American Morning
Rise in childhood vaccinations
When it comes to childhood vaccines controversy and confusion have been a big part of the equation for many parents. Now a study by the Centers for Disease Control reveals from 2000 to 2008 the number of kids vaccinated against illnesses like measles, mumps and polio has increased.
Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined us on Thursday's American Morning to discuss the findings.
Where health care bills stand now
With the holiday rush and an attempted terror attack dominating the headlines, health care has taken a back seat. But there is still a lot of work to be done – work that was supposed to be finished by now.
Senators now have to merge their bill with one passed by the House, and the president says he'll be "hands-on" in the process. Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks it all down for you.
Study: Quitting smoking raises diabetes risk
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/05/cigs.gi.art.jpg caption="A study of 11,000 middle-aged people found that those who quit smoking gained an average of 8.4 pounds."]
By Sarah Klein, Health.com
(Health.com) - People who quit smoking are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes after they kick the habit, most likely due to post-quitting weight gain, a new study has found.
Experts caution, however, that the benefits of quitting smoking - including a lower risk of heart attack and lung cancer - far outweigh the risk of developing diabetes, which can be treated with diet, exercise, and medication.
The study, which was published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed nearly 11,000 middle-aged people without diabetes - 45 percent of whom were smokers - over a nine-year period. Compared to those who had never smoked, the people who quit smoking during the study had a 73 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes three years after quitting.
The increased risk was even more dramatic in the years immediately after quitting. "Based on our analysis, [it's] probably 80 percent or even 90 percent," says the study's lead author, Hsin-Chieh (Jessica) Yeh, an assistant professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Mom & baby thought to be dead, now alive
A pregnant mom goes into labor and her heart stops beating. Doctors remove her baby by cesarean and he too appears dead. But miraculously, they both come back to life.
It's being called a Christmas Eve miracle, and a medical mystery. Our Tom Foreman has the report.
Study finds autism 'clusters' in affluent areas
New research suggests there may be autism "clusters" around the country. But the story is more complicated than you might think. Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the report.
We found Patient Zero; here's how
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://am.blogs.cnn.com/files/2009/12/lagloria31.jpg caption="Dr. Sanjay Gupta and crew found patient zero tucked away in this small mountain village in La Gloria, Mexico"]
By Danielle Dellorto, CNN
It was late April. I remember it being a somewhat quiet news day when I received the call. It was an editor on our international news desk alerting us that about 100 people had gotten very ill in Mexico City with severe flu-like symptoms.
They had no clue what was causing it at the time. The only thing health officials were telling us was that the patients had contracted a highly contagious virus that hadn’t been seen in humans before. The hunt was on: Dr. Sanjay Gupta and I hopped on the next flight out to Mexico City to track down the mystery virus that was getting so many people so sick.
Within 24 hours of arriving, the dense city of about 8 million people had literally turned into a ghost town. The mayor was urging people to stay inside; the hospitals were overcrowded; schools, public transportation, and restaurants closed their doors. At one point, I remember walking down the unusually empty streets of Mexico City in awe. It was an eerie feeling, but also a defining moment for me as a journalist. I realized that people, not just in Mexico City, were scared of this unknown killer virus. What was it? Would they be infected? What should they do? We didn't know it at the time, but H1N1 influenza was about to become a global epidemic and the world was already looking to us for answers.
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