MMR was the biggest science story in years - and a hoax. The scientist who started it faces the GMC, but who will hold the media to account?
Boris Johnson: Mayor urged to act over axed model health tests - The Guardian 29th August 2008
Boris Johnson is being asked to withdraw funding from the British Fashion Council after it announced it was ditching plans to force models to undergo health checks before taking to the catwalk at London fashion week.
Deaths from hospital superbug Clostridium difficile up by 28% - The Guardian 29th August 2008n
Deaths from the hospital infection Clostridium difficile jumped by 28% last year to more than 8,000, according to official figures published yesterday.
The Department of Health claimed the rise was the result of more accurate reporting of deaths by hospitals rather than a continuing spread of infections.Marianne Kirby: Fatness is not a disease - The Guardian 28th August 2008
What Andrew Lansley doesn't seem to realise is that fatness is a physical characteristic, not a disease
Hospitals and care homes ignoring older people's human rights - The Guardian 28th August 2008
Hospitals and care homes are ignoring older people's human rights, despite a report a year ago calling for a "culture change" in the NHS, Age Concern said today.
The charity says not enough progress has been made since parliament's joint committee on human rights published its report in August last year.According to a survey, expectant mothers are confused about what they should and shouldn't do, and too embarrassed to ask for advice. Health Editor Jeremy Laurance has the answers
Dietary advice, contrary to the impression that its givers and its takers strive to make, is not rocket science. Nor is it particularly modern or new. Vronsky, Tolstoy explained in Anna Karenina at the turn of the 20th century, maintained the weight demanded of him by his regiment by steering clear of sugary and starchy foods. It worked for him, and there is no reason why it should not for everybody.
She supported the NHS – then it let her down - The Independent on Sunday 31st August 2008
Kathleen Shaw makes her usual meal of bread and cheese, feeling her way from the kitchen into the lounge where she will force herself to eat a little. She used to enjoy cooking and loved to eat while sitting outside in her garden. But she's now a prisoner in her own home.
Staff sickness 'costs health service £650m a year' - The Independent 28th August 2008
Staff sickness costs the NHS more than £650m a year, according to a new survey of health trusts.
The cost of staff taking time off ill has increased by nearly 7 per cent since 2004-05, the survey of English health trusts found.C Difficile deaths up by 28% - The Independent 28th August 2008
The number of people dying who were suffering from C difficile has risen by 28% in England and Wales, new figures revealed today.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 8,324 death certificates mentioned the infection in 2007, compared with 6,480 the previous year.UK 'fat map' highlights unexpected obesity hotspots - The Independent 28th August 2008
A new "fat map" of the UK published today shows high levels of obesity in the Midlands, Wales, North East and parts of the South East.
The map, created by Dr Foster Research, suggests the problem may be getting worse when compared with a similar map published two years ago.Thousands of male calves shot after TB alert - The Times 2nd September 2008
Farmers are shooting thousands of newly born bull calves because of a commercial ban on exports by Dutch and Belgian veal traders.
This unofficial boycott, which was imposed six weeks ago, follows the discovery of animals infected with bovine TB among British live exports.Thousands of patients having hip or knee replacements on the NHS may find that their new joints do not last more than a few years.
A study of joint replacements in England has found that the latest surgical techniques of hip resurfacing or partial knee replacement have a lower success rate than older, more established methods, which replace the entire joint.Hip replacements: I turned a corner - then ‘click’ - The Times 2nd September 2008
As many as 10,000 people need to have worn-out hip implants replaced each year in Britain, often after years of use. But Richard Howell, 60, was expecting his substitute joint to last much longer than it did: just five weeks after a hip resurfacing operation in 2002, his thigh bone fractured, landing him back in hospital.
Schoolgirls launch cervical cancer vaccination drive - The Times 2nd September 2008
Schoolgirls in four areas became the first to be immunised against cervical cancer in a national vaccination programme. The Cervarix vaccine targets the two main strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which are sexually transmitted and cause 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
Stores promoting junk food despite warnings on obesity - The Times 1st September 2008
Supermarkets have almost doubled the number of “junk food” items they promote, despite warnings of an obesity crisis, an official watchdog has found.
The National Consumer Council accuses supermarkets of using “buy one, get one free” or “three for the price of two” offers on savoury snacks, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes and fizzy drinks to entice shoppers during the credit crunch – and names Morrisons and Waitrose as the worst offenders.Alarm as nurse and dog are treated for bovine TB - The Times 1st September 2008
A veterinary nurse and her dog have contracted bovine TB, raising fears that the high level of disease in some parts of the country could spread to more humans and pets.
The woman, from Cornwall, has been treated for the respiratory infection. Her daughter has also been tested for the disease and has received medication, The Times has learnt.Protests force review of ban on cancer drugs - The Sunday Times 31st August 2008
The National Health Service drugs rationing body has been forced to review its policy of banning life-prolonging cancer medicines that are available elsewhere in Europe.
