SPORTING RULES: The Irish Sports Council has published an up-to-date list of substances and methods prohibited both in and out of competition.
The list, which is available at: www.irishsportscouncil.ie, has been produced in co-operation with the world anti-doping code. It also features other useful information, including a handbook for athletes, with links to international anti-doping-related agencies.
EARLY VACCINATION: Research into the long-term effectiveness of the Meningitis C vaccine shows it remains high in children vaccinated between the ages of five months and 18 years. However, for children vaccinated in early infancy the overall efficacy of the vaccine was only 66 per cent. The results, from an analysis of the first four years of the vaccine's use, suggest that an alternative immunisation schedule may be needed for children younger than five months.
HOLIDAY ADVICE: British researchers have criticised the level of preventative advice about sexually transmitted disease available to young people prior to going on holiday abroad. They found that just 3 per cent of travel brochures carried minimal advice on safe sex. A study of holidaymakers attending a genitourinary clinic within three months of their return home found that a quarter had slept with a new partner while away and two thirds had not used condoms.
DOWN UNDER: An initiative in the Northern Area Health Board, which cut waiting times for speech and language therapy, has received a public service award. The NAHB Speech and Language Waiting List Initiative was one of 20 top projects invited to participate at the National Showcase for Public Service Excellence. Ms Noreen Murphy, principal speech and language therapist, introduced an Australian model of service delivery in January 2003 and by the end of the year, waiting times for assessment in north Dublin had decreased from six months to six to eight weeks. The average waiting time for treatment was reduced from 20 months to four months.
DAIRY ENERGY: There is a growing body of research pointing to carbohydrates and not fats as the main factor in the rising obesity levels in the west. Now, the Irish Dairy Council is keen to quash the myth that dairy products are fattening. It points to recent evidence that suggests the calcium content of dairy products actually processes dietary energy, resulting in a reduction in body fat.