World No Tobacco Day: WHO urged not to snuff out e-cig
The e-cigarette was pushed centre stage ahead of World No Tobacco Day, with doctors and policy experts urging the UN's health agency to embrace the gadget as a life saver.
13 new MERS deaths in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has announced 13 more deaths from the MERS coronavirus, as the World Health Organisation prepared for an emergency meeting over worries about the spread of the disease.
Unusual new penguin flu found in Antarctica
A new kind of bird flu has been detected for the first time in Adelie penguins in Antarctica, though the virus does not seem to make them sick, researchers said.
Pakistan to set up polio vaccination points at airports
Pakistan will set up mandatory polio immunisation points at its international airports in response to recommendations by the World Health Organisation, the health ministry said.
14 dead in northwest Thailand road accident
At least 14 people were killed Wednesday when a truck carrying local villagers crashed in a mountainous region of northwest Thailand, police and hospital officials said.
Gambia bans flights from Ebola-hit nations
The Gambia has banned flights from Ebola-hit west African countries from landing in its territory, airport officials told AFP.
Nine Cambodians killed in Thai road accident
Nine Cambodians were killed Friday when a mini-bus carrying migrant workers returning home for the Buddhist New Year crashed and burst into flames in eastern Thailand, police said.
US releases $22 mln in additional aid for CAR
The United States announced Wednesday an additional $22 million in humanitarian aid for Central African Republic, on the eve of a key vote at the UN to authorize the deployment of peacekeepers.
Saudi MERS death toll rises to 66
Saudi health authorities have reported the deaths of another two men from the MERS coronavirus, bringing the death toll from the respiratory disease in the worst hit country to 66.
Panic in the kitchen: UK digests new fruit and veg advice
It was with a heavy heart, and some panic, that Britons digested new advice this week that their struggle to eat enough fruit and vegetables had just got harder.
Saudi MERS death toll rises to 63
Saudi health authorities said Saturday a young man had died from the MERS coronavirus, bringing the death toll from the respiratory disease in the worst-hit country to 63.
China bird flu deaths reach 72 this year: government
A total of 72 people died from the H7N9 bird flu strain in China in the first two months of this year, government figures showed, far more than in the whole of 2013.
Evacuations urged in burning Australian coal mine town
Young, elderly and pregnant residents of a Australian town cloaked in smoke from a coal mine ablaze for three weeks were Friday urged to leave over mounting air quality concerns.
Air purifier rush as smog shrouds northern China
Dangerous smog which has blighted swathes of northern China in recent days has prompted a spike in air purifier sales, local media reported Monday, as pollution continued to shroud Beijing.
China can prevent 13 million smoking deaths by 2050: study
China can prevent nearly 13 million tobacco-related deaths by 2050 by fully implementing a set of neglected anti-smoking policies it had already agreed to.
India to celebrate 'victory over polio'
Indian leaders are set later Tuesday to celebrate the eradication of polio, marking one of the country's biggest public health success stories which was once thought impossible to achieve.
Three H7N9 cases in same Chinese family: Xinhua
Three members of the same Chinese family have contracted H7N9 bird flu in the province worst-affected by the current spike in cases, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Vietnam reports first bird flu death in nine months
Vietnam has recorded its first death from bird flu in nine months, according to the country's Health Ministry, amid growing regional concerns over a potential resurgence of the deadly virus.
Jar of preserved intestine solves 1800s cholera mystery
The intestine of an American cholera victim from the mid-1800s has yielded new clues to the evolution of the deadly bacterium and may help prevent future outbreaks, researchers said Wednesday.
Scientists discover hormone that blocks marijuana buzz
A naturally occurring hormone acts as spontaneous defense in the brain against the high caused by marijuana and could be useful in preventing addiction, researchers said Thursday.