- England is facing a public health crisis because of an alarming increase
in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), an expert in sexual health has
warned.
Tuesday April 15, 2003
- Britain is facing an epidemic of diabetes among children and teenagers
within a decade because of soaring rates of obesity and lack of exercise. Jo
Revill, health editor
Sunday June 8, 2003 The Observer
- Health workers should be sent into clubs and bars to encourage young
people to have medical check-ups for sexual diseases, an influential committee
of MPs will tell the Government this week. Jo Revill, health editor
Sunday June 8, 2003 The Observer
- Up to 10 million Britons could be diabetic by 2020, victims of bad diet
and lack of exercise in their youth. Jo Revill reports on how to we can keep
our children healthy.
Sunday
June 8, 2003 The Observer
- Sport is the best way to defeat obesity. Leader
Sunday June 8, 2003 The Observer
- The future of healthcare lies not at your local chemist, argues Paul
Clayton, but at the supermarket checkout. Ben Goldacre
Tuesday
June 10, 2003 The Guardian
- Ready meals loaded with dangerous levels of salt, food agency warns.
Unhealthy lines increasing risk of strokes and heart attacks. James Meikle,
health correspondent
Tuesday June 10, 2003 The Guardian
- The nation's sexual health is now in serious decline - but NHS support
services are shambolic, underfunded and stretched to the limit. Michael Adler
Wednesday June 11, 2003 The Guardian
- MPs call for sexual health clinics at schools. James Meikle, health
correspondent
Wednesday June 11, 2003 The Guardian
- Adolescents, the only group in the population whose death rates have not
dropped over the past 50 years, have many health needs that are not being met
by the NHS, according to a report from seven medical royal colleges. Sarah
Boseley
Thursday June 12, 2003 The Guardian
- Changes to the way milk and water are prepared for human consumption may
be needed to fight "a public health tragedy" linked to a bug causing illness
in hundreds of thousands of people, it was claimed last night. James Meikle,
health correspondent
Thursday August 7, 2003 The Guardian
- Research that could bring long-term benefits to the nation's health is
being ignored in favour of politically attractive "quick hits", according to a
report by the NHS body responsible for promoting more healthy lifestyles.
James Meikle, health correspondent
Tuesday August 12, 2003 The Guardian
-
Syphilis is back. It had been virtually wiped out in Britain but one of the
deadliest sexually transmitted infections is once again spreading at an
alarming rate. We should be worried. Helen Knox
Tuesday August 12, 2003 The Guardian
-
People in Dorset and Somerset can hope to live for almost a decade longer than
Glaswegians and Mancunians, according to new statistics released today. Danny
Mazliah
Friday August 22, 2003
-
The death toll in England and Wales caused by record temperatures this month
may have been as high as 900, according to official figures showing that
nearly 10% more people died at the peak of the heatwave than was normal for
the time of year. John Carvel, social affairs editor
Wednesday August 27, 2003 The Guardian
- Health officials are investigating the possible causes of a rare form of
food poisoning which has been confirmed in 31 people and is suspected in four
others. James Meikle
Wednesday August 27, 2003 The Guardian
- Around 2 million Britons, including 60% of hospital patients, are
malnourished, according to a report published today.
Tuesday November 11, 2003
- Tuberculosis is making a "worrying comeback" in London with a four-fold
increase in some areas over the last decade, a report warned today.
Monday November 24, 2003
- GPs overestimate the risk of heart disease in men by about half because
they are expected to use outdated methods to calculating the risk, according
to a study. James Meikle, health correspondent
Friday November 28, 2003 The Guardian
- The government is to intervene in Britain's obesity crisis by asking the
new television regulator Ofcom to draw up a tough code on junk food and drinks
advertisements directed at children. Jackie Ashley, Patrick Wintour and Mark
Oliver
Monday December 1, 2003 The Guardian
- Yve Buckland on why the NHS should lead the way towards a ban on smoking
in public.
Wednesday December 3, 2003 The Guardian
- The active ingredient. Letters
Wednesday December 10, 2003 The Guardian
- Common sense has cut suicides. Leader
Sunday December 14, 2003 The Observer
- The number of people newly infected with HIV has shot up by 20% in the UK
for the second year in a row and the figure is expected to rise further as
more cases are diagnosed. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Friday February 13, 2004 The Guardian
- Rapid HIV tests are being offered on Britain's high streets as part of the
battle to halt the rising tide of sexually transmitted diseases. Mark Gould
and Jo Revill
Sunday February 15, 2004 The Observer
- HIV, a testing time. The NHS should adopt fast diagnosis. Leader
Sunday February 15, 2004 The Observer
- More than half the 1.5 million people claiming incapacity benefit in
Britain are overweight, according to new figures released by the government.
David Hencke, Westminster correspondent
Monday February 16, 2004 The Guardian
- There is no single answer on HRT safety. The risk, as Tania Branigan found
out, may have been settled before you were born.
Tuesday February 17, 2004 The Guardian.
- GPs are diagnosing asthma five times more often than 25 years ago, says a
report which puts Britons top of the world league of those afflicted. James
Meikle, health correspondent
Tuesday February 17, 2004 The Guardian
- Doctors should be paid to warn patients who have a bad drinking habit, as
a radical new way of curbing Britain's excessive drinking culture. Jamie
Doward, social affairs editor
Sunday February 22, 2004 The Observer
- Health unions are calling for an end to the "terror of dirty needles"
following the death of four workers who were infected with HIV through
needlestick injuries.
Monday February 23, 2004
- 'Diseases of affluence' - those caused by smoking and obesity -
disproportionately affect the least affluent. Your class is your fate. David
Walker
Friday March 5, 2004 The Guardian
- Government health figures are too stale to be of use in determining public
health targets, according to the author of two government-commissioned health
reviews. Hélène Mulholland in Brighton
Tuesday April 20, 2004
- The warning from the Commons health select committee is stark. "Should the
gloomier scenarios relating to obesity turn out to be true, the sight of
amputees will become much more familiar in the streets of Britain. There will
be many more blind people. There will be a huge demand for kidney dialysis.
