Health

CHICAGO - Patients can refuse a flu shot. Should doctors and nurses have that right, too? That is the thorny question surfacing as U.S.

WASHINGTON - Missed flu-shot day at the office last fall? And all those "get vaccinated" ads? A scramble for shots is under way as late-comers seek protection from a miserable flu strain already spreading through much of the country.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Some key things to know about the flu season: THE SITUATION: The annual flu season hit about a month early this year, and illness is now widespread in 47 states. Many cases are caused by a flu strain that tends to make people sicker.

VANCOUVER - Capital punishment will soon be dished out for some unwelcome visitors to Vancouver's provincial courthouse. Parts of one of the busiest courthouses in the province have been invaded by bed bugs.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Flu is now widespread in all but three states as the nation grapples with an earlier-than-normal season. But there was one bit of good news Friday: The number of hard-hit areas declined. The flu season in the U.S.

HALIFAX - Lettuce used at KFC and Taco Bell outlets is the likely source of a recent outbreak of gastro-intestinal illness caused by E. coli bacteria in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario, a health official said Friday.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 61-year-old male. Most of the hair around the outside and front of my legs has disappeared. My family doctor sent me to have the blood pressure in my legs checked and get a testosterone test, both normal.

TORONTO - She has treated more than 5,000 people over the last decade who have struggled with obesity, but wrestling since childhood with personal weight issues, Dr. Ali Zentner became her own first patient.

After decades of qualms about lung cancer screening, the American Cancer Society says there now is enough evidence to recommend it, but only for current and former heavy smokers ages 55 to 74 and after a frank talk about risks and benefits.

Dear Dr. Roach: I have had several blows to my head. I read somewhere that this could cause dementia. I am 72 years old and am concerned. Should I be? Anon.