World Cup: Vuvuzela contest causes woman to rupture her throat

As if any further proof were needed that the infernal things are not only a nuisance but a health hazard, a South African woman has ruptured her throat while taking part in a vuvuzela-blowing contest.

Yvonne Mayer of Cape Town told the South African Press Assn. that she first thought the burning sensation in her throat was the result of a cold, but it got worse and she went to see her doctor, who found a small tear.

"He just kept laughing at me and said it was his first vuvuzela injury," Mayer said. "It took about two days to heal. I just hope there is no permanent damage, but it doesn't seem like it."

-- Grahame L. Jones, reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa