Permafrost blanketing the northern hemisphere contains more than twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, making it a potentially mammoth contributor to global climate change depending on how quickly it thaws

COLUMBIA, Md. -- Maxim Health Systems announces that it will launch its annual influenza vaccination program. Starting on Oct. 1, 2008, Maxim will begin providing flu shots nationwide through more than 25,000 public clinics. The company's Web site,http://www.FindAFluShot.com, helps users find a convenient location for vaccination clinics by simply typing ...(463 words)

GILBERT, Ariz. -- GilbertHospital is preparing for the upcoming flu season in anticipation of a busier than typical influenza epidemic. Training, extra precautions, robust cleaning and disinfecting of surface areas and the ability to call in additional staff as needed are part of the preparations being undertaken at GilbertHospital. Additionally, ...(318 words)

Drug resistant-organisms continue to threaten public health in hospitals across the nation. To help hospitals identify, understand and manage antibiotic resistance issues and improve patient safety and outcomes, VHA Inc., the national healthcare alliance, launched a “Bugs and Drugs" program through its regional office in Trevose, Pa. Since the program’s ...(624 words)

It appears that aerosol effects on clouds can induce large changes in precipitation patterns, which in turn may change not only regional water resources, but also may change the regional and global circulation systems that constitute the Earth's climate. A group of scientists have proposed a new framework to account more accurately for the effects of aerosols on precipitation in climate models.

The development and path of Hurricane Gustav is shown via a sequence of satellite images acquired by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument on 25 August, 28 August, 30 August and 1 September 2008 (from right to left).

In a case-control study, the presence of measles virus RNA was no more likely in children with autism and GI disturbances than in children with only GI disturbances. Furthermore, GI symptom and autism onset were unrelated to MMR vaccine timing. Study findings were reported online in the Public Library of ...(761 words)

The theory that global warming may be contributing to stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 30 years is bolstered by a new study.

Doctors who use a novel Web-based tool to prescribe special categories of antibiotics to their hospitalized patients are getting the job done faster and more safely than by traditional means of phone, fax and pager, research led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center shows. The online approval system reduced unnecessary ...(940 words)

The vast majority of the nation’s parents are having their children get recommended vaccinations, according to 2007 vaccine coverage estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Childhood immunization rates remain at or near record levels, with at least 90 percent coverage for all but one ...(616 words)