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The role of gut worms in allergies

Gut parasites could hold the key to increasingly common conditions such as eczema, asthma and hay fever, according to scientists at The University of Nottingham.

2 Dec 2006

Hospital-acquired infections in most cases are the result of poor hygiene

Hospital-acquired infections in most cases are the result of poor hygiene within the facilities and not of how sick patients were at the time of admission, according to three studies published on Monday in the American Journal of Medical Quality, the Washington Post reports.

23 Nov 2006

Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care

Half the people in the world can look forward to cleaner and safer care and a lowered risk of becoming ill with an infection as a result of their health care.

13 Nov 2006

Westerners may be more promiscuous but monogamy still rules!

According to a new study which collected data from people in 59 countries, westerners are more promiscuous than those in the developing world.

1 Nov 2006

Will Libya take one step forward or two steps back?

A court in Libya has heard the closing remarks for the defence in the case of the six foreign medics accused of deliberating infecting 426 children with HIV at a hospital in Benghazi; 52 have since died of AIDS.

1 Nov 2006

Accusations against medics charged with infecting children with HIV - attempt to cover up poor Libyan medical system

The accusations against five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor charged with infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV are "an attempt to deflect Libyans' attention from the shocking state of their own medical system," a Washington Post editorial says (Washington Post, 10/29).

30 Oct 2006

Six medics fight for their life in Libyan re-trial as another child dies of AIDS

The death of a nine-year old girl from AIDS in Libya brings the death toll to 52 of children in a Benghazi hospital who were allegedly deliberately infected with the virus by six foreign medics.

30 Oct 2006

India cops criticism over alarming rise in polio cases

Health officials in India are concerned over the increasing number of polio cases in the country; 119 new cases have been reported in the past month, and the total number of infections is now 416.

26 Oct 2006

Eminent scientists support jailed medics in Libya

The case of the six medics currently on trial in Libya on charges that they deliberatly infected more than 400 children with HIV 1998, has hit international headlines due to the action of a group of prominent American scientists.

26 Oct 2006

New smart anti-microbial approach to preventing tooth decay

Preventing cavities could one day involve the dental equivalent of a military surgical strike. A team of researchers supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research report they have created a new smart anti-microbial treatment that can be chemically programmed in the laboratory to seek out and kill a specific cavity-causing species of bacteria, leaving the good bacteria untouched.

23 Oct 2006

Maryland to reinstate Medicaid program for legal immigrant children, pregnant women

Maryland will reinstate a $7 million Medicaid program that provides health benefits to legal immigrant children and pregnant women, state officials said Thursday, the Washington Post reports (Otto, Washington Post, 10/20).

22 Oct 2006

Keeping our children safe and secure: Pandemic flu and emergency preparedness

Scientists predict that the world is due for an influenza pandemic - a global outbreak from a new strain of flu - that would have a dramatic impact on our nation's communities, schools, and families.

16 Oct 2006

New York City increases HIV testing in health clinics, jails and hospitals

New York City has increased the number of HIV tests administered in health clinics, jails and hospitals by nearly 50% in the last year as part of a campaign launched in 2004 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) to incorporate HIV testing into routine health exams, officials said Monday, the New York Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

Methamphetamine robs people of their teeth

Methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive drug that can seriously damage oral health, destroying a person's smile and natural ability to chew, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).

21 Sep 2006

British tackle childrens' tooth decay in deprived areas

A British scheme to encourage families with young children in disadvantaged areas to get into the habit of brushing their children's teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste was launched by Health Minster Rosie Winterton today at the Appleby health centre in Newham - an area with one of the highest oral health needs in the country.

14 Sep 2006

Too many babies too close together can shorten a woman's life

According to researchers women who have their babies very close together, along with women who never have children, are at risk of an earlier death and poorer health in later life.

12 Sep 2006

Childless women run the risk of earlier death

A new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) finds that not only childless women but also mothers of five or more children, teenage mothers and mothers who have children with less than an 18 month gap between births all have higher risks of death and poor health later in life.

12 Sep 2006

Lingering and longlasting effects of 9/11

According to a new report on the health effects of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, 70% of the rescue personnel and workers who responded to the disaster suffered from lung problems during and after the recovery efforts.

6 Sep 2006

The world is in danger of missing targets for providing clean water and sanitation

The world is in danger of missing targets for providing clean water and sanitation unless there is a dramatic increase in the pace of work and investment between now and 2015, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

5 Sep 2006

MRSA - surveillance, rapid screening and hospital hygiene

The origins and future perspectives about meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are outlined in a Review in this week's issue of The Lancet.

31 Aug 2006