Health | WPN World People News

Research conducted by Fogarty and China CDC scientists identifies three regions for influenza vaccination in China: Annual vaccination campaigns should be initiated in October-November in Northern China (purple) and in February-March in Southern China (green) to accommodate local seasonal influenza activity. In the mid-latitude region around Shanghai (yellow), the optimal timing of vaccination is complicated by semi-annual influenza activity and should be clarified based on further research.

Combining genetic data with clinical information to determine the initial dosage of the blood thinner warfarin, used to prevent blood clots in the circulatory system, was no more effective in achieving stable anticoagulation than using only clinical information, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trial.

Chelation treatments reduced cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, and death in patients with diabetes but not in those who did not have diabetes, according to analyses of data from the National Institutes of Health-funded Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). However, researchers say more studies are needed before it’s known whether this promising finding leads to a treatment option.

Toilets are still out of reach for more than one-third of the global population, with devastating consequences to the health and development of children, UNICEF said on World Toilet Day.

Repair or replace? Consumers often ask this question when considering faulty cars, appliances, or other equipment. A new clinical study has now addressed this question for a serious medical decision: how to treat ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR), a condition in which blood backflows into the heart because the mitral valve becomes leaky after a heart attack.

In a traditional corneal transplant, the central part of the cornea is removed and a donor cornea is sutured in its place.

Lack of communication between patients and health care providers about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major barrier to diagnosis of this disease, according to the results of a Web-based survey released by the National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

Infographic - Problem: e-cigarettes and hookahs are gaining popularity among students.

The world should aim to have vaccines which reduce malaria cases by 75%, and are capable of eliminating malaria, licensed by 2030, according to the updated 2013 "Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap", launched. This new target comes in addition to the original 2006 Roadmap’s goal of having a licensed vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most deadly form of the disease, for children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015.