Health News

China launches swine flu education drive in schools

China launches swine flu education drive in schoolsBeijing - China has launched a campaign to educate all schoolchildren in the symptoms and prevention of swine flu, the government said on Thursday.

Schools nationwide should educate children about swine flu as soon as possible to raise awareness and "avoid causing unnecessary panic among teachers and students," the education and health ministries said in a joint notice published on their websites.

The schools should teach children about good hygiene and the avoidance of contact with flu-infected people, the notice said.

Confirmed swine flu cases in Mexico increases to 91; eight dead

Confirmed swine flu cases in Mexico increases to 91; eight deadMexico City - The number of confirmed swine flu infections in Mexico climbed from 49 to 91, with eights deaths caused by the new strain, Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said Wednesday night.

The latest figures came shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva raised the pandemic alert for swine flu by one level to phase 5.

Japanese puff on electronic cigarettes

Japanese puff on electronic cigarettesTokyo - Japanese smokers bent on

Australia takes tough line on female circumcision

Australia takes tough line on female circumcisionSydney - Female circumcision is called female genital mutilation (FGM) in Australia and it's a crime.

Those performing it face a possible seven-year prison term and those who don't report it risk a stiff fine.

In Sydney's outer suburb of Auburn, there's a specialist FGM clinic that has been in operation for over 10 years and sees around 40 women a year.

The typical patient is in her 20s, is about to wed, and was operated on by a village midwife in an African or Middle Eastern country when she was young.

Quest for a firm, trim physique knows no age limits

Quest for a firm, trim physique knows no age limitsHamburg - Many people yearn for a firm body, particularly in warm weather when everyone flocks to beaches and outdoor swimming pools and expose all their flabby parts.

A look at internet forums shows that emancipation from this yearning prevails, and men apparently worry about their figures only slightly less than women. It seems that the term "firm" is in fact subjective. For some, it means muscles so well defined they could have been carved by a knife; for others it means no flab at all.

Jordan, Iraq coordinate steps to combat swine flu

Jordan, Iraq coordinate steps to combat swine fluAmman - Jordan and Iraq on Wednesday decided to step up coordination to tackle a possible outbreak of swine flu, confirmed cases of which have surfaced in several countries around the world.

Jordanian Health Minister Nayef Hayel met with his Iraqi counterpart Saleh al-Hasnawi to discuss what both countries should do in the face of an outbreak.

"The two ministers underlined the importance of exchanging information at the highest level over latest developments relating to the disease," an official statement said.

Pages