Numbers taking flu jab falling

3 November 2012 Last updated at 00:01 ET

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Professor Nick Phin from the Health Protection Agency "It is grown in hens' eggs and this year's strain took longer to grow"

Many potential flu victims have not been vaccinated despite winter approaching, according to new figures.

The number of over 65 year olds who have been vaccinated has fallen since last year, as has the the number of younger "at risk" patients.

As of last week, only 48.9% of over 65s had been given the jab, compared with 54.8% in the same period of 2011.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "As winter approaches, we should all be on our guard against health problems."

The Department of Health (DoH) says around 4,700 people die every year in England, after getting flu.

People in at-risk groups - such as pregnant women - are 11 times more likely to die than someone who is not in an at-risk group.

Continue reading the main story

Our campaign aims to encourage people who are most at risk from flu, who have put it off or who don't think it is important, to get the vaccine"

End Quote Anna Soubry Public Health Minister

The DoH has therefore launched a campaign to encourage at-risk groups to get vaccinated and a new website, called Winterwatch, will be launched later this month to provide winter-related health data.

Public Health Minister Anna Soubry said: "We have taken the decision this year to run a flu campaign because too many people in at-risk groups have not come forward for the jab yet, although local campaigns have been running for the past month.

'£42m cost'

"Our campaign aims to encourage people who are most at risk from flu, who have put it off or who don't think it is important, to get the vaccine."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Each year the cold weather is responsible for an increase in deaths and thousands of cases of flu, falls, heart attacks and strokes.

"In past years, these extra pressures have cost the NHS £42m in emergency admissions alone.

"As winter approaches, we should all be on our guard against health problems - by taking simple steps and looking after our older friends and family we can keep warm and well."

Flu is generally just means taking time off work for most people but certain at-risk groups are prone to developing potentially fatal complications, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

One upward trend is in the number of pregnant women receiving the flu jab this year - around 25%, compared to 13.6% by this week in 2011.

Louise Silverton, director for midwifery for the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Women must also be aware of the importance of having the seasonal flu vaccination as soon as they become pregnant.

"If any pregnant woman is unsure about this, I would urge them to speak to their midwife or doctor to discuss the issue.

"For women after their 28th week of pregnancy, they should ask for the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination when they visit the GP."

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Europe backs first gene therapy

2 November 2012 Last updated at 07:00 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

A treatment which corrects errors in a person's genetic code has been approved for commercial use in Europe for the first time.

The European Commission has given Glybera marketing authorisation, meaning it can be sold throughout the EU.

It is a gene therapy for a rare disease which leaves people unable to properly digest fats.

The manufacturers say it will be available next year.

Gene therapy has a simple premise. If there is a problem with part of a patient's genetic code then change the code.

However, the field has been plagued with problems. Patients have developed leukaemia and in one trial in the US a teenager died.

In Europe and the US, the therapies are used only in research labs.

Fat problems

Glybera is used to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency. One in a million people have damaged copies of a gene which is essential for breaking down fats.

It means fat builds up in the blood leading to abdominal pain and life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

The only way to manage the condition is by having a very low-fat diet.

The therapy, developed by UniQure, uses a virus to infect muscle cells with a working copy of the gene.

The European Medicines Agency recommended the therapy was made available for the most severely ill patients earlier in 2012.

UniQure chief executive officer Jorn Aldag said: "The final approval of Glybera from the European Commission marks a major step forward in making gene therapies available not only for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, but also for a large number of rare diseases with a very high unmet medical need."

The company said it would apply for regulatory approval in the US and Canada.

China was the first country to officially sanction a gene therapy.

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Tougher end-of-life rules planned

3 November 2012 Last updated at 10:49 ET

Relatives of terminally-ill patients would have to be consulted before a decision to withdraw food or water is taken, under new government proposals.

It comes after some patients were placed on the Liverpool Care Pathway - designed to relieve suffering - without their relatives' knowledge.

