WASHINGTON - The U.S. military says it has stopped flying Haitian earthquake victims to the United States for medical care following concerns by some state governments over who will pay for their treatment.
Military officials say the evacuations were suspended Wednesday, after Florida Governor Charlie Crist asked the federal government to help pay for the care.
The […]

WASHINGTON - Tuesday’s Republican victory in a special Senate election in Massachusetts has sent political shockwaves through Washington.  The unexpected victory by Republican Scott Brown for the seat long held by the late Senator Ted Kennedy has inspired Republicans around the country, and now throws into question the fate of President Barack Obama’s domestic agenda […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate is on course for a final vote early Thursday on health care reform legislation after a week of wrangling and a series of procedural votes.  Democrats have been able to hold together a 60-vote majority required to pass the bill. But, difficult negotiations with the House of Representatives lie ahead, […]

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress appear to be making progress on health care reform, and the chances of opposition Republicans blocking a reform bill now seem to be fading.  But Republicans remain optimistic about their political fortunes in 2010.
With Democratic senators standing by his side recently at the White […]

WASHINGTON - A U.S. government task force has released new guidelines on how often women should get mammograms to test for breast cancer. The task force says for most women, mammograms should start at age 50, not at the previously recommended age of 40. Not everyone agrees with the new guidelines.
Breast cancer survivor Nancy Gaul […]

WASHINGTON - Health officials around the world say they are frustrated by the shortage of vaccine to protect against the H1N1 flu. The United States and other wealthy countries have promised to donate 10 percent of their supply to developing countries. But due to a global shortage, that has not happened yet.  
So far, more than […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the spreading H1N1 swine flu virus to be a national emergency.
Mr. Obama has signed a proclamation which gives U.S. hospitals more flexibility if they need to handle large numbers of flu patients.
A White House statement Saturday said the proclamation allows hospitals to request waivers of some government […]

WASHINGTON - Chinese milk products tainted with an industrial chemical have now been discovered in Taiwan and the United States.
Taiwanese Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan says low doses of melamine have been found in milk products produced in the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang.  The items were sold by a Chinese subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle Corporation.
Meanwhile, […]

HOUSTON - On the eve of the International AIDS Conference, which begins in Mexico City Sunday, researchers at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston claim to have discovered a way to destroy the HIV virus that causes AIDS. If their hopes are confirmed in further tests, it could represent a major breakthrough in […]

WASHINGTON - According to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there’s been an increase in the number of foreigners in the United States who are infected with tuberculosis. The authors are proposing a strategy to control disease among high-risk groups. 
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and […]

WASHINGTON - An executive for a maker of the drug heparin says a contaminant in the blood-thinning medication appears to have been placed there deliberately.Eighty one deaths are associated with allergic reactions to tainted doses of heparin.
Heparin is used to help patients undergoing kidney dialysis and other procedures. The medication is made by Baxter International […]

FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA– Women from coast-to-coast and around the globe once equated getting older with invisibility. Thanks to the Red Hat Society (RHS), founded 10 years ago today, perceptions began to change. In just one decade RHS has evolved from a few friends who donned red hats and purple outfits in the spirit of having fun […]

WASHINGTON - Tests on several plastic baby bottles have found they emit “very significant” levels of a chemical linked to deadly illnesses in laboratory animals. That is according to a new report released by American and Canadian environmental health groups. 
The study found 95 percent of all baby bottles on the market are made with bisphenol […]

GENEVA - International health agencies say the world is on the brink of a cancer epidemic. The World Health Organization reports 7.6 million people died of the disease in 2005. It predicts the number of cancer deaths and new cases of the disease will rise astronomically in the coming years, unless action is taken now […]

GENEVA - A new study sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows children with severe pneumonia can be effectively treated at home and do not need to be hospitalized. The World Health Organization calls this finding hugely significant for developing countries.  It says the change of treatment will save many children’s lives and take […]

WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered that blood stored in a bank loses a vital gas that is important for transferring oxygen from the blood. The discovery may explain why a significant number of people die after receiving blood transfusions.
For the past five years, experts have wondered why people who should survive after receiving a blood […]

MIAMI - Chinese manufacturers are facing harsh scrutiny after a series of health scares involving toxic exports to several nations.  In Panama, officials are struggling to understand how a poisonous chemical made in China was wrongly mixed into a cough syrup formula, killing more than 100 people since last year.  China has denied wrongdoing in […]

WASHINGTON - Top executives of the company that makes a powerful painkiller called Oxycontin admitted this week they lied about the drug’s addictive qualities in order to boost sales.  Worldwide abuse of prescription drugs, such as Oxycontin, is almost as widespread as illegal drug use. 
Oxycontin can be a legitimate blessing for many patients in great […]

WASHINGTON - For decades, as fast food and highly processed packaged foods have become increasingly popular, the converted fat these foods contain, known as transfat, has become commonplace in the American diet.
Transfat is formed in a chemical process that makes vegetable oils more solid. It gives fast food its taste and allows for a longer shelf […]

WASHINGTON - People all around the world will be watching the Super Bowl this Sunday (Feb 4).  The Super Bowl is, in effect, the world championship of American football. Most people will concentrate on the game, but one former player will split his attention between the big game and the health of both current and […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government has a introduced a system to rate the severity of a potential influenza pandemic. Public health officials say it will help states and communities determine the appropriate level of preparation if the H5N1 bird flu or a similar virus spreads through the population.
The new U.S. flu severity index copies the […]

WASHINGTON - An international team of scientists has cracked the genetic code of the parasite that causes one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in the world known as trichomoniasis. The research is expected to help people with the infection soon.
Up close, the single-celled bacterium that causes trichomoniasis is almost pretty to look as […]

Blacks’ HIV Risk Dramatically Higher Than Whites Despite Safer Sex Lives
Population-Wide Prevention is Vital, Study Suggests
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Young black adults are far more likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease, including HIV, than young white adults, even when they engage in the same or even safer behavior, according to research released […]

NEW DELHI - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s foundation has negotiated with Indian drug companies to make affordable treatment available to thousands of children afflicted with the AIDS virus. Anjana Pasricha reports for VOA from New Delhi, where Mr. Clinton made the announcement.
Mr. Clinton appeared at a high-profile gathering at a crowded children’s hospital in […]