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Warning over triathlon death rate

Mon, 25 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

It is one of the fastest-growing Olympic sports and one of the most gruelling. But a series of deaths among competitors in the triathlon has raised concerns about whether the physical demands of the race are too great.

Four more with swine flu

Mon, 25 May 2009 14:40:03 GMT

Four more people were confirmed with the swine flu virus today, taking the total number in the UK to 137, health officials said.

Skin-cancer diagnoses hit record high

Sun, 24 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The number of people diagnosed each year with the deadliest form of skin cancer has topped 10,000, figures showed today.

Media and publishing staff are worst binge-drinkers

Sun, 24 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

People working in media, publishing and entertainment sectors are the heaviest drinkers, according to the Department of Health. They consume an average of 44 units a week, almost twice the recommended maximum amount of three-to-four units a day for men, and two-to-three for women.

'Legal highs' crackdown is doomed to failure, say experts

Sun, 24 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Dealers of recreational drugs will barely be affected by the Home Office's crackdown on "legal highs" because manufacturers have already developed alternative substances that will escape prohibition.

NHS 'loses' thousands of medical records

Sun, 24 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The personal medical records of tens of thousands of people have been lost by the NHS in a series of grave data security leaks. Between January and April this year, 140 security breaches were reported within the NHS – more than the total number from inside central Government and all local authorities combined.

UK swine flu toll is really 30,000, says leading scientist

Sat, 23 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Thirty thousand people in Britain are likely to have been already infected by swine flu, one of the country's leading authorities has told The Independent on Sunday. This would mean that the virus is 300 times more widespread than the Health Protection Agency (HPA) admits.

Five more cases of swine flu confirmed

Fri, 22 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Five new cases of swine flu were confirmed yesterday, taking the UK total to 117, health officials said. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the new cases were two adults from London, two adults from the South-east and a child from the West Midlands.

First British sextuplets born for 26 years

Fri, 22 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

A woman has given birth to six babies at a hospital in Northern Ireland, equalling a British record set 26 years ago.

Abortion rate falls for the first time in six years

Thu, 21 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Figures published yesterday by the Department of Health showed a surprising reduction in the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales – the first such fall since 2003.

Girl, 8, has ovarian cancer

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:33:37 GMT

An eight-year-old girl was undergoing treatment today for ovarian cancer - a disease which normally affects much older women.

Hepatitis victims lose battle for extra cash

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Haemophiliacs who contracted HIV from infected blood will see payments they receive from the Government double but those infected with hepatitis C will get no extra cash, ministers have announced.

'One in ten men on brink of alcoholism,' says report

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

A quarter of the adult population is drinking at levels that are hazardous to their health, a report says today.

Too much cola 'leads to muscle and heart problems'

Wed, 20 May 2009 10:55:56 GMT

Experts have issued a warning against drinking large quantities of cola, saying it could lead to muscle problems, an irregular heartbeat and bone weakness.

800 haemophiliacs given tainted blood at risk of vCJD

Tue, 19 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

More than 800 people with haemophilia have received contaminated blood products putting them at heightened risk of developing vCJD, the Government has disclosed for the first time.

Huge rise in Chlamydia cases among under-16s

Tue, 19 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The extent of sexually transmitted diseases among children under 16 is revealed for the first time in figures issued by the Government yesterday.

Health officials weigh supply of global flu vaccines

Tue, 19 May 2009 14:09:46 GMT

Health officials today sought to find ways to increase the global supply of vaccines that could be used to protect the world's most vulnerable people against H1N1 flu.

Semen test for prostate cancer

Tue, 19 May 2009 08:47:37 GMT

Men could be tested for prostate cancer in future by studying samples of their semen, it was claimed yesterday.

Japan confirms dozens more swine flu cases

Tue, 19 May 2009 07:49:37 GMT

Japan confirmed dozens more swine flu cases overnight bringing its tally to 176, health officials said today, as the government considered scaling down quarantine checks at airports while focusing on its domestic outbreak.

Sex infections soar in under-16s

Tue, 19 May 2009 07:29:49 GMT

Sexually transmitted diseases amongst children have rocketed in the past five years, according to figures released by the Government.

Inquest begins into deaths of new mothers

Mon, 18 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Two mothers died within a day of each other after giving birth on the same day at the same hospital, an inquest was told yesterday.

Teacher is New York's first swine flu death

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:28:10 GMT

New flu strain spreads in Japan

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:20:36 GMT

Japan today confirmed 125 people, many of whom had not been abroad, had been infected with the new strain of H1N1 flu after New York recorded its first death from the virus and Chile reported its first two cases.

Swine flu hits another 14 in UK

Sun, 17 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The number of people confirmed with swine flu in the UK has passed the 100 mark after 14 more cases were identified, the Health Protection Agency said.

Relatives of Gosport dead demand new police inquiry

Sat, 16 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has been asked to reopen its investigation into a series of controversial deaths at Gosport War Memorial Hospital. Relatives are asking it to revive the inquiry after several pieces of new evidence emerged during recent inquests.