Top 10 health headlines of 2009

In 2009, the world was inundated with statistics, information and hysteria about the swine flu, but the pandemic wasn't the only medical story of the year. Here, the top 10 health news and breakthroughs for 2009.

10. Predictions for breast cancer survival get more accurate
A new computerized tool that can predict a breast cancer patient's chances of survival accurately in 82 per cent of cases is revealed in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

The creators, Jeff Wrana and Ian Taylor, researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, say the DyNeMo analyzes how the proteins in breast cancer tumours interact and that the network of proteins is organized differently among those who will survive and those who won't.

The information generated by this tool can also help patients and doctors determine the best course of treatment. Mount Sinai is working towards having the tool ready for widespread use within five years and hopes the tool will eventually be used to analyze other types of cancer, as well.

9. The verdict is in! Vaccines are not guilty of causing autism
In a landmark decision handed down by a special U.S. federal court in February, judges ruled that the MMR vaccine given to infants for measles, mumps and rubella does not cause autism.

A petition filed with the court represented about 5,000 families who hoped to receive reparation from the U.S. National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The movement against vaccination has been rampant in the States, with advocacy groups for the autism-vaccine link leading the charge.

But most health professionals continue to recommend that parents ensure their children get their vaccines.

8. Climate change = your greatest health threat
In the May issue of The Lancet, researchers from University College London published a study that squarely put the finger on climate change as the biggest health threat of the 21st century.

The most pressing concern involved food and water, where shortages and high prices over the next 20 years would lead to malnutrition and, in turn, an increase in low birth weight and a predisposition to infectious diseases. Other major threats that would rise over the century include war, ecological collapse, and insect-borne and heat-related diseases.