"The positive trends in recent decades in combating heart disease, partly the
consequence of the decline in smoking , will be reversed. Indeed, this will be
the first generation where children die before their parents as a consequence
of childhood obesity," it says. James Meikle
Thursday May 27, 2004 The Guardian
- The behaviour of food firms is criminal. Letters
Thursday May 27, 2004 The Guardian
- Schools fail to hold back surge of sexual diseases. Teenagers want less
emphasis on biology and more guidance on emotions in sex education classes. Jo
Revill, health editor and Amelia Hill, education correspondent
Sunday July 25, 2004 The Observer
- People with sexually transmitted infections are having to wait up to six
weeks for an appointment at specialist clinics, a key factor in the rise of
such disease, health campaigners said yesterday. They accused ministers of
failing to make the crisis a priority as the government's Health Protection
Agency revealed that new diagnoses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland rose
by 4% overall last year, to more than 708,000. James Meikle, health
correspondent
Wednesday
July 28, 2004 The Guardian
- Yesterday's grim statistics from the health protection agency on the
continuing rise in sexually transmitted diseases should come as no surprise.
As last year's devastating report from the Commons select committee on health
documented, sexual health services are poorly resourced, critically
under-staffed and dangerously demoralised. Leader
Wednesday
July 28, 2004 The Guardian
- It's not just teenagers who need sex education - adults do, too. Petra
Boynton despairs of the new regiment of pundits who make a living out of
talking dirty.
Friday July
30, 2004 The Guardian
- The government was accused yesterday of failing to tackle the HIV/Aids
crisis in its own back yard while focusing on trying to help the international
battle against the disease. The National Aids Trust said sexual health had
dropped off the list of national priorities with anti-HIV funds no longer
ring-fenced. This has meant a drop in education and prevention programmes and
long waiting times for tests. People at high risk of infection, including
prostitutes and injecting drug users, were treated as criminals while the
NHS's attitude towards failed asylum seekers needed reviewing. James Meikle,
health correspondent
Monday
August 9, 2004 The Guardian
- The numbers of sufferers of brain diseases, including Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's and motor neurone disease, have soared across the West in less
than 20 years, scientists have discovered. The alarming rise, which includes
figures showing rates of dementia have trebled in men, has been linked to
rises in levels of pesticides, industrial effluents, domestic waste, car
exhausts and other pollutants, says a report in the journal Public Health.
Juliette Jowit, environment editor
Sunday August 15, 2004 The Observer
- Abortions at record level, despite better contraception services. John
Carvel, social affairs editor
Saturday
August 28, 2004 The Guardian
- Are your fillings poisoning you? Peta McGrath investigates the latest
mercury scare stories.
Tuesday
November 23, 2004 The Guardian
- Another boozy Saturday night in Cardiff, another busy evening on the city
hospital's A&E ward. That's why local police are sharing computers with
doctors to tackle the problem at its root. Sally Flood reports.
Wednesday December 1, 2004 The Guardian
- The true scale of ignorance and lack of sympathy in the UK to people with
HIV and Aids is revealed today in a survey of British attitudes. It suggests
the stigma endured by those with the disease in Britain is as serious an issue
as it is at the heart of the pandemic in Africa or Asia. Sarah Boseley, health
editor
Wednesday December 1, 2004 The Guardian
- The government looks set to miss its target of a smoke-free NHS after just
11% of hospitals today said they would be able to introduce a total smoking
ban in their buildings and grounds by the end of the year.
Thursday February 10, 2005
- The average Briton has become 1.5 inches fatter and half a stone heavier
in the past decade, sparking fears that more people will die early from
illnesses caused by obesity. Antony Barnett and Denis Campbell
Sunday March 6, 2005 The Observer
- Thanks to a certain TV chef, school dinners are a subject of hot national
debate: there is now a great opportunity to change them for the better.
Felicity Lawrence and Helen Pidd, together with the Soil Association, explain
how.
Thursday March
10, 2005 The Guardian
- Doctors today called for a UK-wide programme to screen all patients for
malnutrition when they are admitted to hospital so they can get the specialist
dietary help they require. The doctors and other health professionals from
charity the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN),
which is devoted to improving the management of malnutrition, claim around 60%
of patients suffer from clinical malnutrition on admission to hospital - most
of them elderly and frail. Debbie Andalo
Thursday March 17, 2005
- The government will fail to meet its target to reduce the number of
smokers in England unless it bans smoking in all workplaces, a senior doctor
warned today. NHS stop smoking services are insufficient to cut the proportion
of smokers to 21% or less by 2010 and the target can only be achieved with a
total smoking ban in the workplace, said Dr Eugene Milne, deputy medical
director at Northumberland Tyne and Wear strategic health authority.
Friday March 18, 2005
- The scale of the obesity epidemic among young children was revealed
yesterday in official figures which showed that more than a quarter of two- to
10-year-olds in England are overweight and one in seven is obese. Sarah
Boseley, health editor
Saturday
April 30, 2005 The Guardian
- Twelve people have contracted tuberculosis through contact with a man who
has refused to be treated fully for the disease, it emerged yesterday. The
man, said to be in his 40s, was diagnosed in 2002 but has only taken
antibiotic drugs in short bursts instead of completing the full course, which
is usually six months. James Meikle, health correspondent
Monday
May 9, 2005 The Guardian
- Doctors have called for all children in Britain to be vaccinated against
potentially fatal liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. James Meikle,
health correspondent
Tuesday
May 10, 2005 The Guardian
- Should all children be given the hepatitis B jab? Absolutely, says
Catherine Arkley, chief executive of the Children's Liver Disease Foundation.
"There is no cure for hepatitis B and it is a lethal disease." Kate
Ravilious
Thursday May 12, 2005 The Guardian
- Doctors last night warned that the crisis of mumps among teenagers and
people in their early 20s had reached national epidemic proportions, at 15
times the rate a year ago. James Meikle, health correspondent
Friday
May 13, 2005 The Guardian
- The government should do more to help young children stop smoking in order
to prevent them going on to abuse alcohol and drugs, doctors said yesterday.
