Public health news and stories by mail.com

Public health

Obama administration tackles colonoscopy confusion
It's one part of the new health care law that seemed clear: free coverage for preventive care under most insurance plans. Only it didn't turn out that ...
CDC app lets you solve disease outbreaks at home
You may not be a disease detective, but now you can play one at home. The nation's public health agency has released a free app for the iPad called ...
Runners and riders in Europe's horsemeat scandal
The European Union agreed Friday to begin random DNA checks on meat products in a bid to put a lid on a spreading scandal over horsemeat, while ...
SARS-linked virus may have spread between people
British officials say a mysterious virus related to SARS may have spread between humans, as they confirmed the 11th case worldwide of the new ...
NY health chief: Longer gas-drilling study needed
Environmental groups praised state regulators for delaying a decision on shale gas development until a more in-depth health study is finished, but ...
Stranded cruise passengers facing dirty conditions
The head of Carnival Cruise Lines said Tuesday his company was working hard to ensure the thousands of passengers stranded on a disabled ship in the ...
2 Nigeria journalists charged after polio killings
Police in northern Nigeria arrested and charged two radio journalists and a local cleric alleged to have sparked the killings of at least nine women ...
Health worker killings show north Nigeria dangers
North Korean doctors hacked to death by machete-wielding attackers. Women vaccinating children against polio gunned down in the street. A top Islamic ...
White House warns of food safety cuts
Impending across-the-board budget cuts could mean fewer government food safety inspections and higher prices for meat at the grocery store. A White ...
No one fix to slow hospital readmission epidemic
More than 1 million Americans wind up back in the hospital only weeks after they left for reasons that could have been prevented — a revolving door ...
Mass. boy dies of carbon monoxide in running car
An 11-year-old Massachusetts boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning Saturday after being overcome as he sat in a running car to keep warm, while his ...
After early start, worst of flu season may be over
The worst of the flu season appears to be over. The number of states reporting intense or widespread illnesses dropped again last week, and in a few ...
Horsemeat scandal reaches Sweden
Sweden on Friday became the newest European country to be hit by a widening meat products scandal, as frozen-food company Findus said it was recalling ...
Gunmen kill Nigeria women giving polio vaccines
Gunmen suspected of belonging to a radical Islamic sect shot and killed at least nine women who were taking part in a polio vaccination drive in ...
UK: Lasagna products 60 percent horsemeat
Some beef lasagna products recalled from British stores contained more than 60 percent horsemeat, U.K. food safety authorities said Thursday. It was ...
Order! Greek lawmakers fume at smoking colleagues
Greek lawmakers are fuming over colleagues who openly flout the country's anti-smoking laws in the very building where the statutes were passed.
New whooping cough strain in US raises questions
Researchers have discovered the first U.S. cases of whooping cough caused by a germ that may be resistant to the vaccine. Health officials are looking ...
'Horseburger' firm blames 170 tons of Polish meat
The Irish meat company at the center of Europe's "horseburger" scandal on Tuesday blamed the contamination of its hamburger patties on the purchase ...
New tuberculosis vaccine doesn't protect infants
The world's most advanced tuberculosis vaccine failed to protect babies against the infectious disease, according to a new study in South Africa.
From pets to 'recess': High school stress relief
The four-legged member of the counseling team at the high school in suburban Chicago waits patiently, as a crush of students fills the hallways.
Roadside bomb kills 2 polio workers in NW Pakistan
A roadside bomb killed two Pakistani polio workers on their way to vaccinate children in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border on ...
Suppliers, grocers turning to DNA testing on meat
Ireland's surprise discovery this month of horsemeat traces in factory-produced burgers is boosting business for one trade: Forensics labs that use ...
Policeman protecting Pakistani polio team killed
Gunmen riding on a motorcycle shot and killed a police officer protecting polio workers during a U.N.-backed vaccination campaign in northwestern ...
16 sick in 5 states; linked to ground beef recall
Federal health officials say at least 16 people in five states have been sickened by salmonella food poisoning linked to ground beef. No one has died, ...
Do penalties for smokers and the obese make sense?
Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize ...