health news

Dangerous air pollution resulting from wildfires poses lethal health hazards to people living and working in the surrounding areas. Residents with respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis and also those with chronic heart disease should take extra precautions during this time and call their physician immediately if problems develop.

A study by the Health Protection Agency's Malaria Reference Laboratory (HPA) and published in today's BMJ.com shows that despite highly effective measures available to prevent malaria, the burden of disease among UK travellers has steadily increased over the last 20 years. There were 39,300 cases of malaria in the UK between 1987 and 2006.

With the start of the school holidays, the Health Protection Agency is warning people of the potential health risks of carbon monoxide poisoning from fossil fuel burning appliances - such as gas powered fridges, heaters or cookers - while on caravanning holidays.

The British Dental Association has noted the recognition of the importance placed on dentistry in the NHS Next Stage Review, published today by the Department of Health. The review is published just one day after the Department of Health was criticised for the failures of the new dental contract by the Health Select Committee.

ASHP provided detailed suggestions to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to improve the agency's proposed survey to assess adherence to measures that protect the safety and health of healthcare workers. ASHP encouraged NIOSH to decrease the complexity and length of the survey where possible to increase participation by respondents.

ASHP played a key role in a recent national conference to discuss solutions and best practices for improving medication access, use and safety for patients in rural healthcare settings.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells important to brain health as we age, researchers at the University of rochester medical Center have found. The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia. Neuroresearchers observed that statins, one of the most widely prescribed classes of medicine ever used, have an unexpected effect on brain cells. Scientists looked at the effects of statins on glial progenitor cells, which help the brain stay healthy by serving as a crucial reservoir of cells that the brain can customize depending on its needs. The team observed that the compounds spur the cells, which are very similar to stem cells, to shed their flexibility and become one particular type of cell........

The federal agency that oversees labor law has ordered Fremont-Rideout Health Group to stand trial on charges that it violated the federal rights of its registered nurses, enforced work rules in a discriminatory manner, and engaged in other serious violations of law. An administrative law judge of the National Labor Relations Board will conduct the hearing, which is scheduled to begin on August 18 in Sacramento.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the regulator for all nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, has responded to the adoption of the EU Directive on the application of patients' rights in cross border healthcare. The draft Directive clarifies the circumstances under which EU patients can expect to be reimbursed, by their home country, for healthcare sought in another Member State.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has led negotiations with NHS employers over the past year and has won a 10 per cent increase in all Agenda for Change Standard and Regular Mileage Allowances for nurses across the United Kingdom. Nurses have been feeling the pinch with rising fuel costs and many are struggling financially to travel to and from work.