Health Headlines - March 13

China Launches First Human Trials of AIDS Vaccine

China, criticized for a slow initial response to its AIDS/HIV crisis, has begun its first human trials of a new AIDS vaccine, Xinhua news agency said.

Second Nurse Suspected to Have Bird Flu in Vietnam

A Vietnamese nurse who tended a bird flu patient with a colleague who has since tested positive for the deadly virus has been hospitalized after showing symptoms of the disease, health officials said on Saturday.

Communities Adjust to Medical Privacy Laws

Practices which helped neighbors stay connected in this community of 1,200 and others like it across the country are largely gone — partly because of the nation's new medical privacy laws.

Heart Pumps Bring Hope to Young Patients

An experimental, child-size artificial heart pump may be saving the lives of children awaiting heart transplants, doctors say.

Indiana Reports Whooping Cough Comeback

Whooping cough cases rose to their highest number in four decades in Indiana last year due largely to the highly contagious disease's spread among adolescents, health officials said.

Kidney Disease Web Site a Resource for Patients

A new directory focused on chronic kidney disease offers patients, doctors and caregivers quick access to more than 60 Web sites, including those operated by non-profit, educational and patient advocacy organizations.

Virtual Colonoscopy Is Less Invasive But Less Reliable

Colonoscopy is the potentially life-saving procedure that everyone over 50 knows they should get, but one that few want to endure.

WHO calls for full information on each bird flu case

The World Health Organisation (WHO) called for full disclosure of all information on each human bird flu case to prevent a global pandemic.

Two years on, Beijing's SARS victims are forgotten

Two years after the SARS crisis, the epidemic is still a harsh reality for those struck by the disease in Beijing, many of whom are furious at officials' indifference to their plight.

Australian scientists develop new pre-natal test for birth defects

Australian scientists have developed a new pre-natal test for birth defects in unborn babies to replace a procedure that carries a small risk of causing miscarriage, a report said.