Smuggled birds add to flu fears

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bird flu entering the U.S. through smuggled wildlife is a growing worry for government officials already on the lookout for migrating wild birds.

Recipients: Stolen body parts infected

NEW YORK (AP) -- At least a dozen people who had routine operations say they caught deadly viruses and other germs from body parts stolen from corpses in a ghoulish scandal that has sent hundreds of people for tests.

Mild flu season ending, CDC says

ATLANTA , Georgia (AP) -- This year's flu season draws to a close as one of the mildest in recent years, partly because the vaccine was a good match for this winter's most common virus, health officials say.

Hospitals trying to slim kids down

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Diane Nellis was worried about the health of her teenage son who weighed 240 pounds. But she didn't put him on a diet. Or send him to a fat camp.

Drug plan leaves some in the hole

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mildred Lindley is stuck in a hole, the doughnut hole -- "right in the middle of it," she says -- that comes with Medicare's new prescription drug benefit.

Researchers unsure if masks stop flu

WASHINGTON (AP) -- If a worldwide flu epidemic strikes, face masks should be considered a defense of last resort since there's little evidence about whether the masks available to the average person or most health care workers can prevent influenza infection, the Institute of Medicine said Thursday.

Tricking the stomach to fight obesity

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (Reuters) -- The company that invented the heart pacemaker is employing the same technology to trick obese patients into thinking their stomachs are full.

It's hip to be pregnant

NEW YORK (AP) -- Like any expectant mother, Kai Walter, six months pregnant, has lots to get done before the big day. One of her most important errands: an upcoming trip to the West Coast, where she has an appointment to take off her clothes and be photographed.

Study: U.S. wouldn't slow pandemic flu much

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A mostly unprepared United States could do little to slow pandemic flu if it hits anytime soon, according to a new computer model.

Duke counselors busy since scandal

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- In the month since the Duke University rape scandal broke, campus counselors have been swamped with calls from sexual assault victims whose own painful memories have been stirred up, the head of the women's center says.

High cancer rate linked to industrial site

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- A disturbingly high number of cancer cases have been linked to a former textile dye-making plant and its waste ponds, where several people now battling cancer swam when they were children, state health officials say.

Percent who skip health insurance jumps

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- More than 40 percent of Americans making between $20,000 and $40,000 a year went without insurance for at least part of the year last year, according to a study published Wednesday.

Airlines say they can't afford plan to track disease

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Concerned about bird flu, federal health officials want airlines to collect personal information about domestic and international passengers to help track a potential epidemic.

Scientists find secret to gas-free beans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Two strains of bacteria are the key to making beans flatulence-free, Venezuelan researchers reported on Tuesday.

Depression, anxiety in Katrina's kids

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- Each time the 3-year-old gets in the bathtub, she thinks she's going to drown. Monica whimpers when her grandmother turns on the faucet, sobbing softly at first, then wailing as the tub begins to fill.

Report: FDA needs more power over drug-makers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Lawmakers should give the Food and Drug Administration the power to require additional studies from drugmakers after their products hit the market, according to a report released Monday that found lingering safety problems at the agency.

Pigeons not a bird flu concern

WASHINGTON (AP) -- City folks, don't worry. Nobody expects pigeons, more common than manhole covers, will bring the deadly bird flu virus.

What scares doctors about hospitals

(Time.com) -- It's easy to imagine that doctors don't get sick -- but of course, they do. And they suffer the same pitfalls as the rest of us when we enter the health-care system.

FDA says no to medical marijuana

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it does not support the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Mumps outbreak worst in 20 years

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- In the worst outbreak in nearly 20 years, mumps cases are spilling out of Iowa, popping up in at least seven other Midwestern states and perhaps seven more -- leading to promises of extra vaccine from the U.S. stockpile.