Welcome to this week’s issue of The Week in Medicine – a round-up of all the happenings in the world of Irish medicine
The Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF) is marking 25 years of work that has helped transform oesophageal cancer in Ireland – from a disease once widely seen as fatal to one where prevention, early diagnosis and survival are increasingly achievable.
Founded in 2001 following the death of Lucilla Hyland, the charity began at a time of low awareness, late diagnosis and limited treatment options. Since then, Ireland has become internationally recognised for excellence in oesophageal cancer care and research, supported by a nationally centralised treatment programme.
Dr Leslie O’Looney
Survival outcomes have improved significantly, with cure rates approximately doubling over the past 25 years due to advances in multidisciplinary care, technology and research. Earlier diagnosis has also improved outcomes.
New Amárach research commissioned by OCF shows that while more than three-quarters of adults experience heartburn and are confident self-treating it, almost 70 per cent are not confident recognising early warning signs of oesophageal cancer.
Prevention is now a major focus through Ireland’s Barrett’s Oesophagus Registry and Biobank, funded by OCF and Research Ireland. The registry includes almost 10,000 patients, and has enabled early intervention for around 800 people with pre-cancer or very early-stage disease, achieving a 100 per cent cure rate.
February is Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month. OCF’s 25th annual Lollipop Day fundraising campaign will take place on February 27 and 28 across communities, schools and workplaces nationwide.
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The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) has launched its sixth annual National Grief Awareness Week, running from January 26 to February 1, with a focus on encouraging people to be more ‘Grief Aware’.
The campaign aims to improve understanding of grief and bereavement, highlighting that support does not require perfect words, but simple acts of presence and compassion. IHF is encouraging open conversations about grief at home, in communities and in workplaces.
An online Living with Grief event will take place on Thursday January 29, offering practical guidance and reassurance for those who are bereaved or supporting others through loss.
IHF’s Bereavement Support Line continues to see rising demand, with a 4.7 per cent increase in calls in the final quarter of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024, underlining the need for greater awareness and accessible supports.
Further information and resources are available through bereaved.ie and the Irish Hospice Foundation website.
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Humanarium, a new café and public exhibition space exploring health, science and wellbeing, has opened at RCSI in Dublin.
Located in the entrance foyer of 118 St Stephen’s Green, the space hosts a rolling programme of free exhibitions and public events focused on healthy futures, medical research and health sciences. The initiative aims to bring researchers, professionals and the public together to support informed health choices and shared understanding.
Humanarium is part of RCSI’s wider mission to promote health and wellbeing through education, research and public engagement. The eight-storey building also supports health sciences education, research and training.
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A new doctor is being shown around a hospital in Scotland.
As they enter one ward, the nearest patient turns to him and says “Fair fa’ your honest sonsie face, great chieftain o’ the pudden race!”
Before the doctor can react, the patient in the next bed adds “Wee sleekit cowerin’ timorous beastie! O what a panic’s in thy breastie!”
And not to be outdone, the third patient responds “Some ha’ meat and cannae eat, and some wad eat that want it!”
The doctor murmurs to the orderly “So this is the mental health ward?”
“Och no!” replies the orderly.
“…it’s the Burns Unit!”
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Trinity College Dublin’s EMERALD-Lewy research programme is hosting a public awareness and engagement event on World Lewy Body Day on Wednesday, January 28.
The free event will focus on Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive neurological condition affecting movement, cognition, mental health and physical function. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people in Ireland are living with the condition, which is frequently under-diagnosed.
Taking place at Trinity East Campus on Mackin Street, Dublin 2, the event will include expert talks, interactive activities, an arts and health exhibition, movement workshops and opportunities to meet researchers and people with lived experience.
School groups will attend earlier sessions, with dementia-friendly and general public sessions running throughout the afternoon. No registration is required, and all members of the public are welcome to attend.
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January is a time for all of us to refresh and renew – and to face the New Year invigorated and even more resolved to achieve great things in medicine. So, in order to keep everyone sharp, here’s a quick glossary of terms we should not forget.
Caesarian section: A neighbourhood in Rome
Dilate: Longevity
Enema: Not a friend
Fibula: A small lie
Medical Staff: A walking stick for a doctor
Nitrates: Rates that are cheaper in the daytime
Node: I knew it
Out-Patient: A person who has fainted
Recovery Room: Where they do the upholstery
Secretion: Hiding something
Terminal Illness: Getting sick at the airport
Tumour: One plus one more
Urine: Opposite of you’re out
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has advised today that individual packs of Aptamil 1 From Birth First infant milk from a specific batch which was subject to a recall by Danone last week due to the potential presence of cereulide, were sold via the Boots.ie website for online sales. The FSAI is advising parents, guardians and caregivers who may have the recalled product at home not to feed them to their infant or young child.
The implicated products were manufactured in Ireland by Danone and exported to a number of EU countries, the UK and third countries. However, due to indirect distribution to Ireland from the UK, the implicated packs were sold via the Boots.ie website for online sales.
The product and batch being recalled is as follows:
Aptamil 1 From Birth First infant milk; Pack size: 800g
Expiry date: 31-10-2026
The FSAI is advising parents, guardians and caregivers who may have the recalled product at home not to feed it to their infant or young child. If no symptoms are displayed, nothing further needs to be done. If a parent, guardian or caregiver is concerned about the health of their infant or young child, they should contact a healthcare professional.
The FSAI advises that cereulide toxin may be pre-formed in a food and is extremely heat resistant. Consumption of foods containing cereulide toxin can lead to nausea and severe vomiting. Symptoms can appear within five hours. The duration of illness is usually 6 to 24 hours.
This recall is associated with a contaminated raw ingredient which was also implicated in the recent recalls of some batches of infant formula and follow-on formula. An ingredient, ARA oil, which was manufactured in China, was contaminated with cereulide and added as an ingredient in base powder used to make infant formula and follow-on formula. Cereulide is a toxin produced by some strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning.
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