The government wants to ensure families are told of life and death decisions.

The instruction will be included in a number of proposed changes to the NHS Constitution to be unveiled on Monday.

The Liverpool Care Pathway was developed at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the city's Marie Curie hospice to relieve suffering in dying patients, setting out principles for their treatment in their final days and hours.

Supporters say it can make the end of a patient's life as comfortable as possible and the method is also widely backed by doctors and many health charities.

However, critics argue it can be inhumane.

The government has now said that the rules needed to be stricter, meaning relatives of patients are always consulted before the technique is applied.

'New right'

A Department of Health (DoH) spokesman said the proposed changes would set out a "new right" under the NHS Constitution, which was established by the Health Act 2009, but he stopped short of describing the move as a "legal requirement".

However, the spokesman added: "Anybody providing NHS services is required by law to take account of it [the NHS constitution] in their decisions and actions."

Some reports suggested health trusts that failed to involve patients and families in decisions could be sued, while doctors could face being struck off.

The DoH spokesman said it was unlikely policy had been developed on this as the proposal was still at an early stage.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will launch a 12-week consultation on the proposed changes to the constitution - the formal statement of patients' rights - on Monday.

Health minister Norman Lamb said this week that it was "completely wrong" for terminally-ill patients to be put on a "pathway" to death without relatives being consulted.

Mr Lamb has called a meeting of doctors and patients to discuss worries about the pathway.

Meanwhile, Conservative peer Baroness Knight called for an inquiry into claims some people might have survived had they not received this treatment.

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Fifth UK drug user has anthrax

2 November 2012 Last updated at 06:53 ET

A drug user in Oxford is recovering from an anthrax infection after injecting heroin, say health experts.

The case comes after two people who injected drugs died from anthrax infections in Blackpool in August and September.

The Health Protection Agency said there was an ongoing outbreak of anthrax infections amongst drug users in Europe with 12 cases so far, five in the UK.

The HPA says heroin can be contaminated by anthrax spores.

There have now been three cases in England (one of which was fatal), one in Scotland and one in Wales.

Four cases have also been seen in Germany, two in Denmark and one in France, but health experts are still waiting to see if these are connected.

However the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) have concluded that heroin users in Europe are still at risk of exposure to anthrax.

'No safe route'

Dr Fortune Ncube, an expert in infections among people who inject drugs at the HPA, said: "Anthrax can be cured with antibiotics, if treatment is started early.

"It is therefore important for medical professionals to be alert to the possibly of anthrax infection in heroin users presenting with signs and symptoms - which include severe soft tissue infections or blood poisoning - to prevent any delays in providing treatment."

He added: "It is possible that further cases may be seen in people who inject heroin.

"People who use drugs may become infected with anthrax when the heroin they use is contaminated with anthrax spores.

"This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked or snorted. There is no safe route for consuming heroin or other drugs that may be contaminated with anthrax spores."

NHS staff were made aware of the possibility of cases of anthrax in people who inject heroin following the first UK case earlier this year.

An NHS doctor who works with injecting drug users said they should not ignore unusual symptoms.

Dr Eamonn O'Moore, director of the HPA's Thames Valley Health Protection Unit, said: "Injecting drug users often experience skin infection but we strongly advise them not to ignore signs such as redness or excessive swelling around injection sites, or other symptoms of general illness such a high temperature, chills, severe headaches or breathing difficulties.

"They should seek medical advice quickly in such circumstances generally but particularly now because we have concerns that some batches of heroin in circulation in Oxfordshire and the wider Thames Valley may be contaminated with anthrax."

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Europe backs first gene therapy

2 November 2012 Last updated at 07:00 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

A treatment which corrects errors in a person's genetic code has been approved for commercial use in Europe for the first time.

The European Commission has given Glybera marketing authorisation, meaning it can be sold throughout the EU.

