Shauna Bowers

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Shauna Bowers

The number of measles cases notified in the State last year was more than 50 times higher than in 2023, official figures show. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) this week published data on infectious disease notifications in Ireland from 2020 to last year. There were 207 cases of measles last year, up from four in 2023 and five in 2020, the report shows. Measles is a highly contagious disease, with a single infection capable of being spread to 12 to 18 unvaccinated people.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Shauna Bowers

Thirty-eight children with scoliosis or spina bifida who were waiting more than four months for surgery have been offered treatment abroad since an international scheme began last year. Last summer, the then minister for health, Stephen Donnelly, announced that children would be able to avail of treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London or the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York in an attempt to deal with a backlog of children awaiting spinal care in the State.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Shauna Bowers

Until this year, Jane Murray was a “sun worshipper”. In her 20s, she would use sunbeds religiously, topping up her tan before going on holidays or weddings. Though she has not used the beds in years, her love for tanned skin had her seeking out the sun whenever she could in the subsequent years. “When I was on holiday, I would go down to the sun lounger at like 9am. I’d lie there all day until lunchtime, go up and get lunch, come back down and lie there until six in the evening,” she said.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Shauna Bowers

Tánaiste Simon Harris has cast doubt over the planned introduction of mandatory alcohol warning labels by next May, due to the potential impact US tariffs could have on the drinks industry. The warnings, messages placed on alcoholic beverage containers or packaging to inform about the potential health risks of drinking, are due to be introduced under the Public Health Alcohol Act in May 2026.

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Shauna Bowers

The number of illegal or fake doses of a prescription drug often referred to as the “coffin tablet” that were detained by the medicines watchdog has increased by 920 per cent over the past five years. On Wednesday, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) published its annual enforcement data, which show it seized more than one million units of illegal medicine in 2024, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.