CNN

A three-year-old girl receives an H1N1 vaccination in San Pablo, California. (PHOTO CREDIT: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

With the swine flu now widespread in 48 states, Americans are starting to lose confidence in the government's ability to prevent an epidemic.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows only 51-percent of those surveyed are confident the government can stop a nationwide epidemic of the h1n1 virus. That number is down from 59-percent in August.

49-percent say they're not sure the government can prevent an epidemic; and that's up from 40-percent this summer.

The poll also shows only a little more than half of those surveyed think the government and private industry can provide enough swine flu vaccine for everyone who wants it. That number is virtually unchanged in the last few months.

Meanwhile mothers with children younger than 18 are especially skeptical about the government's abilities here. Perhaps not surprising when you consider that children are some of the hardest hit by this virus; and a lot of people still can't get their hands on the vaccine.

Health officials say there are more than 41 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine available.

Here’s my question to you: How confident are you the government can prevent a swine flu epidemic?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

An international study is expected to show that people who use cell phones frequently face a higher risk of getting brain tumors. The British Newspaper "The Daily Telegraph" reports on a decade-long study of nearly 13,000 people in 13 countries - overseen by the World Health Organization.

According to the paper, the report says a definitive link couldn't be proven; but several of the studies conducted seemed to show an increase in various kinds of brain cancers.

The report is due out before the end of the year, but lawmakers here in the U.S. have already been focusing in on the issue. Democratic Senator Tom Harkin has said he's concerned no one has been able to prove cell phones don't cause cancer, and promises his committee will take a look at that question. Harkin says it reminds him of the nation's experience with cigarettes - and how it took decades to prove that they caused lung cancer.

If the lobby for the wireless phone companies is as powerful as the tobacco lobby, it could be a long debate. And cellphones are much more widely used than cigarettes.

It's estimated 275 million people use them in the U.S... and four billion worldwide.

But so far, research hasn't established a definitive link between cell phones and different kinds of cancer, including brain tumors. But the Telegraph says this study contains evidence there is a link.

Here’s my question to you: Are you concerned about possible health risks associated with cell phone use?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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Signs advertise medical marijuana prescriptions outside an evaluation clinic on Venice Beach in Los Angeles. (PHOTO CREDIT: MARK RALSTON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Public support for legalizing marijuana is at an all-time high - no pun intended.

And coincidentally, the Obama administration is easing up on the use of medical marijuana. The Justice Department now says pot-smoking patients and their authorized suppliers shouldn't be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow the drug for medicinal purposes.

Officials say it's not a good use of prosecutors' time... Although they say agents should pursue marijuana cases that involve violence, the illegal use of firearms, selling pot to minors, money laundering or other crimes.

Supporters say marijuana helps treat chronic pain, nausea and other illnesses... while critics say this move is a step backward in the fight against Mexican drug cartels.

14 states currently allow some use of marijuana for medical reasons. California is especially known for having pot shops everywhere.

A new Gallup poll shows support for legalizing marijuana has shot up in the last few years to 44 percent. 54 percent are opposed. Support for legalizing weed had been fixed at around 25 percent from the late 70s through the mid-90s.

Liberals and younger people are more likely to favor decriminalizing pot... no surprise there... while conservatives and seniors are more likely to be against it.

Gallup suggests that if public support continues growing at the same rate - the majority of Americans could favor legalizing the drug in the next few years. California voters may get to weigh in next year with a ballot initiative to legalize and tax marijuana as a revenue source.

Here’s my question to you:The federal government OKs medical marijuana. Is it the first step toward legalization?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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Doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine sit in a basket at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. (PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Olson/GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

When it comes to flu season, this year is a two-fer. In addition to the regular old garden variety flu - we have the added worry of swine flu.

Officials now say swine flu has been linked to the deaths of 11 more children in just the last week. 43 children have died from swine flu in the last month. In a normal winter - fewer than 50 children die from the flu in the entire season.

One vaccine maker says children under 10 will likely need two shots of the swine flu vaccine to develop full immunity. Not surprising - since children need two doses of the regular flu vaccine the first time they get it in order to develop full immunity. So have fun with the kids and getting their four flu shots. For adults - it's believed one shot of the swine flu vaccine is enough.

Here in New York, health care workers had been ordered to get vaccinated or face losing their jobs. But today a judge temporarily halted the mandatory vaccinations.

And even though the swine flu is causing what's called widespread disease in 41 states - a lot of people don't plan to get the vaccine. Some say they're concerned about side effects or the safety of it.

The New Yorker reports in an article called "The Fear Factor" that "the anti-vaccine, anti-government and anti-science crowd" has had a big impact on public opinion… even though the odds that a vaccine would make you sicker than the illness itself are "practically zero."

Here’s my question to you: Do you have any reservations about getting a swine flu shot?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Get your flu shot or you're fired... that's the ultimatum for health care workers in New York state.

So far, New York is the only state requiring workers to get vaccinated against both the seasonal flu and swine flu. All health care workers in New York, including doctors and nurses, have until November 30 to get their shots - or they risk losing their jobs.

New York Health officials insist that the vaccines will protect the workers... and their patients - from getting the flu.

But some people don't like the idea of forced vaccinations... and they planned a rally in Albany today to protest the measure.

Opponents say it violates their personal freedom... and they also point to the possibility of getting ill from the vaccine, highlighting deaths associated with the government's last swine flu vaccine in 1976.

They also say it's unnecessary - that they won't catch the flu because they wash their hands so often.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says flu activity is increasing in the U.S., with more than half of all states already reporting widespread flu activity.

Both the H1N1 and seasonal flus are expected to cause hospital stays and deaths. The regular flu alone kills about 36,000 people a year in this country; and the number of deaths from swine flu potentially could be much higher.

