The number of swine flu-related deaths outside Mexico has inched up to five, with the United States reporting its third fatality and Costa Rica its first, both involving men who also had underlying illnesses.

The number of confirmed cases of the infection in the United States has risen to 2,532 in 44 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Sunday.

Floodwaters receded somewhat in inundated towns across northern Brazil on Sunday, but the number of people made homeless by the floods rose above 300,000, and two people were missing after an overloaded canoe overturned in swift waters.

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Every few weeks, it seems, deadly germs turn up in the food supply.

Heather Why brew, a college student in Washington State, became gravely ill after eating a salad in her school cafeteria. Carl Ours, of Ohio, was temporarily paralyzed after eating chili dogs and drinking beer. Mari Tardiff, of California, spent three months on life support after she drank unpasteurized milk.

The Obama administration announced Thursday that an independent panel would take a

General Electric is shifting the strategy in its $17 billion-a-year health equipment and technology business, seeking to broaden its reach with more lower-cost products.

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Earlier this week, and not a moment too soon, President Obama put the weight of his office behind a bill that aims to reduce the nation

Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, once hailed by President George W. Bush as a pollution-free solution for reducing the nation

The World Health Organization said Thursday that 2,371 people in 24 countries now had confirmed cases of swine flu.

A bus stop in Mexico City on Wednesday as some people began returning to work.

Only 46 people are known to have died of the virus, all but 2 of them in Mexico.