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National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT) is at risk despite costing millions

The new National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT) is at risk despite costing millions, because staff locally have been left feeling disengaged in the process, says a study in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ).

4 Aug 2005

Table salt fluoridation can reduce the prevalence of dental caries

Table salt fluoridation can reduce the prevalence of dental caries up to 84 percent, according to a new book published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), "Promoting Oral Health: The Use of Salt Fluoridation to Prevent Dental Caries".

4 Aug 2005

Pig fever added to notifiable disease list

Secretary for Hong Kong's Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow said today the move will enable the Government to strengthen surveillance, and aid early detection and implementation of health control measures.

2 Aug 2005

Swine flu figures rise as China gets tough

As the numbers rise from the swine flu outbreak, China authorities swear they will punish officials who falsify or delay reports on the deadly disease that has now infected 198 people and killed 36.

2 Aug 2005

Six dead and ten hospitalised in Taiwan with soil infection, melioidosis

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Taiwanese health authorities are examining a possible link between soil bacteria and the deaths of at least six people and the hospitalization of ten others in southern Taiwan.

1 Aug 2005

Bacteria in the mouth could freshen up bad breath

Researchers in the UK say they have isolated bacteria which can grow on and destroy some of the compounds that cause bad breath, and this discovery could help develop a natural way to beat halitosis and other odours such as smelly feet.

28 Jul 2005

Nearly half of New Yorkers ages 50 and older are not undergoing screening within the recommended schedule

Half of New York City residents over 50, the age at which the American Cancer Society recommends beginning screening tests, have not received a colon cancer-screening test within the recommended time intervals, according to a new study.

25 Jul 2005

Food subsidies in Poland has led to a drastic drop in deaths from coronary heart disease

In 1991 the Polish government cut subsidies for saturated fats - i.e. from dairy and animal sources. Researchers examined how this affected diet in the general population, and whether there were any changes to death rates from heart disease.

21 Jul 2005

Doctors showed the lowest compliance levels and the smallest improvement in hand washing study

Hand washing among healthcare staff working in a large urban hospital improved by an average of 32 per cent after a six-week hygiene programme, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

20 Jul 2005

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) rates in women skyrocket

The death rate for one of the most lethal diseases in North America has skyrocketed for women in the last 20 years, and a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia and the B.C. Centre of Excellence for Women's Health wants to find out why.

19 Jul 2005

Shocking revelation - thousands get infected in hospitals in Pennsylvania

A report by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council has revealed that more than 11,000 people contacted some form of infection in Pennsylvania hospitals last year, and nearly 1,800 died from them.

14 Jul 2005

New UK Guidance to be issued on Hepatitis C as 'silent epidemic'

Leading medical experts from throughout the UK will be gathering in Edinburgh today and tomorrow (21-22 April 2004) to arrive at a consensus on how best to treat and manage the 'silent epidemic' of hepatitis C - a virus which is estimated to be carried by over 400,000 people in the UK and which continues to spread globally, as the majority of carriers do not realise they have been infected.

21 Jun 2005

Hygiene squads all set to hit dirty hospitals

In an effort to reduce infections among patients, independent investigators are to carry out random spot checks on hospital hygiene.

20 Jun 2005

Drinking soft drinks and other beverages through a properly positioned straw can help to minimize the risk of cavities

Americans drink roughly 576 soft drinks every year - about one and a half cans a day for everyone in the United States. Drinking these beverages places the people who may not follow proper oral hygiene techniques at a higher risk for cavities and other oral health problems.

15 Jun 2005

Eat at home - its probably safer

Health officers in the UK say that some staff in restaurants they visited have what they term 'shocking' hygiene standards.

14 Jun 2005

Hospital patients to be checked for MRSA infection before admission

According to a survey of hospital chief executives, released by the NHS Confederation, even though surgery is statistically more risky, patients are now more scared of catching an infection than of going under the knife.

12 Jun 2005

Hospital with superbug was given lowest infection-control rating last year

The NHS Trust Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which is presently at the centre of a superbug scandal, was given the lowest infection-control rating in a recent set of NHS performance indicators.

8 Jun 2005

Basic sanitation must reach 138 million more people every year through 2015

...close to 2 billion in total - to bring the world on track to halve the proportion of people living without safe water and basic sanitation, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF warn in a new report.

6 Jun 2005

International action needed on health in Turkmenistan

Health experts called on the international community to put pressure on the Turkmenistan government to improve health and stop human rights abuses.

3 Jun 2005

Progress on HIV/AIDS significant but insufficient

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today shared his hope with a gathering of senior world officials at Headquarters that the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS would have heralded a response that matched the epidemic’s scale, yet progress had been “significant but insufficient”.

3 Jun 2005