The HPA has put out a timely warning here about Lyme disease. Those living in the South of England are particularly at risk when walking through heathland or wooded areas where infected ticks live. The incidence of Lyme Disease is increasing, but this is partly due to better laboratory tests and greater awareness of the disease. The HPA gives a list of handy hints on how to prevent the ticks passing on the disease, but you will need to put a good hour or two aside after a family visit to the New Forest.

It seems that HIV enjoys a holiday just like the rest of us. Virologists have found that they can trace HIV cases in this country back to the popular holiday destinations of Greece and Spain. Read the article here . Serbia seems to be a bit of an exception as the spread from there is due to locals trying to get away from the place, bringing HIV with them.

CRP is getting a lot of attention recently. It seems to be an important predictor of outcomes in many diseases. The latest condition to benefit from an early CRP is a stroke. This article describes how the CRP seems to be useful in the first 24hrs of a stroke as a predictor of severity and long term survival. All this interest in CRP may have something to do with the CRP lowering drugs that will shortly be coming to market.

Vitamin D is sure attracting a lot of interest recently. A new paper here has linked it to Asthma while another here suggests it is useful in treating Prostate Cancer. If you would like your 1,25 Dihydroxy or 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D measured then give us a ring.