State Health Officer Dr. Sheri Johnson says there were 1,819 cases reported in 2007. via WXOW

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The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been detected in a dead swan found Monday beside Lake Saroma in eastern Hokkaido, the Hokkaido prefectural government said Saturday. via Kyodo News

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South Korea says it will double its stockpile of the antiviral drug Tamiflu as bird flu spreads among poultry across the country.

The office of President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday the government plans to store enough Tamiflu by the end of this year to treat 2.5 million people. Currently, South Korea has enough Tamiflu only for 1.23 million people. The country's population is 48 million.

South Korea has reported no human cases of bird flu, but fears about human infection have risen following the first outbreak of the disease in the capital a few days ago. Read more

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Cure for Epilepsy via ClipSyndicate

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“If the program was taken up widely it could cut the recruitment of new smokers significantly.”

By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - Getting the cool kids to talk to their peers about the dangers of smoking cut the number of young people who started using cigarettes in one study by nearly 25 percent, British researchers said on Friday.

The study published in the journal Lancet took a different approach than most tobacco cessation programs aimed at youths by asking students to nominate others they viewed as influential or leaders to spread the anti-smoking message.

This peer selection proved more effective than conventional programs and greatly reduced the number of students likely to start smoking, the researchers said. Read more

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“In fairness, she believes she's fighting the fight of a maverick”

Elizabeth Halverson is a judge. But the way courthouse staffers see it, she expects to be treated like a queen. via CNN

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“It didn't really match so how can we rely that this vaccine's OK?"”

Flu vaccine manufacturers expect to make a record number of doses for next flu season despite concerns that demand may drop because this year's vaccine was largely ineffective.

The five companies that make flu vaccine for the U.S. market plan to make at least 143 million doses for the 2008-2009 season. They made 140 million doses for the current season -- the worst in four years for adult deaths from flu and pneumonia.

Part of the problem was the vaccine didn't work well against the viruses that ended up circulating. Each year, health officials essentially make an educated guess and formulate a vaccine against three viruses. Their guess usually works well. Read more

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The Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority.

The government seeks to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed Kansas-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy demand from overseas customers in Japan and elsewhere.

Less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are currently tested for the disease under Agriculture Department guidelines. The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers. Read more

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“We know they didn't have a positive test before they went to the clinic, and now they're positive”

Seventy-seven more people that were treated at a Las Vegas outpatient clinic have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, health officials said. via WSVN-TV Miami Beach

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What is the right amount of sleep? via ClipSyndicate

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