Quintuplets born at New York hospital

NEW YORK - They're first-time parents - five times over. A set of quintuplets was born Saturday at Staten Island University Hospital, spokesman Christian Preston said. He said the four girls, one boy and their mother were doing well....More

U.S. study suggests obesity surgery reverses diabetes in teens

NEW YORK - Obesity surgery can reverse diabetes in teens, just as it does in adults, according to a small study. All but one of the 11 extremely obese teens studied saw their diabetes disappear within a year after weight-loss surgery, the researchers reported....More

Judge rejects class action by Gulf Coast hurricane victims over trailer fumes

NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has refused to certify a class action on behalf of thousands of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to potentially hazardous Formaldehyde fumes while living in government-issued trailers after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. U.S....More

Chinese dairies to compensate sickened babies

BEIJING - Chinese companies whose tainted milk products sickened nearly 300,000 children and were blamed in the deaths of six will likely pay US$160 million in compensation to victims' families, a newspaper said Tuesday....More

Experts test exercise, other steps, to prevent lymphedema after breast cancer

WASHINGTON - Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies - the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema....More

China dairy manager on trial for milk scandal

BEIJING - The former chairwoman of the dairy company at the heart of China's tainted milk scandal went on trial Wednesday on charges of selling fake or substandard products, Xinhua News Agency reported. Tian Wenhua, former board chairwoman and general manager of Sanlu Group Co....More

Biovail recalls some lots of Ultram ER: no safety issue; pain set at $7.4M

TORONTO - Biovail Corp. is recalling an unspecified amount of its Ultram extended-release pain medication, citing a "minor" variance in the rate at which the pills dissolve, and saying there is no safety problem....More

Psoriasis drug Raptiva to carry new safety information about infections

TORONTO - The manufacturer of a drug for the treatment of psoriasis has issued new safety information for doctors and patients....More

AstraZeneca says FDA asks for Seroquel detail

LONDON - AstraZeneca PLC said Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked for more information regarding the drug Seroquel, which AstraZeneca is trying to get approved for use by people suffering from depression....More

6 Chinese, accused of selling melamine, go on trial in tainted milk scandal

BEIJING - Six Chinese men went on trial Friday, accused of making and selling the chemical at the heart of the tainted milk scandal, including the owner of an illegal workshop that was allegedly the country's largest source of melamine, state media said....More

UN health agency says Zimbabwe cholera death toll has topped 1,500

GENEVA - The World Health Organization says the cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen to more than 1,500 and case fatality rates are increasing....More

Quintuplets born at New York hospital

NEW YORK - They're first-time parents - five times over. A set of quintuplets was born Saturday at Staten Island University Hospital, spokesman Christian Preston said. He said the four girls, one boy and their mother were doing well....More

U.S. study suggests obesity surgery reverses diabetes in teens

NEW YORK - Obesity surgery can reverse diabetes in teens, just as it does in adults, according to a small study. All but one of the 11 extremely obese teens studied saw their diabetes disappear within a year after weight-loss surgery, the researchers reported....More

Judge rejects class action by Gulf Coast hurricane victims over trailer fumes

NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has refused to certify a class action on behalf of thousands of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to potentially hazardous Formaldehyde fumes while living in government-issued trailers after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. U.S....More

Chinese dairies to compensate sickened babies

BEIJING - Chinese companies whose tainted milk products sickened nearly 300,000 children and were blamed in the deaths of six will likely pay US$160 million in compensation to victims' families, a newspaper said Tuesday....More

Experts test exercise, other steps, to prevent lymphedema after breast cancer

WASHINGTON - Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies - the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema....More

Chinese company at the root of a tainted milk scandal declared bankrupt

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Chinese court has declared bankrupt the company at the centre of a scandal over tainted milk. The milk is blamed for killing six children and sickening almost 300,000 more....More

Seven toys in Canada recalled in 2008 due to potentially toxic barium

TORONTO - Despite assurances from Ottawa that concerned parents would start seeing fewer toy recalls, the number of children's products pulled from shelves increased by some 40 per cent in 2008, with a potentially toxic and previously undetected threat - barium - tainting seven of those toys....More

Ont.'s chief coroner orders inquest into role of antidepressants in teen suicides

TORONTO - The father of a Toronto-area teen who hanged herself said good can come from tragedy as he applauded an announcement Wednesday by Ontario's chief coroner to hold an inquest into her death....More

AstraZeneca says FDA asks for Seroquel detail

LONDON - AstraZeneca PLC said Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked for more information regarding the drug Seroquel, which AstraZeneca is trying to get approved for use by people suffering from depression....More

6 Chinese, accused of selling melamine, go on trial in tainted milk scandal

BEIJING - Six Chinese men went on trial Friday, accused of making and selling the chemical at the heart of the tainted milk scandal, including the owner of an illegal workshop that was allegedly the country's largest source of melamine, state media said....More

UN health agency says Zimbabwe cholera death toll has topped 1,500

GENEVA - The World Health Organization says the cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen to more than 1,500 and case fatality rates are increasing....More

Quintuplets born at New York hospital

NEW YORK - They're first-time parents - five times over. A set of quintuplets was born Saturday at Staten Island University Hospital, spokesman Christian Preston said. He said the four girls, one boy and their mother were doing well....More

U.S. study suggests obesity surgery reverses diabetes in teens

NEW YORK - Obesity surgery can reverse diabetes in teens, just as it does in adults, according to a small study. All but one of the 11 extremely obese teens studied saw their diabetes disappear within a year after weight-loss surgery, the researchers reported....More

University of Michigan fights $1.72-million damage award to ex-dental student

DETROIT - Four faculty members at the University of Michigan dental school are asking the courts to take some of the bite out of a $1.72-million damage award to a former student. Thirty-year-old Alissa Zwick sued after she was dismissed from the dental school in 2005....More

U.S. FDA warns Coca-Cola over nutritional claims on diet drink

WASHINGTON - Federal health regulators have scolded Coca-Cola for placing inappropriate nutritional claims on its Diet Coke Plus soft drink....More

Listeria outbreak rocketed Canada's food safety system to top of mind in 2008

TORONTO - The deadly, nationwide outbreak of a previously anonymous bacterium has pushed Listeria and food safety to the forefront of the public consciousness, but experts warn that people are mistaken if they think avoiding Maple Leaf cold cuts amounts to safe eating in 2009....More

GlaxoSmithKline working with Archemix

LONDON - GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Archemix Corp. said Tuesday they will work together to develop drugs for inflammatory diseases in a deal that could be worth as much as US$1.4 billion....More

Chinese company at the root of a tainted milk scandal declared bankrupt

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Chinese court has declared bankrupt the company at the centre of a scandal over tainted milk. The milk is blamed for killing six children and sickening almost 300,000 more....More

