Churches oppose three-person babies

30 January 2015 Last updated at 18:26

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Rev Dr Brendan McCarthy: "This is such a big change in the ethical and moral landscape"

Senior church figures have called on the UK government to block the creation of babies from three people.

The Church of England and the Catholic Church in England and Wales said it was not clear the technique - adding a donor woman's mitochondria to another woman's egg - was safe or ethical.

But a group of scientists has urged MPs to approve the procedure - intended to stop deadly mitochondrial diseases.

Ministers want to allow the technique and MPs will debate it on Tuesday.

Mitochondria are tiny compartments found within cells within the body, and their most crucial role is to convert energy locked in food into energy the cell can use.

About one in every 6,500 babies is born with mitochondrial disease, which can be fatal.

Mitochondria are passed to a child from the mother, and the proposed technique involves adding healthy mitochondria from a donor woman to an egg from another, then fertilising it with one man's sperm.

The Reverend Brendan McCarthy, Church of England adviser on medical ethics, said: "We need to be absolutely clear that the techniques that will be used will be safe, and we need to be absolutely sure that they will work."

He also said the ethics of the issue should be properly discussed before a decision was made, adding: "What's the rush?"

'Not playing God'

Sharon Bernardi, who lost all of her seven children to mitochondrial disease, said the proposed technique was not about changing the colour of a child's eyes or hair.

"This is trying to make children survive," she said.

"We're not playing God or anything."

She said her first baby died within 28 hours of birth, and she lost five other children while they were babies - and her son Edward at the age of 21.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Sharon Bernardi, who lost seven children, supports the DNA plan: "I can't believe the Church would want children to go through that"

"I would ask them [the Church of England] desperately to please look at the bigger picture and look at the children who have been affected by this dreadful disease," she said.

"No child should be born with a disease that's going to cut their life short.

"I can't believe anybody from the Church would want that."

The Right Reverend John Sherrington, a Roman Catholic bishop, said many people were "rightly concerned" about the proposal.

"No other country has allowed this procedure and the international scientific community is not convinced that the procedure is safe and effective," he said.

"There are also serious ethical objections to this procedure, which involves the destruction of human embryos as part of the process."

But in a letter to the Guardian, 40 scientists from 14 countries said the technique offered "some affected families the opportunity to have healthy children".

They said the UK had run an "exemplary and internationally admired process" to consider the issue since 2007, and they called on Parliament to approve the proposed change.

"The UK hosts a world class team at Newcastle University developing this technology, which is ideally placed to be among the first to treat patients," they added.

The House of Commons debate on Tuesday is on a proposed alteration to the the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, to "enable mitochondrial donation".

Analysis

By James Gallagher, health editor, BBC News website

This idea has raised ethical questions since it was first proposed 15 years ago.

Doctors say it could prevent repeats of Sharon Bernardi's experiences.

But critics say it introduces a permanent change to DNA that would be passed through the generations, raises concerns about the use of embryos and opens the door to designer babies.

Those are the issues MPs will be debating on Tuesday.

Three reviews by the fertility regulator suggest the technique is safe, but nobody can be certain until it is finally tried in people.

When I spoke to the head of the mitochondrial research centre in Newcastle, he said he was "anxious" ahead of the vote.

But if the technique is approved, then scientists expect the first attempt before the end of the year.

How is it done?

Two separate techniques are being devised, but they both share the same common principle - take the DNA from the parents and combine it with healthy mitochondria from a female donor.

Continue reading the main story

Asked about the Church of England's comments - first published in the Daily Telegraph - Prof Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said the Church had a "right" to interject.

But he said he was surprised it had done so "at this late stage".

He said there had been a series of scientific, ethical and public consultations, adding: "This process has been going on for seven years or more."

Prof Farrar said scientists cannot be sure the technique is "100% safe" until it is used on humans, but that jump always had to be made with new techniques.

"I don't think there's been any more rigorous look at any scientific endeavour coming into humans," he added.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Training cuts 'could harm patients'

30 January 2015 Last updated at 17:26 By Sarah Bloch BBC News

Proposals to shorten in-job training for qualified doctors in the UK could seriously compromise patient care and safety, leading doctors have warned.

They say there is a lack of evidence for the plans, which could see the time it takes to reach consultant level cut by two years.

They have called on the government to "pause" the training review.

A Department of Health spokesman said changes would only take place if they were in the best interests of patients.

Currently doctors spend the first two years after graduation rotating between about half a dozen different areas of medicine, such as obstetrics or A&E.

Many then specialise and stay within that area until they reach consultant level. Depending on which area they choose to focus on, that can take between eight to 10 years.

'Broader knowledge'

The Shape of Training review into specialist doctor training was chaired by Prof Sir David Greenaway of the University of Nottingham.

The report made 19 recommendations in 2013 for changes to medical training.

The wide-ranging review involved many leading medical organisations, including the General Medical Council (GMC), and other bodies overseeing medical education.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The review makes no attempt to explain how doctors can be trained to this skill level in a shorter training programme"

End Quote BMA spokesman

One proposal was to shorten consultant training to between six and eight years. Another was to allow doctors to be fully registered to practise when they left medical school, rather than waiting a year as they do now.

Sir David's report suggests an argument for changing the structure of training is that there are more patients with a complex mixture of conditions.

This means doctors need to have a greater breadth of knowledge, rather than specialising early in their careers, it says.

But leading doctors are worried these changes could mean they will be allowed to practise fully autonomously before they have gained all the skills they need.

The proposal would "result in people finishing training and being labelled as a consultant much earlier on, when in fact they are not reaching the same standard that patients have come to expect", Dr Tom Dolphin of the British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors' committee told the BBC.

The BMA has called for a "pause" in policy development while safety concerns are addressed and said any changes should be piloted in small studies before being rolled out more widely.

The Royal College of Physicians has also raised concerns, saying shortening doctors' training would "compromise both quality of patient care and patient safety".

A Department of Health spokesman said no decision had been taken to shorten consultant training or change doctors' registration, adding that any changes would only take place if they were in the "best interests of patients and following appropriate consultation".

Tribunal ruling

Meanwhile documents seen by the BBC have also raised questions about the transparency and political independence of the review.

An 18-month battle to reveal minutes of undocumented meetings between senior civil servants, politicians and the report's chairman concluded in court last month.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The consultants do train the trainees so if your consultants are less skilled then there may be a knock-on effect"

End Quote Ben Dean Junior doctor

The GMC, which sponsored the review and provided administrative support, was forced to publish the details of numerous meetings with ministers and officials.

Notes from one meeting between Prof Greenaway and a Department of Health representative said they were eager the report would provide "an opportunity for ministers to be radical".

Minutes from another meeting, which involved other senior civil servants from the department, noted that: "Ministers [are] setting strategic direction and feeling happy".

Neither of these meetings, which took place during the review's call for evidence in 2013, was referred to in the final report.

The GMC said the notes were an informal record of the conversations, and the issues were raised to help "inform our thinking".

But the tribunal ruled against the GMC, saying: "We are satisfied that it is strongly in the public interest that these proposals are made on the basis of sound criteria and any political influence or otherwise needs to be transparent.

"There should be transparency relating to the process that led to the conclusions."

'Potentially harmful'

Ben Dean, a junior doctor who made Freedom of Information requests to reveal the content of the review, said the idea of shortening the training time for hospital consultants could be dangerous for patients.

