How to Get Relief from Allergy Symptoms | Newsweek By The Numbers

Autism Is on the Rise (Or Is it?)
Mary Carmichael 10/6/2009 12:00:00 AM
For years the autism community's most powerful public-relations weapon has been a striking statistic: an estimated 1 in 150 children have the diagnosis. Now it appears that estimate is actually too small. According to two new studies, the number of kids diagnosed with autism or a related disorder in the U.S. is closer to 1 in 100.
Hand-Washing Won’t Stop H1N1
9/15/2009 12:00:00 AM
In a speech to schoolchildren last week that had some conservative opponents up in arms, President Obama delivered at least one line that seemed incontestable: "I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter." The Disney corporation is now marketing Musical Hand Wash Timers featuring characters like the Little Mermaid, and encouraging parents to "take precaution against swine flu" by teaching children to wash their hands correctly. "Studies prove that regular hand-washing dramatically reduces the spread of infection," says the Disney Web page, which links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site.
Swine-Flu Vaccine: 11 Things You Need to Know
Anne Underwood 9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM
Federal officials are planning for an H1N1 swine-flu pandemic that could infect 30 to 50 percent of the population this flu season, with the first cases possibly beginning this month. A vaccine will be crucial for protecting people ... when it's ready. But will it be too late? Who should get the shot? And how safe and effective will it be?
Who Says Americans Are Too Fat?
Daniel Heimpel 8/27/2009 12:00:00 AM
In late June the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched its LEAN Works Web site, a clearinghouse of information on the health costs of employing fat people replete with recommendations on how to prevent and control obesity. The site uses an "obesity cost calculator" to determine the added price of employing somebody with a body-mass index (BMI) of over 30, the threshold for obesity. The calculator asks employers to fill out a company profile including type of industry and location, employees' BMIs, and their wages and benefits. The software then estimates the "costs for medical expenditures and the dollar value of increased absenteeism resulting from obesity."
Your Doctor may Give You Swine Flu This Fall
Claudia Kalb 8/15/2009 12:00:00 AM
The CDC says health-care workers should be among the first in line to receive the swine-flu (H1N1) vaccine, which the government hopes will be available by mid-October. But will your doctors, nurses, and other medical providers roll up their sleeves? Only 45 percent of health-care workers get a seasonal flu shot every year, citing the same reasons for opting out that patients do: I'm healthy and don't need it; I'm worried about side effects; I'm afraid of needles. M.D.s and R.N.s are better covered than other staffers, like lab techs and home health aides. But everyone needs to improve. The CDC has been campaigning to raise immunization rates among the white-coat set for years. Already, seasonal flu kills 36,000 Americans annually. When swine flu starts surging, ask your provider: did you get your shot?
The Next Blockbuster Drugs
7/22/2009 12:00:00 AM
Safety and efficacy data are critical to drug candidates. But what really makes a potential drug attractive is strong top-line data, a new biotech-based treatment, and a massive potential market.