Seven toys in Canada recalled in 2008 due to potentially toxic barium

TORONTO - Despite assurances from Ottawa that concerned parents would start seeing fewer toy recalls, the number of children's products pulled from shelves increased by some 40 per cent in 2008, with a potentially toxic and previously undetected threat - barium - tainting seven of those toys....More

Ont.'s chief coroner orders inquest into role of antidepressants in teen suicides

TORONTO - The father of a Toronto-area teen who hanged herself said good can come from tragedy as he applauded an announcement Wednesday by Ontario's chief coroner to hold an inquest into her death....More

AstraZeneca says FDA asks for Seroquel detail

LONDON - AstraZeneca PLC said Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked for more information regarding the drug Seroquel, which AstraZeneca is trying to get approved for use by people suffering from depression....More

University of Michigan fights $1.72-million damage award to ex-dental student

DETROIT - Four faculty members at the University of Michigan dental school are asking the courts to take some of the bite out of a $1.72-million damage award to a former student. Thirty-year-old Alissa Zwick sued after she was dismissed from the dental school in 2005....More

U.S. FDA warns Coca-Cola over nutritional claims on diet drink

WASHINGTON - Federal health regulators have scolded Coca-Cola for placing inappropriate nutritional claims on its Diet Coke Plus soft drink....More

Listeria outbreak rocketed Canada's food safety system to top of mind in 2008

TORONTO - The deadly, nationwide outbreak of a previously anonymous bacterium has pushed Listeria and food safety to the forefront of the public consciousness, but experts warn that people are mistaken if they think avoiding Maple Leaf cold cuts amounts to safe eating in 2009....More

GlaxoSmithKline working with Archemix

LONDON - GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Archemix Corp. said Tuesday they will work together to develop drugs for inflammatory diseases in a deal that could be worth as much as US$1.4 billion....More

Chinese company at the root of a tainted milk scandal declared bankrupt

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Chinese court has declared bankrupt the company at the centre of a scandal over tainted milk. The milk is blamed for killing six children and sickening almost 300,000 more....More

Seven toys in Canada recalled in 2008 due to potentially toxic barium

TORONTO - Despite assurances from Ottawa that concerned parents would start seeing fewer toy recalls, the number of children's products pulled from shelves increased by some 40 per cent in 2008, with a potentially toxic and previously undetected threat - barium - tainting seven of those toys....More

Ont.'s chief coroner orders inquest into role of antidepressants in teen suicides

TORONTO - The father of a Toronto-area teen who hanged herself said good can come from tragedy as he applauded an announcement Wednesday by Ontario's chief coroner to hold an inquest into her death....More

AstraZeneca says FDA asks for Seroquel detail

LONDON - AstraZeneca PLC said Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked for more information regarding the drug Seroquel, which AstraZeneca is trying to get approved for use by people suffering from depression....More

More than 100 million Americans breathe sooty air, U.S. agency says

WASHINGTON - More than 100 million people living in 46 metropolitan areas of the United States are breathing air that has become fouled with soot - and now those cities are being told to clean up their air....More

Caution! Holiday stress can bust your diet

NEW YORK - Beth Dunn is taking a scale break. Judi Moreo is shelving her Jenny Craig meals. And Thea Lobell is relaxing her fried food rule - at least for the time being. "I'm making fun choices, and I'm enjoying it," said Lobell, 39, a professional speaker in Baton Rouge, La....More

Avoid painkiller-overuse rut in migraines or chronic migraine could result

WASHINGTON - Those pain pills you think help your migraines? Take too many and you could make them worse. Overusing painkillers can spin migraine patients into a rut, spurring more headaches that in turn require more pain medication....More

University of Michigan fights $1.72-million damage award to ex-dental student

DETROIT - Four faculty members at the University of Michigan dental school are asking the courts to take some of the bite out of a $1.72-million damage award to a former student. Thirty-year-old Alissa Zwick sued after she was dismissed from the dental school in 2005....More

U.S. FDA warns Coca-Cola over nutritional claims on diet drink

WASHINGTON - Federal health regulators have scolded Coca-Cola for placing inappropriate nutritional claims on its Diet Coke Plus soft drink....More

Listeria outbreak rocketed Canada's food safety system to top of mind in 2008

TORONTO - The deadly, nationwide outbreak of a previously anonymous bacterium has pushed Listeria and food safety to the forefront of the public consciousness, but experts warn that people are mistaken if they think avoiding Maple Leaf cold cuts amounts to safe eating in 2009....More

GlaxoSmithKline working with Archemix

LONDON - GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Archemix Corp. said Tuesday they will work together to develop drugs for inflammatory diseases in a deal that could be worth as much as US$1.4 billion....More

Chinese company at the root of a tainted milk scandal declared bankrupt

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Chinese court has declared bankrupt the company at the centre of a scandal over tainted milk. The milk is blamed for killing six children and sickening almost 300,000 more....More

Alta. health officials say mysterious infections of two infants not linked

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - Health officials in southern Alberta say they've determined that infections that killed one infant and made another very sick weren't related. Dr....More

Premier confirms Alberta health spending at least $1 billion over budget this year

EDMONTON - Stroke victim Ian Young says medicare founder Tommy Douglas would be "horrified" to see what's happening to health care in Alberta as the province struggles to control spending....More

US regulators warn about some Web-sold diet pills which they say are dangerous

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is warning dieters to avoid close to 30 weight-loss products that contain unlisted and possibly dangerous ingredients. The pills are advertised as "natural" fat busters and have intriguing names like Imelda Perfect Slim and Zhen de Shou....More

Prevent the holiday eating binge: Consider how you'll feel on Jan. 2

Stressed over holidays, finances and a down economy? Before you reach for the cookies, read these tips on how to control the holiday binge. -Think about how you want to feel on Jan. 2, says Judith S. Beck, author of the "The Complete Beck Diet for Life....More

New snow blower for Christmas? Take care, itIs not a toy

TORONTO - If you find a snow blower under the Christmas tree, or a note from Santa to check for one in the garage, take care as you proceed to use this new piece of equipment, experts advise. By mid-December, Dr. William Andrade, a plastic surgeon in Newmarket, Ont....More

More than 100 million Americans breathe sooty air, U.S. agency says

WASHINGTON - More than 100 million people living in 46 metropolitan areas of the United States are breathing air that has become fouled with soot - and now those cities are being told to clean up their air....More

Caution! Holiday stress can bust your diet

NEW YORK - Beth Dunn is taking a scale break. Judi Moreo is shelving her Jenny Craig meals. And Thea Lobell is relaxing her fried food rule - at least for the time being. "I'm making fun choices, and I'm enjoying it," said Lobell, 39, a professional speaker in Baton Rouge, La....More

