The NZMA code of ethics prohibits doctors from treating themselves or family, but where should the line be drawn? Do doctors risk losing objectivity when they treat those closest to them?

A flu scare yesterday at Auckland International Airport has been slammed by many as an 'overreaction'. A group of 60 students arriving in Auckland from Tokyo, Japan aboard an Air New Zealand flight were suffering from minor cold symptoms – interpreted by authorities as a health alert.

A performance audit report on the New Zealand Blood Service was tabled in Parliament today by the Office of the Auditor-General.

Kia ora - E te iwi, a cancer education and support programme for Maori, has been gifted to the Maori health community by the Cancer Society. The programme is the result of the Society working collaboratively with Iwi and Maori health providers to develop a Kaupapa Maori cancer education programme to be delivered for Maori by Maori.

Figures released by ACC have revealed that $7.6 million dollars was spent on treating 3,600 patients for medical errors stemming from surgeries, delayed diagnoses and incorrect medications.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) has submitted a draft plan to the council that hopes to restrict fast food outlets in Auckland.

A method of care that reduces the need for restraint and seclusion for mental health clients is being introduced to Greymouth Hospital’s Manaakitanga Acute Admissions Unit.

New referral guidelines for lead maternity carers (LMC) have been released this month by the Ministry of Health that require LMCs to refer pregnant women to a GP or primary care provider if a pregnant woman has certain conditions.

Hamilton GP Suresh Vatsayayann will appeal his guilty verdict of professional misconduct issued by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in a hearing at the High Court this month.

Surgeons who operate under the Waitemata District Health Board can earn over $6,000 dollars a day – almost four times as much as general practitioners and psychiatrists – in a new scheme that seeks to attract staff and reduce waiting list times. The pilot scheme, which only operates at Waitakere Hospital, pays orthopaedic surgeons $2,200 for a hip or knee replacement care package – which includes the operation, daily patient review and call backs.

Construction of the $40 million new building for Older Persons and Rehabilitation services at the Waiora Waikato Hospital campus in Hamilton is underway.

The health warning has now been lifted for Lake Waahi, but warnings remain in place for the other regularly tested lakes outside Hamilton. These lakes are Ngaroto Hakanoa, Waikare, and Whangape.

Hamilton doctor Suresh Vatsyayann has been ordered by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal to pay over $100,000 after being found guilty of misconduct, following an investigation of a patient misdiagnosis.

Police are reminding drivers of their lowered speed tolerance of 4km/hr this Waitangi Weekend and will keep the programme in place for the entire month of February. Police will take action against any driver detected driving at more than 4km/h over the permanent posted speed limit.

Around 1 million packets of birth control pills were recalled in the US by manufacturer Pfizer. The birth control pills pose no health threat, but may not contain enough contraceptive ingredients to aid birth control.

Ashburton Hospital operating theatre block was shut down yesterday following inspections that revealed the building had a 'very high seismic risk' due to unreinforced masonry.

Three studies have stated that circumcising heterosexual adult males reduces the spread of infection by 60 per cent and is a way of preventing the spread of AIDS. With the goal of circumcising 20 million men in Africa by 2015, experts have been investigating ways to make the procedure cheap, fast and safe.

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal investigated whether the quality of press releases had an effect on the quality of news articles. Quality press releases featuring key information, facts, results and acknowledged limitations were more likely to appear in an accurately written news article.

A new programme that aims to generate innovative solutions to reduce the number and severity of falls in the home has been launched today by ACC Minister Judith Collins.

Last year's nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan will have a small impact on health according to Wolfgang Weiss of the UN Scientific Committee on the effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).