David Batty
Friday
June 3, 2005
- More than 90% of the UK population over 50 years old would be considered
at risk of heart disease and be candidates for lifelong drug treatment if
current European guidelines on blood pressure and cholesterol are strictly
followed, doctors say today. The authors of an editorial in the British
Medical Journal say they are concerned that so many patients may be given a
"disease label". They warn that nobody knows what the very long-term effects
will be of the drugs . Sarah Boseley
Friday June 24, 2005 The Guardian
- The risk of a stroke is greatly underestimated and six in 10 people have
no idea of the link between high blood pressure and strokes, according to a
new survey by campaigners. The Stroke Association said 50,000 strokes could be
prevented each year if people were more aware of the risk factors and took
steps to tackle high blood pressure or reduce their consumption of cigarettes
and alcohol. Patrick Barkham
Tuesday August 30, 2005 The Guardian
- The government's pollution watchdog called today for buffer zones between
homes and fields sprayed with pesticides, and insisted farmers give residents
warning of upcoming spraying programmes. The chairman of the Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution (RCEP), Sir Tom Blundell, also called for farmers
to inform residents about which pesticides they are using on their crops and
at what times and places. David Fickling and agencies
Thursday
September 22, 2005
- Deaths related to hepatitis C infection in England have doubled in less
than a decade, while the number of people needing hospital treatment who are
known to be infected with the virus has tripled, the Health Protection Agency
said yesterday. James Meikle, health correspondent
Wednesday December 14, 2005 The Guardian
- The incidence of obesity among adult men has nearly doubled in just over
10 years, figures released yesterday showed. The percentage of obese men rose
from 13.2% in 1993 to 23.6% in 2004, while the figure for women increased by
just under half, from 16.4% to 23.8%. The report from the NHS's health and
social care information centre yesterday came as the Guardian learned that
obesity-related diabetes in children may be heading for an epidemic similar to
that in the US. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Saturday December 17, 2005 The Guardian
- Only one in five people can properly identify the symptoms of a stroke,
leaving many people vulnerable to the longer term damage of delayed treatment,
a survey revealed today. Forty per cent of people would not call an ambulance
if they or someone they knew suffered facial, arm or leg weakness or speech
problems, the key indicators of a stroke, the NOP survey of 1,000 adults for
the Stroke Association revealed. Twenty-two per cent could not identify any
symptom. Polly Curtis, health correspondent
Friday
February 3, 2006 The Guardian
- Seaside towns in Dorset and Devon are likely to be the heart disease
capitals of the future, with those least at risk of stroke or heart attack
living in "yuppified" areas of London, according to new research that
estimates disease rates in every ward in the country. Polly Curtis,
health correspondent
Thursday
February 9, 2006 The Guardian
- Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are higher in England than
in the rest of the UK, but rates in Scotland and Wales are growing twice as
fast, researchers said today. David Batty
Thursday
February 9, 2006
- The English are living longer, getting fatter and falling prey more often
to sexually transmitted disease, according to the government's annual snapshot
of health. Martin Wainwright
Friday
February 10, 2006 The Guardian
- Four out of 10 heart attacks go unrecognised. Sarah Hall, health
correspondent
Tuesday
February 14, 2006 The Guardian
- Public health
service 'in crisis'. A report by the Faculty of Public Health has raised
serious concern about the capacity of public health doctors to deliver on
government policies to improve health. The report found that only 36% of PCTs
in England felt they had the capacity to deliver effective public health
services, and the restructuring of PCTs and SHAs could result in 100 to 150
senior positions being lost. It revealed a 40% reduction in planned
recruitment for public health training for 2006, compared with 2005. Four of
the 13 regions plan to cancel their public health training completely for this
year. 18% of public health consultants are considering leaving the specialty
within the next five years.
Summary by
Keep our NHS Public
of BBC
Online 29 March 2006
- Drug trial firm knew of risk. The consent form for test that left six men
critically ill listed a side effect which can seriously harm the immune
system. Jo Revill, health editor
Sunday April 9, 2006 The Observer
- Accident and emergency departments are seeing a dramatic increase in the
number of patients arriving with alcohol-related complaints - with seven out
of 10 citing a rise in numbers over the last five years. Doctors have seen
patients as young as one admitted with alcohol-related problems, with one in
five departments admitting 11-year-olds for binge drinking, and a further
quarter admitting patients as young as 12. The growth - which coincides with
the increasing prevalence of cheap alcopops and the introduction of 24-hour
drinking - means nearly six out of 10 feel their departments are coming under
pressure, according to the survey carried out for BBC One's Six O'Clock News.
Sarah Hall, health correspondent
Monday
April 10, 2006 The Guardian
- A diet of prejudice. We shouldn't judge the burger and chips brigade while
we pay through the nose for our pecorino. Julie Bindel
Tuesday
April 11, 2006 The Guardian
- Closing up the health gap.
Saturday
April 15, 2006 The Guardian
- Leading scientists called for a fresh inquiry into the effect of Britain's
worst large-scale water poisoning yesterday after providing the first evidence
to suggest it caused the death of a woman from an extremely rare form of
Alzheimer's. Sarah Hall, health correspondent
Thursday
April 20, 2006 The Guardian
- More than a quarter of children in English secondary schools are
clinically obese, almost double the proportion a decade ago, and an official
survey released yesterday also showed that girls were suffering more than boys
from a crisp and chocolate-fuelled life of too much eating and too little
exercise. Colin Waine, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said that the
figures showed a "public health timebomb" in the making: children who were
obese in their early teens were twice as likely to die by age 50, he said.
John Carvel, social affairs editor
Saturday April 22, 2006 The Guardian
-
Americans 'sicker' than their English counterparts. A new study
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that
white, middle-aged English people are healthier than
their American counterparts. The health of the richest people in the US is as
low as that of the lowest-paid, least educated among the English. People in
the US have far higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, lung disease
and cancer in the 55-64 age group. In both countries people with higher
socio-economic status, as measured by income and education levels, tend to
enjoy better health. But because the national differences are so great, those
at the top of the education and income scale in the US suffer diabetes and
heart disease at a similar rate to those at the bottom of the scale in
England. The study found that in England, 7.8% of people in the highest income
bracket had heart disease, compared to 12% of the same group in the US. The
lowest income groups in England and the US had heart disease rates of 11.6%
and 17.1% respectively. The researchers' analysis shows that lifestyle
factors, particularly people in the US being more obese, cannot account for
the whole discrepancy but might provide a partial explanation. Different
health systems might also be part of the story. The researchers note that the
US spends $5,274 (£2,879) a head on medical care while in the UK, taking both
nationally funded and private healthcare into account, that number is just
$2,164, adjusted for purchasing power. But the NHS provides publicly funded
medicine for everyone, while people in the US under the age of 65 have to rely
on private insurance.