Avoid painkiller-overuse rut in migraines or chronic migraine could result

WASHINGTON - Those pain pills you think help your migraines? Take too many and you could make them worse. Overusing painkillers can spin migraine patients into a rut, spurring more headaches that in turn require more pain medication....More

Health Canada says children under 6 shouldn't get cough and cold medication

TORONTO - Children under six years old shouldn't be treated with over-the-counter cough and cold medications because the potential risks outweigh any possible benefits, Health Canada says....More

CFIA recalls Mariposa Meat products because of suspected Listeria

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Mariposa Meats are warning the public not to consume some Old Style brand products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes....More

25 years after first lung transplant: survival rates improve, more operations

TORONTO - Twenty-five years after the world's first successful lung transplant was performed in Toronto, a new report shows that the number of lung transplants in Canada has risen dramatically....More

With resistant viruses, doctors face dilemma treating flu this season

TORONTO - Early signs from this flu season suggest doctors face a vexing dilemma in treating the illness....More

Toronto doctors develop method to preserve lungs; allows more transplants

TORONTO - In a groundbreaking world first, Toronto doctors have used a new technique to repair and rejuvenate injured donor lungs and successfully transplanted them into a patient....More

Health Canada announces new label information for diabetes drug Actos

TORONTO - Health Canada has asked the maker of the diabetes drug Actos to beef up its label warning about the risk of heart failure in people taking the medication....More

Alta. health officials say mysterious infections of two infants not linked

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - Health officials in southern Alberta say they've determined that infections that killed one infant and made another very sick weren't related. Dr....More

Premier confirms Alberta health spending at least $1 billion over budget this year

EDMONTON - Stroke victim Ian Young says medicare founder Tommy Douglas would be "horrified" to see what's happening to health care in Alberta as the province struggles to control spending....More

Ability to text-message after taking ill at concert sign of recovery?

TORONTO - "J2LUK M OK. M BSTG BION. BBIAB. WCWM." Confused? So might be anyone uninitiated to the world of text-speak....More

Tumour in U.S. newborn's brain contained foot

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A pediatric neurosurgeon says a tumour he removed from the brain of a U.S. infant contained a tiny foot and other partially formed body parts. Dr....More

Survival rates for lung transplants improve; people die on waiting list: report

TORONTO - Twenty-five years after the world's first successful lung transplant was performed in Toronto, a new report shows that the number of lung transplants in Canada has risen dramatically....More

Repeat doses of corticosteroids don't help, could harm preemies, study shows

TORONTO - It's a classic reminder that more isn't always better: New research shows that giving repeated doses of corticosteroids to pregnant women at risk of delivering prematurely doesn't help and may even hurt their babies....More

Liver function needs to be monitored in lung cancer patients taking Tarceva

TORONTO - The drug company Hoffman-La Roche is informing doctors about new safety information for one of its drugs used by lung cancer patients. It says liver function needs to be closely monitored by the doctor in patients who currently or recently have taken Tarceva....More

Health Canada says children under 6 shouldn't get cough and cold medication

TORONTO - Children under six years old shouldn't be treated with over-the-counter cough and cold medications because the potential risks outweigh any possible benefits, Health Canada says....More

CFIA recalls Mariposa Meat products because of suspected Listeria

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Mariposa Meats are warning the public not to consume some Old Style brand products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes....More

25 years after first lung transplant: survival rates improve, more operations

TORONTO - Twenty-five years after the world's first successful lung transplant was performed in Toronto, a new report shows that the number of lung transplants in Canada has risen dramatically....More

Telus injecting $100 million over three years in medical-data technology unit

TORONTO - Telus Corp. (TSX:T) is grafting a new brand on its health-care technology unit and plans to invest $100 million over three years into the business to build and run networks sharing medical records and other information....More

Study puts a total on diabetes cost: US$218 billion in the United States

TRENTON, N.J. - As diabetes is rapidly becoming one of the world's most common diseases, its financial cost is mounting, too, to well over US$200 billion a year in the U.S. alone....More

Rick Hansen helps open world-class spinal cord research centre

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Man in Motion wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen joined B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell Tuesday to officially open a world-class spinal cord injury research centre in Vancouver....More

Raw-milk activist calls Ontario milk board an 'albatross,' wants it scrapped

TORONTO - Ontario's milk marketing board is an "albatross" that has failed to deliver on its legislated mandate to protect small-scale farming and should be scrapped, farmer and raw-milk activist Michael Schmidt said Tuesday....More

Ont. dentists say urgent action needed to prevent 'infectious' tooth decay in kids

TORONTO - As the mother of a 16-month-old boy, Catherine Arcand-Pinette is eager to prevent him from picking up infectious diseases such as the flu or strep throat. However, the music teacher from Oakville, Ont....More

Learning name of colour changes part of brain handling colour perception

WASHINGTON - Learning the name of a colour changes the part of the brain that handles colour perception. Infants perceive colour in the right hemisphere of the brain, researchers report, while adults do the job in the brain's left hemisphere....More

Doctors report a successful transplant of a windpipe with stem cells

LONDON - Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique has great promise," said Dr. Eric Genden, who did a similar transplant in 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York....More

This is your stomach on drugs: Study shows antibiotics disrupt gut for months

TORONTO - This is your gut. This is your gut on drugs. A new study reveals that a common antibiotic disrupts normal bacterial levels in the digestive tract of healthy adults for longer than previously thought....More

Injection site opponents emotional, not scientific: study

OTTAWA - A federal government threat to close Vancouver's supervised injection facility appears to be based more on emotion than rational analysis, a new report suggests....More

Family history can trump breast cancer gene test: U of T research

WASHINGTON - If breast cancer runs in the family, sobering new research shows women can still be at high risk even if they test free of the disease's most common gene mutations....More

Doctors hope for new era of artificial ankles that work more like original joint

WASHINGTON - What was left of Dan Sivia's ankle simply didn't work. He limped through his 30s by sheer force of will, one foot almost completely immobile from repeated broken bones and surgeries. Then a doctor offered his last hope: An ankle replacement....More

Charest offers to help infertile couples, Dumont to crack down on crime

MONTREAL - Premier Jean Charest says a Liberal government will offer financial help to couples needing fertility treatments....More

CFIA issues warning on milk in non-dairy coffee mix

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to milk not to consume some non-dairy coffee mix. The affected products, which are being recalled, contain milk which is not declared on the label....More

Cases of asthma in Canada may be overdiagnosed by 30 per cent: study

TORONTO - Almost a third of adult Canadians diagnosed with asthma and taking medications to treat their wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath may not actually have the allergic respiratory condition at all, researchers say....More