"Generally trainees just want to become properly trained consultants, so they can actually practise with a degree of autonomy and not feel uncomfortable and out of their depth.

"Without doing anything to improve training quality, cutting training time is potentially harmful, particularly if you devalue what it means to be a consultant.

"The consultants do train the trainees so if your consultants are less skilled then there may be a knock-on effect."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "There was nothing other than routine engagement with Sir David Greenaway's independent report from anyone at the Department of Health."

Niall Dickson, the GMC's chief executive, said: "The independent review was established by the four governments of the UK to look at the changing needs of patients and the type of doctors that will be needed to provide high quality care in the future.

"There are recommendations made in the review that could require changes to postgraduate training and everyone accepts that more work needs to be done to understand the benefits and impact of such changes."

He added: "It is highly unlikely that there will be agreement about all of the issues but it is clear that work will be undertaken to look at the key issues."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK health worker monitored for Ebola

31 January 2015 Last updated at 11:52

A British military healthcare worker has been brought back to the UK from Sierra Leone for Ebola monitoring.

The individual suffered a needle-stick injury while treating a patient in the West African country, which is among those affected by the Ebola outbreak.

The person has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, Public Health England (PHE) said.

More than 22,000 people have been infected with Ebola and 8,795 have died in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

The individual does not have symptoms but it is likely they have been exposed to the virus, the Royal Free said.

The patient arrived back in the UK on Saturday on board an RAF flight and will be monitored for the remainder of their 21-day incubation period.

'Well-tested protocols'

Professor Paul Cosford, PHE's director for health protection, said: "Our thoughts are with this person, who has been courageous in helping those affected in West Africa, and in preventing the wider spread of Ebola.

"We have strict, well-tested protocols in place for this eventuality and we are confident that all appropriate actions have been taken to support the healthcare worker concerned and to protect the health of other people."

Needle-stick injuries involve a piercing of the skin by a sharp instrument or object, typically a needle.

The Royal Free is home to a specialist unit for infectious diseases patients.

Two other Britons who contracted the virus - nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley - have been successfully treated there. Both had worked in West Africa.

Ms Cafferkey was discharged last week. She said she was now looking forward to returning to "normal life" and had no current plans to return to West Africa.

Ms Cafferkey was treated with blood plasma from an Ebola survivor and an experimental treatment drug closely related to ZMapp, which Mr Pooley was treated with after he contracted Ebola.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola virus mutating, scientists say

29 January 2015 Last updated at 05:55 By Tulip Mazumdar Global health reporter

Scientists tracking the Ebola outbreak in Guinea say the virus has mutated.

Researchers at the Institut Pasteur in France, which first identified the outbreak last March, are investigating whether it could have become more contagious.

More than 22,000 people have been infected with Ebola and 8,795 have died in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Scientists are starting to analyse hundreds of blood samples from Ebola patients in Guinea.

They are tracking how the virus is changing and trying to establish whether it's able to jump more easily from person to person

"We know the virus is changing quite a lot," said human geneticist Dr Anavaj Sakuntabhai.

Continue reading the main story

A virus can change itself to less deadly, but more contagious and that's something we are afraid of"

End Quote Dr Anavaj Sakuntabhai Geneticist

"That's important for diagnosing (new cases) and for treatment. We need to know how the virus (is changing) to keep up with our enemy."

It's not unusual for viruses to change over a period time. Ebola is an RNA virus - like HIV and influenza - which have a high rate of mutation. That makes the virus more able to adapt and raises the potential for it to become more contagious.

"We've now seen several cases that don't have any symptoms at all, asymptomatic cases," said Anavaj Sakuntabhai.

"These people may be the people who can spread the virus better, but we still don't know that yet. A virus can change itself to less deadly, but more contagious and that's something we are afraid of."

Latest figures

There were fewer than 100 new cases in a week for the first time since June 2014.

In the week to 25 January there were 30 cases in Guinea, four in Liberia and 65 in Sierra Leone.

The World Health Organization says the epidemic has entered a "second phase" with the focus shifting to ending the epidemic.

But Prof Jonathan Ball, a virologist at the University of Nottingham, says it's still unclear whether more people are actually not showing symptoms in this outbreak compared with previous ones.

"We know asymptomatic infections occur… but whether we are seeing more of it in the current outbreak is difficult to ascertain," he said.

"It could simply be a numbers game, that the more infection there is out in the wider population, then obviously the more asymptomatic infections we are going to see."

Another common concern is that while the virus has more time and more "hosts" to develop in, Ebola could mutate and eventually become airborne.

There is no evidence to suggest that is happening. The virus is still only passed through direct contact with infected people's body fluids.

Infectious disease expert Professor David Heyman said

"No blood borne virus, for example HIV or Hepatitis B, has ever shown any indication of becoming airborne. The mutation would need to be major"

Virologist Noel Tordo is in the process of setting up a new from the Institut Pasteur in the Guinea capital Conakry. He said,

"At the moment, not enough has been done in terms of the evolution of the virus both geographically and in the human body, so we have to learn more. But something has shown that there are mutations,"

"For the moment the way of transmission is still the same. You just have to avoid contact (with a sick person)"

"But as a scientist you can't predict it won't change. Maybe it will."

Researchers are using a method called genetic sequencing to track changes in the genetic make-up of the virus. So far they have analysed around 20 blood samples from Guinea. Another 600 samples are being sent to the labs in the coming months.

A previous similar study in Sierra Leone showed the Ebola virus mutated considerably in the first 24 days of the outbreak, according to the World Health Organization.

It said: "This certainly does raise a lot of scientific questions about transmissibility, response to vaccines and drugs, use of convalescent plasma.

"However, many gene mutations may not have any impact on how the virus responds to drugs or behaves in human populations."

'Global problem'

The research in Paris will also help give scientists a clearer insight into why some people survive Ebola, and others don't. The survival rate of the current outbreak is around 40%.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Prof James Di Santo explains the work being carried out to try to find an Ebola vaccine

It's hoped this will help scientists developing vaccines to protect people against the virus.

Researchers at the Institut Pasteur are currently developing two vaccines which they hope will be in human trials by the end of the year.

One is a modification of the widely used measles vaccine, where people are given a weakened and harmless form of the virus which in turn triggers an immune response. That response fights and defeats the disease if someone comes into contact with it.

The idea, if it proves successful, would be that the vaccine would protect against both measles and Ebola.

"We've seen now this is a threat that can be quite large and can extend on a global scale," said Professor James Di Santo, and immunologist at the Institut.

"We've learned this virus is not a problem of Africa, it's a problem for everyone."

He added: "This particular outbreak may wane and go away, but we're going to have another infectious outbreak at some point, because the places where the virus hides in nature, for example in small animals, is still a threat for humans in the future.

"The best type of response we can think of… is to have vaccination of global populations."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

'No interest' in care insurance

29 January 2015 Last updated at 06:00 By Nick Triggle and Sophie Woodcock BBC News

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Alex Adamou on his mother's care: "You have to make cold-hearted calculations"

There are no plans for any insurance products to help people plan ahead for their care needs in old age, leading companies have told the BBC.

Creating such a market was one of the key aims underpinning the government's decision to introduce a cap on care costs from next year.

Two years ago Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped the plans would "open up an enormous market".

But 17 major companies said there was not enough interest in such policies.

Care experts said the revelation was a blow.

About 60% of people are expected to need care in their old age - with one in 10 facing costs in excess of £100,000.