It is a gene therapy for a rare disease which leaves people unable to properly digest fats.

The manufacturers say it will be available next year.

Gene therapy has a simple premise. If there is a problem with part of a patient's genetic code then change the code.

However, the field has been plagued with problems. Patients have developed leukaemia and in one trial in the US a teenager died.

In Europe and the US, the therapies are used only in research labs.

Fat problems

Glybera is used to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency. One in a million people have damaged copies of a gene which is essential for breaking down fats.

It means fat builds up in the blood leading to abdominal pain and life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

The only way to manage the condition is by having a very low-fat diet.

The therapy, developed by UniQure, uses a virus to infect muscle cells with a working copy of the gene.

The European Medicines Agency recommended the therapy was made available for the most severely ill patients earlier in 2012.

UniQure chief executive officer Jorn Aldag said: "The final approval of Glybera from the European Commission marks a major step forward in making gene therapies available not only for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, but also for a large number of rare diseases with a very high unmet medical need."

The company said it would apply for regulatory approval in the US and Canada.

China was the first country to officially sanction a gene therapy.

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Numbers taking flu jab falling

3 November 2012 Last updated at 00:01 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Professor Nick Phin from the Health Protection Agency "It is grown in hens' eggs and this year's strain took longer to grow"

Many potential flu victims have not been vaccinated despite winter approaching, according to new figures.

The number of over 65 year olds who have been vaccinated has fallen since last year, as has the the number of younger "at risk" patients.

As of last week, only 48.9% of over 65s had been given the jab, compared with 54.8% in the same period of 2011.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "As winter approaches, we should all be on our guard against health problems."

The Department of Health (DoH) says around 4,700 people die every year in England, after getting flu.

People in at-risk groups - such as pregnant women - are 11 times more likely to die than someone who is not in an at-risk group.

Continue reading the main story

Our campaign aims to encourage people who are most at risk from flu, who have put it off or who don't think it is important, to get the vaccine"

End Quote Anna Soubry Public Health Minister

The DoH has therefore launched a campaign to encourage at-risk groups to get vaccinated and a new website, called Winterwatch, will be launched later this month to provide winter-related health data.

Public Health Minister Anna Soubry said: "We have taken the decision this year to run a flu campaign because too many people in at-risk groups have not come forward for the jab yet, although local campaigns have been running for the past month.

'£42m cost'

"Our campaign aims to encourage people who are most at risk from flu, who have put it off or who don't think it is important, to get the vaccine."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Each year the cold weather is responsible for an increase in deaths and thousands of cases of flu, falls, heart attacks and strokes.

"In past years, these extra pressures have cost the NHS £42m in emergency admissions alone.

"As winter approaches, we should all be on our guard against health problems - by taking simple steps and looking after our older friends and family we can keep warm and well."

Flu is generally just means taking time off work for most people but certain at-risk groups are prone to developing potentially fatal complications, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

One upward trend is in the number of pregnant women receiving the flu jab this year - around 25%, compared to 13.6% by this week in 2011.

Louise Silverton, director for midwifery for the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Women must also be aware of the importance of having the seasonal flu vaccination as soon as they become pregnant.

"If any pregnant woman is unsure about this, I would urge them to speak to their midwife or doctor to discuss the issue.

"For women after their 28th week of pregnancy, they should ask for the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination when they visit the GP."

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Stem cell op may 'restore sperm'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 23:09 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Boys left infertile by childhood cancer treatment may one day be able to produce healthy sperm by using stored stem cells, monkey research suggests.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can kill tumours and the cells which make sperm.

A study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, extracted sperm-producing stem cells before cancer treatment and later placed them back into the monkey.

Sperm which could fertilise an egg were produced, which experts labelled a "milestone" in research.

Most men who have cancer treatment which could affect their fertility can choose to freeze sperm before their treatment starts. This is not an option for patients who have not yet gone through puberty.

