14 hours agoAbout sharingThe drugs Blanche Hampton takes for lupus suppress her immune systemBy Dominic HughesHealth correspondent, BBC News
Time is running out for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people who are facing another winter shielding from Covid, campaigners have said.
They are calling on the government to buy a drug called Evusheld to provide some protection against the virus.
The government says it is not clear how long that protection will last when up against the Omicron variant.
But patients, charities and health experts argue the protection
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2 days agoAbout sharingBy Michelle RobertsDigital health editor
The blood-donation service has been inundated with offers of help after putting out an alert, on Wednesday, warning NHS stocks were running critically low in England.
More than 10,000 appointments to donate blood over the next few weeks have been booked in the past 24 hours.
People can check how and where to donate, at blood.co.uk, but should be prepared for online queues, NHS Blood and Transplant says.
Phone lines also saw a spike in
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2 days agoAbout sharingBy Smitha MundasadHealth reporter
Some people with "lucky genes" or certain DNA may get extra strong protection after Covid jabs, say scientists from University of Oxford.
The researchers found people with a version of a gene called HLA-DQB1*06 had a bigger antibody response following vaccination than others.
About 30 to 40% of the UK population have this type.
The preliminary work appears in Nature Medicine. More research is needed to confirm it.
Experts say vaccines are the best way
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1 day agoAbout sharingBy Smitha MundasadHealth reporter
The latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest one in 37 people in the UK has coronavirus, a rise from one in 50 the week before.
Experts warn of a "notable rise" in older people in England and Wales.
They say vaccines are the best defence against the virus and urge people aged 50 and over and others eligible for booster jabs to get them.
There are fears of a flu and Covid "twindemic" this winter.
Sarah Crofts, deputy director for the ONS Covid survey, said there was a need
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36 minutes agoAbout sharingBy Fergus WalshMedical editor
They are the husband and wife team behind one the most successful Covid vaccines, yet in the UK they are barely known.
Professors Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci co-founded the German company BioNTech in 2008, exploring new technology involving messenger RNA (mRNA), to treat cancer.
When the pandemic struck they partnered with Pfizer to use the same approach to create a Covid vaccine.
Now the doctors are hopeful it could lead to new treatments for melanoma, bowel cancer and other tumour
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8 hours agoAbout sharingMartin Byrne says the shoulder surgery has "broken me"By Michele PaduanoBBC Midlands health correspondent
A private healthcare company has confirmed it will recall patients amid concerns about a surgeon's operations.
Spire Healthcare, in Birmingham, would not confirm how many patients of Munawar Shah would be recalled.
It comes after Walsall Healthcare Trust announced it was recalling 600 NHS patients who underwent shoulder surgery performed by Mr Shah.
Spire said it was committed to promptly responding to concerns and undertaking good
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7 minutes agoAbout sharingLucy Letby, 32, of Hereford, denies 22 charges at Manchester Crown Court
An alleged killer nurse was interrupted by the mother of one of her victims who paid her baby boy a visit at the neonatal unit, a court has heard.
Lucy Letby is accused of murdering five baby boys and two girls, and attempting to murder 10 other babies at Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.
Manchester Crown Court heard child E's mother did not realise he was being attacked and was told by the nurse the blood from his mouth was due to a tube.
Ms Letby, 32, denies
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3 hours agoCommentsAbout sharingBy Nick EdserBusiness reporter
The number of people not looking for work because they are suffering from a long-term illness has hit a record high, latest official figures show.
The fall in the number looking for work has helped to push the unemployment rate to its lowest for nearly 50 years.
The jobless rate fell to 3.5% in the three months to August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The number of job
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1 day agoAbout sharingBy Michelle Roberts and Elena BaileyBBC News
UK plastic surgeons have released new guidelines to try to make Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures safer for people who desire a bigger bottom.
Some women have died from the operation, which involves sucking out fat from elsewhere - such as the belly - and injecting it into butt cheeks.
The British Association of Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) says the injections should not go very deep.
That should help avoid complications such as
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3 days agoAbout sharingEmily agreed to having the surgery when pregnant with her baby RobbieBy Michelle RobertsDigital health editor
US doctors say they have successfully carried out surgery on babies in the womb to repair harmful spine defects using a special, therapeutic stem cell patch method.
Experts hope the pioneering research at UC Davis Health could help others with spina bifida - when the spinal cord and spine do not develop properly.
Three of the babies
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2 days agoCommentsAbout sharing
As the UK endured record high temperatures of 40C this summer, there were around 3,000 more deaths in the over-65s than usual in England and Wales - the highest figure since 2004.
Many happened during the hottest days towards the end of July and in early August.
The data comes from
3 hours agoAbout sharingThe 46-year-old said he has huge amounts of energy and creativityBy Verity Cowley & Jennifer HarbyBBC News
Former BBC presenter Richard Bacon has said he quite likes having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), after being diagnosed as an adult.
The former Radio 5 Live presenter, who now works in the US, was diagnosed four years ago.
Bacon, 46, said he had "huge amounts of energy" and "fell in love" with whatever he was doing.
But he also said the condition had brought challenges, and that it
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2 days agoAbout sharingBy Michelle RobertsDigital health editor
Covid is on the rise again in the UK and people who feel unwell should avoid vulnerable friends, colleagues and relatives as a precaution, say experts.
Data suggests 1.3 million or one in 50 has Covid, with a "marked increase" in infections among over-70s in England.
There are no new restrictions, but people are being reminded to take extra care and protect the elderly.
There are fears of a flu and Covid "twindemic" this winter, and those who qualify for free jabs should get them.
Reminder
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