Tag Archives: medical

Commentary: Flu and your health on a plane

The novel swine flu is showing the world just how interconnected we are and how commercial aircraft can serve as vehicles of rapid disease spread. (CNN) — The novel swine flu is showing the world just how interconnected we are and how commercial aircraft can serve as vehicles of rapid disease spread. I am frequently asked: What is the risk of catching an illness while flying In a nutshell, the risk of getting an infection while you’re in an enclosed space such as an airplane depends upon three factors: The infectiousness of the contagious person spreading the illness; the degree of your exposure (how close you are to the contagious person and for how long); and the ventilation of the space or passenger cabin.

Star cyclists failed Beijing doping tests

Leading cyclist Davide Rebellin tested positive for doping at the Beijing Games, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) told CNN on Wednesday. Rebellin, who won silver in the road race in China, has been suspended from all competition, a spokesman said. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) revealed on Tuesday that six athletes had given positive results as samples taken at the Beijing Games were re-tested for a more advanced strain of the blood-boosting hormone CERA.

Deadliest pandemics of the 20th century

The World Health Organization has called the swine flu outbreak spreading around the world a "public health emergency of international concern." Health workers worldwide are racing to prevent what may potentially become a pandemic. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, according to the WHO. Christine Layton, a public health expert who specializes in influenza at research institute RTI International, told CNN the swine flu has “pandemic potential.” “Unlike the avian flu that people were concerned about a few years ago, a lot more cases are occurring in a lot more different places,” she said