Continue reading the main story

These are issues we still must work through, but this study does show us the concept is feasible"

End Quote Dr Kyle Orwig Researcher

However, they do have the spermatogonial stem cells which would start to produce sperm in their teenage years.

The researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Magee-Womens Research Institute took samples of the stem cells from macaques and stored them in a freezer.

The monkeys were then given a chemotherapy drug.

Their own stem cells were implanted back where they came from after the course of chemotherapy had ended. Nine out of 12 adult monkeys and three out of five prepubescent monkeys were later able to produce sperm again.

Separate experiments showed eggs could be fertilised with sperm produced after the procedure.

'Feasible'

Dr Kyle Orwig, from the department of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive medicine at Pitt School of Medicine, said: "This study demonstrates that spermatogonial stem cells from higher primates can be frozen and thawed without losing their activity, and that they can be transplanted to produce functional sperm that are able to fertilise eggs and give rise to early embryos."

He said there were still many challenges before this could be used in people: "Should we re-introduce the spermatogonial cells as soon as treatment is over, or wait until the patient is considered cured of his disease, or when he is ready to start a family? How do we eliminate the risk of cancer recurrence if we give back untreated cells that might include cancer cells?

"These are issues we still must work through, but this study does show us the concept is feasible."

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC that the idea had been discussed repeatedly but "experiments have never come close to suggesting it might work in humans".

However, he said: "This report is a very useful step forward and clearly shows that the science of spermatogonial stem cells transplantation might one day work for humans. And, although the authors report relatively low efficiency so far, in the context of someone who does not have any banked sperm to fall back on, these odds are probably very encouraging to make this kind of approach worthwhile."

He also highlighted safety concern saying: "It would be a disaster to give the cancer back to someone because cancer cells are lurking in the transplant.

"But also we need to make sure that the genetics of sperm produced from transplanted spermatogonial stem cells is correct and leads to the birth of healthy offspring which themselves give rise to healthy grandchildren and great grandchildren."

Pierre Fouchet, a researcher at the CEA Institute of Cellular and Molecular Radiobiology in France, said the results: "Constitute a milestone in the field of reproduction and generate hope for restoring fertility in survivors of childhood cancer."

However, he said advances in fertility research needed "intense debate" about the social consequences.

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Fifth UK drug user has anthrax

2 November 2012 Last updated at 06:53 ET

A drug user in Oxford is recovering from an anthrax infection after injecting heroin, say health experts.

The case comes after two people who injected drugs died from anthrax infections in Blackpool in August and September.

The Health Protection Agency said there was an ongoing outbreak of anthrax infections amongst drug users in Europe with 12 cases so far, five in the UK.

The HPA says heroin can be contaminated by anthrax spores.

There have now been three cases in England (one of which was fatal), one in Scotland and one in Wales.

Four cases have also been seen in Germany, two in Denmark and one in France, but health experts are still waiting to see if these are connected.

However the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) have concluded that heroin users in Europe are still at risk of exposure to anthrax.

'No safe route'

Dr Fortune Ncube, an expert in infections among people who inject drugs at the HPA, said: "Anthrax can be cured with antibiotics, if treatment is started early.

"It is therefore important for medical professionals to be alert to the possibly of anthrax infection in heroin users presenting with signs and symptoms - which include severe soft tissue infections or blood poisoning - to prevent any delays in providing treatment."

He added: "It is possible that further cases may be seen in people who inject heroin.

"People who use drugs may become infected with anthrax when the heroin they use is contaminated with anthrax spores.

"This could be a source of infection if injected, smoked or snorted. There is no safe route for consuming heroin or other drugs that may be contaminated with anthrax spores."

NHS staff were made aware of the possibility of cases of anthrax in people who inject heroin following the first UK case earlier this year.

An NHS doctor who works with injecting drug users said they should not ignore unusual symptoms.

