Over the ten years between 2007 and 2017 healthy life expectancy rose by 2 years in Switzerland, according to Swiss Medical Weekly (SMW). Healthy life expectancy is the number of years of life without an illness or handicap. In 2007 an average 65 year old man in Switzerland could expect to remain healthy until the […]
Coca-Cola and Rivella to cut sugar in Swiss drinks
Excessive sugar consumption continues to drive high rates chronic disease across the world. Switzerland is no exception. Pressure from the government and health sector yielded some progress on reducing the problem this week, reported RTS. Nine sugary drink makers, including Coca-Cola, Rivella and Ramseier signed an agreement to cut the sugar content of the products […]
Bacteria found in 5% of salads in Switzerland
A study published this week reported finding bacteria in 5% of vegetable and fruit salads collected from restaurants, retailers and caterers in Switzerland, reported RTS. Cantonal chemists sampled 205 salads across the country and found 5% were contaminated to a level presenting a health risk. The samples were taken between May and September 2022. Rather […]
Only 19% of Swiss youth positive about future
After taking a dive during the pandemic, life satisfaction bounced back in Switzerland, according to a recent survey. However, among those aged 18 to 25 life satisfaction has continued to decline, falling from 43% in 2021 to 19% in 2022. The aim of the annual survey is to assess the generation gap in Switzerland. Overall, […]
iPhone bug overloads Swiss emergency services
The latest iPhones and Apple watches automatically call emergency services when triggered by movements typically associated with accidents. False alerts on these devices have been causing emergency service phones to ring unnecessarily, particularly in the canton of Valais, reported RTS. The false alerts are being caused by the devices confusing skiing with car crash movements. […]
Medicine shortage worsens in Switzerland
Switzerland is running out of a number frequently used medicines such as paracetamol, aspirin, child cough sirup, self-injecting adrenaline pens and some antibiotics, amoxicilline for example, reported RTS. Switzerland’s Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) has described the situation as problematic and is looking at measures to alleviate the problem. The situation is not […]
Record number of recreation-related accidents in Switzerland in 2022
Accident insurer Suva recorded a record number of recreation-related accidents in 2022, reported RTS. Suva, a not-for-profit insurance company in Switzerland, insures around 2 million individuals in Switzerland every year. In 2022, it recorded around 290,000 non-work related accidents, a record figure, 14% higher than in 2021 and 4% higher than before the pandemic in […]
1 in 8 young people in French-speaking Switzerland has an e-cigarette habit
In French-speaking Switzerland 1 in 8 young people aged 14-25 is a frequent e-cigarette smoker, reported RTS. The study by Unisanté shows that two thirds would like to stop the highly addictive habit. The e-cigarette of choice for most children and young people is the disposable kind shown above. They are relatively cheap, small, easy […]
Switzerland leads again on male life expectancy
Data published by the OECD show Switzerland leading on male life expectancy at birth. The latest figure (2021) is 81.9 years. Other nations with high male life expectancy include Iceland (81.8), Norway (81.7), Japan (81.6) and Sweden (81.4). The year before, male life expectancy in Switzerland was 81.0, lower than Australia (81.2), Iceland (81.6), Japan […]
Government creates plan to stem resignations in healthcare
After the heavy workload of the Covid pandemic, the backlog of operations it created and a general shortage of qualified personnel, the challenges of working in Swiss hospitals is becoming too much for some staff, leading them to resign. Aware of this, on 25 January 2023, the Federal Council presented a plan to improve working […]
