Health briefing

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Heart patients return to fast food

IT WOULD seem logical for patients who have had a heart attack to cut back on fast food. Some devoted fast food eaters do, but six months later, more than half can still be found at their favourite fast food places at least once a week, according to a study in the American Journal of Cardiology. Of nearly 2,500 heart attack patients studied at the University of Missouri, 884, or 36 per cent, also reported they had eaten fast food frequently – once a week or more – in the month before their heart attack.

Pre-schools offer chance to help detect child abuse

PRE-SCHOOL SERVICES provide a vital opportunity to pick up on signs of child abuse, according to Barnardos, which is launching a new child protection guide today.

In 2010, 97 per cent of pre-school children had participated in the free pre-school year and related schemes. Research shows that children in the 0-4 age group are most at risk of abuse, primarily within the immediate or extended family.

Early year services must be alert to the possibility of a child being abused or neglected from whatever source, according to Anne Conroy, co-author of the guide with Corinne Kingston.

The number of reports of concern relating to child protection and welfare has risen sharply in recent years, according to figures from the HSE. A total of 24,668 reports were made to social work departments in 2008, an increase of 25 per cent on 2005.

The new publication, Protecting Children, was aimed at raising awareness of child abuse, but early year services did not need to be paranoid, said Ms Conroy, training and resources manager at Barnardos. “The message is be alert and open to the possibility, and where they have a concern to pass it on.”

Barnardos has advocated for many years that the Government’s Children First guidelines, first published in 1999, should be made compulsory. Much more needs to be done for the sector to be fully compliant with these guidelines, according to Barnardos chief executive, Fergus Finlay.

See barnardos.ie for more details

HSE says BCG vaccine is being offered in Mayo

HSE WEST says that newborns are being offered the BCG vaccination in Co Mayo in line with national policy.

It was responding to recent criticism of the lack of vaccination provision in the west by Fine Gael Galway West election candidate, Cllr Seán Kyne.

However, HSE West has confirmed that staff shortages are preventing it from offering a neonatal BCG vaccination service in Galway city and county, and there is a “backlog” of primary school vaccinations.

Cllr Kyne said that a practice on the west coast of delaying vaccination until a later age was no longer viable, and HSE West had to comply with national guidelines on neonatal injection.

This was not happening, and the issue had been raised on many doorsteps during his canvassing, he said.

Several healthcare professionals who contacted this newspaper said that there was a dearth of information on the issue, and parents were not being informed.

HSE West has said that “significant efforts are being made” to deliver the programme, “within the constraints of existing staffing levels”.

It said that Cllr Kyne was incorrect in claiming that there was no such service in Co Mayo, as a “very comprehensive and successful neonatal BCG programme has been in place in Mayo for over 20 months”.

However, it has acknowledged difficulties with maintaining the existing schools’ BCG programme – which means that even those children who were not due to be vaccinated until 5th or 6th class in primary school are on a waiting list.