At present it rejects drugs that cost more than about £30,000 for a year of good-quality life – a limit that has not changed in four years.Case study: ‘They wouldn’t let me in. I miss him terribly’ - The Times 29th August 2008
Mavis Burton-Pye, 68, was told that her husband’s slippers were contaminated just after she found out he had died. But she did not know that he had lost his life to Clostridium difficile until she read it on his death certificate.
Leslie Burton-Pye, 74, who had diabetes, went into James Paget University Hospital, Norfolk, in April last year for a routine blood transfusion. It should have been an overnight stay, but six weeks later he was still there.Blame, claims and accusations as C. difficile deaths double - The Times 28th August 2008
The number of deaths involving the hospital bug Clostridium difficile have more than doubled in two years in England and Wales, latest figures show.
The Government has said that it wants to cut infections linked to the bacterial infection by a third by 2010-11, but data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows a year-on-year rise in the number of related deaths since 2001.Deaths from superbug C difficile rise 28 per cent - The Times 28th August 2008
The number of people dying who were suffering from C difficile has risen by 28 per cent in England and Wales, new figures revealed today.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 8,324 death certificates mentioned the infection in 2007, compared with 6,480 the previous year.Q&A: Clostridium difficile - The Times 28th August 2008
What is Clostridium difficile and why is it so dangerous?
The large intestine of the average person contains as many as 1,500 types of bacteria, one of which is C. diff. It is of the family Clostridium, which includes the bacterium that cause tetanus, botulism and gas gangrene.The tragedies that prompted ‘our massive wake-up call’ - The Times 28th August 2008
Bacteria will be present in hospitals as long as people are, but vital lessons in infection control have been learnt since outbreaks of Clostridium difficile caused the death of at least 90 patients at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in Kent.\n\nSara Mumford, formerly of the Health Protection Agency, the watchdog for infectious diseases, helped to bring attention to how much bad hygiene and poor staffing had contributed to hundreds of infections during the outbreaks of 2005 and 2006, which were later the subject of a high-profile investigation by the Healthcare Commission.
Plastic surgery for bullied girls - The Times 28th August 2008
A plastic surgeon reshaped the nose of a 14-year-old girl who was being bullied and gave breast implants to other girls who had been teased about their appearance, it emerged yesterday.
Douglas McGeorge, president of the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, said that many teenagers were victims of bullying and just wanted to look normal. “You think about children whose ears stick out. Children are very cruel and there’s a lot of stigma attached to appearance.”While we all know it's important to exercise regularly,how much you should be doing - and what type - changes as you age.
Here, with the help of leading sports scientists and other experts, we explain what happens to your body at each key stage, and the workouts appropriate for that time.Schools 'don't have enough nurses to give cervical cancer jabs' - Daily Mail 2nd September 2008
There are not enough school nurses to carry out a national cervical cancer vaccination scheme, ministers were warned yesterday.
The Government programme involving 300,000 pupils will triple their workload, it is claimed.Will you give your daughter the cervical cancer jab? - Daily Mail 2nd September 2008
The pink leaflets are ready, the posters are poised to go up and the advertising slots have been booked both on kids and primetime TV and radio.
Tomorrow marks the start of a new academic year. It is also the launch date of a campaign which heralds the introduction of the biggest mass vaccination programme for more than a decade.Having just been told that I have multiple sclerosis, I am feeling surprisingly cheerful about it.
MS, as it is more commonly known, is not a great thing to have. It is debilitating, it's degenerative and it's incurable.
I, like many of the 85,000 or so sufferers in the UK, will eventually lose the use of some or all of my faculties.Women are confused by the conflicting information they receive about pregnancy, researchers say.
Almost half are anxious about whether they can drink alcohol, what foods they can eat and whether they are safe to get on a plane.
They even worry about having sex during pregnancy and if colouring their hair will endanger the baby.The holiday photos show a beautiful blond boy trotting along the beach, kicking a football determinedly and giggling with his daddy.
But Lewis Jeynes's mum, Samantha, admits she never looks at these snaps - taken in France in September 2005 - it's simply too painful.
For her boy is now trapped in a body that doesn't work. The once-lively and active four-year-old can no longer talk, eat, move his limbs or even support his own head.The jacket that gives kidney failure patients dialysis on the go - Daily Mail 2nd September 2008
A jacket that carries out 'dialysis on the go' could be a major advance for those with kidney failure.
The jacket contains a miniature version of the bulky hospital equipment normally needed to do the job of diseased kidneys.Britons at high risk of heart attack and stroke are ignoring doctors' advice to change their lifestyle, says a new survey.\n\nMore than three-quarters are obese or overweight, with dangerously big stomachs, and most smokers have refused to give up.