From April 2016, the government is setting the cap on care at £72,000 from the age of 65. Currently people face unlimited costs - although those with little wealth get help towards their costs.

Under the change, once an individual has spent that sum, the state will pick up the bill for care - although people will still be liable for £230 weekly living costs if they are in a care home.

BBC Cost of Care project

The BBC has launched an online guide to the care system for the over-65s. The "care calculator" covers both residential care and the support provided in people's own homes, for tasks such as washing and dressing.

Users can submit their postcode and find out how much each service costs wherever they live in the UK.

There is also a dedicated BBC Cost of Care website with news stories, explainers, analysis and video.

By covering the catastrophic costs, ministers hoped insurance policies would be offered to people so they could make small payments in the decades before they reached the age when they needed care.

The only products currently on the market are immediate needs annuities, which involve people paying a one-off lump sum - often about £100,000 - when they start needing care.

The idea is that they will then be paid an income over the rest of their life to cover the costs of care.

However, some people have reported the policies have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of care - and, because of the upfront money involved, they are out of the reach of many people.

Difficulties

The BBC approached 20 companies and received 17 responses as part of its Cost of Care project, which includes an online guide to how care works and what it costs.

The companies participated on the basis they would remain anonymous. One said a key problem was that people tended not to plan for retirement and the government's proposals had not "fundamentally changed that picture".

Another reported that few people were prepared to "defer consumption today to pay for an event which may not occur".

How does the care system for the over-65s work?

Care refers to everything from support provided in people's homes to round-the-clock help in care homes.

Unlike with the NHS, people have to pay towards these services.

Some get help from their local authorities, but others pay the full cost of their care. One in 10 people faces lifetime costs of more than £100,000.

About 420,000 people are currently living in care and nursing homes across the UK, while about one million receive help in their own home.

There are another 1.5 million people who rely on friends and family for support.

Care Minister Norman Lamb said: "I do challenge the insurance industry - don't be conservative on this. Step up to the plate. They have a responsibility in my view too. We need to do this collaboratively.

"We've taken the steps that they wanted us to take to enable them to do these reforms. And I think they need to be ambitious and to recognise the importance of providing products so that people can plan for old age."

But Yvonne Braun, of the Association of British Insurers, said the industry was ultimately responding to the "law of supply and demand".

"If you wanted to sell to somebody in their 30s, 40s and 50s, or even 60s, I think you would find it very very difficult. Younger people... have other financial priorities - specifically paying off their mortgage and supporting their children."

She said it was more likely that other insurance products, such as critical illness cover and life insurance, would be adapted to cover care costs.

James Lloyd, director of the Strategic Society think tank, said there were always doubts the insurance industry would develop products.

"The government could lower the cap to try to encourage more interest, it could just accept that people will have to pay the £72,000 in costs or develop its own state insurance model - that has happened in Germany. But there really isn't an easy answer."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eight-year-old boy died of scurvy

29 January 2015 Last updated at 11:06

An eight-year-old Pembrokeshire boy died of scurvy, a coroner has ruled.

Dylan Mungo Seabridge, from Dolau, Eglwyswrw, died from the disease shortly after being taken to hospital on 6 December 2011.

The inquest in Milford Haven heard how he had been rushed to hospital after his father called 999 because Dylan had collapsed.

Pembrokeshire Coroner, Mark Layton, recorded an open conclusion at the inquest in Milford Haven.

The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue its case of neglect against his parents Glynn, 47, and Julie, 46.

They were not present at the hearing.

The inquest was told when ambulance crews arrived Dylan was unconscious and was not breathing and had bruising to his ankle and knee along with swollen legs.

He went into cardiac arrest at hospital but doctors were unable to save him.

The inquest heard how neither of his parents had sought medical attention for Dylan because they believed he was merely suffering from growing pains, for which they gave him painkillers.

Home Office pathologist Dr Deryck Simon James, who carried out the post mortem examination, concluded that Dylan's death was due to a vitamin C deficiency, commonly known as scurvy.

Katie Hanson, representing the Seabridges, told the inquest that Professor Joris Dlanghe, a specialist from Belgium, questioned those findings.

She told the inquest that Professor Dlanghe was of the opinion that other deficiencies such as folic acid would have been present too, but were not.

"The parents don't accept that Dylan died of scurvy," she said.

Pembrokeshire Coroner, Mark Layton, told the inquest that Dylan's death "was subject to an in-depth criminal investigation" and therefore he had to come to an open conclusion.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dementia 'link' to common drugs

27 January 2015 Last updated at 12:27 By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online

A study has linked commonly used medicines, including over-the-counter treatments for conditions such as insomnia and hay-fever, to dementia.

All of the types of medication in question are drugs that have an "anticholinergic" effect.

Experts say people should not panic or stop taking their medicines.

In the US study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, higher doses and prolonged use were linked to higher dementia risk in elderly people.

The researchers only looked at older people and found the increased risk appeared when people took drugs every day for three years or more.

Side-effects

All medicines can have side-effects and anticholinergic-type drugs that block a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine are no exception.

Continue reading the main story

We would encourage doctors and pharmacists to be aware of this potential link "

End Quote Dr Doug Brown from the UK's Alzheimer's Society

Patient information leaflets accompanying such drugs warn of the possibility of reduced attention span and memory problems as well as a dry mouth.

But researchers say people should also be aware that they may be linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.

Dr Shelly Gray and colleagues from the University of Washington followed the health of 3,434 people aged 65 and older who had no signs of dementia at the start of the study.

They looked at medical and pharmacy records to determine how many of the people had been given a drug with an anticholinergic effect, at what dose and how often and compared this data with subsequent dementia diagnoses over the next decade.

Drugs in the study

The US study does not name specific brands, but does outline the types of treatments investigated, which include:

• Tricyclic antidepressants for treating depression
• Antihistamines used to treat hay-fever and allergies
• Antimuscarinics for treating urinary incontinence

Most of the drugs were given on prescription, rather than bought at the pharmacy over-the-counter.

The most commonly used anticholinergic-type drugs were medicines for treating depression, antihistamines for allergies such as hay-fever or to aid sleep/promote drowsiness, and drugs to treat urinary incontinence. Nearly a fifth were drugs that had been bought over the counter.

Over the course of the study, 797 of the participants developed dementia.

'Not causal'

The study estimated that people taking at least 10 mg/day of doxepin (antidepressant), four mg/day of diphenhydramine (a sleep aid), or five mg/day of oxybutynin (a urinary incontinence drug) for more than three years would be at greater risk of developing dementia.

The researchers say doctors and pharmacists might want to take a precautionary approach and offer different treatments instead. And when there is no alternative, they could give the lowest dose for the shortest time possible.

Dr Gray says some of the study participants have agreed to have an autopsy after their death.

"We will look at the brain pathology and see if we can find a biological mechanism that might explain our results."

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the study was interesting but not definitive - there was, he said, no evidence that these drugs cause dementia.

Dr Doug Brown, from the UK's Alzheimer's Society, said: "There have been concerns that regular use by older people of certain medications with anticholinergic effects, such as sleep aids and hay-fever treatments, can increase the risk of dementia in certain circumstances, which this study supports.

"However, it is still unclear whether this is the case and if so, whether the effects seen are a result of long-term use or several episodes of short-term use. More robust research is needed to understand what the potential dangers are, and if some drugs are more likely to have this effect than others.

