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SATURDAY, Feb. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Outbreaks of "untraceable" cases of coronavirus in multiple countries around the world are raising the real possibility of a pandemic, public health experts say. Clusters of cases arising in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Canada with no clear ties to the outbreak's epicenter in China have boosted concerns about local, self-sustaining epidemics and a global pandemic. As reported Saturday by CNN, the list of countries with burgeoning case counts includes: South Korea. Total cases of COVID-19 have risen from just 28 last week to 433 by Saturday, with a jump of 229 cases in just over the past 24 hours. Two people have died. Most cases are centered in the southern city of Daegu, and more than half are concentrated among members of the Shingeongji...

SATURDAY, Feb. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Hitting the slopes or the skating rink as the winter of 2020 winds down? Don't let an accident or injury spoil your fun. "Winter sports and recreational activities have great health and cardiovascular benefits," said Dr. Joseph Bosco, vice president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). "However, it's important not to underestimate the risks that cold weather can bring." He noted that hospitals and health care clinics see a surge of bone and joint injuries during the winter months and many could be prevented with the right preparation. Sprains, strains, dislocations, fractures and more traumatic injuries can happen to anyone. Here, Bosco and the AAOS offer suggestions on how to protect yourself: Be prepared: Before you...

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As rural hospitals and specialty care units close, a new study shows that some breast cancer patients are forced to travel long distances for their treatments. University of Minnesota researchers found that those living in rural parts of the United States travel three times as far as urban women for radiation therapy. The study, led by Ph.D. student Colleen Longacre, analyzed Medicare data from over 52,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2004 and 2013. With Google maps, the researchers calculated the distance between where the women lived and their place of treatment. For rural women, the nearest radiation facility was 21.9 miles away, on average. Urban women had to travel less than 5 miles to get treatment, the findings...

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Canadian doctors who conducted the first robotic surgery to treat a brain aneurysm say the approach could boost the availability and precision of lifesaving stroke care. Use of the technology could also be a first step toward remote robotic surgery for stroke and other conditions affecting brain blood vessels. "In the future, perhaps, a patient could end up in a small center somewhere, and the staff there could put the patient into the appropriate suite where the procedure can be done," explained American Heart Association president-elect Dr. Mitchell Elkind. "And then, an expert at another site, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of miles away, could perform the procedure remotely. It's really like science fiction stuff. It sounds really...