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New figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have revealed that the increase in the number of new MRSA bloodstream infections has slowed.

According to the HPA, there were 1,087 cases of the infection reported in England during the final quarter of last year, compared with 1,080 during the previous quarter.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Georgia Duckworth, head of the HPA’s healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial resistance department, said that the last year has seen infections "steadily falling".

"We would obviously like to have seen the trend continued in this quarter and hope that ongoing surveillance will show that this plateau is not indicative of a levelling trend, but we need to see next quarter’s figures," she stated.

Conservative shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley claimed that the government’s efforts to address such infections in hospital are "misguided", the BBC reports.

The politician claimed that the "deep clean" undertaken by the NHS "wasn’t backed up by evidence".

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

A new study has revealed the existence of cancer stem cells which are the root cause of childhood leukaemia, making improved treatments possible.

Leukaemia Research and the Medical Research Council have funded the research on identical twins which has shown that both possess the same "genetically abnormal" cells, even though only one is actually being treated for leukaemia.

The research, published in the Journal Science, found that such cells can lay dormant in the bone marrow, supporting evidence that childhood cancer begins in the womb.

Professor Tariq Enver, who led the research, feels that the discovery will lead to less aggressive treatments of the disease and consequently reduce side-effects.

Professor Mel Greaves, of the Institute of Cancer Research, stated that as well as lying dormant these cells can resist conventional chemotherapy and be the cause of relapse.

He concluded that "these are the cells that dictate disease course and provide the bull’s eye to target with new therapies".

Elsewhere, the Institute of Cancer Research recently reported that cancer charities Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK had "joined forces" to launch a clinical trial for women with aggressive breast cancer.


The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

Scientists have discovered that military radar technology may be an effective tool in detecting and monitoring heart attacks and strokes.

The research has been conducted at the University of Leicester and aims to prove that such technology can be adapted to detect dangerous blockages in blood, potentially reducing heart attack which is the third most common cause of death in the UK.

Joanna Cowe, a military systems engineer working at the university’s medical physics group explained how ultrasound can be used to target emboli, the blockages that are responsible for one quarter of all strokes.

She noted: "Research into the detection of emboli and vascular disease, using ultrasound, has the potential to reduce stroke death and disability rates, and to generate large financial savings."

In related news, a study by the British Medical Journal has found that being resistant to aspirin makes patients four times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.


The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

The follow-up check procedures for women who have been treated for breast cancer must improve, according to two medical experts.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, they claim that these procedures have not been adapted as survival rates from the disease have improved.

Guidelines for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) state that the role of follow-ups is to detect recurrence and deal with any adverse affects and claim that three years is a sufficient time span for follow-up treatment.

However, Dr Michael Dixon, clinical director at Edinburgh’s Breakthrough research unit and Dr David Montgomery, clinical research fellow at Glasgow Royal Infirmary say that, due to the increased effectiveness of treatment for initial cancer, new cancers are now more common.

They commented: "If Nice is to achieve its aim of detecting and treating local recurrence it clearly cannot be achieved with a three year follow-up."

They go on to say that women should be given an annual examination for two years with surveillance by mammography to follow.

Elsewhere, scientists may have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of cancer with a way to halt resistance to the cancer drug tamoxifen, the BBC reports.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

A new study by Australian researchers has shown that a group of women taking calcium supplements were more prone to heart attacks.

Calcium supplements are occasionally prescribed to post-menopausal women to ensure bone strength but may be having an adverse affect, the study suggests.

Vascular events including heart attack, stroke and sudden death were commonly reported in a group of 1,471 post-menopausal women, some of whom were given a daily calcium supplement.

Carried out over five years, the study revealed that the group taking calcium supplements were much more prone to cardiac incidents.

The researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, noted: "The present data do not permit definitive conclusions to be reached in this regard but do flag cardiac health as an area of concern in relation to calcium use and mandate that this is assessed carefully in future studies of calcium supplementation."

In related news, the British Heart Foundation recently said that long-standing anxiety can significantly increase the risk of heart attack in men over 60.


The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions

The man who came up with the idea for critical illness cover has pointed out that it gives people a viable alternative to life insurance.

