Testing birds for bird flu begins in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Federal scientists have started testing migratory birds for signs of a dangerous bird flu that could show up in North America.

Merck: Vaccine could slash cervical cancer deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Giving girls as young as 9 a first-ever vaccine that blocks infection by four types of human papillomavirus could slash global deaths from cervical cancer by more than two-thirds, Merck & Co. officials said Thursday in seeking federal approval.

Mumps shots urged for most in outbreak areas

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- A government vaccine panel is urging mumps shots for everyone in the region of an outbreak unless they are immune to the virus from childhood exposure or from being vaccinated.

FDA OKs new drug for Parkinson's

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Parkinson's patients on Wednesday gained a newly approved drug to help block the breakdown of a chemical that contributes to problems with movement and coordination that mark the progressive disease.

Vitamin overload a risk, NIH says

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over half of U.S. adults use multivitamins, mostly the pretty healthy people who also eat nutrient-fortified foods. Yet there's little evidence that most of the pills do any good -- and concern that some people may even get a risky vitamin overload, advisers to the government said Wednesday.

Lack of volunteers threatens rural ambulances

BINFORD, North Dakota (AP) -- Dorreen Beaver is a medical assistant, a junior nursing student at Jamestown College, a single mother of a 13-year-old boy, and a bait shop operator.

Compound could fight superbugs

NEW YORK (AP) -- Researchers have found a potentially valuable new antibiotic in a scoop of soil from South Africa.

40 percent of women in study report abuse by men

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- More than 40 percent of women surveyed in the Seattle, Washington, area reported they had been physically or psychologically abused by their husbands, dates or boyfriends, researchers said Wednesday.

FDA: Cervical cancer vaccine safe

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A vaccine that blocks infection by the four virus types that cause most cervical cancers and genital warts appears safe and effective, but may actually increase the chance of disease in some patients, according to Food and Drug Administration documents released Wednesday.

More might need to get mumps vaccinations

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Concerned by the recent mumps outbreak in the Midwest, federal health officials plan to review their advice for mumps shots.

Cholesterol treatment ingredient doesn't work, study says

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- German research casts doubt on the effectiveness of a sugar cane-based ingredient sold as a cholesterol treatment in One-A-Day vitamins and other products marketed in dozens of countries.

School recess still common, but no longer a given

WASHINGTON (AP) -- One sure way to get parents exercised is to take away recess, the playful part of the school day when their kids can run wild. In some places, it no longer exists.

Study: Some arthritis drugs triple cancer risk

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking Humira or Remicade face triple the risk of developing several kinds of cancer and double the risk of getting serious infections, a study led by the Mayo Clinic found.

Synthetic pot drug returning to chemo patients

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seventeen years after it was withdrawn from U.S. markets, a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana is going back on sale as a prescription treatment for the vomiting and nausea that often accompany chemotherapy, the drug's manufacturer said Tuesday.

Cancer death rate higher in nonsmoking men

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lung cancer isn't common in people who never smoked. But when they do get it, doctors have long thought that women were more likely to die than men. New research suggests the opposite.

Measure waives penalty for missing Medicare deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Elderly and disabled people who missed the deadline for enrolling in the new Medicare drug benefit would not pay a financial penalty if they try to sign up later this year under legislation that Senate sponsors predict will gain swift and overwhelming approval.

Elderly rush to beat Medicare deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bush administration officials say a last-day flurry of registration for the new Medicare drug benefit could lead to 90 percent of elderly Americans having insurance coverage for their medicine.

Survey: Teen prescription drug abuse 'entrenched'

NEW YORK (AP) -- Teen smoking and drinking continued to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize, a survey released Tuesday showed.

Bubonic plague in animals closes campground

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- A campground at Natural Bridges National Monument has been closed because of bubonic plague detected among field mice and chipmunks.

Army: HBO documentary could trigger stress disorder

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army surgeon general is warning that the HBO documentary "Baghdad ER" is so graphic that military personnel watching it could experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.