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Clean hands save patient lives

Experts on patient safety are urging countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to join a global effort to improve hand hygiene and related practices in hospitals and health care facilities to help reduce the growing number of deaths and illnesses due to health care-associated infections.

5 Mar 2007

Safety of Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil 'lost' in debate

The effectiveness and safety of Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil has "been lost" because of Merck's lobbying campaign for mandating vaccination for school attendance, and the "real losers" might be "girls and women who need access" to the vaccine, Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman writes in an opinion piece .

5 Mar 2007

Bono meets with Rep. Barbara Lee to discuss HIV/AIDS awareness

Irish musician and international HIV/AIDS advocate Bono on Friday met with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and local church leaders in Oakland, Calif., to discuss HIV/AIDS awareness among the California Bay Area black community, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

5 Mar 2007

Biomarker for lung cancer identified

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a gene expression marker that distinguishes smokers with lung cancer from smokers without the disease. The findings, reported in the March 1, 2007 advanced on-line edition of Nature Medicine, may have immediate clinical relevance and public health impact.

5 Mar 2007

Actions taken on HPV vaccine proposals in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota and Virginia

Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

4 Mar 2007

International Narcotics Control board hindering HIV/AIDS control efforts, should be independently reviewed

The International Narcotics Control Board is hindering efforts to fight the spread of HIV, especially among injection drug users, and its practices should be independently reviewed, according to a report released on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

4 Mar 2007

Another case of bird flu appears in Laos

World Health Organization (WHO) officials say it is likely 42-year-old woman who died in Laos had bird flu.

4 Mar 2007

Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart

Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood vessels.

4 Mar 2007

Drink a glass of wine for a longer life chaps!

Dutch researchers say drinking a little alcohol every day, in particular a glass of wine, could help men live longer.

1 Mar 2007

One billion battling with neurological disorders

According to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), neurological disorders ranging from migraines to epilepsy and dementia, affect up to 1 billion people worldwide and that number is destined to rise as populations age.

1 Mar 2007

Lawmakers should not make HPV vaccination mandatory, CDC advisory panel chair says

Jon Abramson, chair of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, recently said that he does not support mandating human papillomavirus vaccination for school attendance, the Washington Times reports.

1 Mar 2007

Further study of past flu pandemics key to future preparedness

Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza pandemic, have looked to past pandemics, including the 1918 "Spanish Flu," for insight into pandemic planning.

28 Feb 2007

Latest food scare in the U.S. hits Hollywood party scene

Hollywood's celebrities may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus at one of 13 catered events, in particular a Sports Illustrated's swimsuit party.

28 Feb 2007

Exposure to diesel exhaust during commutes poses a serious public health risk

The Boston-based environmental research group reported today that even though we spend only a tiny portion of our day commuting, it's during the commute that we receive more than half our overall exposure to deadly fine particle pollution.

28 Feb 2007

NHS report raises spectre of private sector

UNISON's call for a time-out in the increased use of markets in the NHS has helped raise public awareness of the issue in the run up to this weekend’s NHS Together day of action.

28 Feb 2007

Low-fat dairy food renders women less fertile

According to researchers in the U.S. eating low-fat dairy foods may render women less fertile.

28 Feb 2007

Antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A and E may increase risk of death

Contradicting claims of disease prevention, an analysis of previous studies indicates that the antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase the risk of death, according to a meta-analysis and review article in the February 28 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

28 Feb 2007

Vitamin D deficiency widespread among women during pregnancy

Even regular use of prenatal multivitamin supplements is not adequate to prevent vitamin D insufficiency, University of Pittsburgh researchers report in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the publication of the American Society for Nutrition.

28 Feb 2007

Ice cream to conceive!

Drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream appears to be better for women trying to become pregnant than a diet consisting of low-fat dairy products such as skimmed milk and yoghurt, according to new research published in the journal, Human Reproduction.

28 Feb 2007

U.N. representative ordered to leave Gambia after questioning President's claims of HIV/AIDS cure

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has ordered United Nations representative Fadzai Gwaradzimba to leave the country after she questioned Jammeh's claim that he can cure HIV/AIDS with an herbal remedy, VOA News reports.

28 Feb 2007