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Burning incense ups the risk of respiratory tract cancers

New research is suggesting that using incense for long periods could increase the risk of developing cancers of the respiratory tract.

26 Aug 2008

Contaminated meat responsible for deaths of 12 Canadians

Twelve people in Canada have died from an infection caused by eating spoiled meat, eleven in Ontario and one in British Columbia.

26 Aug 2008

The challenge of an ageing population

Worldwide many developed nations are facing the challenges presented by an aging population in terms of an increased burden on health systems.

26 Aug 2008

Premature births may be the result of undiagnosed infection

Scientists in the U.S. say a significant number of premature births may be caused by infections which are undiagnosed and the heavier the infection, the more likely the women were to deliver younger, sicker babies.

26 Aug 2008

One dead and many sick in latest food scare in the U.S.

The latest in a series of contaminated food scares from North America concerns a suspected outbreak of Escherichia coli (E. coli) which has left one person dead and seen many more admitted to hospital after eating at a restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.

26 Aug 2008

Good old traditional breakfast can be a killer!

That good old traditional breakfast that many love, with fried eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes, can be a killer.

26 Aug 2008

Childhood pets may make adults snorers

New research into why people snore has found that the roots of the problem possibly go back to a person's childhood.

26 Aug 2008

Hand foot and mouth disease rife in Singapore

According to reports in the media, Singapore is facing a possible outbreak of Hand Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD).

26 Aug 2008

Caesarean babies at risk of diabetes

New research from the UK is suggesting that babies born by Caesarean section have a 20% higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

26 Aug 2008

Indian physicians concerned about malaria drug resistance, recommend combination therapy

India has reported an increase in drug-resistant malaria cases this year, leading physicians to express concern and recommend that the disease be treated with a combination of drugs, India's Daily News and Analysis reports.

26 Aug 2008

HIV-positive women in Swaziland protest Royal Family's use of funds

More than 1,500 mostly HIV-positive women on Thursday protested against a foreign shopping trip taken by eight of King Mswati's 13 wives in what appeared to be the first demonstration in the country by HIV-positive people questioning how money should be spent, AFP/Khaleej Times reports.

26 Aug 2008

HIV/AIDS awareness efforts face difficulties in northern Kenya, health workers, advocates say

Some health workers and advocates in Kenya's North Eastern Province recently said that HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns face difficulties in the region because of its remote location and culture, IRIN/PlusNews reports.

26 Aug 2008

Minnesota officials to examine autism in Somali immigrant children

Minnesota health officials are examining a "possible surge" in autism cases among Somali immigrant children in the state, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

26 Aug 2008

Namibia to launch program that will address HIV/AIDS among workers at sea

A program that will provide employees in Namibia who work at sea with information on HIV/AIDS and focus on antiretroviral treatment is in an advanced stage of development, the New Era/AllAfrica.com reports.

26 Aug 2008

HIV/AIDS groups express concern about potential for new antiretroviral advertising to 'scare off' patients

The Wall Street Journal on Monday examined a new trend for drugmakers marketing HIV/AIDS treatments to release ads that "tak[e] aim at rival HIV drugs, hinting at side effects and other drawbacks."

26 Aug 2008

Asian-American/Pacific Islanders have higher survival rates than others for gastric cancers

Asian-American/Pacific Islanders with early-stage stomach cancers have an overall median survival rate that is higher than those of other races or ethnicities, according to new research, Reuters Health reports.

26 Aug 2008

Aggressive treatment regimens can successfully treat XDR-TB, MDR-TB

Aggressive treatment regimens successfully can treat nearly half of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis and can help prevent multi-drug resistant TB from developing into XDR-TB, according to a study conducted in prisons in Tomsk, Russia, and published Monday in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports. XDR-TB is resistant to the two most potent first-line treatments and at least two of the classes of second-line drugs.

26 Aug 2008

CDC to no longer fund advanced HIV/AIDS monitoring system in eight states and Puerto Rico

CDC on Friday announced that it will no longer fund an advanced HIV/AIDS monitoring system in eight states and Puerto Rico, the New York Times reports.

26 Aug 2008

CMS official expresses concerns with timeline, scope of Texas Medicaid overhaul plan

In an Aug. 7 letter to Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins, CMS official Dianne Heffron questioned whether the state's plan to overhaul Medicaid by providing subsidized health coverage to 2.1 million uninsured residents would move quickly enough and be broad enough to justify relaxing federal rules, the Dallas Morning News reports. Heffron wrote, "It appears that significant, comprehensive reform would not begin until September 2010."

26 Aug 2008

Presidential candidates' positions on health and economic issues

A number of newspapers have recently looked at the presidential candidates' positions on health and economic issues, and how new figures on the number of uninsured Americans may play in the campaign.

26 Aug 2008