A round-up of other health news in brief.
Miscarried boy kept in hospital for two years
A hospital in Britain which kept a miscarried baby boy in a fridge for almost two years without his mother’s permission promised yesterday that it would never happen again.
Leanne McCabe told bosses at Warrington Hospital to cremate her first child, Ty, in September 2006 after he died at just 12 weeks.
The 25 year old only found out Ty’s body was being stored when she tried to make funeral arrangements for her second miscarried son, Jonah.
After the second miscarriage, Ms McCabe, of Runcorn, Cheshire, was told that it would be three months before she could arrange Jonah’s funeral because the post-mortem examination needed to be done.
But when she tried to arrange the funeral she was told Jonah had been cremated but Ty’s body was still available.
Recession puts lives at risk
Global recession may lead many governments to reduce investment in basic healthcare, putting at risk the lives of vulnerable mothers and babies, the WHO has said.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan said the world’s economic woes could set back huge public health campaigns meant to eliminate diseases, tackle the root causes of poverty and save the lives of mothers and babies.
“Women and young children are among the first to be affected,” Chan told a meeting at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters.
Tackling weight issue in Wales
Overweight children and their families will attend free 10-week health courses as part of a campaign to tackle childhood obesity.
The £1.4 million scheme will target about 2,000 seven to 13 year olds in Wales over the next three years.
Families will get advice on healthy eating, physical activity and shopping on a budget after enrolling themselves or being referred by a GP.