STAFF who handle food could pose a health risk to consumers if they are ill or do not wash their hands, experts warned yesterday.

THE number of measles cases doubled last year, raising fears of an epidemic.

An expert with the National Disease Surveillance Centre has reportedly identified hospital overcrowding as one of the main reasons for the spread of the MRSA “superbug”.

PEOPLE arriving in Ireland from sub-Saharan Africa must be encouraged to undergo tests for HIV, Fine Gael said yesterday.

Two specific batches of a rabies vaccine have been recalled from the Irish market as part of a worldwide recall by French company Aventis Pasteur MSD Limited.

NEW cases of HIV infection in Ireland rose significantly in the first half of last year, according to figures published yesterday.

A FRESH outbreak of the winter vomiting virus has hit one of the largest hospitals in the north west.

THERE were 14 deaths from meningitis last year — up two on 2002 — a reminder we can never become complacent, Minister of State at the Department of Health Ivor Callely warned yesterday.

MENINGITIS C has almost been eradicated since a national vaccination programme was implemented three years ago.

ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT superbugs are killing patients, Dr Robert Cunney of the National Disease Surveillance Centre claimed yesterday.

FOUR children in the last three years were born here with syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease they inherited from their mothers.

The National Disease Surveillance Centre is warning young people about rising levels of sexually transmitted diseases.

THE Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO) has warned that A&E services will be stretched beyond breaking point in hospitals if an outbreak of influenza which is sweeping the country gets worse.

A STRIKING 95% of Irish HIV sufferers feel discriminated against because of their status, according to the preliminary findings of a recent European-wide survey.

ALCOHOL abuse is fuelling the record rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a leading expert warned yesterday.

The amount of people who have contracted a sexually transmitted disease has increased by almost 10%.

THREE-QUARTERS of heterosexuals recently diagnosed with HIV are women, statistics released by the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) show.

The National Disease Surveillance Centre has revealed that 364 cases of HIV were diagnosed in Ireland last year, a 22% increase on the figures for 2001.

The National AIDS Strategy Committee has called for a national study to be undertaken on sexual attitudes and practices in this country in line with similar studies being conducted elsewhere in the European Union.

MARY DAVIS is on her third phone of the day, a day which began at 7am and is now 15, verging on a less than sweet 16 hours old. The borrowed mobile is staple-gunned to the side of her head, its battery power waning more than Davis herself.

GPs, junior doctors and consultants are set to withdraw co-operation from health boards and health agencies in an escalation of action supporting striking public health doctors.

THE country is facing widespread chaos as hundreds of GPs and junior hospital doctors threatened to strike after Micheál Martin accused striking public health doctors of jeopardising lives.

A RING of steel enveloped Ireland two years ago to halt an infectious animal disease.

A MAN who was admitted to a midlands hospital with suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is not suffering from the virus.

A man suspected to be suffering from the new pneumonia virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was today being treated in a Dublin hospital.

A MAN suspected of suffering from a mystery bug that has killed nine people in three continents was being treated last night in a Dublin hospital.

The mystery disease that's baffling doctors around the globe may have arrived in Ireland.

HEALTH authorities around the world are struggling to contain a lethal form of pneumonia as air travellers spread it across three continents.

MEDICAL experts are on alert over fears that a new deadly form of the flu virus may be capable of spreading.

ALMOST 5,000 sexually transmitted infections were reported during the first half of 2001 — more than double the annual total for 1989.

THE country is on the brink of another measles epidemic, a public health specialist has warned.

FRONTLINE nurses are being urged to carry a small laminated card in their uniform pocket to help them quickly recognise signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia.

THE winter vomiting bug has now infected people in all but seven counties and shows no sign of abating, according to the latest figures.

A TINY virus is wreaking havoc on the healthcare and tourism sector.

HOSPITALS are to receive stringent guidelines to eliminate the risk of patients contracting CJD through infected surgical equipment.

New figures published today by the National Disease Surveillance Centre show a rise in HIV infections in Ireland.