Guideline Change for Mammogram Screening

Mammogram screenings are being recommended at an earlier age, according to updated guidelines from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force. Previous 2009 guidelines recommend women wait until age 50 to make their first mammogram appointment. The newly revised guidelines suggest women ages 40 to 49 can make their own decision on whether to start screening, and recommend that women ages 50 to 74 get a mammogram every two years. In other health news, since December the u-s-d-a reports nearly eight million cases of the bird flu spanning 13 states. Seven million of those cases have been confirmed this month---a majority occurring on commercial poultry farms. The birds will be euthanized. No human infections with the virus have been detected and health officials stress there is little risk for the disease to transmit to humans.