Diabetes support.

The first cases of a previously rare sexually transmitted infection have been reported in the UK, it has been revealed The disease - Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) - had been considered rare until 2003 when around 100 cases were reported in gay men in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, with further cases in France, Germany, Belgium and the US.

Now the disease has been found among gay men in the UK - with 34 cases reported by the middle of February.

LGV is a bacteria and usually starts as an ulcer, with symptoms including rectal inflammation, pain and bleeding, constipation and abdominal pain, which can be treated with a three-week course of antibiotics.

TWO out of three infant deaths happen within the first 28 days after birth, a new study shows

Most deaths are related to conditions caused by premature births, such as very low birth weight or breathing problems (58 per cent), and congenital anomalies (24 per cent).

The figures published by the Office of National Statistics found the infant mortality rate in England and Wales increased slightly from 5.2 per 1,000 live births in 2002 to 5.3 in 2003. This was the first rate increase since 1999.

THE Cardiff Support Group of Diabetes UK holds its monthly meeting on Wednesday in the Highfields Centre, Allensbank Road, Heath, at 7.30pm. For more details ring Meriel Vodden on 029 2061 6539.

TEENAGE girls are to be encouraged to increase their calcium intake by consuming dairy products - and become more beautiful at the same time.

The Milk Development Council (MDC) is launching a multi-million pound campaign, Naturally Beautiful, with the support of the EC, aiming to focus on the beautifying nutrients found in milk, yoghurt and cheese.

The MDC is hoping to raise awareness amongst teenagers that dairy products are an essential dietary need, and to dispel the myth milk products are fattening.