WHO Issues Update on Swine Flu Cases, Deaths
There have been 985 confirmed cases of H1N1 infection, also referred to as the swine flu, in 20 countries, according to an update from the World Health Organization. The bulk of those illnesses—590—occurred in Mexico, where there have been 25 deaths. In the United States, there have been 286 confirmed cases, including one death. WHO also issued a reminder that you cannot get H1N1 from eating properly cooked pork or pork products. People who are not feeling well should put off international travel, WHO advises, but the organization does not recommend other travel restrictions or the closure of borders.
Are you concerned about H1N1 infection? Explore whether alternative remedies can help ward off swine flu, and find out whether the illness poses a special threat to asthmatics. And here are 14 things you should know about swine flu and 5 ways to prepare your family.
Seasonal Allergy Symptoms: How to Prevent or Treat Them
Spring is the time of year when many people complain about seasonal allergy symptoms such as runny noses, congestion, rashes, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, coughing—and just generally feeling miserable. About 16.9 million Americans had allergies in 2007, and there were 12.2 million doctor's office visits for allergies in 2006, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to a substance that doesn't bother most people. In the spring, pollen is what gets to some people. But indoor allergies—to dust mites, dust, or pet dander, for instance—can cause problems all year round. If your allergy symptoms have you feeling lousy, this list of 6 allergy treatments and prevention strategies may help you find some relief.
While allergies can be frustrating, they can be even more difficult to deal with if your favorite allergy medicine goes missing from store shelves, as Drixoral did. Here are some tips for what to do for a stuffy nose and how to ease congestion using a cheap saltwater nasal rinse.
Dr. Ruth Offers Advice on Improving Your Sex Life
What should be done to improve sexual literacy? That was the topic at a luncheon last week that was sponsored by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes was in attendance. She spoke about the need for mothers to educate their daughters about sex—beyond the basic mechanics, Deborah Kotz reports.
Barnes provided the perfect prelude for the keynote address by Ruth Westheimer, the famous sex therapist, who said she first became interested in her field after leaving Columbia University School of Public Health in the 1960s to take a job at Planned Parenthood. "I was old-fashioned and a square," she jokes, "and all they wanted to talk about at my new job was not politics or the weather but sex. Forty-eight hours after I started, I came to agree it was an interesting subject." Dr. Ruth offers 5 tips for improving your sex life.
Try this advice for teaching teens about sex, and learn how to maintain your sex life as you age.
—January W. Payne
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Updated 5/4/09: At 11 a.m., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the total number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States to 286.
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