eggs

The Big Question: Was Edwina Currie right about salmonella in eggs, after all?

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Friday, 17 November 2006

Why are we asking this question now? 

Salmonella is back in the news, because the Food Standards Agency has found high levels of salmonella in foreign eggs. The Government's food watchdog said that one in 30 boxes of imported eggs had salmonella, a bacterium that can cause nasty - and occasionally fatal - food poisoning. In Spanish eggs, the figure was one in eight. Quite separately, the Government has uncovered the mis-labelling of millions of battery-farm eggs as free-range.

Where does Edwina Currie come into it?

Although the British egg industry insists its eggs are safe to eat, the FSA's salmonella survey brought back memories of Edwina Currie's infamous comments in the late 1980s which plunged the egg industry into crisis. On 3 December 1988, the outspoken junior health minister told ITN: "Most of the egg production in this country sadly is now infected with salmonella." Sales of eggs plummeted 60 per cent overnight. The loss of revenue forced farmers to slaughter four million hens and destroy 400 million unwanted eggs.

What happened to Ms Currie?

She had a torrid time. Ms Currie had spoken out because cases of Salmonella enteritidis, associated with poultry production, had almost trebled in a year. But the egg industry rubbished her comments. British Egg Industry Council said the risk of getting salmonella from eating an egg was less than one in 200 million and took out adverts in all the newspapers headed "Eggs. The facts". Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture were reported to be very "angry" at their health colleague's remarks. Amid the crisis, the government mounted a multimillion-pound compensation package for egg producers. Margaret Thatcher stated her views. "I had eggs for breakfast," she said. Ms Currie resigned on 17 December.

What is salmonella?

The salmonella bacterium was first found in pigs by the 19th-century American veterinary pathologist, Daniel Elmer Salmon. It lives in the stomach and intestines of animals and humans. The chances of catching it from eating an egg are slim but the disease can be nasty, especially for vulnerable groups like children and pensioners.

A sufferer may experience fever, stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. Most patients recover in a week but it can be deadly, particularly if it spreads into the bones or blood. For such vulnerable groups the Health Protection Agency says that salmonella can be "extremely unpleasant".

Are British eggs now safe to eat?

British eggs do have salmonella. But very few. The latest FSA study, in 2003, found salmonella in 0.3 per cent of UK eggs. There was no difference between battery, free-range or organic eggs. Salmonella is almost always killed in cooking. Even then, a fit person may fight off an infection. Alas, the British egg industry was not always so healthy.

Although Ms Currie undoubtedly exaggerated the degree of salmonella in British egg production, the industry did have a problem and was giving too many people food poisoning. Farms tried to clean up but the real breakthrough came in 1998 when the vaccination of hens for salmonella was introduced at farms backing the new British Lion mark. All the big egg producers put the marks on their eggs. From 1998 there have been falls almost every year in the number of human cases of Salmonella enteritidis. In 1997, there were 22,254 cases. In 2005, there were 6,677. Yesterday a spokesman for the British Egg Information Service said: "British eggs are about as safe as you can eat."

What about foreign eggs?

A survey by the European Food Safety Agency this year found far higher rates of salmonella on the Continent than in Britain. Checks were carried out at 5,317 hen-laying farms in 23 countries; those in the EU and Norway. The proportion of UK egg farms with salmonella was 11.9 per cent, the sixth lowest. Swedish, Finnish and Danish farms had extremely low figures, between 0 and 3 per cent, probably because of the cold.

But salmonella was found in 73 per cent of Spanish farms, 77 per cent of Polish farms and 79 per cent of Portuguese farms. In France the figure was 17 per cent, in Germany 28 per cent and in Italy 30 per cent. The actual level of salmonella in eggs from these farms is far lower. The Food Standards Agency's testing of 1,744 boxes of imported eggs on sale in London and the North-west, found salmonella present in one in 30 boxes.

What does the Government say?

Cook eggs thoroughly. The Food Standards Agency advises cooking eggs until the white and yolk are solid. It especially warns against consumption of raw eggs by anyone who is very young, elderly, pregnant or already unwell, because their chance of contamination is greater. Raw eggs are used in many home-cooked and restaurant dishes such as mayonnaise, Béarnaise and hollandaise sauces, salad dressings, ice cream, icing, mousse and tiramisu and other desserts.

Does that mean we can't eat mayonnaise or tiramisu?

Not necessarily, just be careful, particularly if you have a weak immune system. Food manufacturers tend to use safe pasteurised egg for raw egg dishes. The FSA also advises caterers and home cooks to use pasteurised eggs, which are available in supermarkets. In restaurants, the FSA suggests diners ask the waiter whether the eggs have been pasteurised.

