Health News from the BBC and the NHS

BBC Health

• Sars-like virus death reported in UK

  
  

  A patient infected with a new respiratory illness similar to the deadly Sars virus has died in the UK.

• 'Bionic legs' for military amputees

  
  

  Injured military personnel who have legs amputated are to be given the most up-to-date prosthetic limbs after the government set aside £6.5m.

• Four A&E units being downgraded

  
  

  Accident and Emergency (A&E) units at four London hospitals are to be downgraded.

• Fizzy drinks tax needed - doctors

  
  

  Fizzy drinks should be heavily taxed and junk food adverts banished until after the TV watershed, doctors say, in a call for action over obesity.

• Diamond to shine light on infections

  
  

  The UK's national synchrotron facility - the Diamond Light Source near Oxford - is to become a world...

• Fall in condom use behind HIV rise

  
  

  A fall in the proportion of gay and bisexual men using condoms is behind the rise in HIV infections in those groups in the UK, say researchers.

• Hunt warns over defensive NHS bosses

  
  

  Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt writes to every NHS trust in England warning them against a culture that is "defensive" in dealing with whistleblowers.

• Cooking classes 'boost healthy diet'

  
  

  Short cooking classes can have a long-term impact on healthy eating, a study suggests.

• Third family 'Sars-like virus' case

  
  

  A third member of a family in the UK has been infected with a new respiratory illness similar to the deadly Sars virus, officials have confirmed.

New Zealand acts on tobacco packets

New Zealand says it will put all tobacco products into plain packaging, following the landmark move by Australia last year.

NHS Choices Behind the Headlines

• 'Needy partners' have weaker immune systems

  
  

  “How a bad relationship can make you ill – by damaging your immune system” reports the Mail Online. Generations...

• Brain implant offers hope for early-stage Parkinson's

  
  

  'A new highly accurate form of brain surgery could bring hope to thousands of Parkinson's sufferers,'...

• Unsafe sex linked to rise in HIV rates in gay men

  
  

  "The number of gay and bisexual men contracting HIV rose…because of an increase in numbers having unprotected...

• 'Fizzy drink tax' to stop UK being 'fat man of Europe'

  
  

  The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has published a report containing 10 recommendations designed to...

• Could being kept in the dark cure lazy eye?

  
  

  ‘Keeping children with a lazy eye in the dark for ten days could help them see better', reports the Daily...

• Smoking bans may help cut premature births

  
  

  "Smoking ban 'cuts premature births'," BBC News has reported. Despite the BBC News headline, this research...

• Horsemeat investigation: latest update

  
  

  On February 14 the Food Standards Agency (FSA) released a statement that it had detected the presence...

• Could HRT stop dementia?

  
  

  Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease for millions of...

• Could how high people live affect their weight?

  
  

  Could how high people live affect their weight? Do slimmers need to head for the hills? Reuters has reported...

• Women's lung cancer death rates set to rise

  
  

  The news that lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in British women is being...