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Health officials insist they were prepared for Katrina

Federal health officials in the U.S. are defending themselves against criticism that the government was not prepared to deal with disaster left by Hurricane Katrina.

7 Sep 2005

Education is the most effective way to empower the rural poor in Africa

"Education is the most effective way to empower the rural poor to get out of poverty and to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are met in sub-Saharan Africa," according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

7 Sep 2005

Health groups file brief urging tougher remedies in tobacco lawsuit

The six public health organizations that intervened in the federal government's tobacco lawsuit filed a brief last Wednesday urging the judge to strengthen the remedies proposed by the government

6 Sep 2005

Companies offering plastic surgery as a prize are violating a well-recognised code of ethics of good medical practice

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the not-for-profit organisation established for the advancement of education and practice of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for public benefit, has warned that companies offering plastic surgery as a prize are violating a well-recognised code of ethics of good medical practice.

6 Sep 2005

Many pubs would stop serving food to get round the Government's proposed smokefree law

...according to the first national survey of publicans on the issue. The survey was commissioned by Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

6 Sep 2005

Total smoking ban in public places only viable option in the UK

Doctors, nurses and charities in the UK have renewed demands for a total ban on smoking in public places, and are warning that government plans to allow smoking in some pubs would increase health inequalities.

6 Sep 2005

National Health Service payout offer insults woman whose breast was wrongly removed

A Scottish woman whose breast was removed after she was wrongly diagnosed with cancer, plans to sue the Scottish National Health Service for the blunder.

6 Sep 2005

Chernobyl: The True Scale of the Accident

A total of up to four thousand people could eventually die of radiation exposure from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) accident nearly 20 years ago, an international team of more than 100 scientists has concluded.

5 Sep 2005

Double standards in British Government anti-smoking campaign

The British Medical Association has warned that the Government's anti-smoking campaign launched today (5/9/05) smacks of double standards if it doesn't take action to protect the health of all workers from second-hand smoke.

5 Sep 2005

Health leaders to tour evacuee sites in hurricane region

According to reports Secretary Mike Leavitt is taking a team of health care, public health and social service leaders to Louisiana and the Gulf Region as part of ongoing efforts to extend care and services to where evacuees of Hurricane Katrina are located.

4 Sep 2005

Call for guidelines on the use of homeopathic remedies

The Lancet is calling on the Department of Health and the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to urgently consider developing guidelines on the use of homeopathic remedies.

1 Sep 2005

BMA(NI) initial response to Appleby Report

"The BMA met with Professor Appleby as part of this independent review and early indications are that much of his report appears to be consistent with the evidence provided by the Association."

31 Aug 2005

Toxic flame retardants known as PBDEs are becoming a major environmental health concern

An analysis of persistent chemicals in the breastmilk of Pacific Northwest mothers, released today at an international scientific conference in Toronto, “Dioxin 2005,” found that levels of the toxic flame retardants PBDEs may be overtaking those of PCBs, an industrial chemical banned in the late 1970s.

30 Aug 2005

Scientific panel aims to reduce incidence of heat illnesses, heat stroke during preseason practices for high school players

New guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) emphasize fluid replacement and acclimatization to the heat, as well as practice uniform and other modifications in order to reduce the risk for heat exhaustion and exertional heat stroke in young football players.

30 Aug 2005

Before hitting the beach, learn the signs of skin cancer

With summer coming to a close, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has published a new brochure to help the public understand the signs and symptoms of skin cancer as well as learn the treatment options for the disease.

29 Aug 2005

Ellen MacKenzie to lead health policy and management department

Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD, a leading expert in the study of injury prevention and trauma services research, has been selected to chair the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. MacKenzie, a professor in the Department and director of the Bloomberg School's Center for Injury Research and Policy , will begin her new duties on September 1, 2005.

29 Aug 2005

California wants cancer warnings on french fries and chips

In an attempt to stop restaurant chains such as McDonald's and Wendy's from selling french fries without some form of warning, Bill Lockyer the Attorney General for California has filed a lawsuit to force manufacturers of potato chips and french fries to warn consumers about a potential cancer-causing chemical found in the popular snacks.

29 Aug 2005

New way to count bugs in dirt

Don't call them the Dirt Doctors, or Sultans of Soil, they're just clever Lab guys. A team from Los Alamos National Laboratory has a paper in this week's Science Magazine with a new way to count bugs in dirt. Bacteria, that is, in the highly complex world beneath our feet.

29 Aug 2005

5-year-old British autistic boy dies after alternative therapy in U.S.

A 5-year-old British autistic boy has died after undergoing a controversial form of alternative therapy.

29 Aug 2005

Campaign for tougher anti-smoking laws stepped up

The British Medical Association (BMA) has stepped up it's campaign for tougher anti-smoking laws with a blunt warning to the health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, that her current plans are a virtual death sentence for some bar staff.

25 Aug 2005