The American Red Cross Blood Services, New York-Penn Region is in urgent need for blood donors. The society is inviting donors to replenish the blood supplies. The urgency has arisen due to cancellation of Blood Donation Camps as a result of bad weather.

The Red Cross has requested donors who had to cancel blood donation due to bad weather to re schedule their blood donation appointments. Students have been requested donate blood at a local drive on a holiday break.

Young heart patients with a gene variation may be exposed to more heart problems if administered anti clotting drug Plavix.

The medicine is along with a low dose aspirin is prescribed heart attack patients in order to prevent blood vessels from clogging or else to patients who receive an artery opening stent.

It has been found that some patients respond well to the treatment whereas others do not. Though the reasons for the variance are still unclear, the doctors feel that it could be linked to genetics.

The rumors of children contracting fever and vomiting after being given polio drops spread wave of panic among the parents who got their children administered with polio drops on Sunday. Thousands of parents and their children protested outside hospitals in Bangalore.

Police officials said that nobody had fallen ill from the vaccine and filed a complaint against a local TV station, saying it helped spread panic following the rumors of children contracting fever and vomiting.

Spinal muscular atrophy is the most common cause of childhood death caused by a genetic mutation. This disease has no cure, and affects the nerves in an area of the spinal cord, breaking the link between brain and the muscles, meaning they can't be used and become wasted or atrophied.

Doctors in Toronto have developed a new technique to repair a damaged set of lungs that would normally be unsuitable for donation. Doctors believe that this method will help in saving lives of many people who die waiting for lung transplant.

Alberta's health ministry is trying hard to reform its health care system. Sources confirmed that the health ministry has already spent $1.3 billion more than budget this year. Health Minister Ron Liepert has already made some changes in the existing health care system but the most significant changes are yet to come, but are outlined in a document that was released on the Health Department's website in mid-December.