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Sickest swine flu cases in Canada, Mexico detailed
CHICAGO — Rapidly worsening breathing problems in the sickest swine flu patients in Mexico and Canada present a scary worst-case scenario and could foreshadow what U.S. doctors face as winter flu season sets in, new reports suggest.
UN: Russia must adapt to shrinking population
MOSCOW — Russia’s population has fallen by 6.6 million since 1993, despite the influx of millions of immigrants, a United Nations report said Monday, and by 2025 the country could lose a further 11 million people.
Most babies born this century will live to 100 years
LONDON — Most babies born in rich countries this century will eventually make it to their 100th birthday, new research says. Danish experts say that since the 20th century, people in developed countries are living about three decades longer than in the past. Surprisingly, the trend shows little sign of slowing down.
Being overweight can cut women’s life expectancy
LONDON — Being fat in middle age may slash women’s chances of making it to their golden years in good health by almost 80 percent, a new study says.
Birth control could help combat climate change
LONDON — Giving contraceptives to people in developing countries could help fight climate change by slowing population growth, experts said Friday.
Fighting blindness may prevent deaths in Ethiopia
CHICAGO — An antibiotic widely used in Africa to treat eyesight-robbing infections seems to help prevent Ethiopian children from dying of other diseases. A study in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association suggests an unintended benefit from efforts to wipe out trachoma, the world’s leading preventable cause of blindness.
Britain’s population tops 61 million
LONDON — Official figures show that rising fertility rates and immigration have pushed Britain’s population to a new high of more than 61 million.