Summary by
Keep our NHS Public
of
New Scientist 3 May 2006
- Three children were being treated for kidney failure in
Scotland's leading children's hospital last night after an
outbreak of the potentially fatal E coli 0157
infection. The two-year-olds, who attend the same nursery in Dunfermline,
Fife, were in a "serious" condition at Glasgow's Yorkhill hospital. The source
of the outbreak was not known, and the Careshare nursery, based at a further
education college, closed voluntarily to allow inspection. Sarah Hall, health
correspondent
Wednesday May 10, 2006 The Guardian
- Britain is becoming a nation of pill takers, increasingly reliant on drugs
to counter its biggest killer, heart disease, rather than tackling the
underlying lifestyle causes like obesity and smoking, according to figures
released today. Sarah Boseley , health editor
Wednesday May 10, 2006 The Guardian
- The catering company that brought the infamous Turkey Twizzler into
Britain's school kitchens yesterday admitted that Jamie Oliver's campaign
against sub-standard school dinners had taken a healthy bite out of its
earnings, wiping £10m off sales in six months. Simon Bowers
Wednesday May 17, 2006 The Guardian
- The number of children with certain types of mental health disorders has
more than doubled in the past 30 years, with a million experiencing problems
at any one time in England, doctors' leaders warned yesterday. About one in 10
children will experience a clinically recognised mental health disorder
between the ages of one and 15, says the report by the British Medical
Association's board of science. Factors such as the decline of the family,
alcohol abuse and diet are cited as potential causes of the rise. Sarah Hall,
health correspondent
Wednesday June 21, 2006 The Guardian
- Doctor warns of
sex disease danger. Spending cuts in the NHS could lead to
more cases of sexually transmitted diseases,
including HIV, in
Cheshire and Merseyside, a leading consultant has warned. Dr Colm O'Mahony,
consultant in genito-urinary medicine at the Countess of Chester Hospital,
said
cuts in financing for his clinic were being replicated across the region.
He said: "It's a national issue and the whole of Merseyside is affected, but
there are no weeping children or politicians jumping up and down about this."
He said he had been told none of the £200,000 earmarked for his GUM clinic
would be available, and there were no funds for chlamydia screening,
contraception, abortion and performance management, despite the government
saying they were priorities. 64 GUM units across the UK have abandoned their
plans to improve services because of lack of finance.
Summary by
Keep our NHS Public
of Liverpool Daily Post 6 June 2006
- The alert over Cadbury products contaminated with salmonella widened
yesterday as it emerged other food companies bought chocolate crumb from the
Herefordshire factory at the heart of the crisis. After a meeting with the
authorities in London yesterday, it also emerged Cadbury has only now agreed
to a comprehensive cleaning of all the production lines at the Marlbrook plant
concerned. It first discovered it had a salmonella problem at the site in
January this year, although the authorities believe that previous outbreaks in
2002 at its other factories may be traced back to Herefordshire. Cadbury only
admitted to the contamination after an alert from the Health Protection Agency
about an unusual rise in human cases of Salmonella montevideo. It agreed to
recall more than 1m bars of seven types of chocolate brands that had tested
positive two weeks ago. Felicity Lawrence and James Meikle
Friday July
7, 2006 The Guardian
- Children who are taken to the doctor with a bad cough that has lasted for
more than two weeks are quite likely to have whooping cough - even if they
were vaccinated as a baby, researchers claim today. Doctors from
Oxford say they found that nearly 40% of such children had the infection,
and they are asking GPs to think again when faced with diagnosing children
with persistent coughs. Some children are being prescribed asthma drugs which
they do not need. While vaccinated children are likely to get a milder form of
the disease, they are at risk of passing it to young babies in the family who
have not been immunised. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Friday
July 7, 2006 The Guardian
- A rare food poisoning bug has infected 83 people in just over two weeks,
10 times the level of cases normally reported in a year. People aged between
two and over 80 have fallen sick from Salmonella ajiobo in England, Wales and
Scotland, although numbers are concentrated in London and the south-east. The
Health Protection Agency said it was keeping an open mind on the source of the
outbreak which has affected twice as many girls and women as men, but revealed
that it was checking whether the strain was the same as a salmonella sample
from a vegetable product sent independently to its laboratories by a private
company. James Meikle and Felicity Lawrence
Saturday
July 8, 2006 The Guardian
- Three-quarters of primary schools are failing to provide school meals that
meet the health standards set by the government, new research reveals. More
than half of the schools in the study failed to limit the amount of "starchy
food cooked in oil or fat" to three times a week and children were far more
likely to eat chips and choose sugary drinks than healthier options, the
report found. Staff and agencies
Friday
July 14, 2006 EducationGuardian.co.uk
- Nearly three-quarters of people in the UK have never heard of the
country's fifth-biggest killer disease, a charity said today. A survey by the
medical charity Developing Patient Partnerships found that 72% of people were
unaware of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The survey also found
that more than three-quarters (77%) of people did not know that the chronic
lung disease kills more people than either breast, prostate or bowel cancer.
COPD is caused by smoking in 80% of cases and includes the conditions
emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It affects 3 million people in the UK and
causes around 30,000 deaths a year - twice the number caused by breast cancer.
But the survey found that most people think it is either a minor disease or
can be cured. David Batty and agencies
Thursday July 20, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
- Thousands of NHS
patients are failing to receive appropriate care due to waste, inefficiency
and
postcode prescribing, the chief medical officer for England said today.
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson blamed variations in care across the country on
doctors and NHS managers who put their own preferences for certain treatments
before the needs of patients. Both the over-use of some treatments and the
under-use of others were wasting millions of pounds, he warned in his
annual
report on the state of public health. David
Batty and agencies
Friday
July 21, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
- Food labels should list all types of fats to help reduce rates of heart
disease, researchers said today. Labelling the amount of trans fat, which
raises levels of harmful cholesterol, would help consumers cut their risk of
developing coronary heart disease, according to Oxford University scientists.
Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the researchers said trans fats,
which are found in margarines, biscuits, cakes and junk food, should be
subject to the same nutritional regulations as saturated fats, which also
increase the risk of heart disease. Staff and agencies
Friday July 28, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
- Tuberculosis, a disease of the 19th century in the western world, is an
increasing threat to the 21st, experts said yesterday as fresh figures were
published showing the biggest annual rise in cases in the UK since 1999. Sarah
Boseley, health editor
Friday
November 3, 2006 The Guardian
- The number of under-18s admitted to hospital because of alcohol abuse has
jumped 20% in the last five years, NHS figures revealed Around 20 underage
drinkers a day are diagnosed with problems linked to excessive drinking,
ranging from alcohol poisoning to behavioural disorders, the figures showed.
The number admitted to hospital with alcohol-related conditions rose from
6,288 in 2000-01 to 7,579 in 2004-5. Jackie Dent
Friday November 17, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
- HIV infection in UK increases to 63,500. The relentless rise of HIV
and other sexual infections in the UK is continuing, with evidence that some
groups in the population are ignoring warnings and still engaging in risky
sexual behaviour, according to figures published yesterday. There are now
63,500 adults living with HIV infection in the UK, of whom 7,450 were
diagnosed during 2005, according to the
Health Protection Agency. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Thursday November 23, 2006 The Guardian
- Liver disease from hepatitis C expected to double in 10 years.
