The viral hemorrhagic disease called the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) claimed 12 more lives, bringing the death toll in three eastern Sudan states to 96. At least 329 cases of RVF have been confirmed this week, up from 228 cases reported a week ago, the World Health Organization says.

The outbreak has so far been confined largely to the states of White Nile, Sinnar and Gezira

A Swedish expert has predicted that the use of stem cells in curing the brain-wasting Parkinson's disease will be possible within five years.

The Korea Times reported that Olle Lindvall, a professor of Lund University in Sweden and a brain cell therapist, made the prediction on Thursday in Seoul. Lindvall is in the South Korean capital attending a symposium on stem cell research at the Korea University

The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday called on parents about the need for children to be screened for autism twice by age 2. The group raised the warning amid new findings that 1 in 150 children in the United States suffers from this developmental disorder.

They stressed that while there is no cure to this kind of disorder, and early detection can lessen its severity

Trade Union representatives announce that about 12,800 nurses and health workers all over Finland are threatening to withdraw their employment, effective November 19, if no conformity is reached in labor talks with employers.

Tehy, the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals, is insisting for a 24 percent wage increase for its members over 28 months, rebuffing employers' offer of 12 percent pay rise

Scientists at Duke University have found a new marker which could help in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the October issue of Radiology. Researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to find a new marker to find the marker for the disease.

The study's lead author, Jeffrey R. Petrella said in a statement, "The findings of this study implicate a potential functional, rather than structural, brain marker--separate from atrophy--that may help enhance diagnosis and treatment monitoring of Alzheimer's patients