Bill Gates has contributed $600 million to a $56 billion fund to break the back of tuberculosis worldwide, health officials in Switzerland said.

The Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis, backed by more than 400 organizations worldwide, aims to treat 50 million people in the next 10 years as well as develop new treatments and a vaccine, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said in a release

International donors pledged almost $2 billion to help the global fight against bird flu Wednesday, marking the largest single fundraising effort ever to combat a virus.

The World Bank's initial goal for the conference was $1.2 billion

With flu season reaching its peak, two drugs typically prescribed to fight the virus will be ineffective this season and should not be prescribed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Saturday.

The CDC found in tests that the antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine were ineffective 91 percent of the time against H3N2 influenza, the dominant strain this season. However, two other antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza are still effective, says CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. Amantadine and rimantadine are older, less expensive and less commonly prescribed drugs

Wolfsburg, home of the Volkswagen, is about to make a name for itself as a European pioneer in implementing better strategies for preventing cervical cancer. A local hospital, insurance company, and health organization are teaming up to reduce the number of cervical cancer patients.

The disease claims nearly 2,000 women's lives each year in Germany- while another 7,000 cases are diagnosed each year

A top World Health Organization official says the outbreak of bird flu among humans is stoppable if countries and health groups can respond quickly.

Shigeru Omi, WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific, says, "As the new cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in Turkey show, the situation is worsening with each passing month and the threat of an influenza pandemic is continuing to grow every day