The advice was repeated at the height of the bird flu scare earlier this year because of the theoretical risk that bird flu can spread to humans through raw eggs. The FSA advises eggs be stored in the fridge away from other foods and should always be eaten by their best-before date. Not all eggs have best-before dates. But all eggs carrying the Lion Mark - 85 per cent of the country's annual 8.5 billion eggs - have them.

Did Ms Currie help?

Salmonella levels in the late 1980s were too high. By making her comments, she highlighted the problem, which was eventually solved - in Britain at least - by the introduction of vaccination. But she caused an unnecessary crisis in the poultry industry and a pointless panic among the public.

In 2006, eggs are far safer. Doing a few things can make their consumption safer still: buy Lion Mark British eggs, use them before the best-before date and don't eat dishes with raw eggs. Or take a risk and accept that you might, just might, get food poisoning.

Are eggs potentially threatening to human health?

Yes...

* Although the incidence of salmonella in eggs can be reduced, it cannot be eliminated

* People are not going to stop eating dishes such as mayonnaise and tiramisu, which require raw eggs in their preparation

* Although salmonella has been drastically reduced in the UK, a large number of imported European eggs still have the bacterium

No...

* If you cook your eggs thoroughly, you will not have a problem as cooking kills the salmonella

* Recipes that require raw eggs can still be followed, as long as the cook uses pasteurised eggs

* Not since vaccinating chickens reduced the incidence of salmonella to very low levels of risk

NHS and social services in England are failing to meet the health needs of people with learning disabilities, investigators say.

The Health Service and Local Government Ombudsmen said the standard of care was an "indictment of our society" after reviewing the deaths of six people.

They found one man died as a result of failings in his care, while a second death could have been avoided.

The government said it was taking steps to address the problems.

The ombudsmen investigated the cases after they were highlighted by the charity Mencap.

CARE LINKED TO DEATH Mark Cannon - The 30-year-old died eight weeks after being admitted to hospital with a broken leg. He waited three days to see a pain team and developed an infection. Complaints were upheld against the hospital and council - he was in a care home when he was first injured. The ombudsmen ruled care contributed to death. Martin Ryan - Died several weeks after having stroke. While in hospital, the 43-year-old went 26 days without being fed. The hospital was criticised: death could have been avoided if care had been better. Will shocking care be addressed?

They looked into complaints made by the families of the six people who died between 2003 and 2005.

The report found failings by hospitals, local health bosses, the official NHS regulator and social care services provided by councils, although none of the complaints against GPs were upheld.

It linked the care of two of the six - Mark Cannon, 30, from Romford, east London, and Martin Ryan, 43, from Richmond, west London - to their eventual deaths.

It also said the failings in the care of two more - Tom Wakefield, 20, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Ted Hughes, 61, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - was partly due to the fact that they had learning disabilities.

In the final two cases - those of Emma Kemp, 26, from Newbury, Berkshire, and Warren Cox, 30, from St Leonards, East Sussex - the complaints were not upheld, although some aspects of their care were criticised.

The ombudsmen also ruled that investigation of their complaints was flawed, although at different stages in the process.

The investigtors said there was enough evidence to suggest problems were endemic across the services.

'Inadequate care'

Ann Abraham, the Health Service Ombudsman, said: "The recurrence of complaints across different agencies leads us to believe that the quality of care in the NHS and social services for people with learning disabilities is at best patchy and at worst an indictment of our society."

Allan Cannon, father of Mark, said the family had to push at every stage to try to get better treatment.

He said no proper checks were done following Mark's surgery, and it was later discovered he had lost 40% of his blood.

"After the surgery, he was in an awful lot of pain and it just continued. He was being neglected by staff, we were calling for help."

In total, the role played by 20 different bodies in the cases was investigated.

Hospitals were criticised for the inadequate care and treatment given to people with learning disabilities as well as the way they looked into complaints.

POOR CARE BECAUSE OF DISABILITY Tom Wakefield - The 20-year-old had long history of stomach problems before dying of pneumonia and reflux problems. The council and the NHS were criticised for not planning and providing adequate care. The Healthcare Commission complaint handling was also found at fault. Ted Hughes - After spending most of his life in care homes, the 61-year-old died the day after being released from hospital after an operation. Discharge arrangements by the hospital were found to be inadequate. Anger over care for son who died

Councils were attacked for failing to provide or secure adequate levels of health care, while local health managers working for primary care trusts were said to be struggling to plan services properly.

The Healthcare Commission, the NHS regulator, was even ruled to have not handled complaints properly in some of the cases.

The ombudsmen said there was sufficient policy and guidance available, but agencies were not following it and, as a result, were in breach of human rights and disability discrimination laws.