British expert panel rejects change to organ donation law

LONDON - Britain should not change its organ-donation law to automatically designate every person a donor unless they or their survivors opt out, an expert panel recommended Monday....More

Action urged to prevent 'infectious' tooth decay in children

TORONTO - Ontario parents and politicians are being urged to do more to help prevent what a dental group calls an 'urgent problem' of tooth decay in children The Ontario Dental Association calls tooth decay an infectious disease and the most common preventable chronic childhood...More

B.C. government expected to offer insulin pump program for young diabetics

VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government is expected to announce an insulin pump program Friday that makes life easier for young diabetics and their families....More

Study finds HPV vaccine prevents genital warts in males

ATLANTA - For the first time, an expensive vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer in women has proven successful at preventing a disease in men, according to a study released Thursday by the vaccine's maker....More

B.C. government expected to offer insulin pump program for young diabetics

VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government is expected to announce an insulin pump program Friday that makes life easier for young diabetics and their families....More

Alberta contacts more than 1,000 people who may be infected by dirty syringes

EDMONTON - Alberta Health says it has contacted more than 1,000 people who may have been infected by the re-use of single-use syringes in the High Prairie area....More

Saskatoon health region to examine options after report notes health disparities

SASKATOON - Health officials in Saskatoon will be considering ways to boost the health of people in the city's poorest neighbourhoods. Officials are expected to meet Monday to examine the options....More

Surgeons aren't following all guidelines to lower infection risks: survey

TORONTO - Alberta surgeons aren't always following guidelines aimed at minimizing the risk patients will develop an infection as a result of their surgery, a new survey reveals....More

Major U.S. study says vitamin C or E pills do not help prevent cancer

Vitamin C or E pills do not help prevent cancer in men, concludes the same big study that last week found these supplements ineffective for warding off heart disease....More

Burlington, Vt., is healthiest U.S. city: CDC

The healthiest city in the United States is Burlington, Vt., the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Vermont's largest city is tops among U.S. metropolitan areas by having the largest proportion of people - 92 per cent - who say they are in good or great health....More

Mexico City has decided to give out Viagra to men 70 and older

MEXICO CITY - Mexico City is giving out free Viagra and other impotence drugs to men 70 and older. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says the city is implementing the plan because sexuality has a lot to do with quality of life and happiness....More

Melamine fears: FDA slaps sweeping hold order on foods imported from China

WASHINGTON - Health authorities in Washington have slapped a sweeping detention order on dozens of imported foods from China. The unusual move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration covers everything from snacks and drinks to chocolates and candies....More

Hundreds in Chile not told of positive HIV tests; contributes to spread of AIDS

SANTIAGO, Chile - Chile is scrambling to reach people who could be unknowingly spreading AIDS. Health Minister Alvaro Erazo told legislators Thursday that public health services failed to tell 512 people that they had tested positive for HIV....More

Health-care spending to outpace inflation: report

OTTAWA - Canada's health-care spending will continue to outpace inflation this year, reaching $171.9 billion or $5,170 per person, a new study predicts. Spending is forecast to be $10.3 billion more than the estimated expenditure for 2007, or a 3....More

Dealing with poverty 1st step in cutting TB among aboriginals, experts say

TORONTO - The photos say it all: young children, three and four to a bed, black mould growing on a paper-thin wall near their heads. A tiny house, only a step or two up from a shack, a broken window half-covered by a board to keep the weather out....More

Civilians can be treated for hernias at Halifax military base

HALIFAX, N.S. - Civilians will soon be able to undergo surgeries for hernias at a military base in Halifax following a one-day trial....More

Chronically ill Canadians waited longest of 8 countries to see specialists

TORONTO - Canadians with chronic illnesses wait longer to see medical specialists than counterparts in seven other developed countries, a new international survey suggests....More

B.C. government expected to offer insulin pump program for young diabetics

VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government is expected to announce an insulin pump program Friday that makes life easier for young diabetics and their families....More

Mtl leukemia patient who raised awareness about bone marrow donations dies

MONTREAL - Emru Townsend, a Montreal leukemia patient who launched an international appeal for ethnic bone marrow donors and raised awareness about the lack of donations among ethnic groups, has died....More

Marrow transplant may have cured AIDS, German doctors say

BERLIN - An American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the disease 20 months after receiving a targeted bone marrow transplant normally used to fight leukemia, his doctors said Wednesday....More

Global meeting in Toronto targets TB

OTTAWA - Native leaders and health experts from 60 countries will meet Thursday in Toronto to craft a global plan to cut alarming tuberculosis rates among the poor....More

Evidence too weak to say pesticides linked to cancer - yet: experts

TORONTO - It's one of those thorny issues that keeps cropping up among scientists, health-advocacy groups and the public: do the myriad pesticides that farmers use to grow our food cause cancer? The answer? Nobody is really sure....More

Evidence lacking for mass screening of heart patients for depression: study

TORONTO - Not enough medical evidence exists to recommend that cardiologists screen all their heart patients for depression, says a new study....More

British group urges more men to donate sperm because there is a shortage

LONDON - The British Fertility Society is warning that the country is facing a shortage of men willing to donate sperm. Fertility clinics are struggling to recruit donors, have long waiting lists and high costs and in some parts of the country, there are no clinics at all....More

People with egg allergies should not use Lucerne 10% Half and Half cream:

CALGARY - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to egg proteins to not consume Lucerne 10 per cent Half and Half Cream. The agency and Lucerne Foods, a division of Canada Safeway, says the product may contain egg which is not declared on the label....More

Chronically ill Canadians waited longest of 8 countries to see specialists

TORONTO - Canadians with chronic illnesses wait longer to see medical specialists than counterparts in seven other developed countries, a new international survey suggests....More

Malaria vaccine trial involving 16,000 children to begin in Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Researchers trying to create the world's first malaria vaccine are launching a massive medical trial as early as next month involving 16,000 children that could be the largest such trial ever conducted on children in Africa....More

Immune cells worn out from HIV fight given new life to assault disease: study

TORONTO - A Canadian-U.S. research team has discovered a way to rejuvenate key virus-killing immune cells that become "exhausted" after a person is infected with HIV....More

Elderly fare well in open-heart surgery, heart association conference told

NEW ORLEANS - Eighty-year-olds with clogged arteries or leaky heart valves used to be sent home with a pat on the arm from their doctors and pills to try to ease their symptoms....More

Blood pressure gap leads to deaths of 8,000 blacks: U.S. study

ATLANTA - The lives of nearly 8,000 black Americans could be saved each year if doctors could figure out a way to bring their average blood pressure down to the average level of whites, a surprising new study found....More

