Health Buzz: WHO Stops Counting Swine Flu Cases and Other Health News

Swine Flu Cases Too Numerous to Count

The World Health Organization said today it will stop tracking individual cases of H1N1 swine flu, the Associated Press reports. The agency posted the announcement on its website, saying that it would no longer report the number of confirmed cases in all countries but would provide regular updates about newly affected countries in order to track and document the pandemic. In places where the virus is spreading widely, counting cases and confirming them with tests have become extremely difficult, if not impossible, according to the WHO statement. Counting individual cases is no longer essential for those countries to monitor the risk of infection or to implement responses, the agency said.

Think you have swine flu? U.S. News's Deborah Kotz reports how to recognize the telltale signs of H1N1: fever, cough, sore throat, stomach cramps, diarrhea, fatigue, and muscle aches. Explore whether alternative remedies can help ward off swine flu. Here are 14 things you should know about swine flu and 5 ways to prepare your family.

Bayer to Change Health Claims for One-a-Day Men's Vitamins

Bayer will change the packaging and health claims for its men's vitamins after research cast doubt on whether the products' ingredient selenium can prevent prostate cancer. Late last year, researchers halted SELECT, a clinical trial designed to see whether taking selenium and vitamin E might help prevent prostate cancer, after it became clear that neither nutrient had the desired effect. The company's website seems to have already been changed; it says the men's One-a-Day vitamins, sold in two versions, provide "key nutrients to support heart health, eye health, and healthy blood pressure," plus ginkgo to "promote memory and concentration," U.S. News's Katherine Hobson reports. There's no longer any mention of prostate health, and selenium isn't singled out as a key ingredient, though both vitamins still have 150 percent of the recommended daily amount of selenium. In June, the Center for Science in the Public Interest warned it would file a lawsuit against Bayer if it continued to promote its men's vitamins as a cancer preventative. Read full article.

Do vitamins and supplements really work as weapons in fending off cancer and other chronic and age-related diseases? Earlier this week, Hobson uncovered 5 reasons researchers haven't determined which vitamins, herbs, or botanicals may help prevent or relieve symptoms of cancer—and offers guidance on what to do in the face of incomplete information. Learn what experts say on whether you can get vitamins and minerals through diet alone.

The High-Tech Hospital of the Future

One day in the not-too-distant future, any doctor in the country may have access to the complete medical history of an unconscious trauma patient—perhaps through an identifier implanted under the skin. According to one industry analyst, spending on telemedicine, which now entails everything from remotely monitoring patients to analyzing medical images from afar, will reach $2.4 billion this year and nearly triple to $6.1 billion by 2012. The investment hospitals are making in change has two goals: to improve clinical care and slash error rates, and to reduce patient stress, encouraging healing. One of the most anticipated developments is that technology will allow hospitals to do a better job of keeping people out of them, writes U.S. News contributor Michelle Andrews. Continue reading.

Yesterday, U.S. News released its annual ranking of America's Best Hospitals. A total of 4,861 hospitals across the nation were considered; 174, or fewer than 0.4 percent of the total, were ranked in even one of the 16 specialties. Of the 174 hospitals that are ranked in one or more specialties, 21 qualified for the Honor Roll by earning high scores in at least six specialties. View a photo-guided tour of the Honor Roll.

—Megan Johnson

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