S. Africa police ripped for firing on AIDS activists
Activists condemned South African police on Thursday for firing rubber bullets and smoke grenades at AIDS protesters marching on a hospital to demand the government improve access to life-prolonging drugs.
Forty people were injured and 10 treated for gunshot wounds after police fired on protesters at a hospital in the Eastern Cape region on Tuesday, said the country’s leading AIDS activist group Treatment Action Campaign, which organised the march.
Portable oxygen OK for airline passengers-FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will soon allow passengers who require medical oxygen to use certain portable oxygen concentrators on board for use during air travel.
Previously, airlines were prohibited from allowing passengers to use oxygen because it is typically provided in metal tanks containing the compressed gas, considered a hazardous material.
Climate only partly to blame for Africa food woes
Africa may seem incapable of growing enough food to feed its starving millions, but in the fields of South Africa’s Free State, farmers are taking in more maize than they know what to do with.
While most African countries run at a substantial food deficit, with millions dependent on food aid and malnutrition rife, South African maize yields per hectare are the highest on record - and farmers say it is not just down to good weather.
Unborn babies soaked in chemicals, survey finds
Unborn U.S. babies are soaking in a stew of chemicals, including mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides, according to a report to be released on Thursday.
Although the effects on the babies are not clear, the survey prompted several members of Congress to press for legislation that would strengthen controls on chemicals in the environment.
Bandits make off with truckload of breast implants
Armed bandits in Brazil robbed a vehicle carrying more than 400 breast implants, officials said on Tuesday.
“It happened last week, but we only learned about it recently as our clients started complaining. It is the hottest period of the year in terms of implant sales,” said Margaret Figueiredo, director of silicone implant manufacturer Silimed.
Conn. wants to weed out marijuana-flavored candy
Connecticut on Tuesday joined a growing effort to weed out marijuana-flavored candy from store shelves when its attorney general said he would sponsor a statewide ban on “Pot Suckers” lollipops.
Five other states have either banned or are considering a ban on the candy, causing New Jersey distributor ICUP to suspend further sales of the green candy as of June 28.
Church says Mexico’s Fox traitor on day-after pill
President Vicente Fox, the first devout Roman Catholic to lead Mexico in decades, has been labeled a traitor by the church after his government put “morning-after” contraceptive pills in public clinics this week.
A senior church official said Fox has ignored its concerns that the pill is tantamount to abortion, which is illegal in Mexico. The morning-after pill has been available at pharmacies in Mexico for several years and was added this week to a list of drugs required to be available at public health centers.
UK doctor’s baby death evidence ruled misleading
A British doctor who testified at the trials of several women wrongly convicted of murdering their babies was found at a medical tribunal on Wednesday to have given “misleading” evidence in one of the cases.
Paediatrician Sir Roy Meadow could be banned from practising if the decision by the General Medical Council in London leads to him being found guilty of serious professional misconduct.
Getting a flu shot may reduce your risk of stroke
Getting a flu shot may not only protect you from catching the virus, it may also protect you from suffering a stroke, according to a study in which German doctors found an association between influenza vaccination and a reduced risk of stroke.
In a report in the journal Stroke, Dr. Armin J. Grau, of Klinikum der Stadt Ludwigshafen, and colleagues note that hospitalizations for stroke go up during influenza epidemics, so flu vaccination might prevent strokes.
US group calls for health warnings on soft drinks
A U.S. consumer group on Wednesday called for cigarette-style warnings on soft drinks to alert consumers that too much of the sugary beverages can make them fat and cause other health problems.
People who overindulge in soft drinks are also more likely to develop diabetes and have decaying teeth, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said in a petition to the Food and Drug Administration.