"We would encourage doctors and pharmacists to be aware of this potential link and would advise anyone concerned about this to speak to their GP before stopping any medication."

He said the charity was funding more research in this area to better understand any connections between these and other drugs on the development of dementia.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which monitors the safety of medicines in clinical use in the UK, said it would review any new evidence.

Drug company Johnson & Johnson Ltd said many hay-fever products sold in the UK now contain newer, second generation antihistamines - not the type looked at in the study.

Matthew Speers, who represents the UK trade association for manufacturers of over-the-counter drugs, said: "Over-the-counter allergy and sleeping aid products are not intended to be used continuously and people are advised to talk to their pharmacist or doctor if they need to use these products long-term.

"There are a range of allergy products on the market which contain a number of different ingredients, many of which were not considered in this study."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

High cholesterol in mid-life risky

27 January 2015 Last updated at 07:30

Having even slightly raised cholesterol in mid-life significantly increases a person's risk of heart disease, research reveals.

For every decade a person has even mildly elevated cholesterol between the ages of 35 and 55, their risk of heart disease could go up by nearly 40%, the study found.

Leaving cholesterol unchecked is not a wise option, say the authors who followed nearly 1,500 people.

"Lipid years" take a toll, they say.

While not every person with mild or moderately raised cholesterol will need to start on drug treatment, they might benefit from changing their diet and getting more exercise, says Dr Ann Marie Navar-Boggan, lead author of the research paper, published in the journal Circulation.

Continue reading the main story

It's never too early to start thinking about your heart health"

End Quote Doireann Maddock of the British Heart Foundation

What we do to our blood vessels in our 20s, 30s and 40s lays the foundation for disease in later life, and if we wait until our 50s or 60s to think about heart disease prevention, an important opportunity is already lost, she says.

Heart risk

Too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to a gradual build-up of fatty material in the walls of your blood vessels and restrict the flow of blood to your heart, brain and body.

In time, your arteries can become so diseased that you experience heart pain, called angina, or suffer a heart attack.

Around a third of deaths in the UK are caused by cardiovascular disease, accounting for more than 180,000 deaths each year.

Guidelines were recently updated to recommend that millions more people should be offered cholesterol-lowering medication to save more lives.

Heart disease death rates have been falling, but more rapidly in older age groups than in younger ones and morbidity appears to be increasing.

Cholesterol

The government recommends that total cholesterol levels should be:

•5mmol/L (193mg/dl) or less for healthy adults

•4mmol/L (154mg/dl) or less for those at high risk

In the UK in 2011, around 50% of adults had a cholesterol level above 5mmol/L.

For the study, the US researchers tracked the health of 1,478 adults who were free of heart disease and enrolled in a trial looking at heart risk.

At age 55, nearly two-fifths of the study participants had at least 10 years of exposure to high cholesterol.

Over the next 15 years, their risk of heart disease was 16.5% - nearly four times the rate of 4.4% seen among those without high cholesterol.

Each decade of high cholesterol raised the risk of heart disease by 39%.

Doireann Maddock of the British Heart Foundation said: "We already know that too much cholesterol in your blood is a risk factor for having a heart attack or stroke.

"This study suggests that even slightly high cholesterol levels in otherwise healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 55 can have a long-term impact on heart health.

"It's never too early to start thinking about your heart health. By eating a healthy diet and keeping physically active you can help improve your cholesterol level.

"If you're over 40, you are entitled to a health check from your GP or practice nurse which includes a cholesterol check."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leaders in '100 days to go' battle

27 January 2015 Last updated at 13:20

Ed Miliband has set out Labour's "10-year plan" for the NHS including longer home visits by social care workers as the parties step up their campaigning 100 days before the general election.

The Labour leader has pledged new safety checks to identify people at risk of hospitalisation and to recruit 5,000 new home care workers.

Meanwhile David Cameron has been outlining plans to cut the benefits cap to pay for more apprenticeships.

The cap "encouraged work", he said.

In a BBC interview, Prime Minister David Cameron also hinted that pensioner benefits may continue to be protected from further welfare savings mooted for after the election.

All of the major parties have pledged what they say is enough money to maintain NHS services in the next Parliament after the general election.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Ed Miliband said there were were "huge savings" to be made with Labour's plan

The Conservatives say they would ring-fence and "protect" the NHS budget while the Liberal Democrats have promised to meet "in full" the £8bn extra NHS managers say is needed by 2020 and UKIP has said it would commit an extra £3bn a year to the service.

'Perilous moment'

Labour has promised to keep the NHS ring-fence and spend an extra £2.5bn a year across the UK by the end of the next Parliament.

In a speech in Trafford, Greater Manchester on Tuesday, Mr Miliband said David Cameron had "totally betrayed" promises made on the NHS before the last election and "the country's most precious institution faced its most perilous moment in a generation".

"David Cameron says he cares about the NHS but that is not enough. What tuition fees is for Nick Clegg, the NHS has become for David Cameron.

"It has become a question of trust."

Under a Labour government, Mr Miliband said 5,000 extra home care workers would be recruited to treat terminally ill people in their own beds and spelt out financial incentives for social care workers to spend more than 15 minutes on home visits.

Limiting visits to 15 minutes was "a symbol of what has gone wrong in the NHS where failure and false economies threaten the financial future of the service", he said.

Promising to tackle what he said was an "iron curtain" between social care and the NHS, he said care workers often had to choose between preparing a meal for people they were visiting or taking them to the toilet because of time constraints.

"We have got to join up services at every stage for home to hospital so people can get the care they need when they need it," he said.

Analysis - by Robin Brant

This was not a tough crowd. Ed Miliband spoke about "creeping privatisation" in the NHS as he outlined Labour's 10 year plan to rescue, as he put it, a "precious" health service. Then he went further. He appeared to attack privatisation overall. He said legislation under the coalition made the model for NHS reform the privatisation of utilities in the 1980s, saying "we kind of know where that got us don't we?" He may have meant the electricity providers, firms that he has repeatedly attacked, but he wasn't specific. So he appeared to be condemning what's happened at British Airways, British Telecom and a host of others firms. And for the record he told me he doesn't use private healthcare and has never used private healthcare.

The party, which has already announced plans to recruit 20,000 more nurses and provide cancer tests and results within a week, is putting the NHS at the heart of its campaign.

In response, Mr Cameron attacked Labour's record of running the health service in Wales, saying waiting lists had gone up and problems at A&E had multiplied.

"I think we need to look at Labour's record rather than its rhetoric," he said.

"I'm satisfied that we are putting the money into the NHS. Yes, we need to do better on A&E, but let's not forget that.... we have almost abolished mixed-sex wards, hospital-acquired infections are down by more than half, we are treating something like six million more outpatients every year."

And former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn has questioned the opposition's focus on the NHS as a "comfort zone campaign" and warned the party is ill-prepared to carry out the necessary reforms to the NHS if elected.

"Labour is not a conservative party. Labour should be about moving things forward not preserving them in aspic," he told Radio 4's World at One programme.

It would be a "fatal mistake", he added, for Labour to go into the election promising more resources for the NHS but not "putting its feet to the floor" on reforming it.

Benefit plans

Mr Cameron is focusing on the economy on Tuesday, promising a law to reduce the annual household welfare cap to £23,000 from the current £26,000 in the first week of a Conservative government.

Mr Cameron told the BBC that reforming the welfare system was the "best way to tackle poverty and spread advantage".

