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Africa's health problems are getting worse says the WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says regardless of promises of better healthcare by governments and donor countries, millions of mothers, newborn babies and children continue to die each year in Africa from preventable diseases.

20 Nov 2006

Africa is developing solutions for fighting disease and improving health

The signs are everywhere, across the continent: Africa is finding African approaches to solving its health problems.

20 Nov 2006

Stunning breakthrough makes blind mice see again

In what is being viewed as a major breakthrough scientists are facing the very real possibility of a cure for blindness.

8 Nov 2006

Artificial pancreas promises to transform life for young diabetics

A team of scientists in Britain are in the process of developing an artificial pancreas for children and teens with type 1 diabetes.

8 Nov 2006

Environment the culprit in women's higher risk of MS

Researchers in the UK are suggesting that there is an environmental link to the rising number of women being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Canada.

1 Nov 2006

FDA warns about risks of using decorative contact lenses

This Halloween season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again warning consumers about the serious risks of using decorative contact lenses without the appropriate involvement of an eye care professional.

30 Oct 2006

WHO unveils new strategy to fight some of the most neglected tropical diseases

The World Health Organization (WHO) and a group of more than 25 partner organizations unveiled a new strategy to fight some of the most neglected tropical diseases that destroy the lives and health of poor people.

26 Oct 2006

Common gene variant increases risk of developing diabetes

Carrying two copies of a common variant of a particular gene doubles your chances of developing diabetes and puts you in a similar risk category to being clinically obese, according to a collaborative study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

23 Oct 2006

Scientists identify gene called HTRA1 that contributes to a major risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration

Researchers at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah have identified a gene called HTRA1 that contributes to a major risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in the developed world.

20 Oct 2006

New diabetes drug Januvia works without causing weight gain

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has granted approval for a new drug to treat adults with type 2 diabetes.

17 Oct 2006

FDA approves Januvia for diabetes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today the approval of Januvia (sitagliptin phosphate) Tablets, the first diabetes treatment approved in a new class of drugs known as DDP-4 inhibitors that enhances the body's own ability to lower elevated blood sugar.

17 Oct 2006

Researchers identifiy how immune system contributes to nerve fiber damage caused by multiple sclerosis

Researchers have identified how the body's own immune system contributes to the nerve fiber damage caused by multiple sclerosis, a finding that can potentially aid earlier diagnosis and improved treatment for this chronic disease.

16 Oct 2006

New techniques give hope to brain damaged victims

Scientists at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in Atlanta have been demonstrating just how clever new techniques have become and what they are able to achieve.

16 Oct 2006

Simple sight test and glasses could make a dramatic difference to the lives of more than 150 million people

Children fail at school, adults are unable to work and families are pushed into poverty as a result of uncorrected visual impairment.

11 Oct 2006

Going deaf and blind happens simultaneously in old age

According to Australian scientists, vision and hearing loss happens almost simultaneously in older people.

11 Oct 2006

British the fattest people in Europe

If new figures released by the British Government are to be believed, the British are now the fattest men and women in Europe.

11 Oct 2006

New drug a breakthrough in the treatment of AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a common cause of vision loss and often affects older people.

5 Oct 2006

Leptin could combat type 2 diabetes

University of Florida researchers have discovered the appetite-controlling hormone leptin could also combat type 2 diabetes, a disease that has become a growing problem in the United States as more Americans pack on extra pounds.

21 Sep 2006

Health risks for children from ozone layer depletion

Looking at your shadow (the shorter it is, the more dangerous UV radiation is), and covering up with hats, sunglasses and sunscreen, are among the practical tips for children contained in a new guide on the ozone layer for primary school teachers.

18 Sep 2006

Blindness added to the risk list of obesity

A report from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in the UK, says obese adults and children have twice the risk of losing their sight from a range of degenerative eye conditions.

7 Sep 2006