Morning News Run
March 15, 2007 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Morning News
Hep-C In Prisons Threaten to Break Out – AP via MSNBC
Nobody knows how many inmates have the disease; by some estimates, around 40 percent of the 2.2 million in jail and prison are infected, compared with just 2 percent of the general population.Eventually, when they are released, medical experts predict they will be a crushing burden on the health care system, perhaps killing as many people as AIDS in years to come.
Smokeless Cigarette Hits Europe – WIRED
Billed as “enjoyment without discrimination,” it may seem to give smokers another crutch to maintain their nic addiction in the face of a vehement social backlash. But the device is winning support from some health officials as a way to help smokers who want to kick the habit.
Gene Therapy for Blindness Clears Hurdle in Mice – Science Daily
University of Florida researchers have used an experimental therapy in mice to shut down a gene that plays a crucial role in a leading cause of inherited blindness.
Chicken Pox Vaccine Fades Over Time – Reuters
Merck’s chickenpox vaccine Varivax not only loses its effectiveness after a while, but it has also changed the profile of the disease in the population, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. The study confirmed what doctors widely knew — that the vaccine’s protection does not last long.
