"Polio will be history, like smallpox," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, believing total eradication is within sight.

And Ban credits the efforts of Chicago-based Rotary International and other United Nations partners in this effort

Tobacco use will kill 1 billion people by 2100, unless stricter regulations will be implemented by governments in poor nations, a report issued by the World Health Organization states.

Citing examples such as raising taxes and require health warnings, the 330-page report released by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the WHO, said that mandates that may decrease the number of smokers are not being fully implemented by any country

In his State of The Union Address, President George Bush acknowledged the ever increasing concern over rising health care costs. By maintaining the privatization of health care, the president insisted that consumers can have better options when choosing medical services without government intervention.

"We share a common goal" of "making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans," Bush said. "Congress must also expand health savings accounts, create association health plans for small businesses, promote health information technology and confront the epidemic of junk medical lawsuits

With hundreds of hospitals and heath facilities destroyed or damaged every year by disasters, the United Nations is launching a global campaign to ensure that millions of people are not left without the vital care they need in the midst of an emergency.

Natural hazards, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods can within minutes wreak havoc on communities, destroying basic infrastructures and services and dealing a cruel blow to local populations

Despite advances in controlling the virus, recent avian influenza outbreaks in more than a dozen countries reveal that it remains a global threat, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Thursday.

"Globally, much progress has been achieved in keeping the H5N1 avian influenza virus under control," said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech, noting that great strides have been made in the past three years. "Surveillance, early detection and immediate response efforts have been bolstered and many countries have been able to eliminate avian flu from poultry