'Give teenagers jab for whooping cough'

Cases of whooping cough in England have risen by 177 per cent in five years. There have also been significant rises in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and cholera, new figures show (David Rose writes).

Provisional data released by the Department of Health showed that there were 1,071 cases of whooping cough in England last year, up on the 539 in 2006 and almost three times as many as in 2003. Doctors said this suggested that teenagers as well as babies should be vaccinated against whooping cough, as in France, Germany and the US.

Cases of tuberculosis (TB) have also risen by 17 per cent, from 6,741 in 2003 to 7,862 in 2006.

Cholera has risen by 52 per cent, from 25 cases to 38, while typhoid has gone up 17 per cent, from 174 cases in 2003 to 203 in 2006.

Faith 'worth £2bn'

Churches, mosques, synagogues and other faith communities contribute more than £2 billion to the economy, a report claims today. An audit in Wales of their contribution to public life shows that faith communities contribute £102 million a year to the Welsh economy which, if projected nationally, adds up to £2.1 billion.

'Goth' murder trial

A 16-year-old admitted the murder of Sophie Lancaster, 20, a “Goth” student of Bacup, Lancashire, at Preston Crown Court. A 15-year-old denies the murder, in a Bacup park, last August. Both youths and three other teenagers admitted causing grievous bodily harm to her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, 21.

Correction

Contrary to our report (News, March 1) Roman Abramovich is no longer the owner of the “superyacht”, Le Grand Bleu.

Murdered pensioner had been tortured

A pensioner bludgeoned to death at her cottage in Brambridge, Hampshire, was first tortured to try to get her to reveal her PIN, police revealed (Adam Fresco writes). Georgina Edmonds, 77, was killed two months ago. Her killer has not been caught.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Barton, said: “We believe the weapon used to torture Mrs Edmonds was possibly a kitchen paring knife or something of similar shape and size.”

A man was captured on CCTV on the evening of Mrs Edmonds’s death trying to take money from her account at a cash machine in Eastleigh, a few miles from her home. He failed.

Writer libelled chief

Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Gregg has won £50,000 libel damages from a writer who claimed he had framed an innocent man as the hoaxer who diverted the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry. John Humble was jailed in 2006 after admitting perverting the course of justice. At the High Court, Mr Justice King ruled that Noel O’Gara had no prospect of defending the case and ordered him not to repeat the libels.

Traffic fumes danger Exposure to traffic fumes for even a short time can alter the way the brain works, and may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, a study suggests. Very small particles inhaled from polluted air can end up in the brain, where they induce a stress response and change the way it processes information, Dutch researchers report in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology.

Al-Qaeda confession Khalid Khaliq, 35, an associate of the July 7 suicide bombers, admitted possessing an al-Qaeda training manual on a CD-Rom found during a police raid on his house 10 days after the explosions in London. He had been on a whitewater rafting trip with the bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. Khaliq, who was bailed overnight, will be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today.

Cancer technique The Royal Free Hospital has become the first hospital in Britain to use a new type of surgical technique for treating pancreatic cancer. The treatment is for those with advanced tumours that have spread to the portal vein, a vessel into the pancreas. Usually, this kind of cancer cannot be operated on. Doctors say the treatment could help around 700 more patients in Britain each year.

Rapist teacher jailed A dance teacher who reached the finals of the world salsa championships in 2004 and 2005 was jailed for ten years at Winchester Crown Court after being found guilty of twice raping a woman pupil. Joseph Lantelli, 42, of Gloucester, had had a sexual relationship with her but it had cooled. Lantelli is already serving a 30-month prison sentence for indecently assaulting another pupil, aged 17.

Killer faces questions

A self-confessed French serial killer is expected to be named as a formal suspect in the unsolved rape and murder of a British student in Burgundy in 1990. Michel Fourniret, 65, will be questioned over the death of Joanna Parrish, 20, from Newnham, Gloucestershire, whose body was found in the River Yonne near Auxerre. Monique Olivier, 59, Fourniret’s wife, will also be questioned.

Boy, 11, fires gun

An 11-year-old boy fired a loaded gun which he and his brother, aged 3, had found in their garden in Smethwick, West Midlands.

The police said that the weapon was discharged at an unattended car by the boy, who mistook the firearm for a toy. Nobody was hurt.

The boys’ mother said: “He’d fired it once and it jammed and then he fired it again and it went through the car.”

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