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Immunization back on agenda as whooping cough increases

Immunization for pertussis, also known as whooping cough, began in the mid-1940s and resulted in a sharp decline of this serious illness over the next 25 years. Over the last two decades, however, as immunity has waned, pertussis has re-emerged in the United States, with the greatest increase seen in adolescents, adults and young infants.

1 May 2004

Adult height loss could suggest future osteoporosis problems

The loss of 2 or more inches in height during adulthood serves as a powerful predictor of osteoporosis in the hip, and thus the risk for hip fractures, in elderly women, according to a new study at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The finding has led researchers to recommend that primary care physicians routinely screen aging patients for height loss. Seth Kantor

1 May 2004

Telemedicine focus of symposium "Future Directions for Telemedicine"

A pediatric patient in Marquette, Michigan is being examined by a doctor— but the doctor is 365 miles away in Ann Arbor. Elsewhere in Michigan, a mental health patient, his family and psychiatrist are participating in a commitment hearing in the safe, secure environment of a psychiatric unit— but the judge is actually on the other side of town.

30 Apr 2004

China reports SARS infection in two patients previously under investigation

The Chinese Ministry of Health has today reported diagnostic confirmation of SARS infection in two patients previously under investigation in Beijing. Confirmation is based on the results of laboratory tests, clinical symptoms, and a history of close contact with a known case.

29 Apr 2004

Vaccination Week in the Americas in full swing

Reports from the countries say that the immunization campaign has reached some of the most remote areas, including border regions and indigenous communities. The reports also show that the vaccination efforts, which began April 24, are reaching the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

29 Apr 2004

Millions of poor and minority children in America's cities likely will suffer higher rates of asthma

Millions of poor and minority children in America's cities likely will suffer even higher rates of asthma as the result of a "powerful one-two punch" of higher levels of pollen and changes in the types of molds spurred by global warming, along with unhealthy urban air masses caused by the burning of fossil fuel by cars, trucks and buses, according to a warning issued today by Harvard researchers and the American Public Health Association (APHA).

29 Apr 2004

CDC commits $30 million to innovative public health research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it is committing almost $30 million in new funding to support innovative public health research aimed at further promoting and protecting the health of Americans

29 Apr 2004

British government warns couch potatoes

The warning came as the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, published a new landmark report on physical activity and health - At Least Five A Week. Smoking and unhealthy diet have long been established as major causal factors for chronic disease but the report says that inactive living is equally important.

29 Apr 2004

Could Britain follow California and New York by going smoke free

Since the Royal Medical Colleges widely-publicised call last November for smoke-free public places, there have been many developments in this area.

29 Apr 2004

Body repositioning is highly effective in resolving dizziness

Dizziness is one of the most common medical complaints affecting older adults, with 10-20 percent of such complaints resulting from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Many research studies have stated that without medical treatment, some 30 percent of BPPV patients will recover on their own. Now, a new evidence-based review has found that a single ten minute in-office treatment, based on a series of head and body turns, is highly effective in resolving this disorder, with an overall effectiveness of 70-80 percent.

29 Apr 2004

Lou Gehrig’s disease gene discovered

A gene for a rare juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) has been isolated in families in the United States, Belgium and Austria, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today.

29 Apr 2004

Lean beef good for teenagers

Diets rich in lean beef can help teenagers maintain their levels of useable iron, teach important balanced eating habits and dispel rumors that all healthy diets are challenging and lack taste, according to a researcher in the University of Iowa College of Public Health.

28 Apr 2004

Canada kicks off National Immunization Awareness Week

Marking National Immunization Awareness Week, Canada's health ministers today encouraged parents and care givers across the country to have their children immunized.

28 Apr 2004

Mothers who smoke increase the likelihood of daughters smoking 3 fold

The illusion of smoking can be just as deadly as the real thing for minority inner-city girls who believe their mothers have the habit, a new University of Florida study finds.

28 Apr 2004

John Reid reaffirms British Government’s commitment to tackling health inequalities

Secretary of State for Health, John Reid, reaffirmed the British Government’s commitment to tackling health inequalities and congratulated all those who have been leading local action, at a national conference in London today.

28 Apr 2004

Scientists get new motor neurons to migrate through the spinal cord

In experiments with rodents, Johns Hopkins scientists have used properly directed stem cells to successfully overcome what is thought to be a basic hurdle in restoring function to severely damaged central nervous systems

28 Apr 2004

Philippines tightens SARS screening at all entry points

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) is assuring the public that there is no immediate threat of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the country despite the new cases found in neighboring China.

28 Apr 2004

New suspected SARS case over the past 24 hours

Chinese officials have reported a new suspected case of SARS in Beijing over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 7 suspected cases and 2 confirmed.

28 Apr 2004

Russia's housing conditions linked to high rates of asthma amongst children

Scientists from the University of Birmingham, UK, have worked with the Harvard School of Public Health and universities in Russia to look for the first time at environmental factors causing breathing problems in Russian children.

28 Apr 2004

Dental x-rays when pregnant linked to low birth weight

Research conducted at the University of Washington School of Dentistry shows that women who have dental X-rays during pregnancy are three times as likely to have a low-birth-weight, full-term baby as women who did not have diagnostic X-rays during pregnancy.

27 Apr 2004