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A woman pushes a child's buggy into a National Health Service, NHS, walk-in health centre in west London, Tuesday July 21, 2009. (AP / Lefteris Pitarakis)

Friday Nov. 6, 2009 8:59 PM ET

In Europe, most swine flu shots by invitation only

In Britain, there are no long lines of people seeking swine flu vaccine. And there are no cries of injustice that the vaccine is going to wealthy corporations or healthy people who don't really need it. Full Story

A security guard peers out at the line-up during a flu vaccination program in Calgary, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. (Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Second staffer fired over Flames' flu shots

Alberta's health board says a second person has been fired for helping set up a private clinic for Calgary Flames players and their families to get the H1N1 flu vaccine.

US politics

U.S. lawmakers take more shots at Canadian healthcare

Canada's healthcare system got another drubbing south of the border, in an opinion piece called "Canada's Healthcare Disaster" written by a renowned political strategist and published in a widely-read congressional paper.   84  

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty (left) talks with Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne (right) as Minister of Health Promotion Margarett Best (centre back) and MP Sophia Aggelonitis (front centre) in the Ontario Legislatre on Sunday January 25, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)

Liberal wants alerts to find missing Alzheimer's patients

So many families are dealing with a relative suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia that a Liberal backbencher wants Ontario to adopt a system of "Silver Alerts" similar to the "Amber Alerts" used when children go missing.

Nurse Jana Wolfgang administers an injection of the swine flu vaccine to a fellow health care worker at Harrisburg Hospital in Harrisburg, Pa., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009. (AP / Carolyn Kaster)

No serious side effects so far with H1N1 vaccine: WHO

Millions of doses of H1N1 vaccine have already been administered, and so far, no unusual side-effects have been seen, reports The World Health Organization.   39  

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech while campaigning for election in Januray of 2008. (AP / Charles Krupa)

House Democrats push for votes on health bill

House Democrats are scrambling to secure enough support to pass President Barack Obama's historic health overhaul initiative, working to soothe last-minute concerns from rank-and-file Democrats ahead of a make-or-break vote.

A sign notifies people that the H1N1 vaccination clinic is full at the Kanata Recreation Complex in Kanata, just west of Ottawa, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (Pawel Dwulit  / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

More patients admitted to hospitals this week with H1N1

Canada's chief public health officer says hospitalizations and deaths from H1N1 virus have spiked this week and is warning that there will be more deaths to come. But some infectious disease experts are saying the second wave may already be cresting.

Canadians are being warned to watch out for products that make bogus claims that they can fight or kill off the H1N1 influenza virus, including 'Flu Away Inhalers' seen in this undated photo.

Canadians warned about fraudulent H1N1 fighters

As the second wave of swine flu arrives, Canadians are being warned to watch out for products that make bogus claims that they can fight or kill off the H1N1 flu virus.   7  

An HIV/AIDS patient waits for treatment at Wat Phrabatnampo near Lopburi, Thailand on Wednesday, July 28, 2004. (AP / David Longstreath)

Recession has hurt AIDS fight: Doctors Without Borders

A medical aid group says funding for AIDS is threatened, and that could set back "dramatic" progress in decreasing HIV illness and death.

Heart health

Worse outcomes for 'off-pump' heart bypass

It seemed like a great idea - doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. Now the first big test of this method has produced a surprise: Bypass has fewer problems and is more successful done the old way.

Clerk Allison Ure lifts groceries she's bagged at the M Street Grocery in Seattle, Aug. 3, 2009. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson)

Health Canada warns of risks from eating raw sprouts

Cook those bean sprouts well, advises Health Canada, if you want to reduce the risk of exposure to food borne illness.

Feds to ship 1.8M swine flu vaccine doses next week

The federal government will ship 1.8 million doses of the swine flu vaccine to the provinces and territories next week, CTV News has learned.   127  

Pets can catch flu too: H1N1 confirmed in Iowa kitty

A cat in Iowa has come down with a case of H1N1 swine flu, the first reported confirmed case of infection in a house pet.   2  

Daily aspirin could do more harm than good for some

An aspirin a day might keep the doctor away if you already have a history of heart trouble, but it may not be a good idea if you're otherwise healthy, conclude British doctors.

Coffee and night-time jobs don't mix, study concludes

People who work night shifts should give up drinking coffee if they want to get some decent sleep between shifts, suggests a new study from Canadian researchers.

Low cholesterol may prevent some prostate cancers

Men may protect more than their hearts if they keep cholesterol in line: Their chances of getting aggressive prostate cancer may be lower, new research suggests.

More Canadians planning to get H1N1 vaccine, poll finds

Canadians are becoming less and less ambivalent about the prospect of the H1N1 vaccine, and a majority of people say they either plan to roll up their sleeve to get the swine-flu shot or have already done so, a new poll suggests.

Premature births worsen U.S. infant mortality rate

Premature births, often due to poor care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries, a government report said Tuesday.

Ontario could soon run out of swine flu vaccine

Health Minister Deb Matthews says she can't say exactly when, but Ontario will run out of regular swine flu vaccine by the week's end. Supply, not the vaccination process, is the issue, she said.

No vaccine? There are other ways to prevent H1N1

A dose of the coveted H1N1 vaccine is likely still weeks away for most Canadians, but there's a host of familiar common-sense strategies people can employ to help keep themselves healthy in the meantime, experts say.

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