This week's top health stories

Medical students fail drug test

Science Online - 07/10/2008
A team of British and Australian researchers have found that medical students have little in the way of street smarts when it comes to recreational drugs.

Sweet news for the drinks industry

The World Today - 07/10/2008
An Australian university has succeeded in getting approval for a natural sweetener that has no calories and has been tried and tested internationally. The soft drink industry says the "stevia plant" has great potential and could make its products attractive to new markets. And while many nutritionists are also onside, they say there is still no substitute for unsweetened food and drink.

Rape debate fires up in Victoria

The World Today - 07/10/2008
Victorian Greens MP has accused Catholic-run hospitals of refusing to refer rape victims to crisis centres that prescribe the morning after pill. And she wants the Medical Practitioners Board to rule on whether such a practice would violate a doctor's duty of care.

Non-invasive test for Down syndrome

Science Online - 07/10/2008
US researchers have developed a prenatal blood test that they believe can be used to determine if an unborn baby has Down syndrome without the need for invasive testing methods such as amniocentesis.

Nobel for aids and cervical cancer researchers

AM - 07/10/2008
Two French scientists who identified the virus behind AIDS have won this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine. They share the award with a German researcher who made the causal link between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer.

Obstetrician suspended from practising

Lateline - 06/10/2008
An obstetrician who is the subject of multiple complaints has been suspended from practising in Australia.

KFC - Cricket Australia sponsorship a 'cop-out'

PM - 06/10/2008
The Australian Medical Association wants governments to end sponsorship deals between high profile sports events and fast food companies.

Lismore doctor under NSW Health scrutiny

PM - 06/10/2008
Health authorities in New South Wales are investigating complaints by eleven women about an overseas-trained gynaecologist at the Lismore Base Hospital between 2001 and 2005.

Scientists survey kids and exercise

AM - 04/10/2008
For the first time since the mid nineties government scientists have asked a large number of Australian children about what they eat and whether they do physical activity. The scientists say obesity levels haven't changed significantly and most children get enough exercise. But the amount of time spent in front of a screen of some kind has blown out to an average of nearly four hours a day.

Concerns raised over safety of food imports

Lateline - 03/10/2008
Another milk product is being removed from supermarkets over concerns it contains melamine. Critics say it is only a matter of time before more imported foods pose health risks.