John Hawkins/Stuff
Southern District Health Board bowel cancer programme manager Emma Bell with the screening kit which sent out to people aged between 60 and 74 around the district. (File photo).
The Southern District Health Board reports 235 cases of bowel cancer have been detected in people aged between 60 and 74 in Southland and Otago through the National Bowel Screening Programme in almost three years. With the third anniversary of the programme approaching next week, the board reported close to 50,000 residents in that age bracket had completed their at-home tests between April 24, 2018, and January 31, 2021. Of the 14,765 Southlanders who participated, 865 received a positive test result, with 80 receiving a bowel cancer diagnosis.
+Undoctored
Media release from Sensitive Choice
Tuesday 26 January 2021, 08:54 AM
Health experts are concerned thousands of Kiwis living with asthma or allergies such as hay fever may face stigma with new research showing common symptoms of the disease may be inadvertently confused with those of COVID-19.
Asthma is a non-contagious, respiratory disease that affects the airways in the lungs, and from time to time may restrict breathing. Symptoms can include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. People with hay fever may also experience sneezing and coughing as a trigger response to exposure to an allergen.
Similarly, symptoms of COVID-19 include a dry cough, sneezing and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.