He said: "The criticism of our benefit cap, which was set at £26,000, in many parts of the country was that it was too high.

"So we think that reducing it to £23,000 will help to get more families back into work and we'll use the savings from that money to make sure we train three million apprentices in the next Parliament."

The Lib Dems launched an online advertisement, based on a Conservative election poster, arguing they would cut less than the Tories and borrow less than Labour.

"Britain needs a liberal voice in government, keeping the country on track, and stopping Labour and the Conservatives from lurching to the extremes of left and right," the party's leader Nick Clegg said.

Do you, or a family member, rely on social care visits? What impact do you think longer social care visits will have? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number.

Have your say

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cosmetic surgery 'popularity falls'

26 January 2015 Last updated at 00:06 By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

The popularity of cosmetic surgery in the UK plummeted in 2014, figures show.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) said there had been 45,406 surgical procedures last year - down 9% from 50,122 in 2013.

Breast implants and nose jobs led the decline with operations falling by nearly a quarter.

The industry has been under intense scrutiny since a breast implant scandal and there have been calls for new rules on doctors offering surgery.

The top 10 procedures last year were:

1. Breast augmentation - down 23% to 8,619
2. Eyelid surgery - down 1% to 7,752
3. Face and neck lifts - up 1% to 6,402
4. Breast reduction - up 1% to 5,528
5. Liposuction - up 7% to 4,627
6. Nose jobs - down 24% to 3,690
7. Fat transfer operations - down 4% to 3,155
8. Tummy tucks - down 20% to 2,713
9. Brow lifts - down 7% to 1,978
10. Ear corrections - down 20% to 942

Breast enlargement is again the most common procedure among women, but eyelid surgery has overtaken nose jobs to be the most common operation in men.

Rajiv Grover, a consultant plastic surgeon and Baaps spokesman, said the PIP breast implant scandal from 2012 may partly explain the downward trend.

Thousands of women were fitted with substandard breast implants made by the French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

He told the BBC: "Last year's figures [for 2013] were inflated by the 2012 PIP crisis and a large number of people needed to have implants replaced.

"So breast augmentation figures went up artificially because of the large number of replacements."

He added that the end of the recession would have had an impact too.

"Cosmetic surgery is not a requirement, it is a desire, so during a number of years of austerity people will have put that on hold for a few years and save money."

He said there was a "boom" in 2013 as people started spending again, but that was immediately followed by a slowdown.

Looking at longer-term trends, Baaps says demand for operations has plateaued or is rising slowly after years of rapid growth up to 2008.

On Friday, the Royal College of Surgeons said doctors should be prevented from performing cosmetic surgery outside their speciality.

It told the BBC the current rules allowed "GPs to do nose jobs" and that was "a big problem" for patients.

It wants a new system of certified surgeons who have to prove they are able to perform procedures.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

WHO vows reform after Ebola 'shocks'

25 January 2015 Last updated at 15:01

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set out plans for reform, admitting that it was too slow to respond to the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

At an emergency session in Geneva, director-general Margaret Chan said Ebola had taught the world and the WHO how they must act in the future.

She said the corner had been turned on infections but warned over complacency.

More than 8,500 people have died in the outbreak, the vast majority in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Contingency fund

Dr Chan said: "This was West Africa's first experience with the virus and it delivered some horrific shocks and surprises.

"The world, including WHO, was too slow to see what was unfolding before us. Ebola is a tragedy that has taught the world, including WHO, many lessons about how to prevent similar events in the future."

Dr Chan said that although disease outbreaks would continue to deliver shocks, "never again should the world be caught by surprise, unprepared".

The reforms announced included a "dedicated contingency fund to support rapid responses to outbreaks and emergencies".

There would also be improvements in international co-ordination and greater support for countries that needed to respond quickly to emergencies.

This would also require vaccines and drugs to be brought to the market more speedily.

Liberia announced on Friday that it was down to just five confirmed cases - there were 500 a week in September. Guinea and Sierra Leone have both also experienced falls in infection rates.

Dr Chan said the worst-case scenario had been avoided, but warned: "We must maintain the momentum and guard against complacency and donor fatigue."

WHO figures show 21,724 reported cases of Ebola in the outbreak , with 8,641 deaths.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Heartburn 'could be sign of cancer'

26 January 2015 Last updated at 00:06

A health campaign is urging people not to ignore heartburn, because it could be a sign of stomach or oesophageal cancer.

According to Public Health England, people should go to their doctor if they have persistent heartburn or difficulty swallowing food for three weeks or more.

But it said most people were not aware of the symptoms.

Stomach and oesophageal cancers are the fifth most common cancers in England.

PHE figures show that around 12,900 people in England are diagnosed with these cancers each year and approximately 10,000 people die from the diseases annually.

Yet, around 950 lives could be saved each year if survival rates for oesophago-gastric cancers matched the best in Europe, it says.

Spotting the signs

At present, the UK has the highest rate of oesophageal cancer in men and women in the EU, which may be due to smoking, rising obesity levels, a lack of fruit and vegetables in our diet and regular alcohol consumption.

The earlier the cancers are diagnosed, the more likely the treatment is to be successful.

This is why Public Health England's "Be Clear on Cancer" campaign is focusing on how to spot the signs of oesophageal or stomach cancer.

These can include:

• indigestion on and off for three weeks or more
• feeling food sticking in your throat when you swallow
• losing weight for no obvious reason
• trapped wind and frequent burping
• feeling full very quickly when eating
• nausea or vomiting
• pain or discomfort in top of stomach

Sean Duffy, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said early diagnosis of cancer was critical to improving survival.

"Patients with possible early signs and symptoms should visit their GP so where necessary they can be referred for tests, and treatment can start quickly."

Prof Michael Griffin, professor of surgery at the Northern oesophago-gastric unit, said people should not feel they are bothering their GP unnecessarily.

"You won't be wasting your doctor's time - you will either get reassurance that it isn't cancer, or if it is, you will have a better chance of successful treatment."

Stiff upper lip

Research published in the British Journal of General Practice, and funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at why people dismiss obvious cancer warning symptoms.

Sometimes it was because they feared a cancer diagnosis or they adopted a stiff upper lip approach to their health problems.

Others lacked confidence in their GP or just assumed the problem was down to ageing.

The good news for Public Health England, however, is that health campaigns appeared to encourage people to seek help.

Dr Katriina Whitaker, study author and senior research fellow at University College London, said: "Some people made the decision to get symptoms checked out after seeing a cancer awareness campaign or being encouraged to do so by family or friends - this seemed to almost legitimise their symptoms as important."

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK, said the findings were a useful insight into the British psyche.

"International comparisons have already shown us that the British public are far more worried about being a burden on the health system or wasting the doctor's time than in other developed countries."

She said the study could help find ways to encourage everyone with worrying symptoms to seek help as early as possible.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK Ebola nurse 'happy to be alive'

24 January 2015 Last updated at 21:52

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Nurse Pauline Cafferkey: "I pretty much lost a week of my life that I just can't remember"

UK nurse Pauline Cafferkey has said she is "very happy to be alive", having been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from Ebola.

Speaking to the BBC in her first broadcast interview, Ms Cafferkey, 39, admitted she had felt like "giving up" as her condition became critical.

She said she was now looking forward to returning to "normal life" and had no current plans to return to West Africa.

She is the second Briton to recover from Ebola during the current outbreak.

