Health Buzz: Flu Drug Failure and Other Health News

Antiviral Drug Won't Work Against This Year's Flu Strain

The flu strain circulating this year is resistant to the oft-used antiviral drug Tamiflu, but people shouldn't worry too much, government health officials said yesterday. That's because there are other drugs that work against this flu virus, such as Relenza and Flumadine, according to Joseph Bresee, chief of influenza prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To be most effective, these medications must be taken within the first 48 hours after symptoms appear. Most people who get the flu, though, get better with a lot of bed rest and no other treatment. U.S. News tells you how to keep your family safe from bird flu.

9 Lessons Learned From Oprah's Latest Weight Loss Battle

Oprah Winfrey's very public battles with her weight continued this week, and her show devoted an episode to her "falling off the wagon." Katherine Hobson, the On Fitness blogger for U . S . News, says we can all learn from Oprah's continuing struggles by, say, taking a good hard look at those "healthful" blue corn chips that pack in a lot of fat and calories. Find other tips she's gleaned in these 9 lessons that will end yo-yo dieting once and for all, and consider these 4 diets that promote health.

Early C-Sections Increase Risk for Babies

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that babies delivered via a scheduled C-section before the 39th week of pregnancy were more likely to have infections, low blood sugar, and breathing problems that required a ventilator. Previous studies

also recommended against scheduling cesareans more than a week before a woman's due date. What's highly troubling, though, is that 36 percent of the more than 24,000 elective C-sections studied (in which the surgery was performed for no good medical reason) were done before 39 weeks, in flagrant disregard of guidelines endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. U.S. News tells pregnant women what to discuss with their doctors if they're planning to deliver by C-section.

—Deborah Kotz

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