They recommended all agencies review the systems they have in place for making sure the needs of people with learning disabilities were met.

Communication

In particular, they said staff needed to improve communication with the patients and their families, and social care and NHS teams had to work together better to ensure discharge arrangements were good enough.

The ombudsmen's report comes after the government has already promised to improve training and carry out a full inquiry into premature deaths among people with learning disabilities.

POOR INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINT Emma Kemp - The 26-year-old died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Her mother complained she should have been diagnosed earlier and given chemotherapy treatment. The complaint not upheld, but the way it was handled was criticised Warren Cox - Died 90 minutes after being admitted to hospital with stomach pains. The hospital was found to have acted correctly, but the Healthcare Commission failed to offer them proper review of case

Ministers made the announcements earlier this year after an independent inquiry last year into the deaths found significant failings.

Care services minister Phil Hope said: "Preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities are absolutely unacceptable.

"We are taking action to ensure that people with learning disabilities get the equal access to the health care that they deserve."

But Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring said the findings were "damning".

He said: "We would have liked to see individuals held accountable where they have not met required standards.

"We will continue to fight for justice for the families and, with them, consider referring the individual doctors who failed in their duty of care to the General Medical Council."

Oxford research

 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Overweight/obesity increases the risk for cancers of the oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), colorectum, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium and kidney; body weight should be maintained in the body mass index range of 18.5-25 kg/m(2), and weight gain in adulthood avoided. Alcohol causes cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus and liver, and a small increase in the risk for breast cancer; if consumed, alcohol intake should not exceed 2 units/d. Aflatoxin in foods causes liver cancer, although its importance in the absence of hepatitis virus infections is not clear; exposure to aflatoxin in foods should be minimised. Chinese-style salted fish increases the risk for nasopharyngeal cancer, particularly if eaten during childhood, and should be eaten only in moderation. Fruits and vegetables probably reduce the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach and colorectum, and diets should include at least 400 g/d of total fruits and vegetables. Preserved meat and red meat probably increase the risk for colorectal cancer; if eaten, consumption of these foods should be moderate. Salt preserved foods and high salt intake probably increase the risk for stomach cancer; overall consumption of salt preserved foods and salt should be moderate. Very hot drinks and foods probably increase the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx and oesophagus; drinks and foods should not be consumed when they are scalding hot. Physical activity, the main determinant of energy expenditure, reduces the risk for colorectal cancer and probably reduces the risk for breast cancer; regular physical activity should be taken

this is vegan, vegetarian has no meaning in the context of the bbc headline

Vegetarian diet 'cuts heart risk'

The diet combines vegetables, fruit and nuts

Eating more vegetables and soya-based products may be as effective at reducing cholesterol as medication.

Researchers in Canada have developed a vegetarian combination diet which they say cuts cholesterol by almost a third in just one month.

The diet includes vegetables, such as broccoli and red peppers; soy milk and soy sausages; oat bran cereal and bread; and fruit and nuts.

There is hope for a drug-free treatment for some people with high cholesterol Prof David Jenkins

The researchers believe the food programme could be a possible drug-free alternative to cutting cholesterol and protecting people from heart disease.

Coronary heart disease kills more than 110,000 people a year in England. A major cause is cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream.

Combination diet

It has been known for many years that individually soy protein, nuts and fibres like oats and barley can cut cholesterol by up to 7%.

Professor David Jenkins and colleagues at the University of Toronto decided to test whether the impact was stronger if these foods were combined.

They drew up a seven-day food plan using foods that are commonly available in supermarkets and health stores.

A typical day on the diet included:

A breakfast of soy milk, oat bran cereal with chopped fruit and almonds, oatmeal bread, vegetable-based margarine and jam;

a lunch of soy cold cuts, oat bran bread, bean soup and fruit; and

A stir-fry dinner with vegetables, tofu, fruit and almonds.

The researchers put 13 people on the combination diet for a month. They found that their cholesterol levels had dropped by 29% by the end of the period.

The researchers said the findings suggested the combination diet may be as effective as statins.

These drugs have been used extensively for 15 years to treat patients with high levels of cholesterol.

Professor Jenkins said further and larger studies are needed before the diet could be recommended to patients.

He said: "The take home message right now is that there is hope for a drug-free treatment for some people with high cholesterol.

"For us, the main feature now is to move this forward into longer-term studies."

But he added: "This opens up the possibility that diet can be used much more widely to lower blood cholesterol and possibly spare some individuals from having to take drugs."

The study is published in the journal Metabolism

why old age abuse

Care homes warned over dementia

By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News

Dementia affects about 700,000 people in the UK each year

Care homes need to improve their approach to people with dementia, a report by a firm of health and social care analysts has concluded.

