Health

5 countries in East and southern Africa have anthrax outbreaks, WHO says, with 20 deaths reported

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Five countries in East and southern Africa are in the middle of outbreaks of the anthrax disease, with more than 1,100 suspected cases and 20 deaths this year, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Dec 11, 2023 12:41 PM Read more >

Rishi Sunak faces a revolt in the UK Parliament over his Rwanda plan after a grilling on COVID-19

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced a rebellion from restive lawmakers over his signature immigration policy , while fending off tough questions Monday about his judgment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dec 11, 2023 11:46 AM Read more >

Commercial fishermen need more support for substance abuse and fatigue, lawmakers say

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal program that protects the health and wellbeing of commercial fishermen should be expanded to include substance use disorder and worker fatigue, a group of lawmakers from New England and Alaska said.

Dec 11, 2023 11:23 AM Read more >

Doctor and self-exiled activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS epidemic in rural China dies at 95

Renowned Chinese doctor and activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS virus epidemic in rural China in the 1990s died Sunday at the age of 95 at her home in the United States.

Dec 11, 2023 3:25 AM Read more >

Asia lags behind pre-pandemic levels of food security, UN food agency says

BANGKOK (AP) — Hunger remains a chronic problem in Asia, with 55 million more people undernourished in 2022 than before the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says in its latest assessment of food security in the region.

Dec 11, 2023 1:20 AM Read more >

Federal dental insurance program to be phased in over 2024, benefits to start in May

OTTAWA — The new federal dental insurance plan will be phased in gradually over 2024, with the first claims likely to be processed in May, government officials said ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for Monday morning.

Dec 10, 2023 5:46 PM Read more >

Some Seattle cancer center patients are receiving threatening emails after last month's data breach

SEATTLE (AP) — Some patients of a Seattle-based cancer center received threatening emails following a data breach last month. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center officials said a Nov.

Dec 9, 2023 11:37 AM Read more >

A pregnant Texas woman asked a court for permission to get an abortion, despite a ban. What's next?

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kate Cox, a mother of two in Texas, became pregnant again in August but soon after learned devasting news: Her baby has a fatal condition and is likely to either be stillborn or die shortly after birth.

Dec 9, 2023 10:46 AM Read more >

It's taking longer to schedule abortions in the US. Doctors fear riskier, more complex procedures

A woman whose fetus was unlikely to survive called more than a dozen abortion clinics before finding one that would take her, only to be put on weekslong waiting lists.

Dec 9, 2023 7:38 AM Read more >

Texas Supreme Court pauses lower court's order allowing pregnant woman to have an abortion

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday night put on hold a judge's ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis, throwing into limbo an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive

Dec 9, 2023 7:11 AM Read more >