Articles By Martin Grens
- At least 22 governors support an expansion of Medicaid under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, while others are expected to decide in the coming weeks.
Just weeks after Chinese authorities cleared Yum Brands Inc and McDonald's Corp of charges they had served chicken laced with excessive chemicals, local media are again attacking the iconic American firms.- A Cheesecake Factory pasta dish with 3,120 calories is among the headliners on this year's Xtreme Eating list of the most unhealthy dishes at U.S. chain restaurants.
- Dengue is the world's fastest-spreading tropical disease and represents a "pandemic threat", infecting an estimated 50 million people across all continents.
U.S. state governments use little of the money from tobacco taxes or legal settlements with cigarette makers to fund programs that could help people kick the habit.- Coughs usually take longer to clear up than people think, and the gap between how long people expect them to last and how long it actually takes may drive some patients to the doctor for antibiotics that won't help.
A U.S. study has found that patients and their families are rarely told when hospitals make mistakes with their medicines.
Overdoses of drugs, particularly prescription painkillers and heroin, have overtaken AIDS to become the leading cause of death of homeless adults.- Fewer kids were injured during early morning and after school hours once new traffic lights, pedestrian signals and speed bumps were put around New York City schools.
- Bangladesh unveiled a "Death Clock" in its capital to raise awareness about smoking-related deaths in a country which ranks among the world's highest in tobacco consumption.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a public health emergency on Saturday, giving pharmacists permission to administer flu vaccinations to more people.
Influenza has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 7.3 percent of deaths last week caused by pneumonia and the flu.