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U.S. Reports Third Case of Potential MERS Virus

A third potential case of the dangerous Middle East Respiratory Virus (MERS), has been found in the United States, health authorities said Tuesday.

"Two of the 20 team members exposed to the confirmed MERS patient are showing symptoms," said Geo Morales, spokesman for the Orlando hospital where one infected patient was treated.

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Saudi Arabia Reports 5 More Deaths from MERS

Saudi health officials say another five people have died after contracting a potentially fatal Middle Eastern respiratory virus that has sickened hundreds.

The Saudi Health Ministry provided the death toll in its latest update on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome late on Monday.

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Study: Red Wine Ingredient No Magic Pill for Health

U.S. researchers may have found a flaw with the "French Paradox," or the notion that people who drink red wine can somehow avoid the pitfalls of a high-fat diet. 

A study out Monday found that resveratrol -- one of the highly touted antioxidants in red wine -- did not help people live longer. 

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Study: Pregnant Women have More Car Crashes in 2nd Trimester

A new study out Monday suggests a new hazard to consider while pregnant: driving.

The statistical analysis of more than 500,000 pregnant Canadian women found they were significantly more like to get into a serious crash during their second trimester of pregnancy than in the three years before they got pregnant.

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The Doctor will See You Now Via Webcam, Smartphone

Mark Matulaitis holds out his arms so the Parkinson's specialist can check his tremors. But this is no doctor's office: Matulaitis sits in his rural home as a neurologist a few hundred miles (kilometers) away examines him via the camera in his laptop.

Welcome to the virtual house call, the latest twist on telemedicine. It's increasingly getting attention as a way to conveniently diagnose simple maladies, such as whether that runny nose and cough is a cold or the flu. One company even offers a smartphone app that lets tech-savvy consumers connect to a doctor for $49 a visit.

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Uruguay President Decries Tobacco 'Murder' in Obama Talks

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica warned U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday of the mass "murder" of smokers across the world, highlighting his nation's legal battle to preserve tough anti-tobacco laws.

Mujica met Obama in the Oval Office for talks focusing on wider U.S.-Uruguayan relations and issues including education, trade and economic issues.

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U.S. Reports Second Case of MERS Virus

A second case of the dangerous Middle East respiratory virus, called MERS, has been found in the United States, health authorities said Monday.

The patient is a healthcare worker who resides and works in Saudi Arabia, who traveled by plane May 1 from Jeddah to London, England, then to Boston, Atlanta, and Orlando.

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Saudi Homes in on Camels in Bid to Combat MERS

Saudi authorities have issued fresh warnings on how to handle the desert kingdom's wealth of camels, thought to be the source of the mysterious MERS coronavirus in the Gulf state.

The Middle East Respiratory System has now killed 147 people out of 491 infected in Saudi Arabia since it first appeared in 2012, with cases in the kingdom accounting for the vast majority registered globally.

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Fed Govt Failed to Inspect Higher Risk Oil Wells

The government has failed to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells it considers potentially high risks for water contamination and other environmental damage, congressional investigators say.

The report, obtained by The Associated Press before its public release, highlights substantial gaps in oversight by the agency that manages oil and gas development on federal and Indian lands.

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Jordan Reports New MERS Death

A man has died in Jordan after being infected with the MERS virus, the government said Monday, on the eve of a World Health Organisation emergency meeting on the disease.

The latest death brings to five the number of fatalities in Jordan from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus since it first emerged in 2012.

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