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Battling Ebola: The Worst of Humanitarian Missions

An invisible, murderous enemy that puts caregivers in almost unbearable working conditions, Ebola is a grueling test for even the most experienced humanitarian.

Joachim Gardemann had spent 20 years with the Red Cross in Rwanda, Bosnia and Syria  before his toughest mission in eastern Sierra Leone.

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Study: Carbs More Harmful than Saturated Fats

Long-derided saturated fats -- associated with an array of health problems such as heart disease -- caught a break Friday when research revealed their intake could be doubled or even nearly tripled without driving up their level in a person's blood.

Carbohydrates, meanwhile, are associated with heightened levels of a fatty acid linked to increased risk for diabetes and heart disease, the same study showed.

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Turkey Launches Crackdown on Synthetic Drug 'Bonzai'

Turkey is launching an "all-out war" against the use of bonzai, a synthetic drug which has become a serious social problem in the country, the health minister said Friday.

Bonzai, which has become a craze in some parts of low income Turkish society, has come under the spotlight recently after a spate of deaths of young men caused by the abuse of the drug.

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Ebola-Infected Cuban Doctor Arrives in Geneva

A Cuban doctor infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone arrived late Thursday in Geneva, where he will be treated for the deadly virus.

A plane carrying Felix Baez Sarria landed at Geneva airport and he was rushed into an ambulance which then sped, surrounded by a four-car convoy, towards a nearby hospital around midnight (2300 GMT Thursday), an Agence France Presse photographer said.

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Soaring Generic Drug Prices Draw Senate Scrutiny

Some low-cost generic drugs that have helped restrain health care costs for decades are seeing unexpected price spikes of up to 8,000 percent, prompting a backlash from patients, pharmacists and now Washington lawmakers.

A Senate panel met Thursday to scrutinize the recent, unexpected trend among generic medicines, which usually cost 30 to 80 percent less than their branded counterparts.

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Cuban Doctor Arrives in Switzerland for Ebola Aid

A Cuban doctor who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone has arrived in Switzerland for treatment.

The Swiss news agency SDA reported Friday that Felix Baez Sarria arrived on a flight overnight and was transported in a specially outfitted ambulance with a police escort to Geneva University Hospital.

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Scientists Study Rare Tapeworm Living in Man's Brain

Scientists in Britain removed and studied a rare tapeworm that lived in a man's brain for four years, researchers said on Friday.

The parasite traveled five centimeters (two inches) from the right side of the brain to the left.

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WHO: Ebola Death Toll Rises to 5,420

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 5,420 people had so far died of Ebola across eight countries, out of a total 15,145 cases of infection, since late December 2013.

On Friday, the U.N. health agency had reported 5,177 deaths and 14,413 cases.

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Study: Job Authority Spells Depression for Women

Women in authority appear to be more vulnerable to depression than their male counterparts, a study by sociologists in the United States said.

Researchers looked into 1,500 middle-aged women from Wisconsin and compared their workplace experiences with 1,300 men in the same age bracket from the same U.S. state.

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Egypt Reports Second Bird Flu Death in a Week

A woman has died of bird flu in southern Egypt, a health official said on Wednesday, the country's second death from the H5N1 strain of the virus in a week.

H5NI is one of several deadly or potentially deadly strains of bird flu that are closely monitored by the World Health Organization.

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