U.S. health officials warned this week that holiday travel and gatherings can spread H1N1 (swine) flu. They urged Thanksgiving travelers to take precautions. A research study released this week found that toddlers in home day care watch up to two hours of TV a day, besides any they watch at home. In Belgium, doctors and family members of a man thought to be in a vegetative state for 23 years said he was awake all along. They said the man was paralyzed and couldn't let anyone know he could hear them.
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Travelers Warned about Flu Risk
Traveling for Thanksgiving can help to spread H1N1 (swine) flu, U.S. health officials say. So the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged people this week to take precautions. For example, if you're at risk for flu or you have symptoms, carry hand sanitizer and use it. Stay home if you have a fever. Check with your health insurance company to make sure you'll be covered if you get sick while traveling. If you have flu symptoms while traveling, stay where you are until symptoms subside. Also, stay away from other people until you feel better. McClatchy-Tribune Information Services wrote about the travelers' advisory.

Survey Finds More TV Watching in Home Day Care
Preschoolers in home day care centers watch TV or videos as much as two hours a day, a survey released this week suggests. The Associated Press wrote about the results. Researchers did a telephone survey of 168 child care programs. On average, preschool children in home day care watched TV for 2.4 hours per day. Those in day care centers watched about 24 minutes a day. Toddler viewing averaged 1.6 hours in home care and about 6 minutes in centers. These totals do not include any TV time in the child's own home. The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids under 2 should watch no TV. It recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours of high-quality program a day for older children.

Doctors Say 'Vegetative' Man Conscious, Paralyzed
Doctors say a Belgian man thought to be in a vegetative state for 23 years has been conscious all along but paralyzed. The Associated Press wrote about the case this week. Rom Houben, 46, was disabled in a car crash in 1983. His parents recently put him in touch with Belgium's Coma Science Group. A PET scan showed he was conscious, doctors there said. They say he has learned to communicate using a special keyboard. A caretaker helps him move his finger on the keyboard. She says she can feel his slight pressure guiding her. But Arthur Caplan, a University of Pennsylvania bioethics professor, was skeptical. With this type of device, it's usually the helper who makes the movement happen, he said.

Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.