Articles written by Maria Cheng
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Britain: 1st babies born in country using DNA from 3 people
LONDON (AP) — Britain's fertility regulator said the first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people have been born, in an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. Britain's Human F...
EXPLAINER: What is this new COVID variant in South Africa?
LONDON (AP) — WHAT IS THIS NEW COVID-19 VARIANT IN SOUTH AFRICA? South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country's most populous p...
2 win medicine Nobel for showing how we react to heat, touch
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch, revelations that could lead to new ways of treating pain or even heart disease. Americans David J...
Experts on WHO team say search for COVID origins has stalled
LONDON (AP) — The international scientists dispatched to China by the World Health Organization to find out where the coronavirus came from said Wednesday the search has stalled and warned that the window of opportunity for solving the mystery is "...
Vaccine inequity: Inside the cutthroat race to secure doses
PARIS (AP) — No one disputes that the world is unfair. But no one expected a vaccine gap between the global rich and poor that was this bad, this far into the pandemic. Inequity is everywhere: Inoculations go begging in the United States while Haiti,...
Summer setback: COVID deaths and cases rising again globally
COVID-19 deaths and cases are on the rise again globally in a dispiriting setback that is triggering another round of restrictions and dampening hopes for an almost normal summer of fun. The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that deaths...
Can you mix and match COVID-19 vaccines?
Can you mix and match two-dose COVID-19 vaccines? It's likely safe and effective, but researchers are still gathering data to be sure. The authorized COVID-19 shots around the world are all designed to stimulate your immune system to produce...
Missteps could mar long-term credibility of AstraZeneca shot
LONDON (AP) — AstraZeneca's repeated missteps in reporting vaccine data coupled with a blood clot scare could do lasting damage to the credibility of a shot that is the linchpin in the global strategy to stop the coronavirus pandemic, potentially eve...
EU regulator recommends using J&J's one-shot vaccine
LONDON (AP) — The European Medicines Agency on Thursday gave the green light to Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose coronavirus vaccine, handing the European Union's 27 nations a fourth vaccine to try to speed up the bloc's much-criticized vaccination rol...
WHO, allies lament Trump cut to US funding as virus rages
GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday lamented the U.S. decision to halt funding for the U.N. agency, promising a review of its decisions while sidestepping President Donald Trump's complaints about its alleged m...
WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic, urges aggressive action
GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and urged aggressive action from all countries to fight it, as U.S. stocks plunged into bear market territory and several American cities joined global counterparts in b...
Will heat stop the spread of new virus? No one really knows
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — As outbreaks of the new coronavirus that first emerged in China continue to spread in more than 100 countries — particularly those experiencing winter — one of the biggest unanswered questions is how it will behave in warmer...
Too soon to tell if new virus as dangerous as SARS cousin
The new virus from China has the world on edge because it's a close cousin to viruses that killed hundreds in separate outbreaks. While it's too early to tell if this latest threat will prove as deadly, health authorities are drawing on lessons from...
3 win Nobel Prize for showing how cells sense low oxygen
NEW YORK (AP) — Two Americans and a British scientist won a Nobel Prize on Monday for discovering details of how the body's cells sense and react to low oxygen levels, providing a foothold for developing new treatments for anemia, cancer and other d...
Study challenges health benefits of moderate drinking
LONDON (AP) — It might just be enough to kill your buzz: A new study challenges the idea that a drink or two a day could actually be good for you. In a study conducted in China, the researchers found that moderate drinking slightly raised the risk o...
Smoking strong pot daily raises psychosis risk, study finds
LONDON (AP) — Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates. The research adds to p...
UN: Gene editing for human reproduction is 'irresponsible'
GENEVA (AP) — A panel convened by the World Health Organization said it would be "irresponsible" for scientists to use gene editing for reproductive purposes, but stopped short of calling for a ban. The experts also called for the U.N. health a...
AP Exclusive: UN health chief orders probe into misconduct
LONDON (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization has ordered an internal investigation into allegations the U.N. health agency is rife with racism, sexism and corruption, after a series of anonymous emails with the explosive charges were s...
1st baby born using uterus transplanted from deceased donor
LONDON (AP) — Brazilian doctors are reporting the world's first baby born to a woman with a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor. Eleven previous births have used a transplanted womb but from a living donor, usually a relative or friend. E...
Dutch to prosecute doctor who euthanized woman with dementia
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch officials said Friday they will prosecute a nursing home doctor for euthanizing an elderly woman with dementia, the first time a doctor has been charged since the Netherlands legalized euthanasia in 2002. Dutch p...
Man with 3 faces: Frenchman gets 2nd face transplant
LONDON (AP) — In a medical first, a French surgeon says he has performed a second face transplant on the same patient — who is now doing well and even spent a recent weekend in Brittany. Dr. Laurent Lantieri of the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Par...
Cracking the mysteries of the elusive, majestic whale shark
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador (AP) — It's the biggest shark — and the biggest fish — in the sea, often found roaming in warm waters around the globe with its huge mouth agape in search of dinner. Yet despite its hulking appearance, the whale shark...
Hundreds of thousands of poor people detained in hospitals
BENI, Congo (AP) — Faida Mwenge's baby boy is nearly 3 months old but she and her son are still not allowed to leave the hospital — not until their bill is paid. The 20-year-old in eastern Congo has been detained since giving birth via an eme...
UN: About 11 percent of drugs in poor countries are fake
LONDON (AP) — About 11 percent of medicines in developing countries are counterfeit and likely responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of children from diseases like malaria and pneumonia every year, the World Health Organization said T...
Boy with rare disease gets brand new skin with gene therapy
LONDON (AP) — Doctors treating a critically ill boy with a devastating skin disease used experimental gene therapy to create an entirely new skin for most of his body in a desperate attempt to save his life. Two years later, the doctors report the b...