Virus will seriously strain transplant service Many infected by 'silent
killer' are undiagnosed. The number of people suffering from severe liver
diseases caused by hepatitis C will double in the next 10 years, putting
serious strain on transplant services, health watchdogs warned yesterday. The
Health Protection Agency predicted that 10,090 people will be living with
cirrhosis or serious liver failure by 2015, of whom 2,540 will die if they do
not receive a transplant. The figures compare with 4,855 with serious liver
damage last year as a result of hepatitis C infection. Polly Curtis, health
correspondent
Saturday December 16, 2006 The Guardian
- Affluent move up the ill-health table. Patrick Butler They will, in
time, surely be known as the affluent poor: young, two-car owning, Tory-voting
families who own property in some of the wealthiest areas of England, and
whose penchant for alcohol coupled with their time-poor, work-stressed
lifestyles could trigger serious illness.
Wednesday January 3, 2007 The Guardian
- Food firms take on official watchdog in battle of the labels.
Critics say industry health advice will baffle many. Details to be
revealed of £4m publicity drive. Food and drink giants will today launch the
opening salvo in an unprecedented battle over nutritional information as they
unveil details of a campaign to promote a scheme rejected by the government's
food watchdog. The £4m publicity drive will promote a system which shows the
percentage of "guideline daily amounts" (GDAs) of fat, salt and sugar
contained in food products, rather than the "traffic light" warnings backed by
the Food Standards Agency. The industry's favoured scheme suffered a fresh
setback yesterday after the food and farming alliance Sustain said research
showed that 47% of adults lacked the numerical skills to understand what the
labels meant. Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent
Thursday January 4, 2007 The Guardian
- Cancer fear as fewer women take routine smear tests. Doctors are
predicting a surge in cervical cancer rates because younger women are
abandoning smear tests, a report shows today. Last year 1,300 fewer women aged
25 to 29 in England had smear tests every week than 10 years earlier. More
than 30% now ignore their invitation to take part in the national screening
programme. The introduction of screening in 1988 brought deaths from the
disease down from 6,000 to 1,000 a year. Doctors now believe smear tests could
have gone out of fashion because fewer people are dying and so much less is
heard about the disease. Polly Curtis, health correspondent
Monday
January 22, 2007 The Guardian
- Living near a motorway damages children's lungs, research reveals.
'Bombshell' US study fuels call for action on car fumes. Reduced lung
growth found in 10-18 year olds. New fears of the harmful effects of traffic
emissions are raised today in a major study linking motorway pollution with
permanent and life-limiting damage to children's lungs. People who live within
500 metres of a motorway grow up with significantly reduced lung capacity, and
even children who have never experienced asthma are at risk, scientists warn.
Environmental campaigners described the research published by the Lancet as a
"bombshell" and the Liberal Democrats said it provided fresh impetus to reduce
car emissions. Government health officials are considering the findings to
decide if any action is needed. Polly Curtis, health correspondent
Friday
January 26, 2007 The Guardian
- Cocktail of additives found in child medicines. Children's
medicines contain a cocktail of additives which are banned in food and drink
aimed at under-threes, says a report out today from the Food Commission. Dyes,
preservatives, and sweeteners were found in cough syrups, paracetamol tablets
and teething gels. One product contained eight E numbers. The campaign group
looked at 41 medicines for children under three. Only one, Superdrug
children's dry cough syrup, was totally free of colourings and preservatives.
Some of the additives can lead to asthma or act as mild laxatives, and most
are banned from food and drink for under-threes, even though they are allowed
in medicines aimed at young children. Dan Bell
Saturday March 10, 2007 The Guardian
- Obese will be majority in 25 years. A majority of Britons will be
obese within 25 years because so many people are leading such unhealthy lives,
warns a new report commissioned by the government. It concludes that record
numbers of people will die from diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and cancers.
Denis Campbell, social affairs correspondent
Sunday
March 11, 2007 The Observer
- Sharp increase in type 1 diabetes among children mystifies researchers.
The number of young children with early-onset diabetes has soared dramatically
in the past 20 years, according to figures released by researchers today. A
study found that cases of type 1 diabetes among under-fives increased fivefold
between 1985 and 2004, with one in 1,000 now affected by the disease. The
figures suggest more than 3,000 pre-school age children are affected by type 1
diabetes, compared with about 600 20 years ago. Ian Sample, science
correspondent
Friday
March 16, 2007 The Guardian
- Hospitals and schools on alert over listeria in sandwiches.
Thousands of sandwiches were recalled from schools, hospitals and universities
yesterday amid fears they could be contaminated with listeria, a potentially
fatal food bug. The Food Standards Agency removed the sandwiches after
listeria contamination was found in samples during routine tests carried out
on behalf of Ashford local authority in
Kent. The FSA said the sandwiches from Kent-based Anchor Catering, which
were delivered to institutions across the south-east are labelled either
Anchor or Pomegranate and had use-by dates from February 21 to March 14. Thair
Shaikh
Saturday March 17, 2007 The Guardian
- Positive discrimination. The rights of workers with HIV are
protected by the law - but many are still worried about disclosing their
status to their employer, reports Matt Keating.
Monday
March 19, 2007 The Guardian
- Couch potatoes costing NHS £1bn a year, say researchers. Britain's
couch potato tendency is costing the NHS £1bn a year as diseases linked to
physical inactivity rise, according to research published today. Our
sluggishness causes both disease and death, says the report by experts at
Oxford University's department of public health. They estimate that in 2003-04
more than 35,000 deaths could have been avoided if Britons had enjoyed a more
active lifestyle. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Tuesday March 20, 2007 The Guardian
- £1bn bill for
loafers. Couch potato lifestyles cost the NHS £1bn a year, according to a
study published in the Journal of Epidemiology. Three percent of deaths and
illnesses were directly down to such lifestyles in 2002, according to
researchers. This cost the NHS an extra £1.06bn through increased burden on
NHS services from in-patient stays to community care.
