Correction Appended: November 27, 2006 It would be a lot easier to enjoy your life if there weren't so many things trying to kill you every day. The problems start even before you're fully awake. There's the fall out of bed that kills 600 Americans each year. There's the early-morning heart attack, which is 40% more common than those that strike later in the day. There's the fatal plunge down the stairs, the bite of sausage that gets ...

The symptoms seemed to extend from coast to coast—sore throat, a cough, runny nose, varying degrees of fever—and there were sensationalized press reports of a "deadly threat to the elderly'' and a "nationwide epidemic." Thousands of Americans, mostly in the Eastern states, were down last week with something loosely described as flu. The U.S. Public Health Service, on guard against a new epidemic of the Asian flu, which first appeared in 1957, renewed its standard warning to groups of vulnerable ...

President Obama is scheduled to meet Monday with his national security team to discuss U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the White House.Meanwhile, English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers have confirmed three of their players and two coaching staff have gone down with the virus. Christopher Samba and midfielder David Dunn missed Saturday's game with Chelsea. When asked if the pair were suffering from the contagious disease manager Sam Allardyce replied: "It's definitely swine flu -- you've speculated ...

President Obama has declared a national emergency to deal with the "rapid increase in illness" from the H1N1 influenza virus.The officials didn't want their names used because they were not authorized to speak on the record. Obama's action allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements" to help health care facilities enact emergency plans to deal with the pandemic. Those requirements are contained in Medicare, Medicaid and state Children's Health Insurance programs, and ...

Katherine Jackson's battle for control of her pop star son's estate is about to take a "new direction" based on "new evidence" uncovered by the family, a Jackson family lawyer said.The officials didn't want their names used because they were not authorized to speak on the record. Obama's action allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements" to help health care facilities enact emergency plans to deal with the pandemic. Those requirements are ...

They've try to avoid injuries every season, but these days the "Dancing with the Stars" cast is hoping to protect themselves from the flu bug that's hit the ballroom. "I'm living off of [vitamin drink mix] Emergen-C right now," Lacey Schwimmer said after Monday night's performance. "And though I love them, I'm also keeping my distance from Derek [Hough] and Mark [Ballas]." Hough, who got sick and had to drop out of Monday's performance with model Joanna Krupa, said he's ...

Swine flu vaccines are rolling out this month -- finally. Health-care workers in Indiana and Tennessee were the first to get the nose-spray version, while New Yorkers clamoring for the H1N1 vaccine finally had their chance too. However, the onslaught of information about H1N1 -- be it playground rumors, employer signs telling you to cover your cough, memos from your kids' school, or scary-sounding news reports -- is making it pretty hard to figure out what you should be doing ...

When Tyra Smith's boyfriend, Chris Lewis, first suggested they be guinea pigs in a H1N1 vaccination study in August, she wasn't so crazy about the idea. But then she warmed to it: While she doesn't like needles, she thought she'd help out because she knew H1N1 was a serious virus. "I heard people might die from it," Smith said. "So I think it's a good idea to help people, by being involved." Lewis and Smith, both from ...

A strong earthquake rocked Bhutan on Monday, blocking access roads in the mountainous Asian kingdom and killing at least five people, the country's home minister told CNN. "I heard people might die from it," Smith said. "So I think it's a good idea to help people, by being involved." Lewis and Smith, both from Baltimore, Maryland, were among the first Americans to receive H1N1 flu shots. As part of a trial of 2,400 people, they gave blood samples ...

A single low dose of H1N1 vaccine may be enough to protect adults from the flu virus that has been spreading around the world, new data shows. Researchers in Australia said they tested the H1N1 vaccine in 240 people ages 18 to 64. Half were given a dose of 15 micrograms while the others were given 30 micrograms. After 21 days, blood samples showed that most participants had an immune response of 1 to 40 titers or more, the researchers ...