Health news 5th January 2011

[Northerner]

Back-to-school flu surge expected
Experts are warning there could be a surge in flu cases as people return to work and school following the Christmas holidays. Parents are being urged to remain vigilant over the threat of flu, but High Street pharmacies have been refusing to vaccinate under-18s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12110881

Experts claim to discover 'root cause' of male baldness

Experts say they have discovered what they believe is the root cause of male pattern baldness.

It is not simply a lack of hair, but rather a problem with the new hair that is made.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12112673

600 pregnancies despite contraceptive implant Implanon

Nearly 600 women have become pregnant despite using a popular contraceptive implant, a health watchdog has said. There have also been more than 1,600 reports of adverse reactions to the Implanon device, which is designed to prevent pregnancy for three years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12117299

500 fall pregnant after having contraceptive implant

MORE than 500 women have fallen pregnant despite using a new contraceptive implant. Thousands have had the ?90 Implanon implant fitted. It is designed to stop them getting pregnant for three years by releasing hormones into the bloodstream from a small tube in the arm. But new figures reveal that complaints about the device to the medicines watchdog include 584 women who said they had unwanted pregnancies.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/221242/500-fall-pregnant-after-having-contraceptive-implant

ed: Seems to be some dispute over the number of pregnancies! 🙂

 

[falcon123]

I am not sure why there is such emphasis on back-to-school. Dozens of us are exposed to cold and flu germs every day if we have to travel to work on overcrowded trains/tubes/buses. It seems to me that the BBC is becoming more tabloid like in its reporting!