Here’s my question to you: Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots under threat of losing their jobs?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

An Indiana pizza shop has to pay for weight loss surgery for a 340-pound employee. An appeals court upheld an earlier ruling that the employer must cover the surgery - which could cost as much as $25,000 - so that the man can have another surgery for a back injury he sustained while on the job.

The pizza shop had agreed to pay for the back surgery... but argued they shouldn't have to pay for the weight-loss operation because the man was already obese before he got injured.

But the court said the surgery should be covered because the man's weight and the accident combined to create a single injury.

And this isn't the first case of its kind...

Oregon's Supreme Court recently ruled that the state worker's compensation insurance had to pay for gastric bypass surgery in order for a man's knee replacement surgery to go smoothly.

In a nation where one-third of adults are obese, these cases could have a chilling effect on business. Employers could become wary of hiring fat people or those with other preexisting conditions that could make a workplace injury more likely.

Experts say although it's illegal for companies to refuse to hire an overweight person because of where they tip the scales, they could find other reasons not to hire them.

There were more than 220,000 obesity surgeries performed in the U.S. last year.

Here’s my question to you: Should an employer have to pay for an employee's weight loss surgery?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It's estimated between 30,000 and 90,000 people in this country could die from the swine flu this year. Scary stuff. True, in an average year about 36,000 people die from regular flu - but this has the potential to be much, much worse.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the best things people can do are simple... like washing their hands often and coughing into their sleeve.

President Obama says he doesn't want anybody to be alarmed, but he does want people to be prepared... This includes families and businesses making plans in case relatives or co-workers catch the virus and need to stay home.

Swine flu cases are expected pick up again as the school year starts... and possibly peak in mid-October. A vaccine is being tested - but isn't expected to be available until at least mid-October. Children and young adults will be at the greatest risk.

This thing has got Americans' attention. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 39-percent of those surveyed are concerned that they or someone in their family will get the swine flu... that's double the percent who felt that way in May.

The poll also shows most Americans are confident in the government's ability to prevent a nationwide epidemic, and two-thirds say they plan to get vaccinated.

So far there have been 550-deaths in the U-S from H1N1 - or swine flu. A scientific panel recently said it's possible that anywhere from 30-to-50 percent of the population could catch it. 50-percent of the population would be around 150-million people.

Here’s my question to you: Will the fear of getting swine flu change your daily life this fall?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The number of Americans taking antidepressants has doubled in the last decade...

A new study of 50,000 adults and children shows about 10-percent of Americans - or 27 million people - were using antidepressants in 2005; that's up from 13-million people in 1996.

The report in the Archives of General Psychiatry shows most of the people taking these drugs weren't being treated for depression. Rather - half of them were using the medication for back or nerve pain, fatigue, sleeping problems or other issues.

The study says more people are being treated with antidepressants, and they're receiving more prescriptions. But the percentage of antidepressant users seeing psychiatrists actually fell during this period. This might be because insurance companies don't cover the visits; and it's cheaper for people to just get a prescription.

Some think the increase is due to the fact that it's more socially acceptable to be diagnosed and treated for depression. Also - there are new drugs that are safer and have fewer serious side effects. And, during this time, spending on so-called direct-to-consumer antidepressant advertising increased from $32 million to $122 million during the nine years of the study.

Some are concerned about the results of this study, saying antidepressants are only moderately effective; and that getting therapy can be more effective than just taking drugs.

Also, there have been several public health warnings on these medicines, including that they increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in children and teens.

Here’s my question to you: What does it mean when more than one in 10 Americans is on antidepressants?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Organic food is no healthier or more nutritious than regular food. But it is more expensive.

That's according to a study commissioned by the British government and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers looked at 50,000 studies conducted over 50 years - and found no significant differences in the foods. They focused on a wide range of crops and livestock raised and marketed under organic standards.

The few differences they found were about the kind of fertilizer used - like nitrogen or phosphorus - and how ripe the crops were when harvested. They say these differences are unlikely to provide any health benefit to consumers.

This will probably come as a blow to those who shell out a lot of money to buy the more expensive organic products because they think it's healthier.

Sales of organic foods have skyrocketed in the U.S. in the last 20 years; topping $23 billion last year.

Critics of the report say it ignores possible side-effects from pesticides and that organic farming may be better for the health of the animals. They say consumers who buy organic are supporting a system that bans the routine use of antibiotics and treats livestock better.

But if you buy organic food because you think it's more nutritious, you may want to think again. Plus, regular food is cheaper.

Here’s my question to you: What does it mean if organic food is no healthier or more nutritious than regular food?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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President Obama announced Dr. Regina Benjamin as his nominee for Surgeon General in the White House Rose Garden last week. (PHOTO CREDIT: TIM SLOAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

In a nation where more than one-third of adults are obese - the president is coming under fire for his selection of an overweight surgeon general.

ABC News reports that Although Dr. Regina Benjamin has been praised for her top credentials - like creating a medical clinic for the poor after Hurricane Katrina - many believe that Benjamin's appearance sends the wrong message as the nation's top doctor. It is estimated that Benjamin is as much as 40 pounds overweight.

The Department of Health and Human Services insists that Benjamin is highly qualified, saying: "She is a role model for all of us, and will be an outstanding surgeon general."

And supporters suggest her job is to make health care decisions - not to look good. They say her size might help her better understand the problem of obesity. Some health experts highlight studies that show it's possible to be fat and healthy, while others say the president himself - who still smokes cigarettes - isn't the best role model for good health either.

But - there's no doubt obesity is a growing crisis that's costing the U.S. billions of dollars a year. Fat people are at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer among other things. Critics also point out that Benjamin could set a better example for the black community - where obesity is even more prevalent.

Here’s my question to you: What message does it send if the surgeon general of the U.S. is overweight?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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