Safe for Swimming

75% of Irish beaches 'excellent' for swimming - EPA

Six beaches failed to meet the legally required minimum standard

For the third year in a row three-quarters of Ireland's designated bathing waters have been classified as excellent by the Environmental Protection Agency in its annual report.
One hundred and thirty beaches were deemed excellent, good or of satisfactory standard. However six failed to meet the legally required minimum standard.
Three of the six were in Dublin at Merrion Strand, Loughshinny, and Portrane and three in Galway at Clifden, Trá na Forbacha, and Ballyloughane.
Sewage and drainage misconnections, as well as septic tank discharges, contamination with dog and seagull faeces, and river inputs were the causes of the failures.
Dublin and Galway local authorities are now obliged to advise the public not to swim at those locations this summer.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the public can help by taking their rubbish home from the beach, and bagging dog poo rather than burying it in the sand.
140 beaches are continually tested by the EPA for bugs that can cause a sick stomach, a respiratory illness, or swimmers itch.
The EU sets the standards and the tests are twice as strict as they used to be.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, EPA Senior Scientific Officer Peter Webster said there are still 43 areas of concern from around the coastline where raw sewage is pouring into the sea.
He said, fortunately, not many of them are near identified beaches, with the possible exception of Youghal.
Mr Webster said the intention of Irish Water is to spend around €350 million between now and 2020 to address issues.

Eat 'Real Food' and Walk

Experts Criticised for Saturated Fat Claim

The authors said 'the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong'

Heart experts have been criticised for claiming it is "plain wrong" to believe that saturated fat clogs up arteries.
Three specialists argued that eating "real food", taking exercise and reducing stress are better ways to stave off heart disease than cutting out dietary saturated fat.
Writing in a respected journal, they maintained that inflammation is the chief threat to arteries and there is little evidence linking saturated fat consumption with heart disease, diabetes and premature death.
But the editorial, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, attracted scathing criticism for being "simplistic", "muddled" and "misleading".
The authors, led by Dr Aseem Malhotra, from Lister Hospital, Stevenage, wrote: "Despite popular belief among doctors and the public, the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong."

Dr Malhotra and colleagues Professor Rita Redberg, from the University of California at San Francisco, and Pascal Meier from University Hospital Geneva in Switzerland and University College London, cited a "landmark" review of evidence that appeared to exonerate saturated fat.
They said relative levels of "good" cholesterol, or high density lipoprotein (HDL), were a better predictor of heart disease risk than levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as "bad" cholesterol.
High consumption of foods rich in saturated fat such as butter, cakes and fatty meat has been shown to increase blood levels of LDL.
The experts wrote: "It is time to shift the public health message in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease away from measuring serum lipids (blood fats) and reducing dietary saturated fat.
"Coronary artery disease is a chronic inflammatory disease and it can be reduced effectively by walking 22 minutes a day and eating real food."
They pointed out that in clinical trials widening narrow arteries with stents, stainless steel mesh devices, failed to reduce the risk of heart attacks.
Dr Aseem spelled out a similar message in another opinion piece published in the British Medical Journal in 2013.
However the authors found an ally in Dr Mary Hannon-Fletcher, head of the school of health sciences at the University of Ulster, who described the editorial as "the best dietary and exercise advice I have read in recent years".
She added: "Walking 22 minutes a day and eating real food. This is an excellent public health message; the modern idea of a healthy diet where we eat low-fat and low-calorie foods is simply not a healthy option."

Blood Test to Detect Cancer

'Exciting' blood test spots cancer a year early.

                           

Doctors have spotted cancer coming back up to a year before normal scans in an "exciting" discovery.

 

The UK team was able to scour the blood for signs of cancer while it was just a tiny cluster of cells invisible to X-ray or CT scans.
It should allow doctors to hit the tumour earlier and increase the chances of a cure.
They also have new ideas for drugs after finding how unstable DNA fuels rampant cancer development.
The research project was on lung cancer, but the processes studied are so fundamental that they should apply across all cancer types.

    

Lung cancer kills more people than any other type of tumour and the point of the study is to track how it can "evolve" into a killer that spreads through the body.

Blood test

In order to test for cancer coming back, doctors need to know what to look for.
In the trial, funded by Cancer Research UK, samples were taken from the lung tumour when it was removed during surgery.
A team at the Francis Crick Institute, in London, then analysed the tumour's defective DNA to build up a genetic fingerprint of each patient's cancer.
Then blood tests were taken every three months after the surgery to see if tiny traces of cancer DNA re-emerged.
The results, outlined in the journal Nature, showed cancer recurrence could be detected up to a year before any other method available to medicine.
The tumours are thought to have a volume of just 0.3 cubic millimetres when the blood test catches them.

Health Survey - BURNOUT!

One in three hospital doctors have experienced burnout, according to a new survey. 
The National Study of Wellbeing of Hospital Doctors in Ireland, published today, also found up to 10% reported severe to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress.

