Latest healthcare news

Coronavirus Lockdown – The Way Forward A proposal in the Lancet Journal by Julian Dopito of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:  We as a population are being offered alternating periods of lockdown and relaxation of restrictions during this...

Wearing Facemasks The WHO has shown inconsistency in their initial guidance on whether these should be worn.  In January 2020 the WHO did not recommend the mass wearing of masks in healthy individuals within the community as a way to prevent infection of...

COVID TESTING AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF IMMUNITY AND THE RESULTS Let us start with the basics. SensitivityThis is the ability of the test to detect the immune protection.  If 100 patients have immunity and the test is positive in 90 of them, then it has a 90%...

COVID-19 TESTING Rapid near patient testing for both current and past infection is urgently required. Test, test, test was the mantra of the World Health Organisation and is the key to controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its clinical manifestation COVID-19....

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses capable of causing infection ranging from a common cold to severe respiratory conditions.  The most recently discovered coronavirus is COVID-19. The current guidance from Public Health England suggests that most people...

There are more than 200 different types of cancer that can cause many different symptoms.  Knowing what is normal for your body means you are more likely to recognise new symptoms.  Detecting cancer at an early stage can save lives. Self-checks including...

New Year’s resolutions start to wane and the good intention of giving up alcohol is now passing as we return to our usual drinking habits.  However, are we really aware of the risk of drinking alcohol?  Alcohol is a powerful chemical that can have a wide range of...

Bowel cancer: the facts  Bowel cancer is also known as colorectal cancer. It is a cancer of the large bowel or rectum.  Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer. Over 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel...

November 21 2019 marks World Pancreatic Cancer Day, a day dedicated to the combined efforts of more than 80 organisations from over 30 countries to inspire action for better outcomes for pancreatic cancer. It is essential to raise awareness of this specific cancer,...

Influenza is a viral infection of the respiratory tract and is highly infectious.  Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, dry cough, sore throat and stuffy nose. Most healthy individuals usually recover within two to seven...