the side of one prong of the power plug. The first two digits represent the week of manufacture and the last two digits represent the year of manufacture. Any plug with a date code from 0199 (1st week of 1999) to 3504 (35th week of 2004) is included in this recall or the previous recall.

The recalled items were sold at Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, and additional discount department stores nationwide from January 1999 through May 2005 for between $15 and $40.

Consumers should immediately stop using the product and contact The Holmes Group to receive instructions on receiving a replacement base.

For additional information visit The Holmes Group’s Web site at www.rivalrecall.com or call (800) 299-1284 anytime.