US House leader says health care bill will cover 96 per cent of Americans

WASHINGTON - After months of struggle, House Democrats unveiled sweeping legislation Thursday to extend health care coverage to millions of Americans who lack it and create a new option of government-run insurance....More

Top health official warns H1N1 vaccine flow will slow next 2 weeks

TORONTO - Delivery of H1N1 vaccine to the provinces will slow a bit over the next couple of weeks because the manufacturer was asked to make special batches of the product for pregnant women, Canada's chief public health officer said Thursday. Dr....More

Prime Minister Harper receives award for disability plan

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has received a lifetime membership from a disabled people advocacy group in B.C. The Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network honoured Harper for instituting the Registered Disability Savings Plan....More

Pelosi presents 'historic' health care bill, says it will cover 96 per cent of Americans

WASHINGTON - After months of struggle, House Democrats rolled out sweeping legislation Thursday to extend health care coverage to millions of Americans who lack it and create a new option of government-run insurance....More

Overwhelming demand for H1N1 vaccine sees thousands line up at Toronto clinics

TORONTO - The overwhelming demand experienced across Canada for the H1N1 vaccine spilled over onto Toronto streets Thursday as thousands turned up at clinics seeking protection from the swine flu....More

Ontario says health units doing best they can in face of H1N1 vaccine demands

TORONTO - Health Minister Deb Matthews says local public health units are reacting as fast as they can to a big increase in demand for the swine flu vaccine....More

DC station airs demo of bare breast self-exams

WASHINGTON - The ABC affiliate here is airing a two-part series that takes a close - and unobscured - look at breast self-exams. The series is airing during the fall "sweeps" period critical for a TV station's ad revenue, prompting concern by a parental watchdog group....More

Alberta health officials approve wage freeze for non-union staff; union opposed

RED DEER, Alta. - The board of directors of Alberta Health Services has voted to freeze the wages of managers and non-union staff for two years, prompting an outcry from the province's largest union....More

Toronto researchers to co-lead international cancer stem cell projects

Two world-renowned Toronto scientists will receive $40 million over the next four years to co-lead two international cancer stem cell research projects funded through a partnership program between Canada and California....More

Size of vaccine order, paperwork turn family docs off H1N1 shot delivery

TORONTO - Family doctors in some parts of Canada have been slow to sign up to deliver H1N1 vaccine to their patients, pointing to a number of obstacles they say are discouraging them from giving the shots....More

Online course aims to help hospital workers with stress during pandemic

TORONTO - In the aftermath of the SARS emergency in 2003, some experts turned their attention to the levels of stress experienced by health-care professionals faced with treating infectious patients....More

Number going to ERs at Ont. children's hospitals doubles over swine flu concerns

TORONTO - Parents worried about swine flu are crowding emergency rooms at children's hospitals in Ottawa and Toronto, forcing some to shut down other services to cope with crush of new patients coming through their doors, officials said Wednesday....More

NDP says B.C. surgery time being offered to non-residents while B.C. people wait

VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government is being accused of cutting surgeries while at the same time offering hip and knee operations to patients from other provinces. NDP Health critic Adrian Dix says thousands of elective surgeries have been cancelled across B.C....More

Health experts say Russia's abstinence approach no match for fast-growing AIDS epidemic

MOSCOW - AIDS experts urged Russian officials to scrap their abstinence-based strategy for curbing the spread of HIV, saying the country's fast-growing epidemic could be entering a dangerous new phase....More

Canadian researchers pioneer gene therapy to repair lungs for transplant

In pioneering research, Canadian scientists have successfully used gene therapy to repair damaged lungs from deceased donors, making them potentially suitable for life-saving transplantation....More

Athletes warned against sharing water bottles to stop swine-flu spread

TORONTO - Health experts and sports associations are urging athletes to avoid sharing water bottles or personal items such as towels to avoid the spread of swine flu, which killed an avid 13-year-old hockey player earlier this week....More

Ontario hospitals ask province to include them in freedom of information law

TORONTO - The Ontario Hospital Association is asking the government to extend freedom of information laws to cover the province's 155 hospitals. CEO Tom Closson says recent controversies involving eHealth and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp....More

Number of teenagers with risk factors for heart disease is rising: study

CALGARY - More than one in five teenagers has at least one risk factor for heart disease such as obesity and high cholesterol, a jump from just six years earlier, suggests new research....More

No need for flu to frighten trick-or-treaters, but use common sense: doctors

CALGARY - Something more frightening than ghosts and goblins may be lurking in the shadows this Halloween when kids go door-to-door or dig into their candy stash....More

Kids can gain alarming amount of weight on psychiatric drugs, new research shows

CHICAGO - Children on widely used psychiatric drugs can quickly gain an alarming amount of weight; many pack on nearly 20 pounds and become obese within just 11 weeks, a study found. "Sometimes this stuff just happens like an explosion....More