A pair of conjoined sisters have been successfully parted by doctors in Switzerland at only eight days old.

Delivered in December, baby girls Lydia and Maya were born conjoined alongside a triplet, born separate and healthy. Although plans were made to separate them after a few months of life, health conditions forced doctors to attempt the operation after only eight days outside of the womb.

At a tiny 2.2kg (between both sisters), Lydia and Maya were fused at the liver but still had all other vital organs. One sister however, had very high blood pressure and too much blood, whilst the other did not have enough blood to sustain her.
After five hours, on December 10, a medical team of 13 people successfully separated the girls despite the operation only having a microscopic 1% chance of success. This is the first time babies so young have been separated.

Steffen Berger, head of paediatric surgery at the hospital said:  "The perfect teamwork of physicians and nursing personnel from various disciplines were the key to success here. We are very happy that the children and parents are faring so well now." 

After further surgery, the girls are now said to be recovering well and have gained weight. 

Source: BBC Health

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Recently published calculations have suggested that giving HIV drugs to healthy gay men on a daily basis could help to prevent new infections from taking hold.

The calculations, published in the Lancet, suggest that if daily drugs are administered to those with the highest risk of contracting HIV, the number of infected people could be cut by more than 40% in the UK.

Statistics show that gay men in London are at the highest risk of contracting HIV in the UK, with one in eight gay men living with the infection. The rest of the UK shows one in 26.

How can HIV contraction be prevented?

The simplest and one of the most effective methods of prevention is to use condoms. However, these are often ignored.

Studies show that by 2020, there will be 16,955 further cases of HIV in gay men. Tests carried out last year on 500 men examined the effects of an alternative prevention method – pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep).

The tests showed that giving men Prep drugs for a year could prevent one case in 13. That is a staggering 7,399 cases of infection.

Medical Director of the Terrence Higgins Trust, Dr Michael Brady said: “This study is really important as it demonstrates that, in a relatively short space of time, Prep could have a dramatic impact on reducing HIV transmissions.”

Prep is being evaluated by the NHS to judge whether it should be administered. 

Source: BBC Health