Do we really need annual check-ups?

We start the week of Daily Briefings with a selection of health stories around the globe and a re-examination of yearly check-ups.

Diabetes in the World: A new study in The Lancet says that the number of diabetics more than doubled to 347 million in the last 30 years. FairWarning explains the study and consequences of the epidemic.

Hunger: Kofi Annan says that there will be over one billion hungry people in the world this year and that the current food security crisis could become permanent. The Source blog at The Wall Street Journal explains.

Where Polio is Still a Problem: Mark Magnier at the Los Angeles Times reports that India is on the verge of eliminating a disease most countries has largely defeated.

Annual Physical: Do we really need them? Anne Polta at HealthBeat explores arguments for and against the once-a-year checkup.

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(Photo "Doctor's Office (Tools of The Trade)" by William Patrick Butler on Flickr Creative Commons.)