Laing and Buisson found training was "fragmented and ad-hoc" with a third of homes failing to provide staff with specialist instruction.

The survey of 6,000 UK care homes also questioned the care provided.

It said only 57% of home residents affected by dementia were cared for in settings "dedicated" to the condition.

The figure rose to two thirds once all those who ended up with dementia while in care homes were taken into account.

The number of people in Britain with dementia is expected to more than double to 1.7m by 2051.

Ministers have already pledged action, promising to improve services, including those in care homes, in their dementia strategy published earlier this year.

In less than 15 years there will be a million people living with dementia, we need to gear the while of the care home sector to delivering good dementia care Neil Hunt, of the Alzheimer's Society

Laing and Buisson said the care home sector had started to revamp its services, but there were still serious gaps in provision.

Training was highlighted as a key area that needed addressing, with an estimated 248,000 people in care homes suffering from dementia.

The research also suggested that the aim of reducing the use of anti-psychotic drugs to sedate dementia patients would increase the need for better services.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said the findings were a "sad indictment of the current state of dementia care".

"In less than 15 years there will be a million people living with dementia; we need to gear the whole of the care home sector to delivering good dementia care."

Concern

And Stephen Burke, chief executive of Counsel and Care, a charity which represents elderly people with caring needs, said: "This report should give cause for concern."

He said the Care Quality Commission, the new health watchdog that was being launched in April, needed to make the issue a priority.

Martin Green, chief executive of English Community Care Association, suggested NHS and social care chiefs were starving the sector of money.

"Providers suffer from a lack of vision and innovation by commissioning bodies - who tend to commission block contracts at low cost for minimum services.

"What we need is commissioning that understands the complexity inherent in supporting people with dementia and delivers the resources to develop intensive one-to-one bespoke services."

Meanwhile, Prince Charles is set to call for more of a focus on dementia in a statement to open the the Alzheimer's Research Trust's annual conference in London later.

He will say: "Sadly, dementia will have an even greater impact as, in the future, the risk of dementia increases as people live longer, and the emotional, social and economic burden we all will face if this threat is left unchecked will be catastrophic."

Care services minister Phil Hope said he wanted to see care homes take a more active role in the management and care of people with dementia.

"The national dementia strategy will improve the quality of care in care homes."

same confusionmore on report

Vegetarians 'get fewer cancers'

Almost a third of adults in the study were vegetarian

A vegetarian diet may help to protect against cancer, a UK study suggests.

Analysis of data from 52,700 men and women shows that those who did not eat meat had significantly fewer cancers overall than those who did.

But surprisingly, the researchers also found a higher rate of colorectal cancer - a disease linked with eating red meat - among the vegetarians.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition the team said the findings were worth looking into.

Although it is widely recommended that people eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases, there is very little evidence looking specifically at a vegetarian diet.

It suggests there might be some reduction in cancers in vegetarians and fish-eaters and we need to look carefully at that Professor Tim Key, study leader

In the latest study, researchers looked at men and women aged 20 to 89 recruited in the UK in the 1990s.

They divided participants into meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans.

During follow-up there were fewer cancers than would be expected in the general population - probably because they were a healthier than average group of people.

But there was a significantly lower incidence of all cancers among the fish-eaters and vegetarians compared with the meat eaters.

'Confusion'

For colorectal cancer, however that trend was reversed with vegetarians having a significantly higher incidence of the condition than the other groups.

The researchers were surprised at the finding, which contradicts previous evidence linking eating lots of red meat with the disease.

Study leader Professor Tim Key, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, said no previous study had looked at diet in this way and there had been a lot of confusion about the issue.

"It's interesting - it suggests there might be some reduction in cancers in vegetarians and fish-eaters and we need to look carefully at that."

He added: "It doesn't support the idea that vegetarians would have lower rates of colorectal cancer and I think it means we need to think more carefully about how meat fits into it."

More work is needed to unpick the links between diet and cancer but such studies are incredibly hard to do, he said.

Dr Joanne Lunn, a senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said the findings highlight the fact that cancer is a complex disease and many different lifestyle factors play a part in determining a person's risk.

"An interesting observation was that the vegetarians had a higher rate of colorectal cancer than the meat-eaters.

"When you look at the detail of their diets, the meat-eaters, to which the vegetarians in this group were compared, are eating only moderate amounts of meat each day - well within the recommendations.

"Both groups are also just about meeting the recommendation to eat at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day."

norfolk potter

linda carnell potter

cameron knows nowt as well

Cameron attacks chocolate sellers

Consumers are "inundated" with chocolate offers, said Mr Cameron

"Irresponsible" marketing techniques are being used to sell chocolate and fuel Britain's obesity problem, Tory leader David Cameron has said.