Summary by
Keep our NHS Public of Telegraph
20 March 2007
- Obesity is not just gluttony - it may be in your genes. Scientists
have discovered the first clear genetic link to obesity that is carried by
significant numbers of people, according to a study yesterday. One copy of the
gene leads to a 1.2kg (2.6lb) weight increase while those with two copies are
on average 3kg heavier. The scientists say it will open up new avenues of
research into who is susceptible to obesity and how best to prevent the
condition that is the second largest cause of death in the UK. James Randerson,
science correspondent
Friday
April 13, 2007 The Guardian
- Postnatal depression seriously underestimated, survey finds. The
number of women who have suffered postnatal depression could be two to three
times higher than was previously estimated, research showed today. It is
generally estimated that 10% of new mothers suffer some kind of depressive
illness - yet in a new study 20% of women said they had needed treatment for
postnatal depression (PND) after giving birth. The survey of 500 mothers was
commissioned by the Royal College of Midwives to tie in with Midwifery Week,
which starts today. Press Association
Monday
April 30, 2007 SocietyGuardian.co.uk
- TV film claims Tesco and Sainsbury's stores flout hygiene rules.
Two of Britain's biggest and most profitable supermarkets are tonight accused
of putting public health at risk after secret filming revealed members of
staff deliberately extending sell-by and use-by dates on fresh food - and of
selling food unfit for human consumption to unsuspecting customers. Rebecca
Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent
Tuesday
May 22, 2007 The Guardian
- Listeria cases rise by 80%. Health experts are monitoring cases of
listeria after a substantial rise in the number of people infected so far this
year. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said 79 cases had been reported by
week 21 - an 80% increase over the same period last year. Press Association
Wednesday May 30, 2007 SocietyGuardian.co.uk
- The truth about HRT. Survey after survey has linked hormone
replacement therapy to cancer, strokes, blood clots and heart disease. Why,
then, are so many women so relaxed about using it? And why do some doctors
insist that the dangers are exaggerated? Sarah Boseley investigates.
Wednesday June 6, 2007 The Guardian
- Contaminated Aids drug is recalled throughout Europe. An
unprecedented emergency recall of all stocks of an Aids drug in the UK and the
rest of Europe was ordered last night because the tablets contain a
dangerously high level of a cancer-causing chemical. All those taking the drug
Viracept are being asked to see their doctor immediately so that they can be
prescribed an alternative medicine. Investigators are trying to find out what
happened at the plant in Switzerland where Viracept is manufactured. It is
understood that the contamination could have occurred in March and affected
supplies of the drug for three months. That would mean large quantities of
contaminated drugs have already been consumed. The European Medicines
Evaluation Agency, which ordered the first all-Europe recall in its history,
said they had no reason to suspect foul play. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Thursday June 7, 2007 The Guardian
- Mind comments on new mental health in the workplace report. Mental health
charity Mind commented today on a new report from the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development which shows that mental illness is now the second
largest reason for UK workers taking time off sick.
Care & Health 7 June 2007
- Biggest ever health survey in the North West. The North West Public Health
Observatory and the Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores
University, will launch the biggest ever health survey of residents of the
North West on behalf of the
NHS North West.
Care & Health 8 June 2007
- Study links drug use with crisis in sexual health. Increasing
numbers of young people are using ecstasy, cannabis, amphetamines and cocaine
to prolong sexual pleasure, government advisers said last night. After taking
the drugs, young people were much more likely to engage in unprotected sex.
John Carvel, social affairs editor
Friday
June 15, 2007 The Guardian
- A Snapshot of England's health. A picture of English health,
prepared for each local council in England is being published by Health
Minister Caroline Flint today.
The health profiles can be viewed at
Community Health Profiles Website.
Care & Health 22 June 2007
- List of England's Community Health Profiles. View the results of
your Community today to see how your area stacks up in Health measurements.
Care & Health 25 June 2007
- It's 25 years and counting. Despite great advances in the treatment
of Aids since Terrence Higgins died, ignorance still threatens to escalate the
epidemic. Nick Partridge
Wednesday July 4, 2007 The Guardian
- 1.5m wrongly told they risk heart disease. Misdiagnosis has led to
massive over-prescribing of drugs - BMJ study. Polly Curtis, health
correspondent
Friday July 6, 2007 The Guardian
- Heart patients unsure of symptoms. People at a high risk of having
a heart attack do not know when to dial 999, heart specialists have warned.
They say patients with heart problems are waiting too long before seeking help
because they cannot distinguish between angina pain and a heart attack.
BBC 6 July 2007
- Britons in ‘denial’ over health matters. Only half of the UK
population gets enough sleep and up to 12 million Britons do not do any
exercise – while still believing they are fit for their age.
Care & Health 11 July 2007
- Our heart assessments are not endangering the public. No one is
being wrongly labelled as at risk, and we're not over-prescribing drugs, says
Roger Boyle [from department of Health]. Your front-page article is
wrong to assert that "thousands of people have wrongly been told they are in
danger of developing life-threatening heart diseases" because their risk has
been miscalculated (1.5m
wrongly told they risk heart disease, July 6). The article goes on to
imply a link between the prevention of cardiovascular disease and treatment
for heart failure, which is hugely misleading and risks alarming a lot of
people for no good reason. The Department of Health is currently looking at a
range of options for vascular risk assessment and management, as well as the
associated benefits and costs, but no decision has been taken. This is a
complex area which requires careful research, and Julia Hippsley-Cox's study
on risk scoring, which you reported, is a helpful contribution to the debate.
Thursday July 12, 2007 The Guardian
- Hey kids! How about some healthy free fruit? No thanks, we'll stick
with crisps. The scale of the initiative was immense; 44m pieces of fruit
or veg served up every year to 2 million children in 18,000 schools across the
country. The point of the plan was laudable; to make children healthier, and
give them a real appetite for fresh food. But there is one great problem with
the scheme that was launched with such fanfare three years ago; children just
won't eat their greens. That, at least, is one conclusion to be drawn from a
study published today which shows that the government's intervention has made
no difference to children's nutrition. One critic, who advised the Department
of Health that it was unlikely to work, said that making fruit and veg
available at school breaktime was no use in a culture in which healthy food
was thought to be uncool. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Thursday July 12, 2007 The Guardian
- E.coli find stirs water fears. THE potentially harmful bacteria
E.coli was found in treated water leaving Draycote reservoir - it has been
revealed. Routine testing uncovered the bacteria in December last year, but it
has only just been made public by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). The
cause of the bacteria has never been identified and Severn Trent Water says it
was not required to make the finding public at the time. There was no evidence
the E.coli was the strain which can cause diarrhoea, sickness and in some
cases be fatal, but water standard regulations say it should never appear in
drinking water and when it does it means it has been contaminated in some way,
usually by faeces. Severn Trent says it conducted a thorough investigation to
check the water treatment works was working correctly. No problems were
identified and further samples were retested but were clear. The DWI, which
ensures drinking water standards are maintained, has raised concerns the
sampling facilities at Draycote, which supplies drinking water to 85,000
homes, were not up to scratch and able to meet the criteria of UK and European
regulations. It was the second micro-biological failure at one of Severn
Trent's water works in the area during 2006. In September last year Coliform
Bacteria was found in one sample taken from a underground storage reservoir in
Barby which supplies drinking water to 70,000 homes in the north and central
parts of the borough. Although on its own it is harmless, its presence in
water can indicate other harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, is present
within it. It is believed the failure may have occurred because at the time
Severn Trent had reduced the amount of chlorine used to disinfect the water to
reduce the build up of trihalomethanes which can damage health. A spokeswoman
for the water company said a £1million upgrade of the water treatment process
at Draycote was planned along with further improvements to the disinfection
process at the service reservoir in Barby.
