HPV vaccine and adolescents' sexual activity :

"The vaccine must be given before HPV infection is acquired. It is most likely to be recommended for 11-12 year olds, because by the ninth grade (age 14-15) 28% of girls in the US are sexually active. This has prompted some advocates of premarital abstinence to charge that HPV vaccination will condone or promote sexual promiscuity. However, its impact will probably be small because multiple factors are associated with initiation of sexual activity; fear of sexually transmitted infections is not a major reason for abstinence, and condom availability programmes have not been associated with behavioural disinhibition."

This is coming soon on the NHS!

Sri Lanka accuses NHS of luring away its medical staff Taking from the poor to give to the rich again.

NHS Cancer Screening Programmes

The cancer screening programmes in England are nationally coordinated.

"The NHS Breast Screening Programme is an effective part of the UK's efforts to reduce the death toll from breast cancer. In September 2000, the first research was published which demonstrated that the screening programme has lowered mortality rates from breast cancer in the 55-69 age group. It is estimated that the programme is on course to save 1,250 lives per year (25 per cent reduction in mortality) by the year 2010."



The results of breast cancer screening:
Breast cancer mortality in Copenhagen after introduction of mammography screening

It's time to give up - British Heart Foundation (BHF) Anti-Smoking Campaign Ramadan is an excellent time to stop. "Smokers are up to four times more likely to give up successfully if they use their local NHS Stop Smoking Service together with Nicotine Replacement Thearapy, than if they rely on willpower alone." For more advice ring 0800 169 1900.

The Report Tackling cancer in England: saving more lives has just been published by the National Audit Office.

Umm Ilhaam remembers that whilst at Medical School she was taught that in a certain area of England, the Muslim women have really high rates of breast cancer and late diagnosis. This was found to be because they didn't like being examined so left their suspicious symptoms until it was too late. Although this may sound like a ridiculous mistake to some, it still happens. She now practices in this area and has met people where she works who don't like their women (or even themselves!) being treated by "kufar". At the same time they don't like their women to study or work in Medicine. Is it any wonder they have some of the highest rates of disease in the country?

The frightening stats are as follows:

"More than one in three people in England will develop cancer at some point in their life. One in four will die from it. There are about 225,000 new cases per year in England, and some 130,000 deaths. The leading four cancers – breast, lung, bowel and prostate - account for about half of new cases and deaths....

The report stresses that more action is required by patients to report suspicious symptoms.

Today's report highlights the fact that the most effective way of preventing cancer is for people to stop smoking. One contribution to this is that the NHS has encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to stop at least for a short period."

Read the report http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/03-04/0304364.htm

Some medical fiqh relating to treatment by the non-Mulsim or opposite gender:

The order in seeking medical treatment (for a woman) would be from a:

a) Muslim female doctor
b) non-Muslim female doctor
c) Muslim male doctor
d) Non-Muslim male doctor

see full article:
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002659.aspx

and also, "I have a breast lump but donÂ’t want to be examined by a male doctor"
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00003021.aspx