James Thomlinson has had lung problems all his life.
They began when he he was born prematurely by emergency caesarean and needed oxygen.
At four, he suffered from whooping cough He was diagnosed with pneumonia for the first time at seven.
Since then, he has had frequent chest infections including croup and chronic bronchitis – and at least 10 bouts of pneumonia. Read the rest of this entry »
A controversial scheme allowing girls as young as 13 to obtain the contraceptive pill from pharmacies is being piloted on the Isle of Wight.
Teenagers who approach a chemist for the morning-after pill will also be able to get a month’s supply of the contraceptive pill without seeing a doctor or informing their parents.
Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust said it would reduce unwanted pregnancies.
However, church and campaign groups have called the move “irresponsible”.
Ten of the Isle of Wight’s 30 pharmacies will be able to provide a month’s supply of the pill to a teenager without the need for a prescription. Read the rest of this entry »
The charity Alcohol Concern has issued a stark warning about the number of children drinking at dangerous levels.
It has published a report estimating the cost of hospital treatment for underage drinkers in England to be about £19m a year.
And the number of under-18s ending up in hospital after drinking too much is rising, the charity has warned. Read the rest of this entry »
Experts are warning members of the public against giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation unless they have been fully trained.
New guidelines say that those lacking the necessary skills should perform chest compressions only.
This offers the best chance of saving a life when helping in a crisis, the guidelines say. Read the rest of this entry »
More than one billion people in the world are now undernourished, according to latest figures.
The 2010 Global Hunger Index shows that child malnutrition is the biggest cause of hunger worldwide, accounting for almost half of those affected.
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia were shown to have the highest levels of hunger.
The report’s authors called on nations to tackle child malnutrition in order to reduce global hunger. Read the rest of this entry »
PM David Cameron has announced £60m over the next four years to introduce the latest cancer screening technology.
He said better bowel cancer screening, using flexible sigmoidoscopy, could save 3,000 lives a year.
Mr Cameron said he wanted to close the gap between the UK’s rate of cancer survival and the European average by at least 5,000 lives. Read the rest of this entry »