Rugby Observer 12 July 2007
- Cadbury fined £1m for salmonella offences. The confectionery giant
Cadbury was fined £1m yesterday over a national salmonella outbreak which gave
42 people food poisoning and put three of them in hospital. The
Birmingham-based company was forced to recall more than a million chocolate
bars last June, after changing its policy on testing for the bacteria from
permitting none to allowing a "tolerance level". Although 36 positive tests
for salmonella were recorded in January and February 2006, it was not until
the suffering of victims several months later was linked to Cadbury that the
products were pulled from the shelves. Rachel Williams
Tuesday
July 17, 2007 The Guardian
- 24-hour drinking causes A&E headache. Relaxing pub opening hours
has led to a trebling of the numbers of people admitted overnight to the
biggest A&E department in
London, according to a survey by its staff. The change in the law, which
was supposed to have a calming effect on drinkers, has had the opposite
effect, say the report's authors. Sarah Boseley
Thursday July 19, 2007 SocietyGuardian.co.uk
- Further rise in sex disease figures. Rates of sexually transmitted
infections across the UK have risen for the 10th year running, according to
research published today. There were nearly 10,000 more new cases of sexual
infections diagnosed last year than in 2005, bringing the annual total to
376,508, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). David Batty
Friday
July 20, 2007 Guardian Unlimited
- Alcohol-fuelled casual sex blamed for rise in infections. Casual
sexual behaviour, often fuelled by alcohol, is causing an alarming rise in
sexually transmitted infections among teenage girls and young men, the Health
Protection Agency said yesterday. Gay men are also contracting increasing
numbers of infections, which suggests the fear of HIV/Aids has decreased and
that more people are having unsafe sex. The overall number of infections went
up last year by 2%, from 368,341 to 376,508, which the HPA says may suggest a
slowdown in what had appeared to be a rapid rise over the past few years. But
there are real concerns about the behaviour of young people and gay men. Among
teenage girls aged 16 to 19 the numbers catching genital herpes - an
unpleasant sexual infection which is treatable but never completely cured -
are up by 16%. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Saturday July 21, 2007 The Guardian
- Scots suffer highest cancer rate. Scotland has the highest cancer
rates in the UK, with Scots 15% more likely to die from the illness, according
to figures published today. National Statistics figures covering the years
2002 to 2004 revealed that there were 446 new cases per 100,000 men and 379
cases per 100,000 women in
Scotland. That compares with rates of 450 (men) and 366 (women) in
Wales, and 394 and 338 in England. Press Association
Thursday July 26, 2007 SocietyGuardian.co.uk
- Armed with optimism. New cancer figures shouldn't alarm us when
knowledge about disease can help us reduce risk. Alok Jha
Friday August 10, 2007 The Guardian
- Fourth case confirmed in fatal E coli outbreak. Another person was
today reported to have been taken to hospital in an E coli outbreak that has
left one woman dead and two other people seriously ill. In the latest case,
which is connected to previous incidents in western
Scotland, a woman from the area was taken ill while on holiday in the
Irish Republic. She was treated in hospital there after eating cooked meat she
had bought from one of two supermarkets in Paisley, Renfrewshire, linked to
the original E coli cases, an NHS spokesman said. Four other people are also
recovering at home after contracting E coli O157. A possible link with two
supermarkets in Scotland, run by the chain Morrisons, is being investigated by
NHS officials. Paul Vaughan and agencies
Tuesday
August 14, 2007 SocietyGuardian.co.uk
- What's added takes away. We barely know about the effects of
chemical food additives, and our governments don't care Eric Schlosser
Thursday September 6, 2007 The Guardian
- Drains cash row linked to foot and mouth leak. Government officials
knew for four years that drains beneath the laboratory that started this
summer's foot and mouth outbreak were insecure and that the virus could
escape, but failed to carry out repairs, it emerged yesterday. The environment
secretary, Hilary Benn, said that a long-standing squabble over who should pay
for the repairs at the Institute for Animal Health's (IAH) facility at
Pirbright, Surrey, contributed to the release of the disease and its
subsequent spread through local cattle herds. Hundreds of animals were culled
to contain the outbreak and livestock movements were curtailed across Britain,
costing farmers millions of pounds. David Adam, environment correspondent
Saturday September 8, 2007 The Guardian
- Pesticide residues found in free fruit for schoolchildren.
Scientists found traces of pesticides in 70% of samples of free fruit and
vegetables destined for schoolchildren, it was revealed yesterday. The annual
report of the Pesticide Residues Committee, which advises the government,
showed that overall more than a third of food and drink products tested in the
UK last year contained chemical traces, and 1.7% - 60 samples of the 3,562
surveyed - had residues above the legally permitted limits. Rachel Williams
Tuesday September 11, 2007 The Guardian
- Smoking ban brings big cut in heart attacks in Scotland, study finds.
The number of people being taken to hospital with heart attacks in
Scotland has fallen significantly since the smoking ban was introduced,
the most detailed study into the impact of the measure has revealed.
