When you are infected by a germ, you have two kinds of immune defences: innate immunity and acquired immunity. Innate immunity is critical for babies as their main protection against bacteria and other germs, because acquired immunity has not fully developed. This makes monocytes - white blood cells from the ...

The constantly rising costs of health care are keeping many Americans (even those with so-called "good" insurance policies) from seeking treatment, according to managers of patient-assistance hot lines in Massachusetts. The cost of health care used to be a problem mostly for poor families without insurance. Now, even those with ...

Many of the deaths that have been announced after swine flu diagnoses have included the caveat that underlying health conditions have been a factor. Many common conditions could actually contribute to a problem in fighting off the swine flu - or H1N1 - virus. These include asthma, heart disease, diabetes ...

A leading charity in Britain says that hayfever has risen dramatically; predictions are that by 2060, as many as 1 out of every 2 people will suffer with the seasonal disorder. Allergy UK cites the longer pollen season as a critical factor. Global warming has resulted in pollinating seasons that ...

There is a lot of excitement in the allergy research community. Recent research into oral immunotherapy is showing that this approach could actually free people from the burden of food allergy. Dr Wesley Burks, chief of the pediatric allergy and immunology division at Duke University, says that while the ...