Jane Clarke: Keep that waist trim as we all tighten our belts - Daily Mail 1st September 2008
Every Tuesday, Britain's leading nutritionist explains how to eat your way to health. This week Jane tackles the risks of resorting to processed foods as the credit crunch hits and three ways to get more fibre...
Yesterday, at the supermarket checkout, I stood alongside a mum whose trolley was piled high with cheap sausages, burgers, sausage rolls, fizzy drinks, biscuits (two for one), bumper packs of snacks, white bread, with hardly a fruit or vegetable in sight.Pain-free surgery cured my bunions in just minutes - Daily Mail 1st September 2008
Around 15 million Britons suffer from bunions, painful bony swellings at the base of the big toe.
Traditionally, the only treatment has been painful surgery with a lengthy recovery, but Sharon Mobsby, 55, from Worthing, West Sussex, underwent a new, faster procedure.
Here, she tells ANGELA BROOKS about her experience and her surgeon explains the procedure.Ask the doctor: What are the hidden dangers in a Caesarean? - Daily Mail 1st September 2008
Dr Martin Scurr has been treating patients for more than 30 years and is one of the country's leading GPs. Here he tackles Caesareans and night thirsts...
Pregnant women are being urged to stop using perfumes or scented creams after research suggested the products could cause unborn boys to suffer infertility or cancer in later life.
It found the reproductive systems of male foetuses were damaged at as early as eight weeks' gestation by chemicals found in cosmetics.Jo Cantrill excitedly booked an appointment to have the new 'miracle' laser eye surgery treatment.
Having had to wear glasses since the age of 18 because of short- sightedness, she says she was 'thrilled' at the prospect of not having to wear them any more.
'After the operation, the glasses went straight in the bin,' says Jo, then 25. 'I was told this surgery would cure my shortsightedness for the rest of my life.'The woman who has just become Britain's youngest victim of a rare form of cancer could have contracted the disease at school.\n\nLeigh Carlisle, 28, lost her two-year battle against the killer disease mesothelioma on Wednesday.
A British baby has become the first in the world to die from a virtually unknown brain condition that rapidly shrank his brain.\n\nMother Karen Marshall-Rogers told how she was powerless to help as the condition ARX caused her son's brain to dramatically shrivel from the inside out.
Mums-to-be confused over advice - BBC Health News 1st September 2008
There is widespread confusion among mums-to-be about pregnancy health, largely compounded by conflicting information, a survey reveals.
A third of the 1,303 women polled by Tommy's and Johnson's Baby were confused by what you can eat and which drugs are safe to take in pregnancy.NHS 'excels at hip and knee ops' - BBC Health News 1st September 2008
The NHS is being praised for its success in carrying out hip and knee replacements - but doubts remain about some of the newer techniques.
A study of 150,000 joint replacements found just one in 75 patients needed revisions within three years.Rise in drunk under-25s in A&E - BBC Health News 1st September 2008
An 18-year-old is passed out after being on the £6.99 bottles of wine at one of the city's bars all night.
In the next door cubicle another woman in her early 20s is being sick in a cardboard bowl having had tubes put down her throat to clear her airway.Donor is found for leukaemia boy - BBC Health News 1st September 2008
A perfect bone marrow match has been found for a six-year-old Nottinghamshire boy with leukaemia.
Joel Picker-Spence, from Farndon, was diagnosed with the condition more than three years ago and had been in remission.Perfume 'risk to unborn babies' - BBC Health News 31st August 2008
Pregnant women have been told that using perfumes or scented creams may increase the risk of unborn boys developing infertility in later life.
Edinburgh University researchers claimed a crucial window between eight and 12 weeks of pregnancy determined future reproductive problems.Supermarkets 'push fatty foods'- BBC Health News 31st August 2008
Supermarkets are offering too many promotions for fatty or sugary foods, campaigners say.
The National Consumer Council went into all eight major chains and found over half of promotions were for unhealthy foods - double the level seen in 2006.Cot death warning for teen mums - BBC Health News 29th August 2008
The children of young mothers are at much higher risk of cot death because their parent misses out on prevention advice, a charity has warned.
Sudden infant death is five times more common in the babies of teenage mothers compared with older mothers, according to national figures.Boy has shoulder made from elbow - BBC Health News 29th August 2008
A teenage cancer patient has undergone successful surgery to rebuild his shoulder using his elbow.
Tom Lemm, 15, from Pontefract, had his left arm amputated by surgeons at Leeds General Hospital because of a tumour at the top of the limb.'Huge contrasts' in devolved NHS - BBC Health News 28th August 2008
Separate health policies within England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are leading to wide differences for patients, it is claimed.
A Health Service Journal analysis found differences in emergency and planned hospital admissions and A&E visits.
UK Health News 09/02/2008
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Posted by Kieran at 11:30
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