B.C. health workers get $68 million in compensation after jobs privatized

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Thousands of British Columbia health-care workers who lost their jobs through contracting out will be getting payouts from a total of $68 million in compensation....More

Aboriginal leaders reject upcoming report on cancer rates downstream of oilsands

FORT CHIPEWYAN, Alta. - Aboriginal leaders say they reject an upcoming report on cancer rates among their people who live downstream of Alberta's oilsands....More

Romaine lettuce 'prime suspect' in southwestern Ontario E. coli outbreak

TORONTO - Romaine lettuce is the "prime suspect" in an E. coli outbreak in southwestern Ontario that has sickened at least 26 people, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday....More

New study casts doubt on vitamin D's role as a breast cancer prevention tool

TORONTO - Vitamin D may not have the cancer preventive powers proponents ascribe to it, at least in so far as breast cancer is concerned, a new study suggests....More

Study says music headphones can interfere with heart devices

TORONTO - Headphones for portable MP3 players can interfere with pacemakers and defibrillators implanted in patients' chests to control heart rhythm problems and should be used with care, a study has found. U.S....More

Rerouting urinary nerves helps spina bifida patients robbed of bladder control

WASHINGTON - It's a delicate and daring experiment: Could doctors switch a leg nerve to make it operate the bladder instead? Families of a few U.S....More

Malaria vaccine trial involving 16,000 children to begin in Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Researchers trying to create the world's first malaria vaccine are launching a massive medical trial as early as next month involving 16,000 children that could be the largest such trial ever conducted on children in Africa....More

Immune cells worn out from HIV fight given new life to assault disease: study

TORONTO - A Canadian-U.S. research team has discovered a way to rejuvenate key virus-killing immune cells that become "exhausted" after a person is infected with HIV....More

Elderly fare well in open-heart surgery, heart association conference told

NEW ORLEANS - Eighty-year-olds with clogged arteries or leaky heart valves used to be sent home with a pat on the arm from their doctors and pills to try to ease their symptoms....More

Blood pressure gap leads to deaths of 8,000 blacks: U.S. study

ATLANTA - The lives of nearly 8,000 black Americans could be saved each year if doctors could figure out a way to bring their average blood pressure down to the average level of whites, a surprising new study found....More

B.C. health workers get $68 million in compensation after jobs privatized

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Thousands of British Columbia health-care workers who lost their jobs through contracting out will be getting payouts from a total of $68 million in compensation....More

Aboriginal leaders reject upcoming report on cancer rates downstream of oilsands

FORT CHIPEWYAN, Alta. - Aboriginal leaders say they reject an upcoming report on cancer rates among their people who live downstream of Alberta's oilsands....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

Wishes of critically ill children should be legally recognized: doctors

OTTAWA - Provincial and territorial governments should legally recognize advance care directives for critically ill or dying children that would stop doctors from performing such life-sustaining procedures as CPR, the Canadian Paediatric Society says....More

Winnipeg scientists offer explanation for sporadic nature of Ebola outbreaks

TORONTO - Why does the Ebola virus only sporadically break out of its hiding place in the jungles of central Africa to infect humans or great apes? New research from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg may help scientists answer that question....More

Washington state voters approve assisted suicide initiative

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters have approved a ballot measure making Washington the second U.S. state to allow terminally ill people the option of medically assisted suicide....More

TV chef Jamie Oliver fears belt-tightening means bigger bellies

LONDON - Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver says he's worried about what the credit crunch will do to people's waistlines. Oliver says the U.K. faces a health crisis because millions of Britons can't cook basic meals....More

New American study links lead in blood to wild game consumption

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets. The recommendation is based on a study that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents....More

CFIA orders recall of specific Dunn smoked meat pouches in B.C.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Les Salaisons Desco Inc. are warning the public not to consume some Dunn's Famous brand smoked meat pouches because the product may be contaminated with Staphylococcus toxin....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

N.L.'s largest health board probing breakdown of stem cell freezer

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Questions surrounding the quality of cancer care in Newfoundland were rekindled Thursday after the province's largest health board announced that a freezer storing the stem cells of 29 cancer patients unexpectedly broke down....More

Society spells out environmental links to cancer in online handbook

TORONTO - The Canadian Cancer Society has launched an online handbook that details the environmental substances known to or suspected of causing cancer and what people can do to limit their exposure....More

Hospital infection rates up despite attention SARS drew to problem: study

TORONTO - A new study says rates of hospital-acquired infections rose in Canada, even after Toronto's SARS outbreak and Quebec's C. difficile nightmare turned political attention to the problem....More

Despite political focus post-SARS, hospital infection rates continued to rise

TORONTO - Toronto's SARS crisis and Quebec's C. difficile nightmare drew political attention - and additional funding - to the problem of hospital-acquired infections....More

Despite political focus post-SARS, hospital infection rates continued to rise

TORONTO - Toronto's SARS crisis and Quebec's C. difficile nightmare drew political attention - and additional funding - to the problem of hospital-acquired infections....More

Study says music headphones can interfere with heart devices

TORONTO - Headphones for portable MP3 players can interfere with pacemakers and defibrillators implanted in patients' chests to control heart rhythm problems and should be used with care, a study has found. U.S....More

Study finds that wider use of a cholesterol-lowering drug may save lives

NEW ORLEANS - People with low cholesterol and no big risk for heart disease dramatically lowered their chances of dying or having a heart attack if they took the cholesterol pill Crestor, a large study found....More

Studies warn that vitamin pills don't prevent heart disease as once thought

NEW ORLEANS - Vitamins C and E - pills taken by millions of Americans - do nothing to prevent heart disease in men, one of the largest and longest studies of these supplements has found....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

Wishes of critically ill children should be legally recognized: doctors

OTTAWA - Provincial and territorial governments should legally recognize advance care directives for critically ill or dying children that would stop doctors from performing such life-sustaining procedures as CPR, the Canadian Paediatric Society says....More

Winnipeg scientists offer explanation for sporadic nature of Ebola outbreaks

TORONTO - Why does the Ebola virus only sporadically break out of its hiding place in the jungles of central Africa to infect humans or great apes? New research from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg may help scientists answer that question....More

Washington state voters approve assisted suicide initiative

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters have approved a ballot measure making Washington the second U.S. state to allow terminally ill people the option of medically assisted suicide....More

TV chef Jamie Oliver fears belt-tightening means bigger bellies

LONDON - Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver says he's worried about what the credit crunch will do to people's waistlines. Oliver says the U.K. faces a health crisis because millions of Britons can't cook basic meals....More

New American study links lead in blood to wild game consumption

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets. The recommendation is based on a study that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents....More

