Countries around the world are making a major effort to stop the spread of the Avian Flu virus, and governments are learning that such an effort may cost a record sum.

A new study says that in a "worst case" scenario, where the bird flu mutates into a strain which can transmit itself from person-to-person, an estimated 142 million people could die

Health costs are heating up for smokers. Employees who smoke in many private and public companies are now required to pay more for health insurance.

The companies imposing the surcharges are mostly self-insured, with employers and employees sharing the insurance premium costs. The increase is ranges from about $20 to $50 a month

Top International AIDS Vaccine Initiative officials want more economic incentives to speed up the research and production of vaccinations.

Dr. Seth Berkley, president of the non-profit group, notes, in a Reuters report, that the threat posed by bird flu shows the lack of long-term thinking when it comes to vaccines

Health officials in Thailand have reported 7- Eleven convenience stores are the only one of 500,000 retailers in the country violating a newly revised tobacco advertising ban.

The country's 13 year-old ban on tobacco advertising has been an example of the historic Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which in 2005 became international law

Recent scientific studies by the University of California have shown that educational level, housing status and other socioeconomic factors are the only affects on the health of people with asthma.

The studies uncover that one's neighborhood and surrounding area may also play a significant role, even after taking into account personal economic well-being