The UK’s NHS (National Health Service) is being asked to resist cutting its hearing services, following research that has found up to 43% of adult services will be affected by budgetary pressures.

The World Health Organisation has confirmed that an outbreak of dengue fever has been reported on the Portuguese Island of Madeira. As of 10 October 2012, a total of 18 confirmed cases and 191 probable cases have been reported.

The Public Health Authorities of Portugal are implementing control measures to reduce the risk of sustained transmission locally, to minimize the impact on the affected population and to prevent the export of infected vectors from the island. Continue reading Dengue Fever reported in Madeira →

Nine probable and confirmed cases, including 5 deaths have been reported with Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale district in South-western Uganda. Of these, 3 have been laboratory confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI). Continue reading Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Uganda →

So let’s be real, the world isn’t pre-designed for people with restrictions such as food allergies. As a food allergy sufferer and a travel extraordinaire, I have come to realize this the hard way. I have also come to realize that if I am proactive about managing my dietary restrictions, most places are more than willing to work with me and often have options for me!  This sure makes a gal feel special! Continue reading Traveling with Food Allergies →

According to a new report, there will be more pensioners around the world than children by 2050. This will present major challenges, not only to healthcare systems, but also to the workforce, housing and intergenerational relationships. The report, from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), says the global population of over 50s will exceed the number of under 15s by 2050 reports expathealth.org Continue reading More pensioners than children by 2050 →

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) in Sierra Leone continues to work closely with partners at the national and international levels to step up response to the ongoing cholera outbreak. Twelve of the 13 districts in Sierra Leone have been affected since the beginning of the year reports the WHO Continue reading Cholera in Sierra Leone →

ALC Health launches new ‘Customer Online Service’

We are delighted to announce another new online service for ALC Health policyholders with the launch of ‘Customer Online’ enabling  our members to check their cover details as well as submit, manage and monitor their claims 24 hours a day.

This new service called ‘Customer Online’ is available to all ALC Health global policyholders whose cover commenced on or after 1 December 2011 and offers a smooth, seamless process to pre-authorise treatment.  Receipts for claims which may have already been settled by the policyholder and the ability to track the progress of each and every claim, is now available using this new secure online web portal. Continue reading ALC Health launches new ‘Customer Online’ service providing a comprehensive claims management facility available 24/7 worldwide →

According to experts, almost a third of European city dwellers are exposed to excessive concentrations of airborne particulate matter (PM). PM is especially dangerous to human health as it affects the sensitive areas of the respiratory tract reports Bill Cariker Continue reading Air pollution in Europe reduces life expectancy by 2 years →

4 OCTOBER 2012 – The Ministry of Health (MoH), Uganda has declared today, the end of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) outbreak in Kibaale district. The last case was confirmed on 3 August 2012 and was discharged from the hospital on 24 August 2012. This is double the maximum incubation period (21 days) for Ebola as recommended by WHO. In the outbreak, a total of 24 probable and confirmed cases were recorded, of which 11 were laboratory confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe. A total of 17 deaths were reported in this outbreak. Continue reading Ebola outbreak in Uganda finally over →

A European Union anti-smoking campaign, “Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable” is working with Barcelona FC to help 24 to 35 year olds quit smoking. Its free, online health tool, iCoach, is now helping 220,000 people break the habit. Continue reading Stop smoking mobile app helps 40% of users quit →