Health News

Atlanta - Ginseng can help treat and prevent the flu and other respiratory viruses that infect the lungs and breathing passages, according to new research findings.

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia dismissed its health minister on Monday just days after he visited a hospital at the centre of growing concerns about the kingdom's handling of the MERS virus.

Paris - A hi-tech scanner can help tell whether a brain-injured patient who appears to be in a vegetative state has a chance of regaining some consciousness, a study said Tuesday.

Bras - Scientists in Brazil have genetically modified a goat to produce milk with an enzyme to treat a rare genetic disorder, O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper reported Tuesday.The goat, named "Gluca," is the first of its kind in South America.

"I have a secret," Jillian Michaels, a well-respected health and fitness expert of "The Biggest Loser" fame, said last week during a stop on her nationwide tour at Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Illinois.

Geneva - Attempts by tobacco-producing nations to sink a landmark law in Australia requiring plain packaging for cigarettes and cigars gained pace Tuesday as Cuba and the Dominican Republic stepped up their fight at the World Trade Organization.

Bamako - Mali said on Tuesday it was clear of the Ebola epidemic suspected to be behind around 130 deaths this year in Guinea and Liberia.

Kombucha, often referred to as the "elixir of life" due to its numerous potential health benefits, has raised some controversy as it became popular in recent years.

Banjul - The Gambia has banned flights from Ebola-hit west African countries from landing in its territory, airport officials told AFP on Tuesday.

Tokyo - Japan has finished slaughtering 112,000 chickens after confirming its first bird flu infections for three years, with authorities stepping up efforts to swiftly contain the latest outbreak, officials said Tuesday.