Health News

Fidel Castro, who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States from a guerrilla uprising and defied attempts to oust him by 10 U.S. presidents, retired on Tuesday after almost half a century at ... via Reuters

“Has it prevented infection? We don't have the answer to that yet.”

It's a new way to push for patient safety: Don't pay hospitals when they commit certain errors. Medicare will start hitting hospitals where it hurts in October, and other insurers are hot on the trail.

That has the nation's hospitals exploring innovative programs to prevent injury and infection: Hand-washing spies. Surgical sponges that sound an alarm if left in the body. Even a room sterilizer that promises to wipe out bacteria left lurking on bedrails.

'Money talks,' says Dr. Steven Gordon, infectious disease chief at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. 'Every hospital CFO, this gets their attention.' Read more

“We have always known that the path to developing a successful microbicide would be a long one.”

The first anti-AIDS vaginal gel to make it through late-stage testing failed to stop HIV infection in a study of 6,000 South African women, disappointed researchers announced Monday.

The study was marred by low use of the gel, which could have undermined results, they said. Women used it less than half the number of times they had sex, and only 10 percent said they used it every time as directed.

Scientists are still analyzing the results to see if this made a difference. They also plan more tests on a revamped gel containing an AIDS drug that they hope will work better. Read more

More than a dozen states across the U.S. have kicked the habit. Now, Iowa lawmakers want to pass a statewide smoking ban.

10 great tips on how you can better help and handle your parents aging process safely.

“It is extremely unlikely that these animals were at risk for BSE because of the multiple safeguards; however this action is necessary because plant procedures violated USDA regulations”

The US Department of Agriculture on Sunday announced that a California company was recalling more than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef after it violated inspection rules. via The Age

“I think you can tell the value of a community by how well it helps maximize everyone's potential”

For Aisha and Shanti Byrd, their son's autism diagnosis about a year ago wasn't the heartbreaker. via The Item

New Zealanders are being encouraged to get vaccinated against flu before the annual epidemic sets in. via Newstalk ZB

The flu virus is hammering the region, raising questions about the effectiveness of the flu shots taken by so many New Englanders. via TheBostonChannel

The Milwaukee County medical examiner's office says a one-month old boy who died last month in Milwaukee had the flu. via WFRV-TV Green Bay

“We encourage a lot of external review”

The chief of malaria for the World Health Organization has complained that the growing dominance of malaria research by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation risks stifling a diversity of views among scientists ... via Seattle Times

The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued a health alert to doctors and hospitals because ten Chicago-area patients have tested positive for an unusual type of drug-resistant influenza.

Authorities say the strain of flu can be successfully treated with some drugs, but it does not respond to Tamiflu, which is the most common antiviral medication for flu.

The alert suggests that flu patients who are in intensive care be given a combination of drugs.

Authorities say eight of the ten Tamiflu-resistant infections came from an outbreak at a single Chicago health care facility. They did not release the name of that facility. Read more

“People are usually too free about giving advice”

The advice made her head spin: Have the lump removed. No, let them take the whole breast. Chemo? Radiation? Everyone seemed to have an opinion.

'I just shut everyone down around me,' said Bernie Brann, a newly diagnosed cancer patient from upstate New York. 'You're just so overwhelmed with information.'

Bad advice, or just too much of it, can compound the trauma and damage done by the disease itself, cancer patients often find. Friends and relatives are important for support, but when these untrained people act as cancer coaches, they can sway people to make poor decisions about their care. Read more

“HPV infection alone is not sufficient to cause cervical cancer”

Washington, Feb 16: A new study at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre has found that stress may increase the risk of developing cervical cancer in women. via Daily India

“It's a little bit of a problem to actually do it, so you have got to make a conscious decision every year to opt in to being a smoker”

Forcing smokers to apply for a 10 permit to buy cigarettes could help people to quit, a government health adviser said. via IcNorthWales

“We have a policy requiring that all foreign service officers be worldwide available as determined by a medical examination at the time of entry into the foreign service”

Under pressure from a lawsuit, the State Department is changing rules that had disqualified HIV-positive people from becoming U.S. diplomats.

Effective Friday, the department removed HIV from a list of medical conditions that automatically prevent foreign service candidates from meeting an employment requirement that they be able to work anywhere in the world.

The change was made after consultation with medical experts and in response to a lawsuit filed by an HIV-positive man who was denied entry into the foreign service despite being otherwise qualified, the department said. Read more

Are you feeling surrounded by family, friends and co-workers spewing flu virus? It's not paranoia. via WITN

The U.S. flu season is getting worse. And U.S. health officials in Atlanta said it's partly because the flu vaccine doesn't match most of the circulating viruses.

Infections from an unexpected flu strain have been booming. Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the current vaccine is a good match for only about 40 percent of the spreading flu viruses.

This week, 44 states reported widespread flu activity, up from

31 last week. Read more

“Tonight we got serious about love, and not just the love of art, but the love of our brothers and sisters suffering from AIDS in the poorest places on the planet”

A celebrity-studded Valentine's Day charity auction of contemporary artworks _ all inspired by the color red and the concept of love _ raised more than $42.5 million to benefit HIV/AIDS relief programs in Africa, Sotheby's auction house said.

Organized by Sotheby's, U2 lead singer Bono, artist Damien Hirst and Manhattan's Gagosian Gallery, the sale on Thursday blasted past the maximum of $29 million it was expected to bring in, Sotheby's said.

The event also set sale records for 17 artists, including Howard Hodgkin, Marc Quinn and Keith Tyson, the auction house said. Read more