With Tajikistan facing the harshest winter in three decades amid severe shortages of water and gas supplies, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has rushed in emergency supplies to meet immediate critical needs.

"Our immediate concern right now is to urgently provide life-saving measures and assistance to children and women," said Ruth Leano, UNICEF's Deputy Representative, in Tajikistan

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning against the use of popular anti-wrinkle drug Botox and its competitor Myobloc after the drugs have been linked to dangerous botulism symptoms in some users.

These anti-wrinkle drugs, when given to children for muscle spasms, have been also linked to deaths, the government warned Friday

A recent study done by the Nebraska Medical Center said hand gels are not sufficient in killing bacteria on the hands of healthcare workers. The study was made after it was observed that the hospital staff doubled their use of hand gel, usually applied in haste before proceeding to their next round of treatment.

Dr. Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, explained hand gel usually do not reach areas covered by rings and parts of long fingernails. But he added there are other causes of patient infections beyond unclean hands. It includes improper handling of catheters and treatment areas that have not been sanitized well

The military has immunized more children than private health providers.

Based on data on military care and treatment by private industry providers presented by the Department of Defense at the Military Health System conference on Monday, Air Force health personnel immunized 86 percent of eligible recipients, compared to 84 percent immunized by the highest-rated state and 77 percent nationally

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared for marketing a test that simultaneously detects and identifies 12 specific respiratory viruses.

The test, called the xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel, is the first test for the detection and differentiation of influenza A subtypes H1 and H3. Influenza A is the most severe form of influenza for humans, and has been the cause of major epidemics. The new panel is also the first test for human metapneumovirus (hMPV), newly identified in 2001