News banner image

News

Can we eradicate malaria? featured image
Can we eradicate malaria?
10th September 2019

The world could be free of malaria - one of the oldest and deadliest diseases to affect humanity - within a generation, a major report says. Each year there are still more than 200 million cases of the disease, which mostly kills young children.

New Candida infection discovered featured image
New Candida infection discovered
17th August 2019

The drug-resistant fungus, Candida Auris, was only discovered 10 years ago but is now one of the world's most feared hospital microbes. There have been outbreaks across the world, and new research shows that global warming may have increased its prevalence...

Blood test for Alzheimers? featured image
Blood test for Alzheimers?
5th August 2019

Researchers say they can accurately identify people on track to develop Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear, which could help the progress of drug trials. US scientists were able to use levels of a protein in the blood to help predict its build-up in the brain.

Consultation times are not long enough featured image
Consultation times are not long enough
25th July 2019

NHS GP's say they are misdiagnosing patients because consultation times are too short.  A survey of family doctors found more than one in three said they had failed to properly diagnose cases because they did not have enough time to fully assess them. Typically, the time slot to see a patient is around 10 minutes.

A caring doctor is good for your health featured image
A caring doctor is good for your health
9th July 2019

Having a friendly doctor could halve the risk of a diabetic dying within the next 10 years, research suggests. Patients who feel their GP is empathetic may be more inclined to take their doctors' advice and adhere to their medication, researchers at Cambridge University claim.

Increase in measles and mumps cases featured image
Increase in measles and mumps cases
24th May 2019

A significant increase in mumps cases and continuing outbreaks of measles in England have led to calls for people to ensure they are immunised. Public Health England said even one person missing their vaccinations was "too many". There were 795 cases of mumps in the first three months of 2019, compared with 1,031 in the whole of 2018. Most mumps cases are linked to teenagers mixing when they go to university

GP Shortage in England featured image
GP Shortage in England
10th May 2019

The BBC Panorama programme discussed the issue of Private GP shortages in England. The NHS is seeing the first sustained fall in GP numbers in the UK in 50 years. The number of GPs per 100,000 people has fallen from nearly 65 in 2014 to 60 last year, analysis by the Nuffield Trust for the BBC shows. The last time numbers fell like this was in the late 1960s, and it comes at a time when the population is ageing and demands on GPs are rising

Zero risk of HIV transmission if treated featured image
Zero risk of HIV transmission if treated
4th May 2019

Further evidence that taking anti-HIV drugs stops gay men passing on the virus to sexual partners has been called a "powerful message" which should be more widely known. A study found no cases of HIV transmission over eight years. This was due to treatment reducing the virus to very low levels in the body.

Urgent treatment for blood loss featured image
Urgent treatment for blood loss
17th April 2019

Soldiers are to be issued blood-clotting injectors to save lives on the battlefield. The new autoinjector will allow soldiers to self-administer life saving drugs at the push of a button. The government plans for the technology, once proven by soldiers, to be used by all first responders in Britain, in a bid to reduce deaths from rapid blood loss such as after knife attacks.