LONDON – The name of Tony Benn is synonymous with socialist politics. One of the oldest politicians in Great Britain as he fiercely defended the country from national health service time and again, and was in power in 1948 when the health minister Nye Bevan introduced the system. In the debate between public and private health... More

Five more swine flu deaths were reported on Friday in India, taking the toll from the H1N1 virus to 83, health officials said. Three patients died in Karnataka and one each in Maharashtra and Kerala. In Karnataka, two deaths were reported from Bangalore and one from Bijapur. According to Maharashtra health authorities, a 39-year-old... More

Young children are at increased risk of swine flu complications, yet guidance for diagnosis remains ambiguous. Both the Health Protection Agency and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are advising GP review of symptomatic infants under the age of one. But what of older children? There are reports up and down the country... More

Up to half of the population of the U.S. could come down with the swine flu and 90,000 could die this season, according to a dire report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The report, which claims as many as 1.8 million people could end up in the hospital seeking treatment for the H1N1 virus,... More

India’s population will rise to a massive 1.53 billion by 2050, overtaking China and making the country the world’s most populous nation. According to a report by the National Commission on Population, India’s population is expected to reach 1.19 billion by 2011, 1.27 billion by 2016, 1.34 billion by 2021 and 1.4... More

Taking a serious view of the stir launched by resident doctors across the state, the Bombay high court bench at Nagpur on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to place on record the action it planned to take against the striking medicos. Hearing a petition filed by Nagpur-based organisation Janmanch, a division bench of Justice... More

Vitamin D deficiency, which can occur even in “sun-replete” areas of the world, may lead to more severe asthma and allergies in childhood, researchers warn. Dr. Juan C. Celedon at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and co-investigators examined the association between vitamin D levels and markers of asthma... More

Concerned about last summer to take a wrinkles? Apply juice berries. Researchers have discovered that Korea an antioxidant present in the skin of the berries used to contain the damage from ultraviolet (UV). “An antioxidant in the berries and nuts can act as potential solar and shield the skin from harmful UV rays,” said... More

Snoring is often taken lightly. But – snorers please note – the condition may hinder the sexual life, says a leading British doctor. According to Dr. Mark Potter, snoring can have profound implications for a person’s well-being, any impact on their sex life to the chances of succumbing to death by heart attack or... More