CFIA orders recall of specific Dunn smoked meat pouches in B.C.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Les Salaisons Desco Inc. are warning the public not to consume some Dunn's Famous brand smoked meat pouches because the product may be contaminated with Staphylococcus toxin....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

Washington state voters approve assisted suicide initiative

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters have approved a ballot measure making Washington the second U.S. state to allow terminally ill people the option of medically assisted suicide....More

TV chef Jamie Oliver fears belt-tightening means bigger bellies

LONDON - Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver says he's worried about what the credit crunch will do to people's waistlines. Oliver says the U.K. faces a health crisis because millions of Britons can't cook basic meals....More

New American study links lead in blood to wild game consumption

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets. The recommendation is based on a study that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents....More

CFIA orders recall of specific Dunn smoked meat pouches in B.C.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Les Salaisons Desco Inc. are warning the public not to consume some Dunn's Famous brand smoked meat pouches because the product may be contaminated with Staphylococcus toxin....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

Saskatchewan, birthplace of medicare, faces overhaul of health care system

REGINA - Saskatchewan, the birthplace of medicare, wants to overhaul its health-care system and officials won't rule out privatizing some elements. Health Minister Don McMorris announced details Wednesday of a $1....More

Plastic lab equipment leaches chemicals, can influence outcome of experiments

TORONTO - A group of scientists warned Thursday that disposable plastic laboratory equipment - things like test tubes and pipette tips - may exude compounds that can interact with solutions or cells placed in them, leading to wonky results....More

N.L.'s largest health board probing breakdown of stem cell freezer

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Questions surrounding the quality of cancer care in Newfoundland were rekindled Thursday after the province's largest health board announced that a freezer storing the stem cells of 29 cancer patients unexpectedly broke down....More

Wishes of critically ill children should be legally recognized: doctors

OTTAWA - Provincial and territorial governments should legally recognize advance care directives for critically ill or dying children that would stop doctors from performing such life-sustaining procedures as CPR, the Canadian Paediatric Society says....More

Winnipeg scientists offer explanation for sporadic nature of Ebola outbreaks

TORONTO - Why does the Ebola virus only sporadically break out of its hiding place in the jungles of central Africa to infect humans or great apes? New research from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg may help scientists answer that question....More

Washington state voters approve assisted suicide initiative

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters have approved a ballot measure making Washington the second U.S. state to allow terminally ill people the option of medically assisted suicide....More

TV chef Jamie Oliver fears belt-tightening means bigger bellies

LONDON - Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver says he's worried about what the credit crunch will do to people's waistlines. Oliver says the U.K. faces a health crisis because millions of Britons can't cook basic meals....More

New American study links lead in blood to wild game consumption

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets. The recommendation is based on a study that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents....More

CFIA orders recall of specific Dunn smoked meat pouches in B.C.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Les Salaisons Desco Inc. are warning the public not to consume some Dunn's Famous brand smoked meat pouches because the product may be contaminated with Staphylococcus toxin....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

Saskatchewan, birthplace of medicare, faces overhaul of health care system

REGINA - Saskatchewan, the birthplace of medicare, wants to overhaul its health-care system and officials won't rule out privatizing some elements. Health Minister Don McMorris announced details Wednesday of a $1....More

Deregulating food inspection puts public at risk: union

OTTAWA - The union representing government scientists is calling for an immediate freeze on the privatization of food inspection....More

Brain slows at 40, starts body decline, new research from Los Angeles suggests

WASHINGTON - Think achy joints are the main reason we slow down as we get older? Blame the brain, too: The part in charge of motion may start a gradual downhill slide at age 40....More

3,000 residents in southern Ontario told to boil water as a precaution

CLINTON, Ont. - About 3,000 residents in the southern Ontario communities of Seaforth and Egmondville are being told to boil their drinking water. The advisory was issued as a precaution because of a water-main break over the weekend....More

Third Saskatchewan health region reports reuse of syringes in operating room

REGINA - A third health region in Saskatchewan said Tuesday it has been reusing syringes, but also suggested that patients aren't at great risk of infection....More

Call for donors averts blood shortage, but supply still tenuous

TORONTO - Canada's stockpile of blood products has improved from dangerously low levels a week ago, but it's critical that donors continue to roll up their sleeves and give, Canadian Blood Services says....More

Achoo! Who knew? Pesky raccoons can catch and spread the flu

TORONTO - Who knew? Raccoons can catch the flu. New research shows the pesky critters - called the animal world's "Typhoid Mary" by one of the study's authors - can catch and spread both human and avian strains of influenza....More

Washington state voters approve assisted suicide initiative

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters have approved a ballot measure making Washington the second U.S. state to allow terminally ill people the option of medically assisted suicide....More

CFIA orders recall of specific Dunn smoked meat pouches in B.C.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Les Salaisons Desco Inc. are warning the public not to consume some Dunn's Famous brand smoked meat pouches because the product may be contaminated with Staphylococcus toxin....More

As Cda stays mum on chrysotile asbestos, B.C. family remembers what they’ve lost

TORONTO - Erica Casselman still struggles to find words to describe how she felt watching an aggressive form of asbestos cancer kill her husband....More

Women lead in bacteria, hands down, according to study of 51 college students

WASHINGTON - Wash your hands, folks, especially you ladies. A new study found that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. And everybody has more types of bacteria than the researchers expected to find....More

Teen pregnancies tied to tastes for sexy TV shows

CHICAGO - Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who have tamer viewing tastes. "Sex and the City," anyone? That was one of the shows used in the research....More

Patients diagnosed with a chronic illness need help for emotional fallout

TORONTO - They may not share the same physical symptoms, but for many people with a chronic illness, the psychological ramifications following diagnosis are remarkably similar....More

Drugs sending more British Columbians to hospital but booze, smokes top killers

VICTORIA, B.C. - Illegal drug use is sending an increasing number of British Columbians to hospital for treatment of symptoms ranging from psychotic episodes and pregnancy complications to traffic accidents, says a new report released Monday....More

Deregulating food inspection puts public at risk: union

OTTAWA - The union representing government scientists is calling for an immediate freeze on the privatization of food inspection....More

Brain slows at 40, starts body decline, new research from Los Angeles suggests

WASHINGTON - Think achy joints are the main reason we slow down as we get older? Blame the brain, too: The part in charge of motion may start a gradual downhill slide at age 40....More

3,000 residents in southern Ontario told to boil water as a precaution

CLINTON, Ont. - About 3,000 residents in the southern Ontario communities of Seaforth and Egmondville are being told to boil their drinking water. The advisory was issued as a precaution because of a water-main break over the weekend....More

