Miscellaneous News

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Call for the creation of a World Institute for risk evaluation

A commentary in this week’s issue of The Lancet is calling for the creation of a new organisation to measure and prioritise all major global threats to human survival.

13 Jan 2005

Pilgrimage to Mecca comes with a few medical risks

The Hajj or Haj is the Pilgrimage to Mecca (or, "Makkah") and is the fifth of the "Five Pillars of Islam". Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. Later this month about three million Muslims will gather for this major pilgrimage. But two doctors in this week's BMJ warn that the Hajj carries considerable health risks if the pilgrim is unprepared.

13 Jan 2005

BMA condemns tobacco industry ventilation claims

The BMA today condemned claims made by the tobacco industry today (13 January 2005) that ventilation in bars could protect the public from the harmful effects of passive smoke.

13 Jan 2005

Alternative therapies and conventional medical therapies should be held to same standards

Stating that health care should strive to be both comprehensive and evidence-based, a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies calls for conventional medical treatments and complementary and alternative treatments to be held to the same standards for demonstrating clinical effectiveness.

13 Jan 2005

Baby Bottle artificially flavoured drink found to contain high benzoate levels

A ‘Baby Bottle Artificially Flavoured Drink on a Candy' product has been found to contain benzoate levels in breach of the 1995 food additives legislation. Benzoates are associated with urticaria (nettle rash) in some people. The U.K's Food Agency has issued a Food Alert 'For Action.'

13 Jan 2005

New Dietary Guidelines is the most health-oriented ever

The new Dietary Guidelines is the most health-oriented ever. It provides stronger recommendations for consuming less sodium and trans fat and more whole grains. The Guidelines also recommends eating nine servings a day—about four-and-a-half cups—of fruits and vegetables, up from five servings.

13 Jan 2005

Survey finds online health information poised to become important resource for seniors, but not there yet

As the Internet becomes an increasingly important resource for informing decisions about health and health care options, a new national survey of older Americans by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that less than a third (31%) of seniors (age 65 and older) have ever gone online, but that more than two-thirds (70%) of the next generation of seniors (50-64 year-olds) have done so.

12 Jan 2005

Reducing levels of smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure will halve current CHD mortality

A new Health Development Agency briefing paper, ‘Relative contributions of changes in risk factors and treatment to the reduction in coronary heart disease mortality’ highlights that even a small reduction in the current levels of cholesterol, smoking and blood pressure, could save approximately 50,000 lives annually in England and Wales.

12 Jan 2005

Italy's tough anti-smoking laws are an embarrassing reminder of Western Australia's ineffective new regulations

"For a country that has a large population of heavy smokers, the Italian Government has shown real courage in the fight against passive smoking," said association President Dr Paul Skerritt.

12 Jan 2005

Call for a smoke free Scottish Parliament

The chairman of the BMA in Scotland has this week written to the Presiding Officer suggesting that the Scottish Parliament smoking room for staff and MSPs be closed and replaced with a drop in smoking cessation support centre for staff and MSPs who wish to give up the habit.

12 Jan 2005

Shakespeare may have had syphilis

Shakespeare’s name usually inspires thoughts of kings, fairies, lovers, wars and poetic genius--not syphilis. However, some passages in his plays and sonnets indicate that the Bard may have suffered from one or more venereal infections, according to an article in the Feb. 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

10 Jan 2005

How Elvis would have looked at 70

On the eve of what would have been the 70th birthday of Elvis Presley, scientists have created a computer-generated image of how the King would have looked today if he were still alive.

10 Jan 2005

PAHO dispels myths about the handling and the effects of mass casualties

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has published a new manual that dispels myths about the handling and the effects of mass casualties following a natural disaster, such as the December 26 earthquake and tsunami in South Asia.

5 Jan 2005

Microsoft launches MSN Health & Fitness

The Microsoft network of Internet services today launched MSN Health & Fitness, a comprehensive online destination for people looking to improve their well-being with up-to-date and easy-to-access information.

4 Jan 2005

Give all workers the right to a smoke-free environment

As civil servants throughout Northern Ireland head back to work today to completely smoke-free offices, the BMA is again calling for this public health benefit to be extended to all workers here.

4 Jan 2005

Tsunami entirely possible in the Pacific Northwest of the United States

The type of devastating tsunami that struck the southern coast of Asia is entirely possible in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, but might not cause as much loss of life there because of better warning systems, according to experts at Oregon State University.

28 Dec 2004

PAHO urges donors to wait for assessment of Asian tragedy's needs

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is urging all citizens, organizations and governments wishing to help the tsunami victims in southern and Southeast Asia to wait for an assessment of what's needed before sending anything.

28 Dec 2004

UN Population Fund warns women, girls especially vulnerable

In the aftermath of devastating tsunamis that struck several South and South-East Asian countries on Sunday, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling on governments, sister United Nations agencies and other humanitarian partners to ensure that the special needs of women and girls are factored into all short- and medium-term relief planning.

28 Dec 2004

Statement by IMF on South Asia earthquake disaster

Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), made the following statement today regarding a massive earthquake affecting seven nations in South Asia:

27 Dec 2004

Red Cross Red Crescent launches appeal for victims of the Bay of Bengal earthquake and tsunamis

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary appeal for 7.5 million Swiss francs to assist some 500,000 people and bring immediate support to relief operations of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region after the strongest earthquake in 40 years caused massive tidal waves

27 Dec 2004