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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

Health officials out to zap mozzies before the peak season

Even though no cases of West Nile virus have been reported so far this year, area health officials at the Virginia Department of Health are getting a head start on mosquitoes carrying such diseases before the peak breeding season arrives.

30 May 2005

Free nicotine patches could substantially increase the likelihood of smokers quitting

Giving smokers easy access to free nicotine patches could substantially increase the likelihood of them quitting, concludes a study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

26 May 2005

Intensive tobacco control measures can sharply reduce smoking rates

Comprehensive tobacco control efforts, including raising cigarette taxes, making workplaces smoke free and offering free and readily accessible nicotine patches, have a widespread impact on lowering smoking rates.

26 May 2005

Corticosteroids should not be used in the treatment of head injuries

Corticosteroids should not be used in the treatment of head injuries, conclude the final results of a randomised trial published online today (Thursday May 26, 2005) by The Lancet.

25 May 2005

Study tackles aging issues of adults with developmental disabilities

Some 4.5 million Americans have a developmental disability. As people live longer, adults with developmental disabilities are no exception, yet their conditions also bring aging-related challenges. A new study by UCLA and Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation reports that a geriatric evaluation and follow-up visits by a nurse practitioner can detect and reduce health problems in this population that often go unaddressed by the healthcare system.

23 May 2005

WHO says world must prepare for bird flu pandemic

Reports of disturbing changes to the H5N1 virus circulating in Asia is causing great concern and has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge countries to prepare for a influenza pandemic.

22 May 2005

Hospital managers could face criminal charges if patients catch superbugs

Ms Hewitt has promised a "much stronger" legal framework in the National Health Service (NHS) to help hospitals reduce the rate of antibiotic-resistant MRSA and other hospital acquired infections.

17 May 2005

Hong Kong looks at relationship between climatic factors and infectious diseases

The relationship between climatic factors and infectious diseases is being studied by the Hong Kong Government to see whether there is a major or direct link, Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow says.

11 May 2005

It will be at least a decade before a malaria vaccine is available

A seminar on malaria in this week’s issue of The Lancet states that it will be at least a decade before a vaccine for the disease will be ready for widespread use and emphasises the need to expand the use of existing control methods.

21 Apr 2005

Anti-malarial drug treatment given to infants can protect them for two years

Giving children intermittent preventative treatment against malaria under the age of one can protect them from the disease in their second year of life, suggests a study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

21 Apr 2005

Anti-malarial drug combo could help address malaria crisis in Africa

Using a combination of two drugs—artemether and lumefantrine—is the most effective way to treat malaria in the areas of Africa where resistance to commonly used malaria drugs is high, concludes a randomised trial published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

21 Apr 2005

Counting the human cost of international trade

International trade is creating a global road safety crisis that only serves to inhibit development and perpetuate poverty, argues an expert in this week's BMJ.

21 Apr 2005

A simple spit test could predict cancers

In future scientists say, a test as simple as spitting into a collection tube or cup might be a screening test for breast cancer and the early detection of other tumours.

19 Apr 2005

Smoking doubles the risk of macular degeneration

Smoking doubles the risk of the progressive and irreversible eye condition, macular degeneration, and may account for almost 30,000 cases in the UK, suggests research in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

19 Apr 2005

Asian women living in England and Wales have a substantially lower risk of breast cancer than other women

The research team tracked the health and survival of almost 116,000 women who had been diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer in England and Wales between 1986 and 1990, using information supplied to the National Cancer Registry. Their progress was monitored until 1995.

19 Apr 2005

Key discovery about non-Hodgkin lymphoma

There is a surprise benefit to being either an only child, the oldest sibling or even enduring some allergies – you are significantly less likely to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), according to new research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

19 Apr 2005

How tobacco industry attempted to influence privatisation plans of state-owned tobacco industry in Moldova

A paper in this week’s issue of The Lancet highlights how two tobacco companies attempted to influence plans to privatise the state-owned tobacco industry in Moldova.

7 Apr 2005

Staph superbug now far more common in the community

Two teams of experts are saying that a drug-resistant "superbug" previously only found in hospitals is becoming more common in the community and must be aggressively treated. They say that staphylococcus aureus, or staph, infections that are resistant to methicillin and similar drugs can now be put into the category of flesh-eating bacteria and doctors need to be aware of this and exchange antibiotics at the first sign of trouble.

6 Apr 2005

Contrary to common wisdom, sleeping pills may not increase fall risk

In nursing homes across the country, elderly people with insomnia often go untreated, because of the perception that sleeping pills increase the risk of falls and injuries that are a bane of old age.

6 Apr 2005