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U.S. Army fires Commander of Walter Reed over concerns about leadership abilities

Maj. Gen. George Weightman was fired as commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center because the Army said it had lost confidence in his leadership abilities, the Washington Post reports.

4 Mar 2007

Morphine for euthanasia is a myth

Using morphine to end a person's life is a myth, argues a senior doctor in a letter to this week's British Medical Journal.

4 Mar 2007

Peanut Butter scare spreads further

As a result of the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, an extensive inspection of ConAgra's processing plant in Georgia by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revealed the presence of Salmonella.

4 Mar 2007

Salty British bread puts 7,000 lives at risk

Health campaigners in Britain say high levels of salt in bread sold in supermarkets is placing 7,000 lives a year at risk.

1 Mar 2007

Fertility rate in Chinese county exempt from one-child policy lower than national average

The Chinese county of Yicheng, which has been exempt for the last 21 years from the country's one-child-per-family policy, has been found to have a lower fertility rate than the national average, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

1 Mar 2007

Federal Appeals Court rules in favor of U.S. policy requiring groups that receive HIV/AIDS funding to condemn commercial sex work

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday ruled that a U.S. policy requiring recipients of federal HIV/AIDS service grants to pledge to oppose commercial sex work does not violate the groups' First Amendment right to free speech, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports.

1 Mar 2007

Former FDA commissioner Lester Crawford gets three years probation and $90,000 fine

U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson on Tuesday sentenced former FDA commissioner Lester Crawford to three years of supervised probation and ordered him to pay fines of about $90,000 for false reporting and conflicts of interest related to ownership of stocks in companies regulated by the agency, the AP/Washington Times reports.

1 Mar 2007

Latest food scare in the U.S. hits Hollywood party scene

Hollywood's celebrities may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus at one of 13 catered events, in particular a Sports Illustrated's swimsuit party.

28 Feb 2007

Medical workers sentenced to death in Libyan HIV infection case plead not guilty in slander hearing

The five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for allegedly intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV on Sunday pleaded not guilty to claims that they slandered a police officer and a doctor by accusing them of torture, Reuters/Independent Online reports.

28 Feb 2007

Obese eight year old to stay with mother

The grossly overweight eight year old in Britain who was facing being taken into care, will be allowed to remain with his family.

28 Feb 2007

Restaurants guilty of sponsoring "extreme eating" say food police

According to a consumer group in the U.S., chain restaurants are guilty of promoting "extreme eating" by offering patrons dishes loaded with calories.

27 Feb 2007

UK introduces new penalties for mobile phone use while driving

The new increased penalties for mobile phone use while driving, that come into force today, will prevent accidents and save lives, says the British Medical Association.

27 Feb 2007

Medics in Libyan HIV sham now accused of slander

In the latest development in the cases of the foreign medics sentenced to death in Libya for supposedly deliberately infecting children at a hospital with HIV, the six are now being subjected to a slander trial.

26 Feb 2007

8 year old 88.9 kilogram boy in UK may be taken into care

A primary school child in Britain is facing the possibility of being taken into care because of his obesity.

26 Feb 2007

Federal agencies sued over medical Marijuana statements

The Oakland, Calif.-based advocacy group Americans for Safe Access on Wednesday filed suit in Oakland federal court against HHS and FDA over statements the organizations have made about medical marijuana, citing several studies that found the drug might benefit HIV-positive people, the Los Angeles Times reports.

25 Feb 2007

Chinese HIV/AIDS advocate Gao says international pressure helped persuade officials to allow her to travel to U.S. to accept award

Chinese HIV/AIDS advocate and retired physician Gao Yaojie on Thursday said she believes international pressure helped persuade Chinese authorities to allow her to travel to the U.S. to accept an award from Vital Voices Global Partnership, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports.

25 Feb 2007

Medical marijuana advocates take HHS to court

Using the latest research to support their claims, advocates for the medical use of marijuana are heading to court.

25 Feb 2007

Organic baby food in latest food scare

Authorities in Singapore have ordered the recall of a baby food product by Earth's Best on the grounds that it may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism.

21 Feb 2007

Lawsuit filed against federal government over medical cannabis misinformation

The patients advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California demanding that the federal government cease issuing misinformation on medical cannabis and correct the information it has released.

21 Feb 2007

Food scare number 4 this week - chicken breast meat

In yet another food scare in the United States a nationwide recall of 52,650 pounds of Oscar Mayer ready to eat chicken breast strips is suspected to be contaminated.

19 Feb 2007