In a health speech, Mr Cameron pointed to shops, including at train stations, offering cut-price chocolate bars.

He asked: "As Britain faces an obesity crisis, why does WH Smith's promote half-price Chocolate Oranges at its checkouts instead of real oranges?"

WH Smith denies acting irresponsibly and says it offers customers choice.

A spokeswoman said dried fruit and other products, as well as chocolate, were on sale in its outlets.

And promotions varied - with water among the healthy options promoted in the past, she said.

"They are marketed at adults," she said. "It's about choice - you don't have to purchase the products."

Double-edged sword

He told the King's Fund in London that business had a shared responsibility to help improve public health.

"Modern marketing techniques can be used to great effect to tackle the root causes of preventable ill-health... just as irresponsible marketing techniques can have the opposite effect," he said.

"Try and buy a newspaper at the train station and, as you queue to pay, you're surrounded, you're inundated by cut price offers for giant chocolate bars."

Mr Cameron said many shops could do more to promote healthy diets and lifestyles - and that was good business because it reduced sickness costs.

"Of course we cannot regulate in this regard but can point the finger, we can ask awkward questions and we can put some pressure on and I believe politicians and others should do so," he added

good or bad @

Scottish GPs have voted against a proposal for chocolate to be taxed in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes to tackle increasing levels of obesity.

Dr David Walker, a GP in Lanarkshire, warned that chocolate had lost its status as a "treat" and had become a harmful addition for some people.

However, his motion calling for a tax on chocolate was defeated by two votes at a BMA conference in Clydebank.

He said he was "disappointed" but glad his suggestion had provoked debate.The BBC News website's Laura Pettigrew has been speaking to one chocolate shop owner, and self-confessed chocolate lover, who is strongly opposed to the idea.

Marion sells chocolates and truffles in her shop near Glasgow

"Good chocolate is fine in moderation", said Marion Dougan.

She is the owner of Cacao chocolate shop in Milngavie, near Glasgow.

chicken and egg

e.mail from me to Linda McCartney foods
I buy a lot of pies and sausages , and occasionally other items , I am vegan
, and I have purchsed an oven stuffed chicken roll and I cannot eat it as it
is full of egg which I consider to be chicken and I have wasted my money ,
please could you and other manufacturers please be honest and make it
obvious that these products contain animal produce and true vegetarians

 eat only veg not egg.
             Thanks, a reply would be interesting

'Chocolate tax' to tackle obesity

Food industry representatives said the "chocolate tax" would not work

A Scottish GP has called for chocolate to be taxed in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes to tackle increasing levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Dr David Walker, a GP in Lanarkshire, said many people eat their entire daily calorie requirement in chocolate, on top of their normal meals.

The doctor said chocolate used to be seen as a "treat" but had now become an harmful addiction for some.

He will put his proposals to colleagues at a BMA conference in Clydebank.

Dr Walker, who is also a trained food scientist and nutritionist, told the BBC news website: "Obesity is a mushrooming problem. We are heading the same way as the United States.

"There is an explosion of obesity and the related medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes. I see chocolate as a major player in this, and I think a tax on products containing chocolate could make a real difference."

Dr Walker said that a 225g bag of chocolate sweets contained almost 1,200 calories - almost half the recommended daily calorie intake for a man - and could be eaten incredibly quickly.

People have been lulled into a false sense of security about chocolate Dr David Walker

He warned that many people were consuming this amount of chocolate on a daily basis, as well as their normal meals, and were unaware of the harm it was doing.

He said: "There is lots of negative publicity about other fast food and junk food but chocolate is sneaking under the radar.

"People have been lulled into a false sense of security about chocolate.

"I had one patient recently who said to me she thought chocolate was good for you. People are being brainwashed into believing this."

Under Dr Walker's proposal, to be presented at the annual conference of Scottish Local Medical Committees, revenue raised from taxing chocolate products would be used by the NHS to deal with the health problems caused by obesity.

He will also argue that the extra money raised could be spent on increasing and improving sports facilities.

'Lighter wallets'

Dr Walker said: "After eating a bag of chocolate sweets you would have to walk continuously for three hours to burn off the calories consumed.

"It is simply not enough to say people should get more exercise. They also need to moderate their chocolate intake and this tax would help them do that."

Representatives from the food and drinks manufacturing industry have dismissed Dr Walker's suggestion.

Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, said: "Introducing regressive taxes on the foods that consumers love would result only in lighter wallets, not smaller waists - particularly as we already have to pay VAT on all our chocolate purchases.

"While good for grabbing headlines, there is no evidence to suggest that such 'fat taxes' would actually work in reality.

