Cleaning up the NHS
UNISON, the UK-based union for workers in the health-care sector, is urging health ministers to bring back hospital cleaners, whose number has almost halved in the past 20 years.

Smoking wipes out protective genes
A University of Rochester scientist discovered that the toxins in cigarette smoke wipe out a gene that plays a vital role in protecting the body from the effects of premature aging.

World Medical Association calls for increased numbers of doctors to be trained - Magda Naude
An increase in the education and training of doctors and other health professionals has been called for by the World Medical Association as part of a move by the World Health Organisation to extend the functions of healthcare workers.

New understanding of the link between heart disease and belly fat
By now, everyone knows that overweight people have a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and other problems that arise from clogged, hardened arteries and people who carry their extra weight around their waist - giving them a "beer belly" or an "apple" shape - have the highest risk of all.

SA government under pressure to introduce new PMTCT regimen
South African AIDS activists have called on doctors and nurses to act in the best interests of HIV-positive pregnant women and their unborn children by not waiting any longer for an official directive to switch from single antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to more effective dual treatment for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT).

Sudan: HIV rate is mostly guesswork
No sign advertises the availability of voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT) at the Family Planning Centre in Port Sudan, a busy transportation hub in Sudan's Red Sea State. It is one of only three sites in town offering these services, but the waiting room is deserted.

India facing a bird flu disaster
According to a health official in India, the country's latest outbreak of bird flu could be disastrous.

Twenty-five babies tested for rare TB in Melbourne hospital scare
Following the birth of a premature baby in a Melbourne hospital late last year with a rare form of tuberculosis (TB), blood tests are being carried out on 25 babies who were also in the hospital at the time of his birth.

Extremely dangerous TB strain detected in Botswana
Two cases of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) have been confirmed in Botswana, health officials said.

Avian flu outbreak abating, says Egyptian government
Egypt's Supreme Committee to Combat Bird Flu - a government body - said on 19 January that infection rates among poultry in farms and homes had dropped sharply since the second week of January.

New compounds for treating tuberculosis and malaria
University of Navarra PhD in chemistry researcher, Esther Vicente, has discovered new compounds active for treating tuberculosis and malaria.

Scientists render Ebola harmless in the laboratory
Scientists in the United States say that they have found a way to make the lethal Ebola virus harmless in the laboratory.

Researchers identify brain's 'eureka' circuitry
Researchers have found the brain region that controls the decision to halt your midnight exploration of the refrigerator and commence enjoyment of that leftover chicken leg.

New method enables design, production of extremely novel drugs
A new chemical synthesis method based on a catalyst worth many times the price of gold and providing a far more efficient and economical method than traditional ones for designing and manufacturing extremely novel pharmaceutical compounds is described by its University at Buffalo developers in a review article in the current issue of Nature.

New research finds way for wounds to heal without scars
Scientists in Britain have found a way to make wounds can heal faster and reduce scarring.

Dark-field X-rays reveal more
A new method of using standard X-ray equipment gives scientists more revealing images of body tissue.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel - but it's not a light up
Anti-smoking vaccines set to help millions try to kick the habit and ignite underdeveloped prescription market.

Changing the way we buy medicines
Researchers in the United States propose consumers buy yearly 'medicine licenses' as new way to pay for prescriptions.

New disposable insulin pens for diabetics to be launched in January 2008 - Jenni Newman Public Relations
Sanofi-aventis announced today that a new disposable insulin pen, SoloSTAR® for use with the 24-hour insulin LANTUS® or/and the rapid-acting insulin APIDRA® will be available in South Africa starting January 2008.

Early use of lipitor in hypertension reduces heart attacks - Magna Carta
Adding lipitor early to effective blood pressure treatment provided a significant reduction in heart attacks or deaths from heart attacks over five years

Pfizer partners NPOs by deploying global health fellows - Magna Carta
Pfizer partners with 17 nonprofit organizations sending 28 fellows to help address systemic health care challenges in the developing world

Uganda: HIV/AIDS triggers rise in TB infections
Tuberculosis infection rates in Uganda have increased due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country, but the scarcity of health centres and over-crowding in camps for the displaced are also to blame, officials said.