Speaking after being discharged from the Royal Free Hospital, in London, Ms Cafferkey, from Cambuslang, in South Lanarkshire, thanked staff who she said had saved her life.

"I am just happy to be alive. I still don't feel 100%, I feel quite weak, but I'm looking forward to going home," she added.

'Definitely frightened'

Ms Cafferkey - who had volunteered with Save the Children at a treatment centre in Kerry Town, in Sierra Leone - was diagnosed with Ebola on 29 December, after returning to Glasgow via London.

Her temperature was tested seven times before she flew from Heathrow to Glasgow and she was cleared to travel, before later falling ill.

She was placed in an isolation unit at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital after becoming feverish, before being transferred by a RAF Hercules plane to London on 30 December.

She was then transferred to the specialist isolation unit at the Royal Free, where she has been treated since.

Speaking to BBC health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys, she said: "My first few days I was very well - I just couldn't understand all the fuss."

However, she said she was "definitely frightened" having witnesses the virus first hand in Sierra Leone.

"Obviously at the back of my mind I had seen what could happen and what could potentially happen to me."

After three or four days Ms Cafferkey said her condition began to deteriorate, with the hospital announcing she had become critically ill on 4 January.

Asked if there was a point she felt she would not make it, Ms Cafferkey said: "There was a point, which I remember clearly. I do remember saying: 'That's it, I've had enough'."

She said she had "no sense of time" in hospital and cannot remember an entire week when the virus took hold.

'Selflessness and courage'

She said she received letters and cards from people around the world, including people in Sierra Leone and from other nurses who wrote to say she made them proud of their profession.

Asked if she wanted to return to Sierra Leone, she said: "I would have to think seriously about it. I am definitely going to give aid work a break for a while.

"I just want to go back to my normal job, my normal life and I think my family will be happy with that as well."

Dr Michael Jacobs, from the hospital's infectious diseases team, said Ms Cafferkey had now completely recovered and was "not infectious in any way".

He said Ms Cafferkey was treated with blood plasma from an Ebola survivor and an experimental treatment drug closely related drug to ZMapp, which UK nurse Will Pooley was treated with after he contracted Ebola.

Nurses and patients at the Blantyre Health Centre, in South Lanarkshire, where Ms Cafferkey works as a public health nurse, were "overjoyed" to hear the news of her recovery, BBC Scotland reporter Laura Bicker said.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Ms Cafferkey had been "extraordinarily brave" and that it was "great" to see her "looking so well".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "delighted" the nurse had been discharged from hospital, hailing her "selflessness and courage".

"She represents the very best of NHS values," he added.

Chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, said Ms Cafferkey's recovery was testament to the "hard work and dedication" of the team at the Royal Free who had "worked around the clock to help bring about this happy outcome".

Meanwhile, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her recovery was "a tremendous tribute to the work of the NHS staff who have been committed to her care over the last few weeks".

Chief executive of Save The Children, Justin Forsyth, described Ms Cafferkey as a "dedicated humanitarian" and said he was "delighted" for her and her family.

Save the Children is investigating how Ms Cafferkey contracted the disease.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

GP recruitment drive gets promo film

24 January 2015 Last updated at 03:30 By Jane Dreaper Health correspondent, BBC News

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

A clip from the Royal College of General Practitioners' recruitment video

Doctors have turned to a recruitment video to convince medical students that being a GP is not a dull career.

It has been launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), which claims at least 10,000 extra GPs will be needed by 2020.

The three-minute film features doctors talking about how they find general practice exciting and varied.

NHS England is launching a big initiative next week to boost GP numbers.

The RCGP says it wants to tackle stereotypes of general practice as being less stimulating and exciting than other medical careers.

Continue reading the main story

It's unusual for a medical royal college to make a promotional video, so we hope this will have a tangible impact"

End Quote Dr Maureen Baker Royal College of GPs

The film will be shown at a series of regional roadshows around the UK next week, timed to coincide with the recruitment round when medical graduates decide their training specialty.

Dr Maureen Baker, the chairwoman of the RCGP, said: "Reality programmes and dramas set in hospitals are always fast-paced and thrilling.

"But programmes about being a GP are very few and far between, and mostly reinforce outdated stereotypes about GPs handing out cough medicine and referring the more difficult cases to consultants.

"This video - and the GPs who appear in it - show that nothing could be further from the truth.

"While it might be unusual for a medical royal college to make a promotional video, we hope it will make a tangible impact."

'Best job in the world'

The RCGP has been campaigning for more investment in general practice, and it believes the tide is now turning.

BBC News understands that on Monday NHS England will launch a package of measures to help encourage recruitment and retention among GPs.

This will include a new scheme to encourage family doctors who may be considering a career break or retirement to instead remain working part-time.

The measures will be funded by money from the £1.2bn investment announced in the Autumn Statement for a four-year plan to improve GP infrastructure.

Scottish health ministers have also recently pledged an extra £40m for general practice, while the Welsh Government has announced a £10m cash injection for primary care. Northern Ireland says it has no issues encouraging students to become GPs.

Last year, around 20% of the 7,341 doctors who completed foundation training chose to work in general practice, with particular shortages in the East Midlands, the North West and North East of England and Yorkshire and Humber.

The RCGP says that the number of unfilled GP posts went up from 2.1% in 2010 to 7.9% in 2013.

Ministers in England have committed to train 5,000 more GPs by the end of the decade.

Dr Baker added: "I've been a GP for over 30 years and I still believe it is the best job in the world."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Post-traumatic stress 'in 1300BC'

24 January 2015 Last updated at 07:40 By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

Evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder can be traced back to 1300BC - much earlier than previously thought - say researchers.

The team at Anglia Ruskin University analysed translations from ancient Iraq or Mesopotamia.

Accounts of soldiers being visited by "ghosts they faced in battle" fitted with a modern diagnosis of PTSD.

The condition was likely to be as old as human civilisation, the researchers concluded.

Prof Jamie Hacker Hughes, a former consultant clinical psychologist for the Ministry of Defence, said the first description of PTSD was often accredited to the Greek historian Herodotus.

Referring to the warrior Epizelus during the battle of Marathon in 490BC he wrote: "He suddenly lost sight of both eyes, though nothing had touched him."

But Prof Hughes' report - titled Nothing New Under the Sun - argues there are references in the Assyrian Dynasty in Mesopotamia between 1300BC and 609BC.

Ghosts

In that era men spent a year being toughened up by building roads, bridges and other projects, before spending a year at war and then returning to their families for a year before starting the cycle again.

Potential triggers for post-traumatic stress disorder

• Military conflicts
• Natural disasters
• Serious road accidents
• Sexual assaults
• Muggings

How is PTSD diagnosed?

Prof Hughes told the BBC News website: "The sorts of symptoms after battle were very clearly what we would call now post-traumatic stress symptoms.

"They described hearing and seeing ghosts talking to them, who would be the ghosts of people they'd killed in battle - and that's exactly the experience of modern-day soldiers who've been involved in close hand-to-hand combat."

A diagnosis and understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder emerged after the Vietnam War. It was dismissed as shell shock in World War One.

Prof Hughes said: "As long as there has been civilisation and as long as there has been warfare, there has been post-traumatic symptoms. It's not a 21st Century thing."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cosmetic surgery rules proposed

23 January 2015 Last updated at 07:59 By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

Doctors should be prevented from performing cosmetic surgery outside their speciality, according to the Royal College of Surgeons.

