disease – Page 6 – 4VF News – Daily News Channel

2 U.S. swine flu dead had other health problems, officials say

Both people who died of swine flu in the United States had pre-existing health problems, federal health authorities said Thursday in a report. The 22-month-old child who died April 27 of the flu, also called H1N1, had neonatal myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease, said the report, which was written by a virus investigation team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. The child — who was from Mexico and who fell ill while visiting relatives in Texas — also had a heart defect, problems swallowing and chronic hypoxia, the report said

1918 flu survivors share memories as research continues

Roy Braswell was 9 years old when the flu pandemic of 1918 hit. “I know it’s a bad feeling, ’cause I had it,” said Braswell, 100, who now lives in Cobb County in Georgia

China and Swine Flu: Are Mexicans Being Singled Out?

As swine flu spreads around the world, China has acted with an aggressiveness that can only come from unpleasant firsthand experience with epidemics. Official cover-ups allowed SARS to spread in 2002 and 2003, eventually killing 349 on the mainland and leading to the sacking of both the Health Minister and the mayor of Beijing. In recent years, the country has waged a steady battle against avian influenza, which has killed two dozen people in China and prompted fears that it could mutate into a deadlier plague

Was the Alarm Over Swine Flu Justified?

Like a patient suffering from a particularly tenacious case of, well, the flu, the H1N1 virus seemed to gain ground and lose it over the weekend, leaving health officials still cautious, but hopeful that the disease might be on the wane. The number of confirmed infections continues to rise, with the World Health Organization reporting 898 infections in 18 countries as of May 3, and the Centers for Disease Control tallying 226 confirmed cases in 30 states. The continuing spread led Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to predict on Sunday that the WHO might soon raise its pandemic alert level from phase 5 to the highest stage, phase 6, which would indicate that a full flu pandemic was underway

Confirmed swine flu cases leap

The number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus has jumped more than 30 percent with 331 people being diagnosed so far, the World Health Organization said Friday. The virus, commonly known as swine flu, has spread to 11 countries, but the hardest hit areas were in the western hemisphere, the organization said

Among the swine flu mysteries: Why only deaths in Mexico?

It’s a confounding question on the lips of disease detectives: Why have the only deaths from the swine flu outbreak happened in Mexico?

Bioengineered bugs could lead to malaria vaccine

For most Americans, mosquitoes are pests whose bites leave behind itchy bumps.

Scientist Hawking ‘comfortable’ in hospital

Distinguished scientist Stephen Hawking was said to be in a "comfortable" condition Tuesday after spending the night in hospital, Cambridge University said in a statement. The 67-year-old, who suffers from a degenerative condition, was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge by ambulance in a “very ill” condition on Monday. “He is comfortable and his family is looking forward to him making a full recovery,” the university, where Hawking is a professor of mathematics, said in a short statement.

Heart disease on the rise in India

Hindu priest Pandjitee is not overweight, does not smoke or drink and follows a strict vegetarian diet. Yet three years ago he was suddenly struck by a heart attack

As Egg Donations Mount, So Do Health Concerns

At the time, donating her eggs to an infertile couple seemed like the perfect solution for Marilyn Drake’s money troubles. A single donation helped her finance her divorce.