Dr Eamonn O'Moore, director of the HPA's Thames Valley Health Protection Unit, said: "Injecting drug users often experience skin infection but we strongly advise them not to ignore signs such as redness or excessive swelling around injection sites, or other symptoms of general illness such a high temperature, chills, severe headaches or breathing difficulties.

"They should seek medical advice quickly in such circumstances generally but particularly now because we have concerns that some batches of heroin in circulation in Oxfordshire and the wider Thames Valley may be contaminated with anthrax."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Europe backs first gene therapy

2 November 2012 Last updated at 07:00 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

A treatment which corrects errors in a person's genetic code has been approved for commercial use in Europe for the first time.

The European Commission has given Glybera marketing authorisation, meaning it can be sold throughout the EU.

It is a gene therapy for a rare disease which leaves people unable to properly digest fats.

The manufacturers say it will be available next year.

Gene therapy has a simple premise. If there is a problem with part of a patient's genetic code then change the code.

However, the field has been plagued with problems. Patients have developed leukaemia and in one trial in the US a teenager died.

In Europe and the US, the therapies are used only in research labs.

Fat problems

Glybera is used to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency. One in a million people have damaged copies of a gene which is essential for breaking down fats.

It means fat builds up in the blood leading to abdominal pain and life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

The only way to manage the condition is by having a very low-fat diet.

The therapy, developed by UniQure, uses a virus to infect muscle cells with a working copy of the gene.

The European Medicines Agency recommended the therapy was made available for the most severely ill patients earlier in 2012.

UniQure chief executive officer Jorn Aldag said: "The final approval of Glybera from the European Commission marks a major step forward in making gene therapies available not only for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, but also for a large number of rare diseases with a very high unmet medical need."

The company said it would apply for regulatory approval in the US and Canada.

China was the first country to officially sanction a gene therapy.

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Faulty implant action 'too slow'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 05:01 ET By Smitha Mundasad BBC News

The European Commission is not acting quickly enough to protect patients from potential harm from medical implants, a parliamentary committee warns.

Current Europe-wide regulation on medical implants, such as hip replacement joints, is too slow to change, they say.

The EC is revising the regulation, but changes are not expected to take effect until at least 2015.

The report comes after recent concerns about the safety of hip implants.

"I think in the interests of patients we would get a better system in place if the commission speeded up the process to revise current regulations," said Andrew Miller, chairman of the Science and Technology Select Committee.

Continue reading the main story

There is an urgent need for more transparency in the regulatory system.."

End Quote Andrew Miller Science and Technology Select Committee

Under the present system new devices must gain the Europe-wide mark of approval - the CE mark - from one of 70 regulatory organisations, known as notified bodies.

The committee raised concerns that notified bodies might vary in quality and that manufacturers might be shopping around for regulators based in the country with the least stringent regulations.

"There is an urgent need for more transparency in the regulatory system so that patients and doctors know where their implant is coming from, and crucially whether the product has previously been turned down by other regulatory bodies," Mr Miller said.

'Inadequate' safety testing

He is calling for there to be a public record every time a manufacturer approaches a notified body for approval, allowing this "forum shopping" to be spotted more easily.

The report also warns some patients may be given medical implants that have had little known safety testing, as currently regulators may rely on safety information gathered from similar, equivalent products.

This means an implant may be used across the European Union without evidence of its own safety and performance, the report says.

The committee recommends that for all medical implants that are currently in use, any existing data must be published immediately.

It also calls for compulsory reporting by doctors of any faulty products they come across.

"The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons is pleased that the government has moved to better regulate all CE-marked medical devices, and in particular, we praise the call for all existing evidence on medical devices to be published immediately," said consultant plastic surgeon and former BAAPS president Nigel Mercer.

"Without these changes the public cannot be sure that they can ever be safe from another PIP-like fiasco."

Professor Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, agreed there urgently needed to be an "increase of transparency and accountability across the entire regulatory framework for medical implants".

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