INFLUENZA SPECIAL: In a series of special reports, Dara Gantly visited the IZSVe institute in Italy to hear how the European Commission is financing the many research strands connected with the influenza virus It is reassuring to hear that another spring/summer pandemic wave in Europe is unlikely, unless the virus changes and becomes more transmissible. [...]

INFLUENZA SPECIAL: The Deputy Head for Infectious Diseases at the Research Directorate-General of the European Commission has suggested her department may involve itself in examining how the Commission can best address both behavioural and communications aspects associated with pandemic influenza outbreaks. Dr Anna Lönnroth accepts that one of the major problems with the current pandemic [...]

INFLUENZA SPECIAL: The statistics are striking. Some 60 per cent of human pathogens and 75 per cent of emerging diseases are zoonotic in nature, while 80 per cent of agents that have a potential bioterrorist use are zoonotic pathogens. Such figures can be found behind the ‘One Health’ concept, which aims to put in place [...]

INFLUENZA SPECIAL: New research has led to the development of a safely attenuated live influenza vaccine produced in cell culture and applied through a nasal spray, which could be available on the market by 2012. Started in 2005 with a €9.2 million grant from EU, the FLUVACC project was set up to develop a new [...]

INFLUENZA SPECIAL: The 2009 H1N1 pandemic has focussed attention worldwide on the urgent need for effective anti-influenza drug options when the public is not protected by vaccination. However, the limited number of antivirals available and the threat of drug-resistant viruses is a ‘major weakness’, the European Commission has acknowledged. Dr Anna Lönnroth, Deputy Head of [...]

Dr Anna Datta and Justin Frewen believe that there is a clear economic as well as medical imperative to invest more funding into our mental health services, even in the midst of a recession In discussing mental health, we tend to focus on issues such as the distress and suffering of mental health service users [...]

Madeleine Delaney, Beauchamps Solicitors, looks at the legal situation in Ireland regarding the protection of members of the public who go to the aid of another person There is no ‘good Samaritan’ law in Ireland (a common law jurisdiction)to protect members of the public who go to the aid of another person. Similarly, there is [...]

Aoife Connors looks at the sensitive issues surrounding the Human Tissues Bill and consent for the donation of organs after death for transplantation Ireland has no paediatric, liver, heart or lung transplant programme. The Irish health service relies entirely on the UK to supply the expertise required in transplantation to Irish children. Adding to this [...]

MEN’S HEALTH SUPPLEMENT: Dr David Molony and Dr Paul Morrison know that men are less likely to go to doctors, so it is vital that doctors find a way to reach out to them Over the last two decades in particular, much has been gained in the fight against cardiovascular disease and the lowering of [...]