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Antibiotics may be of little use in treating sinus infections

A new British study disputes the effectiveness of antibiotic drugs prescribed to treat sinus infections.

6 Dec 2007

Why is flu worse in winter?

If you've ever wondered why flu is more common in winter a new study by researchers in the U.S. may have some answers to that question.

6 Dec 2007

New genetic findings on malaria parasite

The malaria parasite has been studied for decades, but surprisingly, little is known about how it behaves in humans to cause disease.

29 Nov 2007

Simple measures such as hand washing better than drugs in dealing with flu viruses

Scientists say using physical barriers, such as regular hand washing and wearing masks, gloves and gowns, may be far more effective than drugs to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS.

27 Nov 2007

Physical barriers may be more effective than drugs to prevent pandemics

Physical barriers, such as regular handwashing and wearing masks, gloves and gowns may be more effective than drugs to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like influenza and SARS, concludes a study published on bmj.com.

27 Nov 2007

What's needed to protect the heart during such operations?

It's too bad that ticker trouble doesn't guarantee good health elsewhere in the body. Most people with heart disease have other ailments, including some that require surgery.

27 Nov 2007

Bird flu in South Korea prompts culling of 17,000 ducks

A bird flu scare in South Korea has prompted Japan to ban all imports of poultry from there.

27 Nov 2007

Indonesia refuses again to share bird flu samples

The nation's health minister Siti Fadilah Supari says before any bird flu specimens are sent to the WHO, Indonesia needs assurances that poorer nations will have affordable access to any pandemic vaccines developed from the virus and they are not only available to the rich

26 Nov 2007

Another case of bird flu in Hong Kong

It appears that a sick egret found in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong last week has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

26 Nov 2007

Brits gear up for pandemic while FDA warns about flu jabs side-effects

The British government says it plans to double its stockpile of antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu to cope with the possibility of a flu pandemic.

26 Nov 2007

UK framework for responding to an influenza pandemic

The Health Protection Agency welcomes publication of the Government's National Framework for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic.

22 Nov 2007

Brits battle to contain bird flu as another 68,000 birds are culled

Another 68,000 birds have been culled in England in efforts to contain an outbreak of the deadly bird flu, 56,000 ducks, 9,000 turkeys and 3,000 geese.

22 Nov 2007

Novel proposal to overcome the virus sharing impasse

In light of the importance of virus monitoring for pandemic influenza preparedness and response, Indonesia's refusal to share samples of avian flu (H5N1) virus with the WHO for most of 2007 is "distressing and potentially dangerous for global public health," say two leading global health experts in an essay in this week's PLoS Medicine.

21 Nov 2007