"Indeed, when the BMA debated a similar motion in 2003 its members voted against such an idea on the grounds that such a taxation policy would have no effect on obesity, would hit lower income groups hardest and would be a bureaucratic nightmare."

However, Dr Walker, said he hoped Scottish GPs at the BMA conference would back his proposal.

He added: "The idea of a tax on fatty foods has been raised before and it was seen as unworkable. But I think a special case should be made for chocolate.

"It has lost its status as a 'special treat' and I think that if we charged a tax on it then, over a number of years, we could restore that status."

jan can on saturday

New guidance on IVF defects risk

The HFEA says the majority of babies born by IVF are healthy

Couples seeking IVF are to be warned children born as a result of the fertility treatment may face a higher risk of birth defects.

Guidance from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is to be updated in the light of US research.

Scientists in Atlanta found IVF babies could be up to 30% more likely to suffer from certain health problems and genetic flaws.

More than 12,000 babies were born in the UK in 2006 as a result of IVF.

Patients will be able to access the HFEA's advice on potential risks on its website from next month.

The government's fertility watchdog will also make clear the majority of babies born by IVF are healthy and that more research is needed on the birth defect issues.

The study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found IVF babies suffered from higher rates of conditions such as heart valve defects, cleft lip and palate, and digestive system abnormalities.

An HFEA spokesman said it routinely reviewed its guidance.

"Following the publication of a US study into birth defects, HFEA's scientific and clinical advances committee reviewed our guidance and advice about the risks of treatment," he said.

"As with any medical procedure, it is important that patients understand what the treatment involves and what the risks may be.

"Our code of practice says clinicians must tell patients about the possible side effects and risks of treatment, including any risks for the child."

diabetes where ?

Virus 'triggers child diabetes'
By Emma Wilkinson BBC News health reporter
Dr Alan Foulis speaks about the research
A common virus may be the trigger for the development of many cases of diabetes, particularly in children, UK researchers have reported.
Signs of enteroviruses were found in pancreatic tissue from 60% of children with type 1 diabetes, but in hardly any children without the disease.
They also found that 40% of adults with type 2 diabetes had signs of the infection in insulin-producing cells.
The study published in Diabetologia raises the possibility of a vaccine.
Although genetics is known to play a fairly substantial role in a person's risk of developing diabetes, environmental factors must also be involved and the idea of a viral cause of diabetes has been considered for decades.
Type 1 diabetes is a life- threatening condition that requires a life-time of painful finger prick blood testing and insulin injections
Karen Addington, JDRF
The latest study was made possible by a pathologist in Glasgow who for 25 years collected tissue samples from children across the UK who had died less than 12 months after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Dr Alan Foulis believed that enteroviruses - a common family of viruses which cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea - would be present but until recently the technology was not sensitive enough to detect them.
Along with colleagues from the south west-based Peninsula Medical School and the University of Brighton, he has now been able to look for evidence of the enteroviruses in tissue samples routinely taken during autopsy in 72 children and compare that with samples from 50 children without the condition.
In those with diabetes who had signs of the virus, it was specifically found in the insulin-producing beta cells.
Immune trigger
The researchers suggest that, in children with a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes - an autoimmune disease in which beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed - enterovirus infection can trigger the immune reaction that kicks off the disease process.
With type 2 diabetes - the type often linked to obesity in adults - the researchers speculate that the infection affects the ability of the cells to make insulin, which in combination with the greater demand for insulin in obese people, is enough to set off the disease.
The next steps to identify the viruses and find out what they are doing to the infected beta cells will be hugely exciting and will take us a step closer to preventing type 1 diabetes
Dr Iain Frame, Diabetes UK
At the same time, a separate study, published in Science, by researchers at Cambridge University, found four rare mutations in a gene which reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
It also backs the viral theory because the gene in question is involved in the immune response to infection with enteroviruses.
There are 100 different strains of enterovirus, so although the results open the way for the development of a vaccine, researchers still have to pin down which types are involved.
The study's author, Professor Noel Morgan from the Peninsula Medical School, said the results showed the underlying infection with enteroviruses was not a "rare event".
"The next stages of research - to identify which enteroviruses are involved, how the beta-cells are changed by infection and the ultimate goal to develop an effective vaccine - will lead to findings which we hope will drastically reduce the number of people around the world who develop type 1 diabetes, and potentially type 2 diabetes as well," he added.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said the study was "a big step forward" in understanding the potential triggers for the disease.
"We've known for some time that type 1 diabetes cannot be explained by genetics alone and that other, environmental triggers may also play a part.
"The next steps to identify the viruses and find out what they are doing to the infected beta cells will be hugely exciting and will take us a step closer to preventing Type 1 diabetes."
Karen Addington, chief executive of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, who funded the research, said the findings were important as the incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing every year and there is currently no way to prevent it.
"Type 1 diabetes is a life- threatening condition that requires a life-time of painful finger prick blood testing and insulin injections," she pointed out.

nigerian culture

UK arrest in Nigerian bribe case

The alleged bribes were said to run into tens of millions of dollars

UK police have arrested a London lawyer accused of moving millions of dollars in bribes to Nigerian officials to win contracts for a US construction firm.

