News - Health
In Europe, most swine flu shots by invitation only
LONDON (AP) -- In Britain, there are no long lines of people seeking swine flu vaccine. Doctor's offices aren't swamped with desperate calls. And there are no cries of injustice that the vaccine is going to wealthy corporations or healthy people who don't really need it....
Poll: One-third able to get swine flu vaccine
ATLANTA (AP) -- Only about a third of adults who have tried to get a swine flu vaccine have been able to get it, according to a new national poll released Friday....
Goldman Sachs, Citigroup got swine flu vaccine
NEW YORK (AP) -- Some of New York's biggest companies, including Wall Street giants Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, received doses of swine flu vaccine for at-risk employees, drawing criticism that the hard-to-find vaccine is going first to the privileged....
New gene therapy halts 2 boys' rare brain disease
WASHINGTON (AP) -- French scientists mixed gene therapy and bone marrow transplants in two boys to seemingly halt a brain disease that can kill by adolescence. The surprise ingredient: They disabled the HIV virus so it couldn't cause AIDS, and then used it to carry in the healthy new gene....
WHO: Swine flu virus is top strain worldwide
LONDON (AP) -- The World Health Organization's flu chief said the swine flu virus has now become the predominant flu strain worldwide....
Genetic tests for UK asylum seekers draw criticism
LONDON (AP) -- Britain is using genetic tests on some African asylum seekers in an effort to catch those who are lying about their nationality, drawing criticism from scientists and provoking outrage from rights groups....
Family doctors group loses members over Coke deal
CHICAGO (AP) -- Advice about soft drinks and health from one of the nation's largest doctors groups will soon be brought to you by Coke....
Officials: Swine flu confirmed in Iowa cat
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline....
Smart Rx: Drugs that work and won't break the bank
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Last year pharmaceutical companies spent more than $4 billion urging patients like you to "ask your doctor" about their drugs. But if you want a prescription that won't empty your wallet, while still keeping you well, you might start asking your doctor about drugs you don't see on TV....
Premature births worsen US infant death rate
ATLANTA (AP) -- Premature births, often due to poor care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries, a government report said Tuesday....
Swine flu scare tightens borders around Ukraine
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russia and Slovakia tightened their borders with Ukraine on Tuesday as the World Health Organization began investigating a suspected swine flu outbreak....
New vaccine offers hope in Africa's malaria battle
SIAYA, Kenya (AP) -- A mother watched with dread as a nurse inserted a tube in her baby's head. Blood streamed into the anemic 4-month-old who already has malaria, the mosquito-borne disease that kills a million African children every year....
Poor countries see troubling rise in breast cancer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nurses were training women in rural Mexico to examine their breasts for cancer when one raised her hand to object. If she lost her breast, Harvard public health specialist Felicia Knaul recalls the woman saying, "My man would leave me" - and with him, the family's income....
More insurers are paying for alternative remedies
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional Associated Press series on their use and potential risks....
Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says
CHICAGO (AP) -- Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say....
Study ties common antibiotics with birth defects
CHICAGO (AP) -- Researchers studying antibiotics in pregnancy have found a surprising link between common drugs used to treat urinary infections and birth defects. Reassuringly, the most-used antibiotics in early pregnancy - penicillins - appear to be the safest....
Med, nursing schools teaching alternative remedies
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional Associated Press series on their use and potential risks....
Govt says swine flu vaccine catching up to demand
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior adviser to President Barack Obama says the government will catch up to the demand for swine flu vaccine within a week....
Castro: more US visitors mean more Cuban swine flu
HAVANA (AP) -- Fidel Castro has found something to sneeze at in Washington's decision to ease visits by Cuban-Americans to his island: He says more Americans mean more swine flu....
Study finds stroke risk from anemia drug Aranesp
A new study raises fresh safety concerns about widely used anemia medicines, finding that the drug Aranesp nearly doubled the risk of stroke in people with diabetes and chronic kidney problems who are not yet sick enough to need dialysis....

