Health Information

AFP - The World Health Organisation on Thursday released details of swine flu samples sent to drug companies this week for use in making a vaccine against the new strain of influenza .

AFP - The process of circumcising nearly half a million males in Botswana by 2012 will prevent almost 70,000 new HIV infections by 2025, a report published on Thursday said.

Reuters - Researchers using a new gene-scanning method have found a potential way to fight cancer by silencing genes that tumors need to stay alive.

Reuters - Top British private school Eton said Thursday it would close for a week after a pupil tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus.

AP - A U.S. health official said a swine flu vaccine could be available as early as October, but only if vaccine production and testing run smoothly this summer.

Reuters - U.S. families with health insurance are paying an estimated $1,017 more in annual premiums to pay for healthcare for the uninsured, according to a report released on Thursday.

AP - Laid off from her job in Massachusetts, Danielle Marks thought immediately about losing her health insurance. How could she afford the medication and physical therapy she needed to heal after shoulder surgery?

AFP - The technology for versatile, grow-in-a-dish transplant tissue took a step toward clinical use Thursday when researchers announced they have found a safe way to turn skin cells into stem cells.

AFP - A Senegalese court sentenced two women to six months in jail Thursday for circumcising a baby girl, rights watchdog Raddho said of a case that sparked clashes between religious protesters and police.

AP - Health insurance premiums for an average family are $1,000 a year higher because of costs of health care for the uninsured, a new report finds.