A federal grand jury in Texas charged Jeffrey Tesler, 60, with helping channel money from Kellogg, Brown and Root, a former Halliburton subsidiary.

He was arrested after an extradition request from the US authorities.

It is alleged he channelled money to Nigerian officials, to obtain contracts valued at more than $6bn (£4bn).

Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae

The cost of fungus

Whitehall belts may be tightening, but the government has found millions to fight killer fungus. Regular readers may recall I charted the spread of the misnamed "sudden oak death" disease at the end of last year.
Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae are strains of a deadly plant disease plaguing historic gardens, woodland and heathlands across England, Wales and parts of Scotland.
According to environment minister Jane Kennedy, who today announced £25m for a five-year eradication programme in England and Wales, "if this disease spreads, it could mean parts of the countryside being cordoned off, and more limited public access - in addition to further loss of our precious woodland".

But eradication comes at a price, too. The main source of the disease is the Rhododendron ponticum which has invaded many large public gardens and historic estates. A cost-benefit analysis for the government last year [185k PDF]

celebrity ways

The Material Girl Is Named 'Worst-Dressed' Celebrity of 2009

When you see Madonna wearing fur, you realize why nobody has copied her style since 1984. Read more about Madonna's latest fashion faux pas and find out who else has been named the "Worst-Dressed" of 2009. Read More

• Sign the Pledge to Be Fur-Free
• Donna Karan Dumps Fur
• Watch: 'Whose Skin Are You In?'

richimag

This has been a difficult couple of weeks, 
I had to go to hospital

extinction again

"We are fortunate, like a bird who has wings. We can fly to anywhere we please. If the place where we have built our houses becomes dirty, or muddy, or slippery, and not good anymore, we just move away. If we want to go far away, we move to a place that is far; if we want to live nearby, we move to a place nearby. This is the way it has always been. When we are walking, and we feel like stopping, we might stay in one place for just one or two days, or three days. And if we want to move, we just move, we move to any place that we choose. Thus it has been since our origins, for us Penan who live in the forest. We always move, and always look for a place that we like, a place where we can be happy. And we look for an area where there are many animals, where the sago is plentiful. And we look for a place where the river is near, and where the water is good, where it is easy to make good sago. That is where we stay. That is why we are always moving.

though shall not judge

'Spiritual' assessment condemned

An audit showed nurses were in favour of more "spiritual" training

A scheme in which new hospital patients have their "religious and spiritual care needs" assessed has been condemned by the National Secular Society.

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust said people would be asked whether they had "any faith needs that can be supported during their stay".

But the National Secular Society, which defends the rights of non-believers, said the move "misused NHS resources".

It said it sound as though hospital chaplains "were touting for business".

extinction

The nomadic hunter-gatherer Penan are one of the last such groups in South East Asia. Out of the 10,000 Penan living in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Borneo, only 200 nomadic people are left.

nhs again

Fatal morphine family win damages

Mrs Rodger died after taking morphine which was 10 times her usual dose
The family of a woman who died after being prescribed morphine 10 times stronger than her usual dose has won undisclosed damages.
Catherine Rodger, 74, from Dundee, died of a heart attack in 2005 within hours of taking her first pill.
Dr Salahuddin Malik of the city's Downfield Surgery had prescribed 100mg of morphine sulphate rather than the 10mg she usually took for back pain.
BBC NEWS Scotland Tayside and Central Fatal morphine family win damages Fatal morphine family win damages

Mrs Rodger died after taking morphine which was 10 times her usual dose
The family of a woman who died after being prescribed morphine 10 times stronger than her usual dose has won undisclosed damages.
Catherine Rodger, 74, from Dundee, died of a heart attack in 2005 within hours of taking her first pill.
Dr Salahuddin Malik of the city's Downfield Surgery had prescribed 100mg of morphine sulphate rather than the 10mg she usually took for back pain.

tom thurgood

Veterans at 'higher suicide risk'

Young ex-servicemen are three times more likely to kill themselves than their civilian counterparts, a study has suggested.

Veterans aged under 24 are at greatest risk, with those in lower ranks and with shorter careers most vulnerable.

The Centre for Suicide Prevention linked military discharge data between 1996 and 2005 with details of suicides.