It told the BBC the current rules allowed "GPs to do nose jobs" and that was "a big problem" for patients.

The organisation wants a new system to certify surgeons for each procedure.

Bodies that represent aesthetic plastic surgeons say that they support the idea but it will only help patients if it is "mandatory and policed".

The whole industry has been under intense scrutiny since thousands of women were fitted with sub-standard breast implants made by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

Ministers described it as a "cowboy industry" of "murky practices".

The Royal College of Surgeons has launched a consultation on ways of cleaning up the industry.

One suggestion is a register of certified surgeons to help the public make an informed decision about the quality of their surgeon.

Doctors would have to be a proven specialist in their field and provide evidence about their success rates.

'Cowboy behaviour'

Stephen Cannon, the vice-president of the College, told the BBC News website: "Operating outside of speciality is a big problem in private practice as money is involved, so we hope to rectify that.

"There will be no concerns if you're already an established surgeon doing extremely well.

Continue reading the main story

We really need it to be mandatory; we need every plastic surgeon and cosmetic surgeon to be involved in it and be regulated and certified"

End Quote Gary Ross Consultant aesthetic and plastic surgeon

"But it'll stop the general practitioner doing the nose job, it'll stop the dermatologist lifting someone's breasts, it'll stop all that cowboy behaviour which goes on."

However, the certificate system will be voluntary.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) says the proposal is a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough.

Rajiv Grover, a Baaps spokesman and former president, said: "This will only protect the public if the recommendations are mandatory and policed.

"It is essential that the public know who to go to when seeking a qualified cosmetic surgeon, but also, to be assured that the quality of their outcome will meet accepted standards, and particularly to meet their own expectations."

'Recognising expertise'

Gary Ross, a consultant cosmetic and plastic surgeon, told the BBC the new regulations were "a start" but that more needed to be done:

"We really need it to be mandatory; we need every plastic surgeon and cosmetic surgeon to be involved in it and be regulated and certified.

"I think the public and the surgeons and the providers, everyone, must strive for that."

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Plastic surgery patient Sam Barton: "I didn't ask about the possible outcomes"

Nigel Mercer, the president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, said: "This tightening of existing regulations will go a long way to help prospective patients and employing clinics recognise high-quality surgical expertise, leading to improved patient safety."

The Royal College of Surgeons advised people to look beyond the bill when picking a surgeon.

Have you had plastic surgery and were unhappy with the results? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with any information. Please leave a telephone number if you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist.

Have your say

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola vaccine 'shipped to Liberia'

23 January 2015 Last updated at 09:01 By Smitha Mundasad Health reporter, BBC News

The first batch of an experimental vaccine against Ebola is on its way to Liberia.

The shipment will be the first potentially preventative medicine to reach one of the hardest hit countries.

But experts say that, with Ebola cases falling, it may be difficult to establish whether the jab offers any protection against the virus.

It has been produced by British company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the US National Institutes of Health.

Continue reading the main story

Because case numbers are starting to come down it will become harder and harder to show if the vaccine is having any impact"

End Quote Prof Jonathan Ball Nottingham Univeristy

Meaningful protection

GSK said a plane carrying some 300 initial doses of the vaccine was expected to arrive in Monrovia on Friday.

And the company hopes the first volunteer will be immunised in the next few weeks.

The chief executive of GSK, Sir Andrew Witty, said the pace of development was almost unparalleled and was comparable to only the development of a pandemic flu vaccine or new medicines for HIV.

He told the BBC: "As an example we have delayed two other vaccine development programmes to free up the space to do this work, so this has come with a significant amount of disruption."

Scientists aim to involve 30,000 volunteers in the trial in total, including frontline health workers.

If all regulations are met, 10,000 volunteers will be given the GSK vaccine.

A matching number will get a placebo, dummy vaccine. And there are plans for a further 10,000 people to get a separate experimental jab.

The results will be compared to see if either vaccine offers any meaningful protection against the virus.

A version of the vaccine has already been tested on 200 healthy volunteers across the UK, US, Switzerland and Mali.

GSK says it has been found to have an acceptable safety profile so far.

But it is only in affected countries that experts can determine whether it provides adequate protection against the virus.

Dr Moncef Slaoui, of GlaxoSmithKline said: "Shipping the vaccine today is a major achievement and shows that we remain on track with the accelerated development of our candidate Ebola vaccine.

"The initial phase one data we have seen are encouraging and give us confidence to progress to the next phases of clinical testing."

Falling opportunities

The company stresses the vaccine is still in development and the World Health Organization, and other regulators, would have to be satisfied the vaccine is both safe and effective before any mass immunisation campaigns could be considered.

Field trials of other promising vaccines - for example one involving the company Merck - are planned in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the months to come.

And there are reports that a trial of an experimental drug called Zmapp might start in the next few weeks.

However, experts say with the number of Ebola cases falling opportunities to test vaccines and drugs could be limited.

Prof Jonathan Ball, a virus expert based at Nottingham University, told the BBC: "Because case numbers are starting to come down it will become harder and harder to show if the vaccine is having any impact.

"Ultimately we may be in position in a few months time where we don't know whether this vaccine is effective in humans.

"But it is important to get answers if we can - if not for this outbreak, for future outbreaks. We need to be prepared."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

A&E waiting times in England improve

23 January 2015 Last updated at 11:33 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Waiting times in A&E units in England have improved to their best level since November - but the target is still being missed, figures show.

A total of 92.4% of patients were seen in four hours in the seven days up until Sunday.

The target is 95% and has been missed on a weekly basis since the start of October.

But until this latest week performance had dropped to its lowest levels since 2010. That record low is now over.

In the first week of January, performance was lower than 87% - the worst it has been since weekly records began in 2010.

Continue reading the main story

During the latest week, the NHS seems to have been helped because the number of attendances has fallen.

It has been suggested that people have heeded warnings to only visit hospitals in emergencies after weeks of bad headlines.

'Huge pressures'

But Dame Barbara Hakin, of NHS England, said that while demands had "eased" the NHS was still facing "huge pressures on its frontline services".

She added: "For the second successive week there has been an improvement in A&E performance. It is encouraging.

"But I want to pay tribute to out staff for the excellent job they are doing in continuing to provide an incredibly robust response."

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Winter wards can help ease bed blocking in A&E, as Fiona Trott reports

Nonetheless, only 29 of the 140 major hospital trusts - the overall figures include walk-in centres and minor injury units - met the target.

Some 110 met it with not data provided for one site, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust.

There was also a rise in delayed discharges - this is where a hospital is unable to release a patient despite their treatment being completed because a lack of support available in the community.

The problem has been highlighted as a key reason for hospitals struggling in the New Year as the delays mean the flow of patients through the hospital system slows.

Other parts of the UK are also struggling. The target is being missed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales - with the latter seeing the worst waits since the current way of measuring it began in 2009.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

GP practices in special measures

22 January 2015 Last updated at 12:23 By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

Three GP practices have been placed in "special measures" as part of a new inspection regime.

The Care Quality Commission said "significant areas of concern" had been uncovered at the surgeries in Liverpool, Reading and Greater Manchester.

They could be closed in six months if services do not improve.

The first results from the inspections rated five inadequate and 10 as requiring improvement.

Three were given an outstanding rating and 57 were classed good.

