CDC says US flu season starts early, could be bad

Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types.

Booze calories nearly equal soda's for U.S. adults

NEW YORK | Americans get too many calories from soda. But what about alcohol? It turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a government study found.

Finally some good news about cholesterol and kids

A big government study shows that in the past decade, the proportion of children who have high cholesterol has fallen. The results are surprising, given that the childhood obesity rate didn't budge.

CDC: Teens often text behind the wheel

Last summer, an off-duty Burnham police officer was hospitalized after being struck by a teen driver. The teen was ticketed for texting and driving.

More kids skip school shots in 8 states

A rising number of parents in more than half of states are opting out of school shots for their kids. And in eight states, more than 1 in 20 public school kindergartners do not get all the vaccines required for attendance, an Associated Press analysis found.

More children are skipping school immunizations

The growing trend among parents seeking vaccine exemptions has health officials worried about outbreaks of diseases that once were all but stamped out.

Panel: Boys should get HPV vaccine given to girls

A vaccine against cervical cancer hasn't been all that popular for girls. It may be even a harder sell for boys now that it's been recommended for them too.

Kids' ER concussion visits up 60 percent over decade

The number of athletic children going to hospitals with concussions is up 60 percent in the past decade, a finding that is likely due to parents and coaches being more careful about treating head injuries, according to a new federal study.

Study: Whooping cough vaccination fades in 3 years

The whooping cough vaccine given to babies and toddlers loses much of its effectiveness after just three years, which is a lot faster than doctors believed, and that could help explain a recent series of outbreaks in the U.S. among children who were fully vaccinated, a study suggests.

Half of Americans drink daily soda

Half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day, and some are downing a lot. One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day.

Half of Americans drink daily soda, sweet beverage

Half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day — and some are downing a lot.

Ugly medical experiments from U.S. past uncovered

ATLANTA | Shocking as it may seem, U.S. government doctors once thought it was fine to experiment on disabled people and prison inmates. Such experiments included giving hepatitis to mental patients in Connecticut, squirting a pandemic flu virus up the noses of prisoners in Maryland and inje…

21,000 had whooping cough last year, CDC says

Federal health officials say more than 21,000 people got whooping cough last year, many of them children and teens. That's the highest number since 2005 and among the worst years in more than 50 years.

US says too much fluoride causing splotchy teeth

ATLANTA (AP) — In a remarkable turnabout, federal health officials say many Americans are getting too much fluoride, and it's causing splotches on children's teeth and perhaps other, more serious problems.

US teen birth rate still far higher than W. Europe

ATLANTA (AP) - The rate of teen births in the U.S. is at its lowest level in almost 70 years. Yet, the sobering context is that the teen pregnancy rate is far lower in many other countries.

U.S. teen birth rate at all-time low, economy cited

ATLANTA | The U.S. teen birth rate in 2009 fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping — a decline that stunned experts who believe it's partly due to the recession.

U.S. teen birth rate at all-time low, economy cited

ATLANTA | The U.S. teen birth rate in 2009 fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping — a decline that stunned experts who believe it's partly due to the recession.

AP IMPACT: Millions of vaccine doses to be burned

ATLANTA | About a quarter of the swine flu vaccine produced for the U.S. public has expired — meaning that a whopping 40 million doses worth about $260 million are being written off as trash.

Dieting for dollars? More US employees trying it

ATLANTA | How much money would it take to get you to lose some serious weight? $100? $500?

CDC: Swine flu vaccine safe; no big problems seen

ATLANTA | There's no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any serious side effects, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, in their first report on the safety of the new vaccine.

Data: Americans avoiding Grim Reaper longer

ATLANTA | U.S. life expectancy has risen to a new high, now standing at nearly 78 years, the government reported Wednesday.

Pregnancy likely to be swine flu shot priority

Swine flu has been hitting pregnant women unusually hard, so they are likely to be among the first group advised to get a new swine flu shot this fall.

Studies: Cyberbullying among children on the rise

ATLANTA | As many as one in three U.S. children have been ridiculed or threatened through computer messages, according to one estimate of the emerging problem of cyberbullying.

Government's new obesity ads too soft on fat, say critics, calling them 'namby-pamby'

Drunks swimming in gin, smokers in body bags and dopers living with their parents deep into adulthood. Those are among the public service ads shown in the past.

'Unwalkable' neighborhoods a challenge for the exercise-minded, study shows

Nearly one in four people in the Atlanta area are exercise enthusiasts stuck in neighborhoods without sidewalks or other walking amenities, according to a study that illustrates a problem for many Americans.

Childbirth death rates soar

ATLANTA (AP) -- U.S. women are dying from childbirth at the highest rate in decades, new government figures show. Though the risk of death is very small, experts believe increasing maternal obesity and a jump in Caesarean sections are partly to blame.

Forget sharks -- sand holes more deadly

Waves and sharks aren't the only dangers at the beach. More than two dozen young people have been killed over the last decade when sand holes collapsed on them, report father-and-son doctors who have made warning of the risk their personal campaign.

West Virginia, Kentucky have most heart disease; D.C., Colorado the least

West Virginia and Kentucky -- states known for high levels of obesity, diabetes and smoking -- have the highest proportion of people with heart disease in the nation, U.S. health officials said last week.

Reports tally families' hospital costs for birth defects, estimated at $2.5 billion a year

Birth defects lead to more than $2.5 billion a year in hospital costs alone, according to the first national studies to estimate their financial burden on U.S. families.

Immunization gap closed

For the first time in at least a decade, the vaccination rate for black children in the United States has caught up to that of youngsters in other racial groups, the government reported Thursday.

CDC says beer and liquor companies are violating their ban on advertising to young people

ATLANTA | About half of the alcohol advertising on radio is aired during youth-oriented programs, according to a new study that suggests beer and liquor companies are not abiding by a self-imposed ban on advertising to teens.