BMJ  2005;331:1040 (5 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7524.1040

News

In brief

More women are going to chemists for emergency contraceptive: The proportion of British women getting the emergency contraceptive from pharmacies rather than from other sources has almost doubled, from 27% in 2003-4 to 50% in 2004-5, the Office for National Statistics reports. Contraception and Sexual Health, 2004/5 is at www.statistics.gov.uk.

Bill Gates donates £28m to malaria research: Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is to donate £28m ($50m; 41m) to a UK research centre in Liverpool that is looking at new ways to control the mosquitoes that spread malaria. It is part of a £145m gift to malaria research worldwide.

Difference in Gulf war veterans' mortality is insignificant: The mortality of UK veterans of the Gulf war does not differ significantly from mortality in military personnel who were not deployed to the Gulf, says a study funded by the Ministry of Defence and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (doi: 10.1093/ije/dyi205)[Abstract/Free Full Text]. Although they were twice as likely as other soldiers to die from a disease related to exposure to depleted uranium, the difference was not statistically significant.

Requests for NHS complaints review double: The number of people asking for an independent review of their NHS complaint has more than doubled in the past year, the Healthcare Commission says. It received more than 8000 requests from people wanting their complaint independently reviewed in the 12 months to August, which compares with 3700 requests in 2003-4.

Fruit and vegetables are offered on prescription: Doctors working in a deprived area of northwest England are issuing prescriptions that offer patients discounts on fruit and vegetables. Early feedback indicates that the intervention has had a significant effect, say the Liverpool University authors of a report in Public Health ( 2005;119: 981-6)[CrossRef][ISI][Medline].

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