This is despite the finding that over 70% of doctors are strongly motivated to practice medicine.
Four out of five doctors reported going to work at times, when they were ill or injured.
The same proportion reported significant work stress and felt the effort put into their work, exceeded the rewards gained.
The study found that, on average, doctors worked 57 hours a week and just 20% said they had enough time for family and personal life.



The research study was led by Dr Blánaid Hayes, Dean of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland's Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

Her study, which was launched in 2014, surveyed hospital doctors in Ireland at trainee and consultant level across all specialties. It aimed to explore the topics of lifestyle behaviours, personal well-being and workplace well-being.
The findings were positive in some areas such as the very high number of doctors (over 70%) who expressed a strong desire to practise medicine and eight in ten reporting good or better overall health and general quality of life.
It found 80% reported less than optimal levels of physical activity, one in ten drank alcohol to excess occasionally and 10% smoked.
Commenting on her research, Dr Hayes said that she sees many front line health professionals at her practice who require care and support. "This study has addressed a gap in the knowledge-base on the health and well-being of hospital doctors in this country, including the challenges posed by stress and mental ill health.
"As an occupational physician, I know first-hand that this is a problem because I see it in my practice and I hear it from my colleagues in other hospitals too.

"Front line healthcare workers and clinicians are presenting with mood disorders and stress-related conditions which are at least in part related to working conditions including staff shortages."

St. Vincent's it is

New maternity hospital will provide standard of care expected by women - Taoiseach

Artist's impression of new National Maternity Hospital at St Vincent's

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said agreement on the new National Maternity Hospital will conclude in the next number of weeks and the hospital will provide the standard of care women are entitled to expect in this day and age.
Mr Kenny said if issues arise that mean women need hospital treatment "it will be on the campus of St Vincent’s".
"What we want to do is put in place a legally waterproof situation where it will be perfectly clear for everybody that what's at stake here is proper world class facilities for expectant mothers and pregnant women," he said.
The Taoiseach added that the breathing space requested by Minister for Health Simon Harris on the issue has been given to him.
Former master of the National Maternity Hospital Dr Peter Boylan resigned with immediate effect from its board yesterday morning.
Mr Kenny said the decision by Dr Boylan to resign from the board is one for himself.

European Medicines New HQ

Europe's drugmakers pushed for a decision as early as June on the new location for the headquarters of the bloc's medicines watchdog.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is due to relocate from London after Britain's decision to leave the EU.
The EMA, employing nearly 900 staff, acts as a one-stop-shop for approving new treatments and monitoring the safety of drugs and veterinary products across the region.
The new location will be decided by the EU's heads of state, whose next meeting as the European Council is scheduled for June 22-23.
"The Council's deliberations on the agency's future location need to be conducted on the basis of very essential criteria and put for decision as early on as possible, preferably at its meeting in June this year," European pharma lobby group, EFPIA said in a statement.
The statement was signed by 19 top executives at member companies including Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi and Roche.

The European Medicines Agency is due to relocate from

London, after Britain's decision to leave the EU

The industry warned that getting it wrong could impact the region's high level of public health.
"Were a rapid resolution on the future location of the EMA not to materialise, or if the future seat of the European Medicines Agency were to fail in terms of establishing its minimum prerequisites, the quality of its work and the future of the European Medicines Regulatory Network would be placed in jeopardy," the statement said.
EMA's executive director Guido Rasi earlier this month also called for a decision in June and for a carefully planned relocation so as not to disrupt the body's work.
The EMA, the largest EU body in Britain, has been based in London since its birth in 1995 and it moved into new premises in Canary Wharf on a 25-year lease less than three years ago.
No fewer than 21 EU member states have expressed their interest in hosting the EMA, including Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, France and Poland.
The new location would have to offer sufficient transport infrastructure and accommodation for EMA staff and its tens of thousands of annual visitors and quality housing, schools and employment opportunities for spouses and family to retain its staff.

Cycling to Work - Research

Cycling to work, cuts the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, research suggests.

Walking to work is also good for you, although it does not offer the same benefits as taking a bike, experts from the University of Glasgow found.
The new study on 264,337 people, 52% of whom were women, found cycling to work is linked to a 45% lower risk of developing cancer and a 46% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to driving to work or taking public transport.
Overall, cyclists had a 41% lower risk of premature death from any cause.

The study also found some health benefits,

if people cycled part of their journey

Walking to work was also associated with a 27% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 36% lower risk of dying from it.
But there was no link with a lower risk of cancer or dying early from any cause in walkers, the study found.
People who preferred to stroll to work also had to walk for two hours a week in total to see health benefits, at an average speed of three miles per hour.
Experts behind the study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said the lower benefits seen for walking compared to cycling could be down to several factors.
These include the fact cyclists covered longer distances in their commutes than the walkers, cycling is a higher intensity exercise and cyclists were generally more fit.


