Former NIH chief advises women to ignore new mammogram guideline, says it will lead to deaths

November 19th, 2009 more images more images Task force doctor stands by mammogram advice WASHINGTON — A member of the independent panel whose new mammogram recommendations have led to confusion defended the task force's report, saying Thursday that it was based on the most up-to-date, accurate information available. Dr. Timothy Wilt, a member of the U.S.

November 18th, 2009 more images more images Sebelius: Women should get mammograms by age 40 WASHINGTON — Women should continue getting regular mammograms starting at age 40, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday, moving to douse confusion caused by a task-force recommendation two days earlier. Sebelius issued her statement following a government panel's recommendation on Monday, that said most women don't need mammograms in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50.

November 17th, 2009 more images more imagesNew mammogram advice raises questions, concernsNEW YORK — For many women, getting a mammogram is already one of life's more stressful experiences. Now, women in their 40s have the added anxiety of trying to figure out if they should even be getting one at all.

November 11th, 2009 MELBOURNE - A new Australian study has suggested that almost one in four invasive breast cancers in women of ages between 50 to 69 years is not fatal. The research has further heated up the question: what part of abnormalities picked up by the mammogram tests can actually threaten life? Epidemiologist Dr Stephen Morrell of the University of Sydney and her colleagues studied cases in New South Wales and found that the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer and aged between 50-69 increased almost two times after tests began.

November 9th, 2009 AIDS is leading cause of death, disease for womenGENEVA — In its first study of women's health around the globe, the World Health Organization said Monday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44. Unsafe sex is the leading risk factor in developing countries for these women of childbearing age, with others including lack of access to contraceptives and iron deficiency, the WHO said.

November 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Women treated for breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence if they have dense breasts, according to a new study. The study's results indicate that breast cancer patients with dense breasts may benefit from additional therapies following surgery, such as radiation.

October 23rd, 2009 Michelle Obama highlights breast cancer awarenessWASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama is tying breast cancer awareness to the push to change the health insurance system. At the White House on Friday, an audience of breast cancer survivors, advocates and lawmakers heard other women describe being denied coverage because of a cancer diagnosis in their past.

October 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Getting breast implants does not increase a woman's breast cancer risk or interfere in detection procedure, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre "The question of how implants affect breast cancer risk and screening tests, like the mammogram, is a question that many women ask," said Dr Therese Bevers, medical director of the Cancer Prevention Centre at M.

October 10th, 2009 Cuba reports swine flu deaths: 3 pregnant womenHAVANA — Cuba has acknowledged its first deaths from swine flu, saying three pregnant women succumbed to the virus and many more have been treated for symptoms. Deputy Health Minister Jose Angel Portal said a total of 2,100 pregnant women were treated for symptoms of the disease, with 110 of them seriously ill, in comments reported by the official Communist Party newspaper, Granma, on Saturday.

September 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Health experts have urged pregnant mothers get their flu shots as soon as the vaccines hit the market to protect themselves against both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 (swine) flu. Experts from eight organizations the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, the Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine claim that H1N1 virus is more dangerous for pregnant women.

September 16th, 2009 HYDERABAD - Three more people died of influenza A (H1N1) virus in Andhra Pradesh, taking the swine flu toll to 16 in the state, a health official said Wednesday. Two women died in the government-run Gandhi Hospital while a man succumbed at a private hospital here.

September 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Kids whose head size is smaller than that of 97 percent of children may be at an increased risk of neurologic and cognitive problems, and should be screened for such problems, according to a new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology. Published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the guideline has been developed in full collaboration with the Child Neurology Society.

September 9th, 2009 NIH expands swine flu shot tests to pregnant womenWASHINGTON — It's time to test the new swine flu vaccine in pregnant women. Studies of adults and children are going so well that the National Institutes of Health announced Wednesday it is opening the research to 120 women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy.

September 7th, 2009 DUBAI - As a swine flu epidemic rages globally, Saudi Arabia has advised all pilgrims traveling for the Haj to vaccinate themselves against seasonal human influenza. The Ministry of Health advises all pilgrims, whether arriving from outside or inside the Kingdom, to obtain the seasonal human influenza vaccine prior to their departure to perform Haj or Omrah rituals, especially those who are more exposed to the disease, such as the elderly and people suffering from chronic respiratory disorders, diabetes, or kidney, liver, or heart failure, a posting on its website said.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - With the number of women smokers rising day-by-day, researchers have warned that about a quarter of both men and women, who smoke throughout adult life, may die due to tobacco before getting old. They said that smoking still kills more men than women, as men started smoking substantial numbers of cigarettes long before women did.