Since it first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, the H5N1 avian flu virus has been slowly evolving into a pathogen better equipped to infect humans. The final form of the virus, biomedical researchers fear, will be a highly pathogenic strain of influenza that spreads easily among humans. [click link for full article]

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry strongly urges Congress to override President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (H.R. 976) act. The House passed the S-CHIP bill by a 265-159 margin. This vote margin is not large enough to override the President’s veto. The Senate passed the measure by a 67-29 margin. [click link for full article]

The recent veto by President W. Bush of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) profoundly compromises California’s poorest children, the most vulnerable group in our communities”, says Harold Slavkin, Dean of the USC School of Dentistry. The greatest obstacle to healthcare is not availability, but affordability and accessibility. The greatest obstacle is poverty. Tooth decay remains the most prevalent, chronic disease among children in this country. [click link for full article]

A recent study shows that being allergic to cats is a strong risk factor for the development of asthma. This is likely to be especially true for people with allergies…

The long-running civil war in Sri Lanka is causing more mental health problems and social breakdown than the catastrophic 2004 tsunami, according to research published in the online open access publication International Journal of Mental Health Systems. [click link for full article]

Adolescents have grown taller and put on weight over the last thirty years, but the problem of underweight teens may be worse, a study in the online open access journal BMC Public Health suggests. An analysis of the height, weight, and body-mass index of teenagers during 1966-1969 and 1995-1997 in Norway demonstrates a shift towards taller and heavier teenagers, but also hints that there are more underweight adolescents. [click link for full article]

Former South African President Nelson Mandela on Monday announced that the fifth international concert of his “46664″ HIV/AIDS awareness campaign will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Dec. 1, to mark World AIDS Day, AFP/Google.com reports (AFP/Google.com, 10/1). [click link for full article]

MedImmune, Inc. has announced results from two important studies presented at the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) 45th Annual Meeting adding to the body of knowledge about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is a viral pathogen that produces annual outbreaks usually between fall and spring. [click link for full article]

A woman who had both breasts removed in error because of a biopsy result that was later found not to be hers, appeared on Good Morning America earlier today, Thursday, and talked about her story.Darrie Eason, a 35 year old woman from Long Island, New York, had a double mastectomy after a tissue sample from a lab based in New York came back positive for breast cancer. [click link for full article]

A combination of two drugs can selectively block pain-sensing neurons in rats without impairing movement or other sensations such as touch, according to a new study by National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported investigators. The finding suggests an improved way to treat pain from childbirth and surgical procedures. It may also lead to new treatments to help the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain. [click link for full article]