Researchers found a 17% drop in the number of people admitted for heart
attacks in the year since the ban came into force, compared with an average 3%
reduction a year over the previous decade. The reduction was most marked among
non-smokers, with a 20% fall, compared with a 14% drop among smokers. Sarah
Hall
Tuesday September 11, 2007 The Guardian
- Children fail exercise test, study shows. Fewer than 1 in 200 of
11-year-old girls gets enough exercise, according to research published
yesterday. The study, which monitored the physical activity levels of more
than 5,500 11-year-olds for a week, found that boys were more active, but
still only 5% achieved the daily recommended level of physical activity. To be
healthy and stave off risks of obesity and linked conditions such as diabetes,
youngsters are recommended to take an hour a day of moderate to vigorous
exercise. Overall, only 2.5% of children do so. Academics leading the
research, part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children which is
tracking the health of more than 14,000 children in the south-west of England,
said it was "sobering" to think that activity peaks at around the age of 11
and children take even less exercise as they go through adolescence. Lucy
Ward, social affairs correspondent
Thursday September 13, 2007 The Guardian
- Hint of cancer risk after 10 years mobile phone use, say researchers.
Study finds no danger for adults over shorter period. Advice to ban
mobiles for children under eight holds. Alok Jha, science correspondent
The Guardian Thursday September 13 2007
-
Allergic Britain: 20 million will be affected as conditions approach
epidemic levels. Britain is lagging far behind the rest of Europe in its
efforts to tackle allergies, which are fast reaching epidemic proportions,
according to a report from an influential House of Lords committee. About a
third of the UK population will develop an allergy of some sort during the
course of their lives, says the report from the science and technology
committee, as allergic diseases have trebled in the last 20 years to the point
where the UK has one of the highest incidences in the world. Allergic food
reactions can kill, while hayfever, asthma and other debilitating conditions
can hold children back at school and cause lifelong difficulties. Yet Britain,
unlike other European countries, has failed to adopt treatments that can cure
some allergy sufferers and the UK is short of specialists, says the committee.
It is particularly critical of the guidance given to pregnant women and young
children not to eat peanuts - which it says should be immediately withdrawn.
Lady Finlay, who chaired the committee's year-long inquiry, said: "Academics
and clinicians have told us that a growing body of evidence has suggested this
guidance may not only be failing to prevent peanut allergy, but might even be
counter-productive." The evidence for avoiding peanuts is nine years
old. "We reviewed it carefully and we're not convinced it stood up," she said.
"We heard evidence that in some parts of the developing world where groundnuts
are used as a kind of soup for weaning, and in Israel where peanuts are
incorporated into a kind of rusk for weaning, they don't have the allergy that
is developing here." Some of the evidence heard by the committee suggested
that depriving children of peanuts in early life might actually cause an
allergic reaction later on. The committee was also concerned at the lack of
availability of immunotherapy - a treatment for allergies such as hayfever
which involves giving gradually increasing doses of the substance which
triggers an attack, such as grass pollen. Sarah Boseley, health editor
Wednesday September 26, 2007 Guardian
- Children find Jamie Oliver's school food hard to swallow, say
inspectors. The Jamie Oliver school dinner revolution has failed to
convince children to opt for healthy school meals, government inspectors
report today. Across the country pupils have been taught the healthy options,
why they should choose them and how they will benefit from a better diet. But
they just want to eat chips with their friends, the inspectors find. Polly
Curtis, education editor
Wednesday October 3, 2007 The Guardian
- Progress prohibited. It comes as no surprise that some drug
treatment is being
administered in an unethical manner, or that government is hyping claims
of success for drug treatment. The entire edifice of
government drug policy is
unethical. It is based upon the lie that criminalisation reduces crime, when,
in fact, it creates
it. Danny Kushlick
October 18, 2007 commentisfree.guardian.co.uk
- Health profile of England 2007. Key facts on the health of England
show improvement overall but there are significant areas that need more
attention.
Care
& Health 23 October 2007.
Download
Health profile of England 2007 - complete document
- STDs 'rising as
funds are cut'. Doctors have warned that cases of STDs are rising as
screening and treatment services are cut. New figures are expected to show a
worrying trend such as the 57% rise in Chlamydia since 2001. The Association
of Directors of Public Health said that funds for screening services had been
used to bail out NHS debts. They found that £140m had been diverted. Its
president, Dr Tim Crayford, said: "When rates of infections are increasing, we
are concerned that money intended to tackle the problem has been diverted to
solve short-term financial -problems." Paul Ward, from HIV charity the
Terrence Higgins Trust, said more money should be spent to prevent and raise
awareness of sex diseases as they cost £1bn a year to treat. His charity's
research has found that one man in 10 thinks Chlamydia is a kind of flower. Summary by
Keep our NHS Public of Telegraph
29 October 2007
- Inquiry as listeria cases rise. The Food Standards Agency has
launched an investigation into the reasons for a sharp increase in the number
of cases of the potentially fatal food poisoning bug listeria, it reveals
today. It warns of a 67% year-on-year increase in provisional reported cases
in England and Wales in the first five months of this year, with most of the
70 cases reported among older people aged 60 and over. Last year around 500
people died from food poisoning, which also includes salmonella and
campylobacter. But while salmonella cases have dropped year on year between
2000 and 2005, cases of listeria have "increased significantly", the FSA's
annual report notes. The annual report, published today, is a public account
of the agency's activities, which also summarises the ways in which the agency
uses and promotes science in policy-making and public health protection.
Listeria is commonly found in cheeses - particularly soft ripe varieties such
as Brie and Camembert - as well as poultry, meat, pate and salads. Symptoms
range from those associated with flu to meningitis and septicaemia which can
lead to death. The bug is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can
trigger miscarriage or even be passed on to the unborn baby. Rebecca Smithers,
consumer affairs correspondent
The Guardian
Wednesday November 7 2007
- Obesity is an increasing risk in childbirth, report warns.
Obesity is a growing risk factor in the deaths of women during pregnancy or
childbirth, according to a report published today. A total of 295 women died
while pregnant or giving birth in the UK between 2003 and 2005. More than half
of those were either overweight or obese and more than 15% were extremely
obese, according to an investigation carried out under the auspices of the
medical Royal Colleges together with the National Patient Safety Agency. Sarah
Boseley, health editor
The Guardian,
Tuesday December 4 2007
- Cannabis smoke more toxic than puffing tobacco. Cannabis
smokers are exposed to more toxic chemicals in each puff than those who smoke
only tobacco, scientists have found. Earlier research shows cannabis smokers
are more prone to lung damage than cigarette smokers. In tests, directly
inhaled cannabis smoke contained 20 times more ammonia than cigarette smoke,
five times more hydrogen cyanide and five times the concentration of nitrogen
oxides, which affect circulation and the immune system. Researchers led by
David Moir at Health Canada investigated after noting there are 4,000
chemicals and toxins listed for tobacco smoke but no such list for cannabis.
Ian Sample, science correspondent The Guardian,
Wednesday December 19 2007
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