Health News

A medical chief has said there is no need for alarm despite a hospital patient becoming the first person without underlying health problems to die after contracting swine flu.

The Georgia Department of Community Health confirmed Friday Georgia's first death related to novel influenza A . A news release from DCH states a 43-year-old female from Cobb County suffered from underlying health conditions when she became infected with the novel H1N1 virus.

(WWLP) - A local Marine was severely injured in Afghanistan and has to undergo surgery. http://www.wwlp.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now offers an on-line network the public can use to track environmental exposures and chronic health conditions.

On Tuesday the CDC announced the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, a public health surveillance tool that scientists, health professionals, and members of the public can use.

“The ability to examine many data sets together for the first time has already resulted in faster responses to environmental health issues. We believe the Tracking Network holds the potential to shed new light on some of our biggest environmental health questions,” said Howard Frumkin, M.D., M.P.H., DrPh., director, of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

The web-based tool unites vital environmental information from across the country, including air and water pollutants and information for some chronic conditions, including asthma, cancer, childhood lead poisoning and heart disease into one resource.

While scientists know exposures such as air particle pollution and lead contribute to illnesses, many environmental and health connections remain unproven since detailed health and environmental data existed in separate silos until now.

One in three breast cancer patients identified in public screening programs may be treated unnecessarily, a new study says.

Fourteen people are now thought to have died in the UK after contracting swine flu, the Government announced today.

The Obama administration put the states on notice Thursday: Swine flu vaccinations are likely to be ready this fall with the looming threat of the disease's resurgence, so figure out now how to deliver them.

Jul 09 - Japan's influenza expo showcases the latest protective suits and anti-flu equipment amid growing demand for such items following this year's H1N1 outbreak.

A prominent San Francisco Bay area child psychiatrist accused of molesting several patients says he does not remember any of the alleged victims.Dr. William Ayres, who took the stand in his defense Wednesday in San Mateo County Superior Court, said treatment for prostate cancer has damaged his memory.Authorities say between 1988 and 1996 the ...

An experimental drug helped monkeys and rabbits survive anthrax in a series of studies, suggesting it could be useful in case of another anthrax attack.

A group of 20 students studying in Japan through the University of California Davis have been quarantined after two of their Japanese tutors were diagnosed with swine flu.

About 200 infectious disease experts have gathered in Toronto to discuss the H1N1 flu virus that has become a global pandemic.

Fewer than half of all Americans trust that their health insurance plans would pay for the full costs of cancer treatment and nearly two-thirds falsely believe Medicare would not pay anything, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

In this "Worth Your Time" segment, the Houston Astros are urging kids to get active and live healthy lifestyles by hosting a fitness program at Minute Maid Park.

U.S. health officials are stepping up testing of swine flu cases for Tamiflu resistance, now that an American has come down with a resistant strain.

Proposed limits on Tylenol, a painkiller as common as pain itself, have left many consumers fearful, confused and wondering where to turn for relief.

The government is letting the painkillers Darvocet, Darvon and their generic cousins stay on the market but ordered stronger warnings against deadly overdoses on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON - Moving to broaden the scope of the health care overhaul, President Barack Obama threw his support Tuesday behind the creation of a program to help families struggling with long-term care costs.

New safety standards aimed at reducing salmonella and E. coli outbreaks are part of a government effort to try to make food safer to eat.

Julia Wagner was fighting bone cancer and had her Quinceanera two years early because doctors didn't know if she would live to be 15.