Public health news: July 2006

Long-term NRT success rates low

31 July 2006

A meta-analysis has suggested that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) may not be as successful at helping people quit cigarette smoking in the long-term as previously thought.  The study, which used data for 4,800 patients, reports that the quit rate falls from 10.7% at one year to 7.2% at an average four year follow-up, indicating that 30% resume smoking in this period.

Nicotine therapy benefits 'hyped'  (BBC News, July 2006)
Health promotion  (Internal)

H5N1 vaccine hopes

26 July 2006

GSK has announced that it has produced a vaccine to H5N1, the current strain of influenza A causing avian influenza, which apparently produces a reasonable immune response in humans.  Full results of their trial have not yet been published.

Glaxo has bird flu 'breakthrough'  (BBC News, July 2006)
GSK reports significant advance in H5N1 pandemic flu vaccine programme (GSK press release, July 2006)
Flu pandemic planning  (Internal link)

Whooping cough common in older children

7 July 2006

GPs are being advised that many children presenting with cough may actually have whooping cough (B pertussis), following research in this week's BMJ.  Nearly 90 per cent of those found to have evidence of the infection had been immunised against pertussis.

Whooping cough 'still widespread'  (BBC News, July 2006)
Harnden et al, BMJ DOI:10.1136/bmj.38870.655405.AE [?] (BMJ, July 2006)

STI incidence continues to rise in UK

4 July 2006

New HPA figures show that new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections continued to increase in the UK in the period 2004-5, by 3%.  However this masks a significant fall in gonorrhoea cases - of 13% - but also a worrying rise in syphilis incidence - by 23%.  Ambitious plans to reduce waiting times for genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics over the next two years may help control infection rates, if they are successful.

STI figures for 2005  (HPA, July 2006)
Health protection  (Internal link)

Should minimum smoking age increase?

3 July 2006

...is the question the Department of Health is asking this week as it launches a three month long consultation on whether the legal age for purchasing tobacco products should increase from 16 to 18 in England.  The Government is in favour of a rise to 18, and a clause in the recent Health Bill will make a change in legislation relatively easy.

Consultation on smoking age rule  (BBC News, July 2006)
Crackdown on smoking amongst teenagers  (DH press release, July 2006)