The World Heath Organization' International Agency for Research on Cancer today announced that it now classifies radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans [PDF]. What does that mean in English? The agency now considers mobile phone use to be in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust, DDT and coffee. Our theories about how Scully got cancer have clearly been vindicated! more ›

Now that the WHO says H1N1 is in a post-pandemic period, the Health Department plans on ordering just one vaccine for both the regular flu and the swine flu this fall. But the WHO warns, "we expect the H1N1 virus to take on the behavior of a seasonal influenza virus and continue to circulate for some years to come." The vaccine received its fair share of controversy last year, with some parents refusing to vaccinate their kids, and others wondering why their kids didn't have the option of getting it in school. Overall, about 800,000 New Yorkers were vaccinated last season. more ›

Here's today's swine flu news: The World Health Organization expects an "explosion" of swine flu cases this fall. According to the WHO's Western Pacific director, Shin Young-soo, many countries will see the number of cases double every few days for several months—"It is certain there will be more cases and more deaths"—but the countries at greatest risk are the developing nations which are under-equipped to respond. Also, the Chilean health ministry says that swine flu was found in turkeys: "Authorities ordered a complete quarantine Friday and alerted the World Health Organization. Some illness was suspected at the farms owned by the Sopraval company after egg production dropped this month." (However, Chile's deputy health minister says turkeys are still safe to eat.) And in America, the CDC is recommending that businesses and employers develop plans on how to deal with swine flu, including suggestions like keep sick employees home and don't require doctor's notes. more ›

St. Francis Prep, the Queens private school where many of the city's swine flu cases originated (some students had gone to Mexico for spring break), has reopened today. Mayor Bloomberg was present to help welcome back the students who had been catching up with homework via the Internet. And the students seem to be glad to get back to normalcy—one student who had the A(H1N1) flue told WABC 7, "I'm feeling great now. After the long break, I'm glad to see everyone else and how they're doing... I'm just hoping the school's clean." more ›

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short. more ›