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

Expert Urges Vigilance Against Flu Outbreaks

Even though the recent swine flu pandemic was less deadly than predicted, health authorities around the world must remain alert and prepared to deal with the next global outbreak, says a leading virus expert.

"We may think we can relax and influenza is no longer a problem. I want to assure you that that is not the case," Robert Webster, chairman of the virology and molecular biology department at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, the Associated Press reported.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an influenza conference in Hong Kong, Webster said that the next pandemic could be triggered by a bird flu virus such as H5N1, which has killed 300 people in recent years.

"H5N1 can kill 61 percent of humans infected, but it doesn't know how to spread from human to human. But don't trust it to because it could acquire that capacity. So we must stay vigilant," Webster said, the AP reported.

In other news from the meeting, a World Health Organization official says that the speed and volume of vaccine production will have to be increased during the next global flu pandemic, the AP reported.

Widepread vaccine use was a major reason why the swine flu pandemic death toll was only 18,600 instead of the millions that experts predicted might die. The 350 million doses of vaccine offered protection in up to 95 percent of people who received it, WHO official David Wood said at a news conference.

He noted that while the vaccine was effective, it became available too late for some countries.

Wood said the WHO is looking at ways to produce vaccines more quickly and added that technological advances will speed up the process, the AP reported.

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Fathers Also Affected By Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression can afflict fathers as well as mothers and rates of the disorder among men have been rising since the early 1990s, says a new study.

Researchers analyzed the medical records of nearly 87,000 U.K. couples who had a baby between 1993 and 2007. They found that the rate of postpartum depression for mothers was nearly 14 cases per 100 person-years in the first year after a baby was born, dropping to about 6 per 100 person-years in the second year and continuing to declined slightly over the next decade, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Among fathers, the rate in the first year after a child's birth was 3.56 cases per 100 person-years. The rate than varied between 1.95 and 2.72 cases per 100 person-years until the children reached their teens.

The researchers also found that rates of postpartum depression among men increased during the study period, from 1.61 cases per 100 person-years in 1993 to 2.87 cases per 100 person-years in 2007, the Times reported.

Overall, 39 percent of mothers and 21 percent of fathers experienced postpartum depression during their child's first year.

The study was published online in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

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Salmonella Fears Prompt Hartz Dog Treat Recall

Hartz Mountain Corp. has recalled nearly 75,000 bags of Naturals Real Beef Treats for Dogs that may be contaminated with salmonella, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recall was announced after FDA tests detected the presence of salmonella organisms in one or more 8-ounce bags of the treats, CNN reported. The recalled bags of treats have the lot code BZ0969101E.

So far, Hartz has not received any reports of animals or people becoming sick as a result of contact with the treats. The company said it is investigating the source of the potential salmonella contamination.

Consumers who bought the treats should immediately throw them away, Hartz advised. People with questions about the recall can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414, CNN reported.