The MoD said veterans were entitled to mental health assessments and schemes had been introduced to improve access.

Of the 233,803 individuals who left the armed forces during the study period, 224 took their own lives, the report found.

The suicide risk was highest among young men leaving the armed forces within the first two years of discharge, it said.

'Already vulnerable'

The MoD-funded study found veterans had a low rate of contact with mental health professionals in the year before death, 14% for those aged under 20 and 20% for those under 24 years.

But the overall suicide risk was no greater for ex-military personnel than for civilians when all age groups were considered, from 16 to 49 years. Men aged 30-49 years had a lower rate of suicide than the general population.

The report's lead author, Professor Nav Kapur, said they could not prove why the increased rate occurred, but said there were three possible reasons.

One could be those joining the military at a young age were already vulnerable to suicide.

Whatever the explanation for our findings, these individuals may benefit from some form of intervention Prof Nav Kapur

"This would explain why those serving for a relatively short period of time before being discharged were most likely to take their own lives," Prof Kapur said.

A second explanation was the difficulty a minority of individuals experience making the transition to civilian life, he said.

The effect of exposure to adverse experiences during military service or active deployment was a third possibility.

Yet many of those most at risk had not completed basic training and had not deployed overseas, he said.

The risk of suicide was also higher in young women aged under 20 years compared with the general population, but the overall numbers were small.

Prof Kapur, professor of psychiatry and population health at Manchester University, said: "Whatever the explanation for our findings, these individuals may benefit from some form of intervention.

"Initial pre-recruitment interview, medical examination and training are important in ensuring military health but it should be recognised that those discharged at any of these stages may be at higher risk of suicide."

Support

The study compared the military discharge data with details of suicides collected by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicides and Homicides.

It used mathematical models to compare the figures to the general population.

A spokesman for the MoD said all service-leavers were entitled to a package to help them re-settle.

Extra help was given to those assessed as vulnerable to help them find accommodation, employment and welfare assistance.

Six community mental health centres have been set up to make it easier for veterans to seek help, he said.

"All veterans are also entitled to a free assessment of their mental health at the Medical Assessment Programme at St Thomas' Hospital in London, he added.

"We are also trialling a mentoring scheme to provide individual support to leavers as they re-adjust to civilian life."

The report comes days after Britain's highest-decorated serving soldier criticised the government for failing to help ex-servicemen and women suffering mental health problems.

Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry called on the government to give more help to his comrades suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, depression and mental breakdowns.

herpes

Grieving mother's herpes warning

Baby Jennifer died after contracting the Herpes virus from her mother Ruth The mother of a baby who died after contracting herpes from her cold sores is campaigning for more awareness of how dangerous it can be to newborns. Jennifer Schofield was 11 days old when her organs failed after contracting the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), through either kisses or breastfeeding. Ruth Schofield, 35, of Lancaster, wants to warn mothers about the disease, which kills about six babies a year. A coroner recorded a narrative verdict into her death on Thursday. The inquest in Lancaster heard that Jennifer died in November 2006 from the type of HSV usually passed on through a cold sore. Miss Schofield probably caught HSV in the late stages of her pregnancy after she developed flu-like symptoms days before giving birth, the inquest heard. FROM BBC RADIO 5 LIVE More from BBC Radio 5 live She developed mouth ulcers after Jennifer was born and was given a mouthwash by her GP, but HSV was not diagnosed. It was then that Jennifer also became unwell and was admitted to hospital with a temperature, Miss Schofield said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. "She was continually sleeping and was terribly lethargic," she said. But 11 days after Jennifer's birth Miss Schofield was told her baby was going to die. "The doctors sat me down and they said, 'I'm really sorry but she can't fight anymore. Do you want to hold her and watch her die?' It broke my heart to know what she died of - how could this happen? Ruth Schofield "The hardest thing any woman can do is watch her baby die." It was only at the post-mortem examination that doctors discovered the baby had died of HSV. "She should be here today. It's such a treatable disease. I didn't know what I had," Miss Schofield said. "It broke my heart to know what she died of - how could this happen? "For the grieving process it was very hard to accept... It took me a very long time to accept I wasn't to blame." Miss Schofield has written to the prime minister asking for more literature to be put in clinics about the illness

generations of Drakes at Buckland Abbey.

I was first taken to visit Dartmoor by a very nice friend and his dog Sheena,It was early spring, not many people about that time of year, I was not very impressed at firstI felt sorry for the horses and ponies, they looked so lonely and cold although I supposethey are used to it.I went again in the summer, it was lovely! I wanted to go every week ,it was lovely and Iwent every week after that, lots of people,ice cream vans, coffee shops, I really loved it,Ihope Ican go again one day if I am lucky. Janet Khan.