Dr Carlos Celis-Morales, from the University of Glasgow, said: "Walking to work was associated with lower risk of heart disease, but unlike cycling was not associated with a significantly lower risk of cancer or overall death.
"This may be because walkers commuted shorter distances than cyclists, typically six miles per week, compared with 30 miles per week, and walking is generally a lower intensity of exercise than cycling."
The study also found some health benefits if people cycled part of their journey and took public transport or drove the rest of the way.
The people taking part in the research were aged 52 on average at the start of the study and were followed for five years.
About 2,430 people died during the study period, with 496 deaths related to cardiovascular disease, which covers all diseases of the heart and circulation, and 1,126 deaths from cancer.
Overall, 3,748 people developed cancer over the five years, and 1,110 had an event related to cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.

New National Maternity Hospital

The Master of the National Maternity Hospital has said that the agreement reached for locating the new maternity hospital at St Vincent’s is unequivocal, that the hospital will be entirely independent, and that that is written down in black and white.

Dr. Rhona Mahony said the ethos of the hospital will be clinical excellence and that contraception, IVF services, and abortions will be carried out when necessary.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Dr. Mahony stressed that nuns will not be involved in the operation or running of the hospital.
She said the fundamental principle during the mediation process for the National Maternity Hospital, currently based in Holles Street, was that it would retain its independence and autonomy.
It was important to locate the hospital on the St. Vincent’s campus, because they want patients to have access to wide range of services available there, Dr. Mahony added.

Dr. Rhona Mahony said the ownership of the hospital is a technical detail

The St Vincent's Healthcare Group, owned by the Sisters of Charity, will own the €300m building.
Dr. Mahony said the ownership is a technical detail.

She said that abortions will be carried out, without hesitation, if needed to save a woman's life.
Asked if a woman wants to be sterilised, out of personal need, Dr. Mahony said it will be done.
She said the new maternity hospital will not be practising in St Vincent’s Hospital, but on the campus. This, she said, was in the agreement and there is no doubt about this.

Pie in the Sky

The Irish Medical Organisation has said most doctors would see free GP care for all in five years as pie in the sky, unless it is properly costed.

Speaking at the union's annual conference in Galway, IMO President Dr John Duddy said it would be disappointing if the final report of the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare does not provide costings and the funding system on the proposal.
Dr Duddy said that in principle the idea of free GP care for all is a good one.
But who would pay for it was the big issue, whether through general taxation, a health levy, or an increase health insurance premiums.
Dr Duddy said the cost would certainly be a seven-figure sum.
Meanwhile, the IMO has said the talks on a new GP contract, which have started with the Government, will be a long process.
The union said it involves a complex change to a contract first established in 1970.
Dr Duddy said it would be nice to have a timescale for the negotiations, but they should not be limited either.
The union has today called for a major investment in the health system to end emergency department overcrowding and long waiting lists, especially given the rise in the population shown by recent census data.
Minister for Health Simon Harris will address the two-day conference tomorrow.

European Immunisation Week

Vaccine complacency could cost lives in Ireland, as Europe sees large measles outbreaks, and related deaths.

Complacency in relation to vaccines could cause deaths in Ireland as large measles outbreaks and related deaths take place in Europe, warned the HSE today, Monday April 24th.
Many European countries are reporting measles outbreaks - over 4000 cases and 18 measles related deaths have been reported in Romania in the past six months, according to the Head of the HSE National Immunisation Office, Dr Brenda Corcoran.

“Other countries with recent measles outbreaks include, Italy, France, Germany, Poland and Belgium. An outbreak involving 40 cases occurred in Ireland as recently as 2016.
“Measles is one of the most infectious diseases. It is spread by coughing and sneezing, and by close contact with an infected individual. With today’s travel patterns, no person or country is beyond the reach of the measles virus.

        

 

“The only protection against measles is the MMR vaccine. Two doses of MMR vaccine (at 12 months and 4-5 years of age) are required to be fully vaccinated. While uptake in Ireland has remained steady at around 92%, we need to increase uptake rates to the target of 95% to make sure that measles does not circulate here. This is important for everybody but is particularly vital to protect young babies as they cannot receive the MMR vaccine until they are 12 months old so they are vulnerable to complications, including death if they are exposed to measles infection.

“MMR vaccine along with many other vaccines saves lives and protects against serious illness. Due to good vaccine uptake, we have thankfully not seen outbreaks of other infectious diseases in Ireland that we witnessed in the past but we must not let complacency creep in. We have seen a recent fall in the uptake of HPV vaccine because of unsubstantiated safety concerns. This serves as a reminder that on-going efforts are required to reach and maintain high vaccine uptake levels. The theme for this year’s European Immunisation Week is “Vaccines Work” and we must continue to remind ourselves that vaccines are a simple, effective and safe way to save lives and prevent serious illness”, said Dr Corcoran.

For further information visit www.immunisation.ie.