C M G Buttery

This latest IARC Monograph states that oral contraceptives make some women more suscepitble to certain cancers, whilst protecting against others. Dr Peter Boyle, Director of IARC. the Major Public Health Importance as: These new IARC Monographs [volume 91] address exposures that are experienced daily by many millions of women world-wide.” It is of enormous public [...]

When Commissioner of Health for Virginia I really objected to the studies we had to perform every time an activist convinced a legislator that something was dangerous. The funds used for these studies had to be taken from programs that we knew worked, such as vaccinations and prenatal care. I cannot tell how many time [...]

The Commission on Health Care for the UK puts out annual reports on health status. There is no comparable body in the US. The closest reports are those from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Institute of Medicine. This year, the report reviews the state of healthcare from the point of view of the people [...]

One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to increase to at least 95% the proportion of children aged <6 years who participate* in fully operational, population-based immunization registries (objective 14-26) This report summarizes data from CDC’s 2003 Immunization Registry Annual Report (IRAR). The findings of the 2003 IRAR indicate that approximately 44% of [...]

CDC’s annual opdate on Influenza Recommendations was published today. It includes 5 principles: 1) Any peson with potential compromise of respiratory function should be vaccinated 2) All health care workers should be vaccinated 3) Use of both types of vaccine are recommended, using LAIV when inactivated vaccine is in short supply. 4) Vaccine antigen activity [...]

A fascinating report in today’s Telegraph. Homeopathy has been proved more successful and cost-effective than conventional medicine in the first comparison of the two approaches. Researchers in Germany recruited more than 400 adults and children with long-term health problems ranging from sinusitis to insomnia and depression. Half were treated using conventional therapy; the other half [...]

For years public health interventions to control infectious disease epidemics has been accepted as a proper role for public health agencies. Now in New York this approach has bene taken a step further with the announcement of monitoring of diabetes control, by sending reports of diabetes lab. tests to the NY DoH. We are not [...]

From Imperial College, London. A hormone found in the small intestine has provided a crucial breakthrough in developing new drugs to tackle the growing obesity epidemic, claim scientists. Obesity now affects more than half of all UK adults, costing the UK up to £3.7 billion a year in sickness absence and treatments. In an article [...]

A fascinating study reported in the August AJPM on the role information about vaccines may play in our immunization rates in the U.S. The study shows: Satisfaction with the amount and quality of information provided by healthcare providers may be an important factor in whether immunization schedules are optimized for children. In this study of [...]

This reminds us of the long incubation period of rabies. Travellers need reminding of the dangers of stray animals when overseas. A British woman just died of rabies, after being bitten by a stray dog while on holiday in Goa. Alison Dwerryhouse, 39, a shop assistant from Bury, near Manchester, became ill on her return [...]