Elderly patients with advanced dementia are seven times more likely to receive antibiotics in their last two weeks of life, a Harvard study reports. Though there is little evidence that the drugs relieve suffering of such patients or increase their life span, the study says that excessive use of the drugs can contribute to the development of microbes resistant to antibiotics, a public-health hazard common in nursing homes.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School studied more than 214 patients with an average age of 85 in 21 Boston-area nursing homes. Almost half died during the 18-month study that time. These patients also failed to recognize loved ones, sized to communicate and were unable to walk or feed themselves

World Health Organization (WHO) Officials in Angola fear that the outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus will get worse. The World Health Organisation says the cycle of the disease has not been broken, and it is not yet controlled. A joint statement from Angola's health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said an additional 513 people are under quarantine and surveillance with no new cases reported in other areas. We don't think that it is over," David Daigle of the WHO said.."The numbers are still going up." The Angolan health ministry feels the outbreak of Marburg Virus remains contained to the town of Uige in the country's northern district, helped by poor roads and isolation of the area. While people outside the town have contracted the disease, the Government says all had visited Uige, which is the epicentre of the outbreak. The virus has killed 235, said to be more deadly than Ebola. Most of the victims have been children. The Marburg vuris can kill a healthy person in a week, inducing bloody vomiting and diarrhoea, followed by severe fever. The disease is spread through contact with bodily fluids, such as sweat, saliva and blood. The disease is not treatable with any known drugs and an innoculation is not available