Guidelines | featured news

Federal regulators will require sunscreen manufacturers to test their products' effectiveness against sun rays that pose the greatest risk of skin cancer. Under new rules published Tuesday, they also will have to follow stricter guidelines when describing how well their products block ultraviolet B rays....

The government is replacing its food guide pyramid with a simpler everyday symbol: a plate. And many nutritionists are applauding the change. The exact look of the new symbol, which is being unveiled Thursday by first lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, is under close wraps.

New guidelines say women can wait until age 21 for initial test to screen for cervical cancer.

As the U.S. prepares for a possible second wave of H1N1 or swine flu, as well as for the annual scourge of seasonal flu and colds, a new report from Consumer Reports helps households prepare for, prevent, and treat cold and flu symptoms safely and effectively, including recommendations for what to pack in an emergency kit for a flu outbreak. The report is available in the September 2009 issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.

The federal government guidelines would place less emphasis on school closings in response to swine flu epidemic.

A federal advisory committee issued sweeping guidelines Wednesday for a vaccination campaign against the pandemic swine flu strain, identifying more than half the U.S. population as targets for the first round of vaccinations.