Le Matin. In 2015, the organisation Exit helped 213 people in French-speaking Switzerland die, 18% more than in 2014. In German-speaking Switzerland the figure was 782, 30% higher than the year before. Recently released statistics show the number has risen more than 12-fold since 2001 among French-speakers. This rise in suicide numbers is broadly in […]
Ticks active again in Switzerland
Le Matin. Tick season has started early this year. When the temperature reaches 7 degrees disease-carrying ticks spring back into action. Ticks spread nasty diseases such as Lyme disease and Tick-borne encephalitis. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Lyme disease, a bacterial infection, is common in Europe, where around 35,000 cases were reported in […]
Smoking – the big differences between Switzerland, Britain and the USA
Many anglophones new to Switzerland will have been struck by the high number of smokers. In fact the percentage of those who smoke is 68% higher than the United States. 28.2% of the Swiss population smoke, according to government figures for 2012. This compares to 19% of Brits and 16.8% of Americans. There are other big differences […]
Geneva’s Left wants 1% of salaries to pay for dentistry
20 Minutes. Geneva’s Ensemble à gauche and Socialist parties want to see compulsory dental care and presented a proposal to Geneva’s parliament in mid-February. On Monday Geneva’s labour party (Parti du travail) launched a cantonal initiative for the same thing. The plan would be funded by compulsory salary deductions of 1%. Half of this would be categorised as […]
First cases of Zika virus reported in Switzerland
According to RTS, the first Swiss cases of the disease have been diagnosed. “We probably diagnosed the first case in someone returning from Colombia in November. The patient had a fever, joint pain and a skin rash”, confirmed Noémie Boillat, head of the vaccination unit of Lausanne’s Policlinique Médicale Universitaire (PMU) to RTS. The specialist […]
Can your neighbours make you fat? Swiss research suggests they could.
A recent study from Lausanne’s EPFL published in the British Medical Journal Open shows that not all city addresses are equal when it comes to waistlines. Those living in west Lausanne are much more likely to be obese than those in the east. Even after controlling for differences in wealth, education, age and other factors, belt lengths […]
Much higher risk of childhood leukaemia near highways
A Swiss study released yesterday shows the health risks of living near a highway. The study by the Bern based Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine (ISPM) found that young children living less than 100m from a highway are at a substantially higher risk of leukaemia. Traffic emissions contain known carcinogens, such as benzene and […]
Processed meats cause cancer says World Health Organisation
A study released today classifies processed meats as carcinogenic. The study, done by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, looked at the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. Processed meats are those that have been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, […]
Swiss students push boundaries at Head fashion show in Geneva
On October 8 the Geneva University of Art and Design hosted its annual DEFILE HEAD fashion show and lucky me managed to get a front row seat to witness all the fashion action live and from up close. At the impressive Espace Hippomène, a former factory turned events hall, 15 bachelor’s collections and 3 master’s […]
Switzerland ranked best place to grow old. Why?
Switzerland did not have the longest life expectancy or the highest score on relative mental well-being. It did not have lowest old age poverty rate and it wasn’t perceived as the safest place for an older person to walk alone. So why did it rank as the best place to live in old age in […]