Those placed in special measures were:

• Dr Srinivas Dharmana, Queens Drive, Liverpool - rated inadequate for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
• Dr Michael Florin, Norris Road, Sale, Greater Manchester - rated inadequate for being safe and well-led, and requiring improvement to be responsive and effective.
• Priory Avenue Surgery, Caversham, Reading - rated inadequate for being safe, effective and well-led, and requiring improvement to be caring and responsive.

NHS England is working with each practice to help it improve.

The chief inspector of general practice, Prof Steve Field, said: "It is disappointing that we have found any to be inadequate, but it is important that those practices are offered help at the earliest opportunity to improve.

"In each case, we have found significant areas of concern.

"Patients should be able to expect high quality and consistent care from their GP, which is why I have put the three practices into special measures."

Inadequate

A further two inadequate practices - Richmond Medical Centre in Leeds and Widdrington Medical Practitioners in Northumberland - have been told they will be put into special measures if they do not improve.

The CQC said the priority was to help practices improve and that surgeries would be closed only if it was "absolutely necessary".

Dr Richard Vautrey, the deputy chairman of the British Medical Associations GP committee, said: "GPs work very hard every day to provide the best possible service to their patients and the consistent message from independent patient satisfaction surveys is that the overwhelming majority of practices achieve this.

"When in rare occasions a practice is not performing as well as it would want to, there are often complex reasons which need to be fully understood.

"Such practices often work in very challenging situations and usually need help and support, not condemnation or naming and shaming, which only makes matters worse.

"It also makes it doubly difficult to recruit new GPs to help resolve the problem."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cigarette packets law flawed - firms

22 January 2015 Last updated at 11:27

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

This is what the government proposes cigarette packets will look like, as the BBC's Hugh Pym reports

Proposals to introduce standardised cigarette packaging in England are "flawed", the tobacco industry says.

The Tobacco Manufacturers Association said calls for plain packaging were based on "dogma", not evidence.

And UKIP leader Nigel Farage called the move an "appalling intrusion into consumer choice".

If approved by Parliament by May, a new law could be in force by 2016. Ministers and health groups say the change will save thousands of lives.

It follows a series of consultations on the issue.

Wales has already voted to accept any Westminster legislation on the matter. Scotland and Northern Ireland are also expected to vote on whether to back the move.

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison told MPs on Wednesday that the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government's move was likely to have a positive impact on public health, particularly for children.

Labour has already pledged to ban images on packets if it wins power and doctors say the move would save thousands of lives.

BBC health editor Hugh Pym said the changes could come into force next year if Parliament passes legislation before the end of March, although, he said, a legal challenge by the tobacco industry was "highly likely".

In the House of Commons, Ms Ellison said all the evidence pointed to standardised packaging having a positive impact - although she warned of a potential legal challenge from the cigarette industry which strongly opposes the move.

"We cannot be complacent. We all know the damage smoking does to health," she said.

"This government is completely committed to protecting children from the harm that tobacco causes."

A review of the public health implications of standardised packaging last year by Sir Cyril Chantler concluded it was very likely their introduction would lead to a modest but important reduction in the uptake and prevalence of smoking.

MPs are now expected to be given a free vote on the issue before Parliament is dissolved ahead of the general election campaign, which begins in April.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, welcomed the move.

"We need to keep up our efforts on tobacco control and standardised packaging is an important part of that," she said.

The British Lung Foundation and other health campaigners said plain packaging would reduce the appeal of cigarettes to young people.

Analysis, BBC News Sydney correspondent John Donnison

In Australia over the past two years there has been a fierce statistical battle between the tobacco industry and anti-smoking groups over whether plain packaging works.

Aussie smokers have been picking up their cigarettes in bland brown packs, plastered with pictures of black tar-stained lungs, yellow rotting teeth and pink bulging tumours since December 2012.

Since then the number-crunchers on either side of the debate have been putting out research to claim that it has either been a success or a failure.

The tobacco industry generally says plain packaging hasn't reduced smoking. Well they would say that, wouldn't they.

Anti-smoking groups say plain packaging has reduced smoking. Well they would say that, wouldn't they.

So I'm going to stick my neck out. It appears to be working, but relatively slowly.

Read more from John.

Australia became the first country to ban all images and words - apart from public health warnings - from cigarette packs in December 2012.

Simon Clark, from the pro-smoking lobbying group Forest, suggested there was substantial public opposition to the move in the UK and played down its impact in Australia.

He told BBC Breakfast: "There's no evidence that children start smoking because of packaging.

"Yes, smoking rates have continued to go down in Australia - but that's just in line with historical trends and we would expect the government to have at least waited for definitive evidence from Australia which it hasn't got."

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison announced plans for a vote on plain packaging

The Department of Health said the proposed design of the standardised packs had yet to be decided but released some examples of how they may look.

The examples are dull brown on the outside and white on the inside. Apart from health warnings, the brand or variant name will be the only text allowed.

Shadow health minister Luciana Berger said the change had been a "long time coming" and that standardised packaging would be a vital step in dealing with the "glitzy appeal" of smoking.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage tweeted: "Plain packaging is an appalling intrusion into consumer choice and the operation of the free market. Jobs and tax revenue would suffer."

Further tobacco controls are due to come into force in May 2016, when the European Tobacco Products Directive will require larger picture health warnings on packets and will ban flavourings, including menthol.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Falling Ebola cases 'turning point'

22 January 2015 Last updated at 13:41 By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

There has been a "turning point" in the Ebola crisis, with cases falling in the three affected countries, World Health Organization officials say.

Just eight cases were detected in Liberia in the last week down from a peak of 500-a-week in September. Guinea and Sierra Leone have also seen falls.

The WHO said the figures were the "most promising" since the outbreak started.

But it continues to urge caution, and to highlight the need to find those who had contact with Ebola patients.

The largest outbreak of Ebola in human history has infected 21,724 people and killed 8,641 - largely in just three countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

All are now showing falls in weekly cases:

• Cases in Liberia stand at eight-per-week down from a peak of 509
• Cases in Guinea stand at 20 per week down from a peak of 292
• Cases in Sierra Leone stand at 117-per-week down from a peak of 748

There are now some days in Liberia where no cases are reported at all.

Dr Christopher Dye, the director of strategy in the office of the director general, told the BBC News website: "The incidence is pretty clearly going down in all three countries now.

"Each of the last three weeks has been the most promising we've seen so far, the message is reductions in all places.

"I would have identified the turning point as the beginning of the decline, first in Liberia and then later in Sierra Leone and Guinea."

Resurgence

However, he argued there was "no basis for complacency" due to the risk of a resurgence in cases.

It is also uncertain whether the downward trends will continue unless there are improvements in "contact tracing".

A single case is enough to start an entire outbreak so identifying everyone who comes into contact with Ebola is vital.

Yet the latest WHO situation report says the number of people being traced "remains lower than expected in many districts".

Dr Dye added: "Contact tracing to find every last case needs to be intensified and we need all guns blazing on all fronts."

Western Sierra Leone remains another problem.

Of the 145 cases reported across all affected countries last week, more than 100 were in that region, which includes the capital Freetown.

Speaking earlier this week, the UN system co-ordinator for Ebola, David Nabarro, said: "We have a very attractive and promising situation that leads us to believe that perhaps we are beginning to see the end of the outbreak.

"Unfortunately it's not quite as simple and the reason for that is any case of Ebola in the region can restart an outbreak very quickly."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More