HIV trial hears taped statement of alleged victim who died of AIDS-related cancer

HAMILTON - The first-degree murder trial of a man accused of fatally infecting two women with HIV heard evidence today from one of his alleged victims....More

Final witness tells N.L. inquiry she only learned of flawed cancer test this year

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The final witness to testify at an inquiry into botched breast cancer tests in Newfoundland and Labrador says she didn't know her test was flawed until this year - eight years after she was first diagnosed with the disease....More

Alta, Sask need better risk review of reused syringes: patient safety group

EDMONTON - A patient safety group says more answers are urgently needed to find out what risk people are facing from reused syringes at some hospitals in Alberta and Saskatchewan....More

Alberta calls other Canadian medical officers of health over reused syringes

EDMONTON - Concerns over the potential reuse of syringes spread across the country Friday as Alberta offered to help other provinces, while the federal government said it was convening a working group on the issue. Alberta's acting chief medical health officer, Dr....More

Food inspection agency warns recalled Hershey products may be on sale again

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has expanded its warning about the potential distribution of previously recalled Hershey chocolate products in Ontario....More

China: Feed makers defied rule in adding chemical

BEIJING - Animal feed makers deliberately added an industrial chemical to their products, ignoring a year-old government rule meant to protect China's food supply, a government official said....More

As Cda stays mum on chrysotile asbestos, B.C. family remembers what they’ve lost

TORONTO - Erica Casselman still struggles to find words to describe how she felt watching an aggressive form of asbestos cancer kill her husband....More

Teen pregnancies tied to tastes for sexy TV shows

CHICAGO - Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who have tamer viewing tastes. "Sex and the City," anyone? That was one of the shows used in the research....More

Saskatchewan sees plunge in number of West Nile virus cases in 2008

REGINA - Health officials are pointing to a cool spring as a key reason for a sharp drop in the number of West Nile virus cases in Saskatchewan this year. There were 19 cases and no deaths across the province in 2008, compared to 1,454 and four deaths last year....More

Saskatchewan investigating after hospital found to be reusing syringes

REGINA - Saskatchewan public health officials tried to ease the fears of patients across the province Thursday after learning that at least one health region has been reusing syringes during surgical operations. Dr....More

Newspapers in Minneapolis and Boston get suspicious packages

SAN FRANCISCO - The Star Tribune of Minneapolis and the Boston Herald are the latest news organizations to receive a package labelled "anthrax" - a day after the FBI arrested a man on charges of sending anthrax hoax letters to the media....More

China's animal feed tainted with melamine, media reports say

BEIJING - Animal feed producers in China commonly add the industrial chemical melamine to their products to make them appear higher in protein, state media reported Thursday, an indication that the scope of the country's latest food safety scandal could extend beyond milk and eggs....More

U.S. consumer group asks government to ban diabetes drug Avandia

WASHINGTON - The government should ban the diabetes drug Avandia because of a wide variety of life-threatening risks, including heart and liver damage, a consumer group said Thursday....More

Tips on kids' anxiety symptoms, when to seek help

CHICAGO - How do you know your child's fear or anxiety is a reason to see a doctor? It usually involves extreme behaviour. Experts offer these tips: -Separation anxiety: This is not the clinginess often seen in toddlers....More

Therapy plus Zoloft helps kids with anxiety, new study suggests

CHICAGO - A popular antidepressant plus three months of psychotherapy dramatically helped children with anxiety disorders, the most common psychiatric illnesses in kids, the biggest study of its kind found....More

Ont. should stop using sewage sludge as fertilizer until health impact clear: NDP

TORONTO - Ontario's food supply may become increasingly tainted by drugs like Valium and other hazardous chemicals as long as sewage sludge continues to be used as crop fertilizer, critics charged Thursday....More

Former health minister enraged by $125 fee for dermatologist appointment

TORONTO - A $125 fee to schedule an appointment to see a dermatologist is proof some people in Ontario are facing "illegal" charges to access health services that should be covered for all citizens, Progressive Conservative Jim Wilson charged Wednesday....More

Extra hour of sleep from turning clock back may help the heart

NEW YORK - Turning your clock back on Sunday may be good for your heart. Swedish researchers looked at 20 years of records and discovered that the number of heart attacks dipped on the Monday after clocks were set back an hour, possibly because people got an extra hour of sleep....More

Doorknobs and TV remotes are germ hotbeds, virology researchers report

WASHINGTON - Someone in your house have the sniffles? Watch out for the refrigerator door handle. The TV remote, too. A new study finds that cold sufferers often leave their germs there, where they can live for two days or longer....More

China investigates tainted eggs in new food scare

BEIJING - Chinese authorities said Wednesday they were investigating how eggs came to be contaminated with the same industrial chemical at the center of a milk scandal that sickened thousands of babies, as more tainted eggs turned up in Hong Kong and the mainland....More

Canadian Blood Services says reserves low, asks for more donors

OTTAWA - Canadian Blood Services is putting out a call for more blood donors, saying its inventory has dropped 40 per cent in the last two months. At one point this week - on Tuesday - the emergency reserve had dropped to two days on hand for the most common blood types....More

Canada barely bitten by West Nile this year, unlike 2007 season

TORONTO - Cases of West Nile infection among Canadians during this year's mosquito season plunged dramatically compared with last year, and experts suggest cooler, wet weather is likely the reason....More

Saskatchewan sees plunge in number of West Nile virus cases in 2008

REGINA - Health officials are pointing to a cool spring as a key reason for a sharp drop in the number of West Nile virus cases in Saskatchewan this year. There were 19 cases and no deaths across the province in 2008, compared to 1,454 and four deaths last year....More

China's animal feed tainted with melamine, media reports say

BEIJING - Animal feed producers in China commonly add the industrial chemical melamine to their products to make them appear higher in protein, state media reported Thursday, an indication that the scope of the country's latest food safety scandal could extend beyond milk and eggs....More

FDA's conclusion that chemical is safe is flawed, scientists say

WASHINGTON - An independent panel of science advisers is taking issue with the FDA's assessment that a controversial chemical is safe. In a report to the U.S. agency, the panel concluded: "The margins of safety identified by FDA as 'adequate' are, in fact, inadequate....More

Drug-resistant staph germs harder than ever to treat, new studies say

WASHINGTON - Drug-resistant staph bacteria picked up in ordinary community settings are increasingly acquiring "superbug" powers and causing far more serious illnesses than they have in the past, doctors reported Monday....More

China pulls tainted eggs from store shelves in new food safety scare

BEIJING - Wal-Mart pulled a brand of eggs from all its stores in China on Tuesday after tests in Hong Kong found they were tainted with the same toxic chemical blamed for sickening tens of thousands of babies....More

