A recently published report breaks the population of Switzerland down into smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers. Only 45% of men fall into the last category of non-smokers. The percentage of non-smokers has risen by 7.1 percentage points since 1992 when 62.4% of men in Switzerland were current or former smokers. In 2017, the slices of society […]
Geneva looks at sugar tax but excludes one of the worst products
A commission for the canton of Geneva’s government supports a tax on added sugar to fight obesity, according to the newspaper Le Temps. Bertrand Buchs and Delphine Bachmann, two elected officials active in the medical sector, are behind the initiative. The text required to implement the tax, which takes aim at added sugar, is likely […]
Might sugar be able kill viruses?
Not many positive things are written about sugar these days. A key driver of obesity and type II diabetes, few are likely to associate it with cures. However, researchers at UNIGE, in Geneva, EPFL, in Lausanne, and the University of Manchester recently managed to destroy a wide range of viruses using modified sugar molecules, according […]
Bird flu risk rises in Switzerland
Bird flu risk is currently high warns Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). At the end of 2019, the bird flu virus H5N8 was discovered on a number of poultry farms in Poland. In addition, several cases have been reported on farms in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic and Ukraine. Among wild birds, […]
Philip Morris International to axe jobs in Switzerland
The tobacco company Philip Morris International (PMI) has unveiled plans to cut jobs at its sites in Lausanne and Neuchâtel. A total of around 265 jobs are likely to go. Most of them will be transferred to the UK, Portugal and Poland. The company has opened formal processes in both cantons and those affected will […]
Ticino requires smokers to clock out for smoke breaks
From the beginning of February 2020, employees working for the canton of Ticino will need to clock out if they want to go for a cigarette break, according to RTS. The new rule, which is the first of its kind in Switzerland, follows comments made last year by a parliamentarian who pointed out the favourable […]
Swiss authorities set up Coronavirus helpline
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has set up two helpline numbers to provide information to the public. They have also set up a page on their website with regular updates. So far no one in Switzerland has been diagnosed with the Coronavirus (nCoV) based on the samples analysed, but experts believe the risk […]
A quick guide on the Coronavirus
Since the initial outbreak of the virus in the city of Wuhan in December 2019, the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread rapidly. The Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is from the coronavirus family that contains SARS, MERS and some common colds. As of 29 January, 5,974 cases of infected individuals had been recorded in China, with 132 […]
5G protests continue in Switzerland, following inconclusive report
On 25 January 2020, further protests against the roll of 5G mobile technology took place in 16 towns across Switzerland, according to protest organisers. The protests follow the publishing of an inconclusive Swiss report by experts on the health risks of the radiation emitted by the technology published on 28 November 2019. Some hoped the […]
Swiss cancels all flights to China
Today, Swiss announced it was temporarily suspending all flights to and from mainland China. Flights to Bejing Capital Airport (PEK) and Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) are affected, it said. The announcement is a response to the global spread of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a contagious virus that can lead to life threatening pneumonia. The virus […]