South African surgeon Dr Marius Barnard, who created the first ever critical illness policy in 1983, pointed out that increased life expectancy, improved ability to diagnose illness early and the advent of better treatment have meant that critical illness cover accounts for more eventualities than life insurance.

He noted the difficulties facing individuals who want to take out adequate cover: "If you die at 30, life insurance was more important.

"But if you get a critical illness at 55 or 45 - when you are at the height of your earning ability - and you have an operation and survive another ten to 20 years, then critical illness insurance was more important."

He added that while life insurance is somewhat easier for individuals to understand, critical illness policies often require a financial advisor to explain their finer details.

"When the financial advisor sits down with the client about life insurance, he understands it. But with critical illness cover, this takes time," remarked Dr Barnard.

In its 2006 Statement of Best Practice for critical illness cover, the Association of British Insurers called for "plain English" to be used in product information.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions

New rules introduced by the insurance industry’s trade body will ensure that fewer people have their claims refused, it has been claimed.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the move marks a commitment to pay out on protection policies, even where people have not disclosed medical information (unless it was withheld deliberately).

Every year, thousands of critical illness, income protection and life insurance claims are rejected as a result of people’s failure to provide relevant medical information.

The ABI claims that insurers will now pay out a "fair sum, reflecting risk and premiums paid" in instances where information has inadvertently been withheld.

Stephen Haddrill, director general of the organisation, remarked: "Customers want to know that their insurance claim will always be assessed fairly and paid without fuss.

"The industry wants customers to be able to take out insurance with confidence."

Life insurance provider Legal and General responded to the news by reminding customers that deliberately withholding relevant information will still lead to claims being declined.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions

Individuals should make sure they read the small print when buying life insurance or critical illness cover, according to one independent advisor.

Jock Cassidy, the director of Ashley Law Limited, observed that a large proportion of customers tend to overlook the finer details of a premium.

"People tend to look at the top line and not the small print and, if you take critical illness cover as an example, some critical illness cover will have lesser benefits than others, but obviously the premiums are also lesser," remarked Mr Cassidy.

He continued: "If people don’t take the time to read the small print, then they’ll go for the cheapest option, but it does depend on each person’s circumstances."

The financial specialist pointed that more affluent customers tend to turn to a financial advisor to do the "shopping around" for them.

According to website Unbiased.co.uk, a growing number of customers have been seeking independent financial advice in order to get the best deals on life insurance, critical illness cover and other products.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions

More people should buy life insurance because it provides a "basic form of protection" for families, according to one provider.

Friends Provident issued the advice after research conducted by the insurer revealed that more than half of Britons do not have life cover.

Its poll indicated that over 27 per cent of individuals would invest in life insurance if they had £5 a month dedicated to it, while six per cent admitted they would swap their mobile phone for a free policy.

Of the 46 per cent of people who said they had life insurance, almost seven in ten revealed that they seek professional advice when considering cover.

Mark Jones, protection products and actuarial manager at Friends Provident, confirmed that life insurance is a basic way of providing for loved ones at a difficult time.

"Understandably, none of us really want to think about our own mortality, but we do owe it our families to ensure that we have made provision - be it to pay off the mortgage or provide a lump cash sum," he remarked.

According to a recent study by Aegon, British people are now living longer, with 9,000 people aged 100 years or older living in the UK in 2006.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions

Insurance for high-risk individuals such as professional football players presents a "grey area" for bosses, according to experts.

Representatives of financial firm Aon noted that although national associations are not obliged to buy cover, some choose to do so.

James Hands, the company’s executive director, spoke in the wake of numerous high-profile incidents involving players being injured while playing for their countries.

"Every club has a different way of looking at these things - some national associations take out insurance and some don’t," he observed.

"They can insure against whatever they want to insure against – whether that be just a player’s salary or whether that be a player having an injury that will end his career," he added.

During a match against Sweden in the 2006 World Cup, England player Michael Owen ruptured a knee ligament.

The Guardian reported that the maximum amount his club, Newcastle, could receive in compensation was £55,000 a week from the FA’s insurance policy, although this did not cover his full weekly wage.

When he was injured again, playing for England last year, the maximum potential figure had gone up to £100,000 per week.

Sports players have the option of taking out their own insurance against being injured and to secure themselves against loss of future earnings.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with high risk jobs or hobbies.