Canada places 10th out of 16 countries in health performance

OTTAWA - A new study ranking countries' health performance puts Canada in the middle of the pack. A Conference Board of Canada study released Tuesday placed Canada 10th out of 16 countries in health and quality of health services....More

B.C. court issues injunction in class-action over sperm, egg donor births

VANCOUVER, B.C. - A British Columbia judge hearing the case of a woman who wants to know the identity of her sperm donor father has issued an injunction against the destruction or transfer of any records concerning artificial insemination....More

Americans' diabetes drug costs soaring, top US$12B last year

CHICAGO - Americans with diabetes nearly doubled their spending on drugs for the disease in just six years, with the bill last year climbing to an eye-popping US$12.5 billion....More

2 vitamin C products found to contain potentially toxic vitamin A: Health Canada

OTTAWA - Health Canada is warning consumers, especially expectant mothers, not to use two vitamin C products sold under the brand names New Roots Herbal Vitamin C8 and Vitazan Professional Vitamin C Advanced Ascorbate....More

U.S. feedlot owners oppose beef labeling law requiring disclosure of source country

PASCO, Washington - Cody Easterday estimates that some 25 per cent of the cattle at his 30,000-head feedlot come from Canada, with maybe a few cattle from Mexico in the pens....More

Crown appealing case of woman convicted of two counts of infanticide

GUELPH, Ont. - The Crown has launched an appeal of the case of an Ontario mother convicted of infanticide for suffocating two of her infant sons. Crown attorneys want Ontario's highest court to examine the woman's acquittal on two counts of first-degree murder....More

Court upholds decision that loosens Ottawa's grip on medical marijuana access

TORONTO - A court decision that effectively loosens Ottawa's tight grip on access to medical marijuana has been upheld by the Federal Court of Appeal....More

Avoid natural health supplements for kids on drug-thinner warfarin: doctors

TORONTO - Giving herbs, vitamins and other natural health products to children taking the blood-thinning drug warfarin for congenital heart defects could increase their risk of clots and bleeding, the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress was told Monday....More

Are flu shots worth the effort? Shots not perfect but worth the momentary pain

TORONTO - There's no denying it: The reputation of the flu shot has taken a bit of a beating over the past year....More

Williams tells N.L. breast cancer inquiry that lessons have been learned

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Premier Danny Williams says he has asked members of his staff to bring urgent problems to his attention in the aftermath of perceived delays in getting information out about botched breast cancer tests in Newfoundland....More

People with anxiety disorders at risk for high blood pressure: researcher

TORONTO - People with anxiety disorders are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure and should have their heart health carefully monitored, doctors attending the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress were told Monday....More

Drug-resistant staph germs harder than ever to treat, new studies say

WASHINGTON - Drug-resistant staph bacteria picked up in ordinary community settings are increasingly acquiring "superbug" powers and causing far more serious illnesses than they have in the past, doctors reported Monday....More

Americans' diabetes drug costs soaring, top US$12B last year

CHICAGO - Americans with diabetes nearly doubled their spending on drugs for the disease in just six years, with the bill last year climbing to an eye-popping US$12.5 billion....More

Diarrhea vaccine leads to sharp drop in infant hospitalization and ER visits

WASHINGTON - A vaccine against rotavirus, the leading cause of diarrhea in infants, has led to a dramatic drop in hospitalization and emergency room visits since it came on the market two years ago, doctors reported Saturday....More

Canadian Food Inspection Agency issues warning about sandwiches, meat

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people not to eat ready-to-eat roast beef and sandwiches sold at certain stores in Atlantic Canada because the product may be contaminated with Listeria. The products are made by Les Salaisons Desco Inc. of Boisbriand, Que....More

U.S. study suggests delaying AIDS treatment is not a good idea

WASHINGTON - People who have the AIDS virus should start drug treatments sooner than current guidelines recommend, suggests a large new study that could change the care of hundreds of thousands of Americans....More

Immigrants to Canada more likely to suffer heart problems: study

TORONTO - The stressful process of settling down in a new country may be putting Canadian immigrants at risk for health problems down the road, according to a new study to be presented Monday at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress....More

Having a heart attack? Forget about driving to the ER and call 911, doctors say

TORONTO - Doctors have some simple advice for anyone with symptoms of a heart attack who needs to get to the hospital emergency room: leave the car in the garage and call 911....More

Study suggests drinking water may be source of winter norovirus outbreaks

TORONTO - Why do nasty norovirus outbreaks seem to happen more often in winter? A new study suggests drinking water supplies may be playing a role....More

Sextuplets born to NY couple

NEW YORK - A couple in New York spent seven years raising their only child, a son - until the city's second sextuplets arrived....More

Hospitals ease ER crowding with ward beds in halls

CHICAGO - There's no phone and no television. Only a screen offers privacy. But heart patient Edward Gray understands why the hospital put him in a cardiac unit hallway....More

Scientists find 26 genes promoting lung cancer

NEW YORK - In the largest effort of its kind, scientists have identified 26 genes that, when damaged, appear to promote lung cancer. It's a step toward developing new treatments that can be tailored to specific patients....More

Food allergies increasing in US kids, study says; parents more aware

ATLANTA - Food allergies in American children seem to be on the rise, now affecting about three million kids, according to the first federal study of the problem. Experts said that might be because parents are more aware and quicker to have their kids checked out by a doctor....More

Family of B.C. twins joined at head set to celebrate girls' second birthday

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Krista and Tatiana Hogan have been a curiosity since the day they came into the world joined at the head, drawing astonished stares and sometimes even sneers from people who say they should never have been born....More

Doctors prescribing placebos to patients, not worried about ethics: study

TORONTO - We may be in the era of evidence-based medicine, but a new study suggests doctors are still falling back on a habit of yore - prescribing placebos. And they may be doing it with surprising frequency. The study, based on a survey of U.S....More

China arrests 6 for role in contaminating milk

BEIJING - China arrested six people Thursday for their role in supplying contaminated milk to the country's dairy companies, as the health ministry said more than 3,600 Chinese children remain hospitalized after consuming compromised products....More

Child in North Bay, Ont., E. coli outbreak 'very ill' in hospital

NORTH BAY, Ont. - A child infected with a deadly strain of E. coli linked to a Harvey's restaurant in northern Ontario is "very ill" in hospital with complications from the bacterial infection, health officials said Thursday as the number of suspected and confirmed cases rose to 207....More

Warning out after Toronto restaurant worker tests positive for hepatitis A

TORONTO - Toronto Public Health has issued a warning after a restaurant worker tested positive for hepatitis A. A food handler at the Sushi Haru restaurant at 635 College St. has the virus....More