Man arrested at Northampton hospital after making 'threats to kill staff', police say

Man arrested at Northampton hospital after making 'threats to kill staff', police say A man has been arrested following an armed response by police officers outside Northampton General Hospital today.

Four police squad cars were spotted on Cheyne Walk alongside Northampton General at around 3.20pm today (August 12). Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Detailed guide: Overseas visitor charging: no-deal Brexit guidance for NHS service providers

Detailed guide: Overseas visitor charging: no-deal Brexit guidance for NHS service providers How changes to charging rules will affect how you recover costs from overseas visitors and migrants if there is a no-deal Brexit. Department of Health

FGM ‘no longer just an African problem’

FGM ‘no longer just an African problem’ One in 20 girls and women in the world has had some form of female genital mutilation, according the UN.

Former first lady of Somaliland and midwife Edna Adan Ismail has been to meet some of those that live in the UK. BBC News

Chlamydia sex infection vaccine passes safety test

Chlamydia sex infection vaccine passes safety test A vaccine to protect people against the common sexually transmitted infection chlamydia has passed initial safety tests.

It is the first of its kind to enter human trials.

Experts say immunisation may be the best way to tackle the disease that accounts for nearly half of all sex infections diagnosed in the UK.

More trials must check how well it works and what dose to give, The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal says. BBC News

Charity highlights 'worrying' failure to improve cancer survival in England

Charity highlights 'worrying' failure to improve cancer survival in England Macmillan says figures especially disappointing given that UK already lags behind other countries

Survival rates for many cancers, including three of the most common – breast, colon and prostate cancers – have plateaued over the past decade, official figures for England show.

The proportion of adults who survived for one year or five years respectively after being diagnosed with cancer in the four-year period 2013-2017 showed little change from levels in 2008-2012. For bladder cancer, the five-year survival rate apparently deteriorated. The Guardian

See also:

• Cancer survival in England: adult, stage at diagnosis and childhood - patients followed up to 2018 Office for National Statistics
• Macmillan Cancer Support responds to ONS Cancer Survival Data in England Macmillan Cancer

Bladder cancer survival rates drop after shortage of crucial drug

Bladder cancer survival rates drop after shortage of crucial drug Bladder cancer survival rates have fallen due to a world-wide shortage of a crucial drug, figures suggest.

New Office for National Statistics data shows the chances of living five years beyond diagnosis dropped 2.5 per cent between 2016 and 2017 to 52.6 per cent.

It follows a period of limited supplies of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, an immunotherapy that keeps the cancer at bay and prevents it from coming back. The Daily Telegraph

Half of key hospital doctors in the NHS are NOT prepared to respond to a major incident

Half of key hospital doctors in the NHS are NOT prepared to respond to a major incident Half of key hospital doctors in the NHS are not properly prepared to respond to a major incident, a medical survey has revealed.

Hospitals in England are required to have a plan in case of major events such as the Manchester Arena bombing or the Westminster terror attacks.

However, the majority of doctors quizzed in a poll were either unaware of what the plan entails or said they were 'not confident' in what they should be doing. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Preparation for the next major incident: are we ready? A 12-year update (abstract) Emergency Medicine Journal
• NHS hospitals unprepared for terror attack, survey finds The Daily Telegraph
• Half of key UK hospital doctors 'ill-prepared' for major incident The Guardian

Superbug C. difficile is evolving to 'spread in hospitals and thrive on the Western diet'

Superbug C. difficile is evolving to 'spread in hospitals and thrive on the Western diet' The superbug Clostridium difficile (C.diff) may be evolving to spread in hospitals, research suggests.

Scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine discovered the bacteria, which can cause diarrhoea, is gradually 'splitting' into two species.

The new bug spreads easily, is 'immune' to disinfectants and thrives on the Western diet of sugary foods, they found. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Adaptation of host transmission cycle during Clostridium difficile speciation Nature Genetics