MEDICINE

A new study suggests that the timing of outbreaks of rotavirus -- the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children -- may have more to do with differences in birth rates across the United States than with environmental factors such as climate.

About a quarter of patients who have superficial blood clots on their legs may be at risk for more serious clots deep in their veins, Austrian researchers reported on Monday.

The global fear sparked by the outbreak of H1N1 had led to the slump of tourism in Hong Kong amid the continually weak global economy, officials said on Monday.

British Airways has told its check-in staff to look out for passengers showing symptoms of the H1N1 virus and to alert doctors who could bar them from boarding a flight, the airline said on Sunday.

A group of 52 British school children and their teachers have been quarantined in Beijing after four pupils were admitted to hospital infected with the H1N1 flu virus, Britain's Foreign Office said Saturday.

Hong Kong's third critical case of H1N1 has been detected among the increased 1640 cases, involving a 39-year-old woman, the Hospital Authority (HA) said on Friday.

The World Health Organization issued the following guidelines on Saturday about ways to prevent and fight flu, especially in poor areas where medical facilities may lack staff, beds and drugs:

The result of Michael Jackson's death reports will be released publicly early next week, according to Los Angeles coroner's office.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that the H1N1 flu pandemic was the fastest-moving pandemic ever and that it was now pointless to count every case.

Hong Kong reported its first suspected death of H1N1 virus among the 1552 confirmed cases on Thursday.

California's attorney general said on Wednesday his office has run several doctors' names and several potential aliases through its prescription drug database to aid police investigating the death of Michael Jackson.

Hong Kong reported second critical H1N1 case besides 78 newly confirmed ones on Wednesday, but experts predict low impact on the economy despite people's worries.

The total death tally of swine flu has risen to 549 as the global number of the new flu infection cases surpassed 113,000 people, Russia's chief sanitary doctor said on Tuesday, according to the Russian leading newspaper RIA Novosti report.

California's attorney general said on Wednesday his office has run dozens of doctors' names, some of them thought to be aliases, through its prescription drug database to aid police investigating the death of Michael Jackson.

Many people are confused about just how many patients have been infected with the new H1N1 flu, which in turn makes it hard to tell how bad the pandemic is, British researchers said on Tuesday.

Japanese scientists have released a report saying people who were born before the 1918 flu pandemic seem to have immunity to the current swine flu, but not to the seasonal flu.

U.S. President Barack Obama released the following statement on Wednesday in response to the health care reform legislation passed by the Senate HELP Committee.

Sanofi-Aventis said on Wednesday a group of independent experts had concluded that studies highlighting a possible link between its Lantus diabetes drug and an increased risk of cancer were flawed.

House Democrats unveiled a 1,000-page proposal to overhaul the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry. The ground-breaking bill includes a government-paid insurance option that would compete with private insurers, and tax increases for the wealthy.

A Spanish woman died at 69 on Saturday after getting in vitro fertilization treatment at a clinic in Los Angeles. The woman is believed to be the world's oldest new mother when she gave birth at 66, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

A experimental drug being developed by Roche blocks a common biological pathway linked to the spread of many cancers and has proved highly effective in mice, scientists said on Wednesday.